Now that the Wrath of the Druids DLC is behind us, it’s time to take a look at Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s biggest expansion to date. The Siege of Paris offers a lot more than you would expect and is worth every second of it. Wondering why? Time to jump in!
Travel to Francia
Our story kicks off with a mysterious new visitor who entered Ravensthorpe, home of Eivor’s clan. The mysterious Toka, second-in-command of the Elgring Clan didn’t come empty-handed but prepared a complete feast for Eivor and his clan to enjoy. The food and drinks aren’t familiar as they showcase the wealth of Francia and its spices. It’s a generous gift for a visitor, perhaps even too generous. Questioning her motives, Eivor demanded an explanation for Toka’s unannounced visit. The reason seems rather straightforward. Her clan and all other Northmen face extinction under the strict rules of Charles the Fat (Charles the Mad) who united Francia’s armies in order to defeat their invaders. Although it isn’t Eivor’s war to fight, he does sense an upcoming danger. What if Charles defeats all Northmen in Francia and wants to cleanse the Holy Grounds of England from those Nordic Devils too? Afraid of losing everything he fought so hard for, Eivor decides to join Toka on her quest to overthrow Charles the Fat and bring down Paris while doing so. A direct hit on Paris would mean the loss of spirit and resources to keep the Francian army together, forcing Paris to its knees is an ambitious endgame, one that Eivor will try to avoid with politics.
The Siege of Paris offers far more than you would expect from its trailers. It’s not just about going to Francia and burning down its capital. Your journey is filled with nuances and political debates, all while you’re getting to know some important Francian rulers too. There’s undeniable darkness roaming over Francia but only by finding the root of that evil, will you become victorious, and that truth is often revealed by your tongue more than your sword. But that doesn’t mean blood won’t flow. At its core, this expansion feels like a true Assassin’s Creed game and at moments, even more than the base game. Enter the black box missions.
A true Assassin’s Creed
Pretty quick after the initial start of The Siege of Paris, you’ll be asked to kill a certain bishop, it’s here where the fun kicks in. The way you approach this type of mission is entirely up to you and resembles how modern Hitman games work. Before you can take down your target, you’ll need to learn its location. You do so by exploring towns and taverns looking for clues. There are multiple options and different ways to learn where your target is hidden but once you pinpointed its location, it’s time to move in for the kill. In the case of the bishop, he was in his heavily guarded church. Depending on your style, you can sneak into the church, talk your way into it, or color the streets in blood, forcing your entry. Once inside, you’ll need to make it close enough to the bishop to take him out. Here’s where the real fun kicks in as the game offers you several options to deliver the final blow. I won’t go into spoiling territory here but I must say I adore the way these missions are structured. It made me feel more assassin than Viking and considering the franchise, that’s a good thing. Going back to the roots of the franchise was a great idea and I hope future releases will include these black box missions a bit more. During your campaign in Francia, you’ll be taking down a couple of these targets, all with a different approach and environment, really keeping it fresh until the very end of the expansion.
Exploration amongst rats
If you’re not tracking down and eliminating targets, you’re probably wandering around in the gorgeous new environments. Francia is an interesting region and is filled with memorable places to visit. From the streets of Paris to the smaller villages, there’s something to discover behind every corner. The scale of the map is rather impressive for an expansion but it’s the number of collectibles and secrets that really makes it worth your time. I adored the variation and the huge difference between peaceful towns and the inner city of Paris. Where the villages are rather peacefully charming, the city of Paris is a darker place to roam. There’s a constant feeling of war and death and the underground is filled with rats, one of the game’s new gameplay elements.
It’s clear that the developers looked at A Plague’s Tale: Innocence for inspiration when it comes to this element. From time to time, you’ll be surrounded by a mischief of rats with no way to kill them. You can only push them back by flinging your weapon in the air like a madman, which will force them to move back. This results in some interesting environmental puzzles where you mess around with the location of the mischief. It doesn’t always work that well, it happened more than once that a smaller group of rats stayed behind, making my life unnecessarily more complicated but when it works well, it’s a fun new mechanic. I do applaud the team for adding a new gameplay and it really fits the atmosphere of Paris. Although the mechanics aren’t always perfect, it’s a fun new puzzle opportunity a lot of players will definitely appreciate.
Besides this new gameplay element, there are of course also new weapons and gear to be collected although they won’t come easily. If you want to upgrade your weapons and gear, you’ll need to work rather hard for them and search your environment well. It’s a lot harder compared to the other DLC but then again, since you’ll have to be a least power level 200 to stand a chance in Siege of Paris, it’s not a surprise the good won’t come cheap anymore. If you want to collect the better stuff, I advise you to take on some side missions. These are a bit more straightforward than you’re used to, focussing on the rebel forces, and are often time-limited so you can’t just pick them up to complete them when you feel like it. That being said, there’s more than enough to discover in this gorgeous new environment so you won’t be leaving soon.
Conclusion:
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris is a worthy expansion bringing back the true spirit of an Assassin’s Creed game. It’s a lot more political than you would expect although the blood will still flow down the streets. Francia is an interesting and rewarding new environment to discover and the new gameplay elements are a fun addition. It’s nothing extremely innovative but it offers more than what you would expect. More Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is never a punishment if you ask me!
