Who wants to hack, slash, and raid as a vicious Viking? Well, there are a few things players will need to know first. While Assassin's Creed Valhalla certainly resembles its predecessors, many things have changed and altered, leaving even experienced players having to learn something new. They aren't alone; with the huge success of the title at release, this game has seen a wave of beginners join the fray.
Gamers both new and old know how important it is to get off to a good start and how rewarding that can be as the game develops. So here are some tips to make Eivor the best Viking they can be.
Updated February 7, 2022 by Stephen LaGioia: Despite being well over a year old, Assassin's Creed Valhalla continues to draw new players and returning veterans alike. This is thanks to a plethora of fun, rewarding content that continues to expand, with free added content and unique events like River Raids, Odyssey Crossover Stories, and the Isle of Skye. And this doesn't even factor in the robust DLC packs added since release, which looks to culminate with the epic Dawn of Ragnarok.
Yet, the core experience itself remains deep and elaborate, with a seemingly endless amount of ground to cover, quests to tackle, and goodies to collect. With these factors in mind, it seemed like a good idea to revisit and flesh out this list with more tips and tricks for Assassin's Creed Valhalla beginners as well as returning players looking to shake off some rust.
Scout And Survey The Lands Often
The environments of Valhalla are vast and dense to the point where they can be overwhelming at times. Thankfully, there are a couple of useful ways to survey the area and pick up on points of interest fairly quickly. The first is Eivor's Odin Sight, which is triggered by a simple click of the right analog stick. This yields a pulse wave that briefly darkens the area to highlight objectives, items, and foes nearby.
There's also the Raven, which acts as an airborne scout for Eivor and can safely detect nearby threats, items, and other points of interest. This can in turn be tagged as waypoints when the Raven is in flight, making navigation and tactical play a bit easier. Simply press up on the D-pad ("V" on the keyboard for PC) to send the friendly bird.
These are simple actions, but they can go a long way in giving one a greater awareness of the surrounding region.
Don't Neglect The Drinking Game — Seriously
There are numerous side activities to get lost in when exploring the various towns and villages of Valhalla. One of the more amusing ones is the drinking game, which tasks Eivor with polishing off multiple beverages from a horn as fast as possible. This is done by tapping the prompt button to a given rhythm and responding to direction prompts to stay balanced as the inebriation kicks in.
While this is good for some laughs, it can actually be an easy way to earn quite a bit of coin. In fact, a "big bet" will net a whopping 400 silver (betting 200)! Simply ride the big bet and prepare to out-drink the opponent (a task that becomes far simpler through practice). It's even worth the several bothersome seconds of drunkenness afterwards.
While this can only be played for coin once per challenger, there is no shortage of them. Just look for the drinking horn icon in a given town.
Upgrade Quiver For More Arrows At A Time
While there are many things that can be upgraded in Valhalla, one of the most neglected (and useful) is the quiver, which holds the primary ranged weapon in the game; arrows.
Make a point to build a collection of leather, iron ore, and fabric — as these will all be needed for the upgrade — and focus on quiver upgrades. Doing so will add to the number of arrows Eivor can hold at once.
This is a subtle, but highly-useful perk that can make a difference in a heated battle, especially for those who favor stealth and ranged attacks. This can be expanded all the way to 30 hunter arrows, 40 light arrows, or 15 predator arrows.
Utilize The Hall Feast
One often overlooked, yet simple way to boost Eivor's strength and effectiveness in fights is the feast, which can be held at Eivor's Ravensthorpe settlement.
To initiate one, simply go to the longhouse and ring the large bell on the left side of the entrance. These will provide fairly long-lasting buffs, the effects/potency of which can increase when building food-based structures like a bakery.
Focus On Adrenaline Slots
Adrenaline slots are highly useful tools to have at one's disposal, as they'll make Eivor far more efficient and allow them to use abilities. Performing actions like headshots with arrows, landing criticals, assassinations, and eating certain plants will refill these slots.
Focus on ways to keep this meter filled and make a point to do so before going into battles, especially tougher ones. It can make all the difference when it comes to survival and strength. Over time, players can add more adrenaline slots via the skill tree.
Follow The Main Storyline
Following the main quests may sound obvious but it's also a surefire way to make sure the player gets access to everything they need to explore and complete in quests and events.
It also allows for the player to get to know the characters around them and makes that story all the richer whilst enabling them to explore the wonderful world around them and perhaps discover some valuable treasure along the way. That and it greatly increases one's power to the region they're in, so Eivor can stay on top of the threats in the area and overcome them more easily.
Raid, Raid, Raid
While it's important to follow the story and explore, sometimes running from one place to the other for a cutscene can get pretty boring.
Unlike previous Assassins Creed's the player can create and manage their own settlement, building bakers, stables, and merchants to upgrade horses and sell unwanted runes or junk. This is upgraded by gathering material through raiding. Raiding is a nice alternative to questing and a fun change of pace as it allows for some fun, to-the-point action, and ample looting of useful goodies.
Additionally, there's the fun and convenient River Raids addition, where players can tackle more quests, gather more goodies, and earn XP by raiding separate regions. Be sure to build a Barracks at Ravensthorpe first, then seek out a man at the docks named Vagn.
