Assassin's Creed Valhalla has been out for a few weeks now, and players are flocking to discover the twists and turns of its plot. Like its predecessor, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Valhalla was made to be an RPG: many of its missions have choices for the player to make as protagonist Eivor, even if, in comparison, it's more of an RPG-lite game.
Most of the numerous choices in Assassin's Creed Valhalla have only short-term consequences, and are purely a matter of the player's preference. But a few of them actually affect either the player's settlement or the ending of the game in a big way, and most of them aren't terribly obvious when they come up during gameplay. So let's take a look at the most important choices of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and the long-reaching effects of each decision. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Choices that Determine Valhalla's Ending
There are five choices scattered throughout Assassin's Creed Valhalla that determine the ending of the game; specifically, they determine whether Eivor's brother, Sigurd, stays in England or leaves for Norway after all is said and done. Making three or more choices that Sigurd doesn't agree with will result in him abandoning Eivor and departing Ravensthorpe. Picking choices that Sigurd agrees with (at least three of them) will lead to him still liking Eivor at the end of the game, and staying with them.
Kjotve's Cargo
At the end of the prologue, Eivor will need to decide whether or not to take the cargo recovered from Kjotve the Cruel to England. Sigurd is not in favor of this; he believes it's a dishonorable thing to do and taking the cargo leaves things sour between Eivor and their adoptive father. Conversely, leaving the cargo makes Sigurd happy, and more likely to remain with Eivor at the end of the game.
Romancing Randvi
At some point in the game (once Eivor's settlement reaches level 3), players will get the change to go on a short trip with Sigurd's wife, Randvi, who feels trapped in the Ravensthorpe. At the end of the quest, Randvi confesses that she has feelings for Eivor, who can reciprocate and begin a relationship with her (which is the dialogue option with the little heart next to it), or choose to remain friends. Romancing Randvi as she's still married to Sigurd will count as a strike against Eivor, while choosing to be friends will keep Eivor in his good graces.
It should be noted, for those players who want to romance Randvi but don't want to alienate Sigurd, that there will be a later opportunity to start a romance. Eivor can acknowledge their feelings but say that they can't do anything about it during the quest ("Now is not the right time"). Doing this will not start a romance with Randvi, but won't eliminate the possibility either. Randvi and Sigurd separate on their own later in the game, and Eivor will have another opportunity to get their romance.
Fighting in Oxenefordscire
During one of the main quests, “Blood from a Stone," Eivor will get in a fight with Sigurd, who is acting increasingly unstable at this point, and Basim. Players can choose to have Eivor punch both Basim and Sigurd (separate choices), but punching them will count as a strike against Eivor. Naturally, having Eivor take the peaceful route and selecting the peaceful alternative to punching both men will keep Sigurd happy a little longer.
Dealing with Dag
After completing the Cent story arc, the quest "A Brewing Storm" will begin, and culminate with Dag challenging Eivor to a duel to the death. Eivor can attempt to refuse, but Dag won't take no for an answer, and the fight begins regardless. Once Dag is defeated, and dying, Eivor can choose to either give him his axe or deny him.
For background, the Norse believed that a Viking needed to die with their axe in their hand to be allowed into Valhalla, the afterlife. Thus, denying Dag his axe is a significant strike against Eivor, as Sigurd will not be pleased that their old friend was denied Valhalla. Players should choose to give Dag his axe if they want to appease Sigurd.
Judgement
After completing both the Suthsexe and Essexe story arcs, returning to Ravensthorpe's longhouse will result in a cutscene in which Eivor is called to render judgement as solve a dispute between two people. However, as Eivor sits on the throne, Sigurd will enter, taking up his mantle as Jarl and rendering a judgement of his own. Eivor can either relent "I support Sigurd's judgement" or publicly disagree "This Judgement isn't fair." Challenging Sigurd's authority is a strike against Eivor, making him more likely to leave for Norway, while agreeing with him counts toward Sigurd staying in England.
Other Story Choices in AC Valhalla
There a few other choices in Assassin's Creed Valhalla that have long-reaching consequences for Eivor and other Assassin's Creed Valhalla characters, but that don't count towards the player's ending.
