Today, Ubisoft revealed the next major expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Dawn of Ragnarok, the next expansion, is set to launch on March 10, 2022, and has players step into the shoes of the All-father, Odin. Dawn of Ragnarok adds two more destinations to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim and the Isle of Skye, where fans of the Assassin’s Creed series will see a familiar character cross paths with Eivor, Kassandra/Alexios from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. The crossover brings in new content for both games, starting tomorrow.
Dawn of Ragnarok promises to have more content than some full games in the series and is set entirely within Norse mythology. After the events of the Asgard and Jotunheim arcs in Assassin’s Creed Vahalla, Odin is on a quest to save their son, Baldr. He is being held captive by the fire giant Surtur in the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim – a mythical new world about one-third the size of England. Svartalfheim has become a hostile, lava-filled landscape patrolled by flame-wielding enemies under occupation from the fiery realm of Muspelheim as well as icy Jotunheim. In order to survive, Odin will need to find hidden shelters across the world and seek help from the dwarves who’ve taken refuge in them. “Baldr, the armies of Muspelheim, and the world of the dwarves, Svartalfheim, are deeply incorporated into the saga of Ragnarök,” says Mikhail Lozanov, creative director at Ubisoft Sofia. “Svartalfheim is where all the famous magical weapons and artifacts have come from, and this beautiful and surreal world is torn by war. Most of the dwarves have been imprisoned and forced to search for ancient artifacts, or to craft weapons for the upcoming war against the gods. Players must be very careful when they traverse the open world, because since the occupation began, no place is safe, even for a god.”
One of the new things being added for Dawn of Ragnarok is an artifact called the Hugr-Rip. This enables Odin to draw new powers from defeated enemies, such as taking on the guise of a fiery Muspel. Under this guise, Odin can walk stealthily among them and is immune to fire and magma. Another power allows Odin to turn into a raven and quickly cover long distances. Other abilities include being able to imbue weapons with freezing effects, raising defeated enemies to fight, and more. Only two powers can be equipped at a time and can only be used with Hugr life essence which is drawn from defeated enemies, giant flowers called Hugr Blooms, or by sacrificing some of Odin’s health. “One of the key elements of the vision of Dawn of Ragnarök is to make players engage with the world and its inhabitants; to encourage players to observe and explore the world, and to experiment with the challenges we offer them” says Lozanov. “The powers that Odin can acquire from defeated enemies will allow players to traverse the vast world and create opportunities that were not possible before. For example, players who love stealth gameplay will be able to remain concealed and use this to their advantage. The powers are designed towards almost every kind of gameplay style that our players love.” There are also battle arenas run by a Valkyrie where players can tackle combat trials with optional, difficulty-boosting boasts that will make victory more rewarding.
With the crossover between Eivor and Kassandra, both games will get new, free story content. In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, a new quest called “Those Who Are Treasured” will be available. Kassandra or Alexios (depending on who you choose) have found the immortality-granting Staff of Hermes Trismegistus at the end of the game’s story and travel to the island of Korku, struggling with what to do with their newfound immortality. “Those Who Are Treasured” can be played after finishing Chapter 1 of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and reaching Megaris. “The first question we wanted to answer was about Kassandra’s immortality,” says Clémence Nogrix, associate creative director at Ubisoft Quebec, the studio that led development of both crossover stories. “Then, we can allow ourselves to ask what happens when two Assassin’s Creed protagonists [from past games] meet… and not when one is dead or an illusion. This time around, we could ask ourselves what would happen between these two characters, Kassandra and Eivor, who have very similar, very distinct personalities, but are also very witty and have their own personal egos.”
In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the quest “A Fated Encounter” will be made available. It brings Eivor to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where they will cross blades with Kassandra/Alexios. This quest is available in Valhalla after completing the quest “A Wise Friend.” “There’s more to the encounter between Kassandra and Eivor, and I hope that players will be able to see that, even throughout the years, Kassandra is still Kassandra,” says Nogrix. “Even if she, over 1,300 years, could have seen the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, traveled the world, and seen a zillion things, she’s pretty much herself, still.”