The next chapter in the Assassin's Creed series will be Assassin's Creed Valhalla, which will see players visiting the (long-rumored) Viking Age.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla sees players taking on the role of Viking raider Eivor, who leads a beardy clan from their native home of Norway to the shores of Dark Ages England - with a hope of settling down for good. But resistance from the Saxons won't exactly make it easy.
With less of an emphasis on stealth, Valhalla introduces new features such as raids, settlement management and customization. It looks like the bloodiest entry to date and we can't wait to get our hands on it when it releases for current and next-gen consoles on November 17, 2020.
We're more than ready for our latest fill of action-packed history and can't wait to see how the series' stunning locations look on next-gen consoles. So, without further ado, here's everything we know so far about Assassin's Creed Valhalla, including our own impressions from three hours of hands-on time with the game.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? The next chapter in the Assassin's Creed series
- When can I play it? November 17, 2020
- What can I play it on? Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Stadia and PC. It's also a Smart Delivery game, meaning if you buy it on Xbox One, you'll automatically get an Xbox Series X version, too.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla release date
Assassin's Creed Valhalla will on November 17, 2020 for Xbox Series X, PS5, Xbox One, PS4, Stadia and PC, and will be an Epic Games Store and Ubisoft Store exclusive on PC.
In addition, Assassin's Creed Valhalla will be available on Ubisoft's subscription service UPLAY+, and will offer free next-gen upgrades on Xbox Series X and PS5.
- PS5 vs Xbox Series X: what we know so far
Assassin's Creed Valhalla pre-orders
Here are the best prices for Assassin's Creed Valhalla pre-orders in your region:
Assassin's Creed Valhalla trailers
Ubisoft revealed a deep-dive Assassin's Creed Valhalla trailer during Ubisoft Forward on July 12. The video gives us a closer look at Valhalla gameplay, including combat, stealth and exploration.
Check it out below:
Here's your first look at Assassin's Creed Valhalla gameplay, courtesy of a trailer showed during Microsoft's first Xbox Series X gameplay reveal event:
The vibe, we think it's fair to say, is Assassin's Creed meets Skyrim, with a bit of British coutnryside thrown in. There's very little of the series' once-signature stealth action on show, with the game instead focussing on large scale battles and raids.
There's still nautical action, in the shape of taking the helm of a Viking longship, as well as getting a birds eye view of the action through a feathered friend (here a raven as opposed to the Assassin's Creed's usual eagles).
Compared to the sun-kissed locales of Origins and Odyssey, the two previous Assassin's Creed titles, there's a moodier, darker feel to what's been shown of Valhalla, with plenty of burning villages, brutal axe attacks and snowy vistas. It's also a bit greener too, with Britain's once-lush countryside on full display, including a cameo by the Stonehenge historical site. We'd imagine this hints at some sort of pagan worship featuring in the game too – in keeping with the mix of history, religion, myth and mystery of the series.
Ubisoft debuted the Assassin's Creed Valhalla world premiere trailer on April 30. Check it out below:
Assassin's Creed Valhalla preview
We've played three hours of Assassin's Creed Valhalla and, while parts of the game are fun, memorable and genuinely exciting to play, it's possible that bad glitches and rough voice acting could strip this Viking saga of its epic status.
Here's what we said in our hands on review:
"With fun combat and even better side quests, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is shaping up to be quite the Viking saga. The region of East Anglia that we saw during our demo is brimming with potential… even if a lot of the space isn’t quite used to its maximum potential quite yet."
Check out our full Hands on: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla review.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla news and rumors
Below we've gathered all the biggest news and rumors about Assassin's Creed Valhalla for your perusal:
Side quests replaced with 'World Events'
Assassin's Creed Valhalla sees the series' usual side quests replaced with 'World Events' instead - with side quests "almost nonexistent". Speaking to Gamespot, narrative director Darby McDevitt explained that these 'World Events' are more spontaneous and aren't something players can seek out.
Skill trees
You'' be able to assign skill points in one of three skill trees: Wolf powers, Raven powers and Bear powers, that roughly correspond to agility, stealth and strength. Each skill on the tree is either a buff, like extra health, or a new special move to use in combat.
Combat features
Eivor will be able to dual-wield weapons, with little limit on weapon combinations. In addition, Eivor also has a hidden blade (in class AC style).
