The word is finally out there, the next Assassin’s Creed takes place in the world of the Vikings. It has been rumored for a couple of months now, but Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is officially happening. Ubisoft is showing the first trailer later today but ahead of that reveal, we give you our top five of things we want to see in this new era, in random order. Let’s jump in!
Famous Vikings
As a fan of History Channel’s Vikings, I’m truly hoping Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will feature some famous Vikings too. Imagine meeting Ragnarr Loðbrók, Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside , or Lagertha during your adventure. The exact era of this Assassin’s Creed isn’t yet known but judging on the first artwork, they seem to have reached England or France, which puts the game in the right period to virtually meet some of those famous Vikings. If we take a look at previous installments of the franchise, Ragnarr, for example, can become your mentor or help just like Leonardo Da Vinci helped you out in Assassin’s Creed II. It would be a great addition to Valhalla for sure as it would make some of the characters instantly recognizable for fans of the television series.
Shield-Maiden (skjoldmø/skjaldmæ)
If we can believe the Norse folklore, Viking women didn’t always stay at home to take care of the children and the settlement. Some fought as equals along the sides of the men. It’s highly debated if these so-called Shield-Maidens actually existed but let’s just believe they did, given the nature of the Vikings. I’m really hoping Ubisoft will include the fierce Shield-Maiden in their game as well, perhaps even from the start. Wouldn’t it be great to pick the gender at the start of the game, just like in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey? Going to battle as a fierce Shield-Maiden might bring an extra factor of satisfaction to the game as the enemies would never anticipate the raw power of a female Viking ready to raid and plunder. It would be a nice addition to the story for sure.
Norse gods
The Vikings believed in a lot of gods and goddesses, each with their own personalities, and none of them immortal. The gods lived among the regular folk but harvested some kind of superpower which enabled them to live for a very long time. Over the years Odin, Thor, and Frey became the main gods of the Vikings, while they still worshipped some minor gods like Loki too. The Vikings believed the gods lived in Asgard, a place in the sky filled with gorgeous palaces made of gold and silver. The most important palace is the one Odin created and is named Valhalla. The Vikings believed that when they bravely die in combat, the Valkyries (female warriors) will come to pick them up overnight to take a seat at Odin’s table in Valhalla. Since the game is called Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, I hope the Norse gods play a crucial role in the story. The Viking lore goes deep when it comes to their gods so there really are a lot of options here. Maybe we can meet a god in its human form or maybe we can even fight against them? Just like in the amazing Assassin’s Creed: Origins?
The Viking Age and Christianity (Migration to the rest of Europe)
We know from recent history that the Vikings were an ambitious folk guided by the wind in their sails to raid west and south. Discovering the desolate Iceland or even defying the crown of England led by the Saxon Christian armies and kings. It will be interesting to see how the “Templar storyline” will fit into these travels to the West. Or even oppose the pope of the Holy Church himself in Italy, as Vikings did go this far south during the Viking Age. The beautiful city of Paris is also a possible raiding ground as you could reach it from the sea along the Seine. Ubisoft already let us visit these two bastions of Christianity but we’re talking 8th to 11th century here. So it would be interesting to see what these cities look like compared to their respective older titles. If you want some fresh new cities we might go to Russia and Turkey as Vikings went this far to spread their culture and settle to farm and poach. We’re not sure where we’ll go to meet the Templars or if we will gain an all-new foe this time around.
Weapons
I know you’re all hoping for Mjölnir and so do I. Wielding the hammer of Thor would be epic but it would ruin the historical fidelity that Assassin’s Creed tries to maintain throughout its games. What we will use for sure is the Skeggøx, the well-known Viking bearded ax. It was used as a tool and as a weapon. As a Viking you depended on your ax with your life. The form of the ax seems like it would be possible to glide along ropes to move faster also. I’m sure blades will be present in all forms and sizes. Throughout the years and raids of Europe, the Vikings were keen on using new gear that they stole and reverse-engineered from their fallen foes. Crossbows, battering rams, and spears, or even catapults. Another typical piece of gear is the Gokstad shield when fighting in group. Protecting the Vikings from lethal arrows and stones when attacking a fortification but also complementary to their famous “shield walls” and the aforementioned Shield Maidens. Of course, it wouldn’t be Assassin’s creed if we did not see a variation of the hidden blade or another secret Assassin weapon. Maybe we’ll get some nice quests where we find legendary weapons like a giant sledgehammer called Mjölnir?
