[REVIEW] Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok

Norse mythology has come to take on an Assassin’s Creed where it makes more sense than ever. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s new expansion, Dawn of Ragnarok, is out today for those with a spirit of adventure and an interest in becoming gods. I have to say I really missed Eivor, that headstrong Viking who shares a name with the chef from my old school. Thankfully, the similarities between the two end there, as a game featuring a woman in knee-high socks and a hairnet armed with cabbage and beans would have been too heartbreaking. In this new story, Eivor becomes Havi, the Allfather, also known as Odin.

The adventure begins after a psychedelic trip caused by the herbs and fire of Valka, the seer of Ravenstorp, eventually leading us to Svartalfheim, home of the dwarves. Anyone with a low alcohol tolerance knows that this is the least that can happen in such cases, my waking up in a hedge after a single bottle of wine bears witness to this. Havi, on the other hand, wakes up in a bad mood to discover that Baldr, the son he had with Freya, has been captured by Surtr, the fire lord and guardian of Muspelheim. That’s where this journey really begins, with a hugely important rescue mission, set in a beautiful setting and with what I discover are JRR Tolkien overtones. Maybe it’s because of the dwarves around you who can’t help but remember Gimli or the hobbits. Will there be a secondary where I have to climb a mountain to destroy a cursed ring in the lava?

I have no idea, maybe it’s my imagination, but the scent is there. The expansion is big, huge and just getting through the story requires between 15 and 20 hours of gameplay. The recommended minimum level is 360 by the way, but if you’re not an assassin like me and have 300 hours in the base game exploring the map from cover to cover and doing secondaries, you can level up to this with the push of a button button if you wish. The enemies in Svartalfheim are primarily Muspels, a species of fire giant that can be quite tough for unprepared Vikings.

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They don’t do much damage at high levels, but when they get together in groups they can be quite annoying because they set everything on fire, especially you. On your way to Surtr it’s not just the muspels that will put your ax to the test, there are also a good handful of mini-bosses who want to give you a hard time and they’re relatives of Surtr to boot (what Christmas dinners in must be in this house). Bosses are always bosses, but I assure you that you’ll only get past these with a few gray hairs and maybe the occasional moment of anger. To make things a little easier, the dwarves will give you a more than valuable gift, the Hugr Rip Bracelet, which grants you some impressive abilities. How about becoming a raven and taking to the skies? attack from above? That’s just one of the new things you can do.

Then there’s the power of Muspelheim, turning your skin into magma to confuse enemies from afar. It’s also useful for crossing lava flows without taking damage, which is more than necessary given the wrath of the fire giants in Svartalfheim. The third ability is the Force of Winter, which turns Havi’s weapon into ice, ideal for dealing more damage to fire and lava enemies. There is also the power of Jotunheim, which allows you to teleport, and last but not least, the power of resurgence. This ability revives the enemies you just killed to fight by your side and I love using poison darts just like I loved in previous games to watch my opponents tuck into some popcorn kill each other.

But be careful, you’re not the only ones who have this ability, the game has enemies that can raise the dead and that should automatically be your top priority in battle. The only problem with abilities is that you can only carry two at a time, so you need to pick your favorites early, and with half the world full of lava, the power of Muspelheim needs to be close at hand. . They also consume a meter, which luckily can be quickly filled with flowers or with the enemies themselves. There are even altars where you can sacrifice life to refill that magic bar, although going too far here can make you easy prey.

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Dawn of Ragnarok also brings new weapons, but I have to admit that I didn’t need any of them during my adventure. When I got the spear of Odin I realized the rest was superfluous so I spent many spear-wielding lessons. A few quick punches in the stomach are usually enough to take someone down. I should also mention that I found the voice of the dwarf Ivaldi hilarious, with an accent that was very familiar to me, and I wasn’t wrong. In the English version, it is the Swede Carl Andersson who gives him a voice.

As usual, there is a lot to explore and discover in the game, and this new story should be able to be 100% completed in around 40 hours. I think I’ve only been able to scratch the surface of everything there is to collect or find, as I plunged headlong into the main story to get to this review in time, so I still have a lot to discover in Svartalfheim and to enjoy. . And how is the experience so far? As a huge Assassin’s Creed Valhalla fan, I love having reasons to go Eivor again. It brings more of everything and does not disappoint. It’s a well-done extension that makes it hard to let go of control before bed.

Luckily I didn’t find any bugs, which I did with previous extensions. The game ran smoothly at all times, something to be thankful for at a time when even Rockstar falls for such things. The third and final story expansion for AC Valhalla is great and ties the games together quite well, but I won’t say anything more to avoid spoilers. Get your beard ready and sharpen your axes because it’s time to hunt down fire giants and become champions. It’s time to discover the Dawn of Ragnarok.

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