'Assassin's Creed Valhalla' Dawn Of Ragnarök Preview: Explosive Combat In A Surreal War-torn World

The second year of post launch content support for Assassin's Creed Valhalla begins with a bang with the Dawn of Ragnarök DLC, promising players the experience of embodying a living god.

I'm not sure how much of this assurance truly ties into the philosophy of the newest Assassin's Creeds where the hero, weighed down with tragedy, becomes stronger and stronger and eventually overthrows the people that have poisoned every echelon of their world. This is also the game that lets you use some sort of mystical genetic sonar to light up enemies, gold and plot points, so this is possibly par for the course. 

Check out the sweeping scale of Dawn of Ragnarök below!

Dawn of Ragnarök will deliver an epic experience with new enemies and new ways to whack ‘em, with Odin battling one of their fiercest foes as the realm of the gods crumbles into the apocalypse. 

Weaving more and more Norse mythology into the game was a natural pathway for the team at Ubisoft Sofia to follow for the narrative continuation of Eivor's story, said the team. Through visions, Eivor steps into Odin's shoes once again here, though this time they are searching for their missing son, Baldr. Appreciably, these names and this premise sound similar to those who played that sad dad game from a Sony studio, the one that was released rather recently on PC. While God of War is linear on the whole, this new DLC stays in line with the sprawling scale that Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla have brought to the stealth simulator, and encourages the player to experiment with the adaptable combat mechanics.

But back to that in a minute. Sutr, the invincible fire giant, has captured Baldr and taken him to Svartalfheim which is the realm of the dwarves that has been invaded by Sutr’s legions of Muspels and Jötnar. Muspels are the newest kids on the block, appearing as living beings molded from molten rock, and have a horrendous habit of spilling lava wherever they stand. In order to survive, the dwarves have retreated underground, splitting Odin's journey across Svartalfheim into two. Following environmental clues (also known as mustard yellow symbols painted on sequentially placed objects) in the surreal natural landscapes of the realm, these lead the player to shelters. Each is unique, says Ubisoft Sofia, drawing Odin through stunning natural rock formations or brutalist dwarven architecture to shops and vendors. 

Dwarves know that Glod, Sutr’s son, is looking for strange relics buried in the earth and razes every settlement in the relentless pursuit of that goal. While clever and resourceful beyond belief, they aren’t as strong as the Muspels and Jötnar, so this is where Odin will take on quests to the ruins of their cities. 

Shapeshifting into a raven, the player is able to survey the combat area before diving down to attack. This ability spotlights foes that possess powers that Odin is able to absorb upon the death of the target and inflict this stolen power against the rest of his enemies. Technically termed, this is hugr-rip. For example, the Power of Rebirth causes every opponent killed when power is active to be resurrected as friendly soldiers. These Powers are fuelled by hugr, the energy that flows through every being in Svartalfheim. To top off the tanks, Odin may draw from hugr-blooms or monuments to sacrifice life energy for hugr in the environment. 

If this is looking all a bit intricate to the casual Assassin’s Creed enjoyer, then you’d be on the money with that conclusion. The altgeir is a new weapon that’s like a spear which rewards precise play with a satisfying mix of light and heavy attacks. “Precise” is not a word I would ever have used in my playthrough of Valhalla — I set fire to the wrong house in one of the quests in Ledecestrescire. Ubisoft Sofia has designed the most ambitious DLC in the franchise thus far for those who have honed their skills beyond pushing legendary enemies off high ledges. And that’s fine. I just felt the need to let you know. 

With only a maximum of three different Powers in Odin’s arsenal, the team has stressed that switching and swapping these out depending on the combat encounter is the key to success. Hugr drains for as long as these Powers are active so it’s also a question of being tactical to ensure that you’ve got enough hugr to either escape or deliver the final blow. These enemies aren’t going down without a fight either, as the flamekeepers of the Muspel horde may resurrect the corpses that you’ve already dispatched. Best to focus on them while dodging out of the way of Sutr’s furies who detonate once they close the distance between you and them. The Power of Muspelheim is very useful if you’re overwhelmed as it transforms Odin into one of the fiery foes and allows them to walk across lava just like them too. 

All of this feels terribly... functional. Don't get me wrong - the visuals of Svartalfheim are eye-popping and the scale of what's been achieved is awesome. The messaging of becoming a god, embodying a god, as exciting as that is, feels slightly superficial to me. Yet, it is important to consider the crowd who have scurried from corner to corner in England, Norway. Vinland, Ireland and France, uncovering everything there is to the game. Offering over 30 hours of content for these players to sink their teeth into, there’s also the Valkyrie Arena that pits you against characters from Ragnarök and Valhalla to best in battle. It’s an opportunity to trial certain character builds and explore the breadth of the combat system before embarking on the journey across Svartalfheim, and again, it sounds very like that other war god game. 

The enthralling themes and gorgeous settings of Norse mythology is an allure that I totally understand, though. With these rich stories and the ability to retell them, placing the player at the centre of these sagas, this will be a DLC that will be right up the streets of those who want to prove themselves against the most formidable figures from the Nine Realms. Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Dawn of Ragnarök DLC will launch on March 10th for all platforms.