In one month, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s hefty year two expansion Dawn of Ragnarök arrives, expanding Eivor’s journey reliving their past life as the all powerful Norse god Odin. The new story unfolds following the game’s previous Asgard-focused quest, and finds Odin on a search for his kidnapped son Baldr, taking him to the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim. With new godly abilities and over 35 hours of expanded gameplay, here are some features of the expansion that caught our Odin’s Sight during a recent hands-off preview:
Powers of the Gods
Equipped with a new mythical bracer called the Hugr-Rip, Odin is able to acquire powerful abilities from fallen foes that open new doors to gameplay and strategy. Unlike abilities unlocked through the main game through discovered Books of Knowledge, these powers are not permanent and are driven by exploration.
Odin can acquire only two powers at a time; if a new power is discovered, the player must choose which to keep and which to toss until the next time it’s encountered in the world. Instead of using adrenaline points, these powers are active for as long as Odin’s Hugr meter stays filled. The five powers unlock new strategies, allowing players to customize their godly playstyle.
Power of the Raven allows Odin to transform into – you guessed it – a raven. While active, Odin can fly over great stretches of land and swoop in on unsuspecting enemies for an air assassination. In a series that has often relied on a feathered companion to help the lead assassin survey the area, it’s interesting to see this refined stealth approach.
Power of Muspelheim transforms skin into magma and makes Odin appear like one of the main enemies, the deadly Muspels. While active this power allows Odin to travel across lava without being harmed (which comes in handy in the lava-heavy dwarven realm). It also allows Odin to slip by other Muspels without being detected.
Power of Winter infuses Odin’s weapon with ice to unleash devastating strikes, which can be all too useful in a realm overrun by the fire and lava-fuelled Muspels.
Power of Jotunheim allows Odin to transport short distances when rolling and dodging. He can also shoot an arrow into World Knots (think glowing magic targets), transporting Odin across larger distances directly to them and making traversal through harrowing areas easier.
Power of Rebirth allows Odin to resurrect enemies that he has slain while the power is active, but rising to fight on his side. While some powers lend themselves to a stealthy approach, watching Odin create a small army and barrel through a stronghold speaks more to my Viking instincts to raise Helheim wherever I go.
Glorious Gear