Upgrade Eivor's Gear
It may seem pretty obvious to upgrade weapons and gear but many players forget and find themselves dying regularly from enemies that just shouldn't pose a threat, only to find out their armor could have been upgraded a few times.
Luckily, the player doesn't need to go to a Blacksmith or a specific location to begin upgrading their gear. It can be done right in the inventory menu, so it's advisable to check every so often and see if anything can be made better. The resources required for this are iron ore, leather, and titanium.
However, every so often, the Blacksmith should be visited at Eivor's Ravensthorpe settlement, as it'll allow players to expand the limits of armor and weapon upgrades (reaching superior, flawless, and mythical qualities).
Use Sets Of Armor
Many players will find they get certain perks for using armor from the way of the Wolf, Raven, or Bear. There are many discussions as to the most powerful but it really depends on the playstyle and techniques of the player, and each alignment type excels in its own way. However, one thing is for certain — always try to wear a complete set, and stick mostly with one animal alignment.
Players will often be rewarded extra boosts or abilities when laced with five pieces of the same armor. This will give the player some useful perks and additional resilience as Eivor gets increasingly set in a particular playstyle. Not only this, but a complete armor set simply looks cool as well.
Practice Controls And Techniques
For those seasoned players, this will not be much of an issue since the controls are pretty similar to the previous games, but for those beginners out there, it's pretty different from some other popular games and can take getting used to.
Thankfully, Eivor and Sigurd's wonderful assassin friends will teach the player most of the controls. However, it's important to practice and get used to these before going into a big boss battle and struggling with the dodge mechanic. Abilities should be practiced when key mapped too, as players will want to be accustomed to busting out the right ones in the heat of battle.
Power And Skill Points Are Important
Most players find this out the hard way. They find an enemy they need to kill in a high-powered area and go for it, only to get brutally killed in the first hit. This is why following the main story is beneficial since it allows players to get to the levels they need. Luckily, the game offers various ways to get experience, which all works towards a unified "power level system."
Be sure to stay busy, especially when it comes to quests as these provide ample XP. Not only will it raise Eivor's power level, but it'll also score them crucial skill points, which can be allocated to different talents, unlock abilities, and grant boosts.
Whether the player is raiding or exploring just be careful of those high-powered areas and make sure that when those handy skill points are earned, stick them in something useful, or auto-assign them. Either way, it will improve Eivor's power and mechanics, assuming one keeps an eye on the power levels of locations and enemies.
While the skill tree might be a bit much to absorb with how large and convoluted it is, the most important thing is to simply assign points somewhere, as it's easy to neglect them and get a backlog going. A good rule of thumb is to focus more on the animal alignment (Bear, Wolf, Raven), that most of Eivor's equipped armor uses.
Upgrade Rations
Unlike previous Assassins Creed games, Eivor's health doesn't regenerate over time, rather using berries, food, and rations to get back to full health.
If the player upgrades their ration pouch as soon as they can, the gameplay will be forever changed for the better. Eivor will be able to withstand more, the player can fight for longer without the worry of death. It's all-around a good aspect to upgrade since it serves as Eivor's health and isn't too hard to get hold of when it comes to both the materials to upgrade and the rations themselves.
Simply go to the inventory menu and hover over rations, holding the button prompt to upgrade. Initially, this will require iron and leather, but this will be bumped up to rarer materials like titanium and fabric.
Get The Right Weapon
Similar to the armor sets, choosing the right weapon and the most powerful really depends on playstyle. Many opt for an ax and a shield while others swear by the flail or two-handed weapons, but it's really personal preference. One-handed weapons will generally be quicker and more versatile, while larger ones take longer to swing but usually deal more damage.
It's a good idea to emphasize a playstyle early on, match the armor, weapon, skills, and abilities as one continues to upgrade, and go from there. For instance, players may opt for a swifter, more stealth-focused assassin. They'll thus want a lighter build, with mostly Wolf gear and abilities that focus on speed, assassinations, and ranged hits.
Of course, over the long haul, one's playstyle may change and adapt, so make sure to change the armor and weapons to complement this. Players can even opt to reset skill points if they look to drastically change their approach.
Take Part In Flyting Duels
Not many people expected to see charisma-based gameplay in Assassins Creed, let alone making it a rather important aspect of Eivor's journey.
Flyting duels are particularly vital when it comes to dialogue since a low level can be the difference between winning the favor of an ally or making them into an enemy. These amusing face-offs of wit are also fairly simple, quick ways to gain experience. Like a sort of medieval rap battle, the key is to respond to insults in kind with witty answers that usually rhyme and/or maintain a sort of rhythmic beat.
Flyting duels can be found in pretty much every major settlement, and they are certainly recommended — just make sure you have the coin to bet with. Look for the blue mask symbol (not the white one, as these represent Roman Artifacts) on the map to pinpoint these flyting face-offs.
Loot Everything
While this may seem pretty obvious, it's still a vital tip for beginners who may ignore the small amounts of silver, materials, and other random goodies they find scattered about. Although a couple silver here and there may not seem like much, there are many occasions where Eivor needs to bribe or bet some money away, and not having that as an option very quickly turns that conversation sour and hostile.
Not only that but every so often the player will come across that material they've been looking for or a valuable weapon in a chest. The mechanic is as quick as pressing a button and is definitely worth it, even if the rewards are a little small. These can make a difference over time, especially when it comes to upgrading gear and settlements.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.