Out of everything I’ve seen from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s upcoming Dawn Of Ragnarok expansion, it’s Odin’s new abilities and their potential for hijinx that lingers in the memory. I recently caught a hands-off preview of the new slice of content, and the variety of ways you could approach a mission has me mulling over what mischief I might get up to.
Dawn Of Ragnarok puts you in the shoes of the Norse god Odin, who is journeying through the mythical dwarven realm of Svartalfheim in search of his son Baldr. That search involves finding a dwarf called Fritjof, who we are told is likely being held in a nearby prison.
As ever with Assassin’s Creed, you can approach the mission how you like, though the devs try to show off each new ability in full. Odin can transform into a raven to swiftly traverse the land and morph back into a human for rapid assassinations, turn the foes of the dead into a personal army, or disguise himself as a regular civilian for social stealth. As always, though, there’s a catch. You can only use each move for so long before you run out of time with it, so you have to judge what’s right for the moment.
You’ll also only be able to call upon two of the three abilities at one time. During our hands-off session, we see Odin tackle a new fiery foe named Muspels. At one point, the devs choose to deploy the ability of social stealth after assassinating one thrall to sneak through the next part of the level. Before entering a prison, they fell a gang of foes before raising them from the dead to tackle the next group.
Earning these abilities is situational, too – so you have to gamble that you’ll get the chance to re-learn a command if you choose to toss it to one side in favour of another one. You’ll need to find a raven to turn into one, so you might want to think twice about tossing that ability away if you’re deep into an enemy’s fortress.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s new Dawn Of Ragnarok expansion will launch on March 10. Alongside a new divine tier of weapon and the trusty atgeir, you’re also getting a new PvP Valkyrie game mode. Don’t worry if you’ve not played everything up to Dawn of Ragnarok, though, as you can boost your level or start with the expansion if you’re new.