Voice actors revealed
Creative Director Ashraf Ismail has revealed the voice actors for female and male Eivor: Danish actors Cecilie Stenspil and Magnus Buun. With Ubisoft leaning into the RPG elements of Assassin's Creed and making dialogue choices really matter, it's likely we'll be hearing a lot of them.
For #AssassinsCreedValhalla here are our phenomenal leads, Female and Male Eivor 🤩❤️Cecilie Stenspil - https://t.co/WqaAjH9d1qMagnus Bruun - @Magnus__Bruun pic.twitter.com/kfVfXSLqkIMay 1, 2020
Norway and England will feature
In an interview with BBC Click, creative director Ashraf Ismail has confirmed that the game, set in the 9th century, will take players between Norway and England, with the majority of the action taking place in England's four different kingdoms.
“Norway is quite big on its own but if we talk about England specifically, that's where the majority of the game takes place. We have four kingdoms in England so it's Northumbria, East Anglia, Mercia, and Wessex. We have major cities like Winchester, London, York - or Jorvik at the time period.”
Present day playable
In an interview with Eurogamer, lead producer Julien Laferrière confirmed the present day will be playable.
"We've found a way to blend the present day into a new type of experience for players," Laferrière said. "And present day is playable - I can confirm that."
No co-op
Ubisoft has confirmed Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a single-player game.
Raven animal companion
In Assassin's Creed Odyssey, players had an eagle companion that could scout out areas from above. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, you'll have a raven companion which will have new abilities.
Romance available
Assassin's Creed Valhalla will have romance options, however it's not clear whether players will be able to romance everyone, regardless of gender.
Epic Games Store exclusive
The PC version of Assassin's Creed Valhalla is only available on Epic Game Store and Uplay, which we expect will ruffle more than a few feathers.
Pre-orders and special editions
Gold, Ultimate, and Collector’s Editions of Assassin's Creed Valhalla are available - with pre-orders open now.
The Gold Edition of the game includes the base game and the Season Pass. The Ultimate Edition includes the base game, the Season Pass and the Ultimate Pack giving access to players to exclusive customization content: the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack, the Berserker Longship Pack, along with a Set of Runes to improve weapons or gears.
The Collector’s Edition includes the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack, the high-end Ubicollectibles replica of Eivor and her Drakkar, a Collector’s Case, a Steelbook with a unique artwork, a numbered certificate of authenticity, a Viking Statuette of Eivor with his raven and Dane axe, exclusive lithographs as well as a Selected Soundtrack of the game. The Collector’s Edition is available exclusively on the Ubisoft Store.
In addition, fans who pre-order Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will receive at launch an additional mission 'The Way of the Berserker', in which players will join a legendary Norse Berserker on his quest for revenge.
Choices matter
Elements such as political alliances, combat decisions, and dialogue choices will influence the world of Assassin's Creed Valhalla - so choose carefully.
Bloodier than ever
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is considerably more brutal than previous entries in the series, with the trailer depicting bloody massacres on English soil. It seems like stealth is no longer the priority in this game and instead we'll see more in the way of violent raids and destruction.
More RPG elements
Valhalla introduces new features such as raids, the ability to grow your settlement and build power, and the ability to increase your influence in this new brutal, dark world. These raids will allow you to collect resources needed to upgrade your settlement.
As your village grows, you'll be able to add new buildings such as a barracks, blacksmith and tattoo parlour - all available to customize and ugprade.
Customization
Players will have the option to play as either a male or female Eivor, with new customization options being introduced that allow you to customize your Eivor's hair, tattoos, war paint and gear.
Story
Here's Ubisoft's description of the story:
"Driven from Norway by endless wars and dwindling resources in the ninth century AD, players will lead Eivor’s clan of Norsemen across the icy North Sea to the rich lands of England’s broken kingdoms.
"Players must carve out a new future for their clan, reliving the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped combat system that includes the ability to dual-wield weapons against a greater variety of enemies than ever before.
"To secure resources players can lead raids to select locations using their longship to earn much-needed riches and resources. As the Vikings begin to settle in their new home, they encounter resistance from the Saxons including King Aelfred of Wessex, who denounces them as heathens and looks to be the sole ruler of a civilized England. Against all odds, Eivor must do what is necessary to keep Valhalla within reach."
- New games 2020: the biggest games coming to console and PC