Birna
During the Grantebridgescire arc, in the quest "The Stench of Treachery," Eivor will have to correctly determine the traitor in Soma's ranks in order to recruit Birna at the end of the arc. Selecting the wrong traitor (Birna herself, or Lif) then Birna doesn't join up and Soma is unhappy with Eivor. Select Galinn, the true traitor, in order to get the best ending for the Grantebridgescire arc and gain Birna's allegiance. If Eivor chooses the correct traitor, Birna will move to Ravensthorpe and join Eivor's Viking crew.
Leofrith
During the Ledecestrescire story arc, in the quest "Heavy is the Head," Eivor will have to fight one-on-one with Burgred's right-hand man, Leofrith. After winning the battle, Eivor can choose to spare Leofrith by saying “(Spare) Burgred abandoned you," or kill him. Sparing Leofrith will lead to his revealing important information: he was commanded to put out a hit on Eivor. If Eivor finds out about this, they can choose to destroy the paper ordering their death and avoid Zealots hunting them down. If Eivor kills Leofrith, or simply does nothing after learning about the Zealots, they'll be on a permanent hit list going forward.
Finnr
In East Anglia, after the Rued boss battle, Eivor can choose to either kill Rued or spare his life. Killing Rued then and there will result in Finnr joining Eivor's crew, and it means that Rued can't crash Oswald's wedding. Letting Rued live means that he'll show up to cause trouble at the wedding, and Eivor will have another choice: let Oswald duel him, or step in and once more fight Rued themselves. Letting Oswald do it (he wins) will result in Finnr being exiled, while fighting Rued as Eivor will cause him to join Eivor's crew.
King Killer
At the end of the Sciropescire story arc, Eivor will need to speak with Ubba about the death of his brother Ivarr. Eivor can tell the truth and tell Ubba that his brother died badly, or lie and glorify his death. Telling the truth means that Ubba will be happy with Eivor later on in the game after the Jorvik story arc, and gift them with a silver ring; conversely, lying will mean that Ubba is angry with Eivor when the time comes.
Rollo
During the Essexe story arc and the Assassin's Creed Valhalla quest "Old Wounds," Eivor will have to determine who the traitor is: Gerhild or Lork. Spoiler alert: it's Gerhild. Correctly accusing Gerhild means that Estrid won’t get injured later in the Essexe story arc, while accusing Lork causes Estrid to become injured. However, Rollo will join Eivor's crew regardless at the end of the story arc.
Earldorman of Lincolnshire
At the end of the Lincolnshire story arc, Eivor will have to vote for the next Ealdorman of the territory, choosing between Bishop Herefrith, Aelfgar, and Hunwald. Here's the trick, though: Bishop Herefrith is actually a member of the Order of the Ancients. Not choosing the Bishop will lead to him being immediately revealed as an Order member, and Eivor will have to fight him then and there. Choosing the Bishop will secure his position as Ealdorman, until Eivor uncovers his identity later in the game after the Jorvik arc. Either way Eivor must kill the Bishop, so they may as well do it without briefly putting him in a position of power and choosing either of the other two candidates.
Closing the Vault
During the quest "Closing the Vault" in Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Jorvik loction, Eivor will have to determine the identity of the Order member known as the Vault. Once they talk with Ljufvina, they'll have to accuse someone: Hjorr, Faravid, Ricsige, or Audun. In truth, the Vault is Audun.
Vili
It's possible to recruit Vili to Eivor's settlement after the Snotinghamscire story arc. During the quest "Under the Skin," Eivor can either let Trygve burn himself alive, as he wants to sacrifice himself to the gods, or stop him by telling him “Snotinghamscire can’t lose another.” Stopping Trygve from burning himself on a pyre will lead to him being one of two choices for Ealdorman of Snotinghamscire. Letting Trygve burn himself will mean that Vili is automatically made Ealdorman, but sparing him means that Eivor can choose between Trygve or Vili. Choosing Trygve as Eealdorman leaves Vili free to move to Ravensthorpe and join Eivor's crew.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available to play for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.