Assassin's Creed Valhalla's expansive world hides plenty of adventures and quests to keep anyone entertained for hours on end. With so much to do, there's bound to be a set of complex and, perhaps, morally compromising decisions to make around every corner.
In fact, the option to choose certain outcomes is one of Assassin's Creed Valhalla's most interesting mechanics, with certain decisions affecting future storylines or gameplay options. One example of a quest with a fairly dubious choice at the end is "The Gutted Lamb," which requires a player to decide a character's fate.
Updated on December 29th, 2021, by Stephen LaGioia: Like the Norsemen themselves, Ubisoft's Viking-themed adventure thrives on its boundless exploration and pummeling action. While there is much to find in the ever-expanding sandbox, many of the quests themselves have a degree of freedom in terms of how players wish to tackle them. Ubisoft has expanded on this formula with DLC add-ons including the chaotic River Raids and epic Siege of Paris.
But the core game is no slouch when it comes to deep, dynamic quests either—as shown by the gripping "choose-your-own-ending" quest, "The Gutted Lamb." In order to fill in some details and help players prepare for the upcoming robust DLC, Dawn of Ragnarok, we felt it appropriate to revisit this guide. We'll highlight a few more points regarding the conclusion leading up to Modron, and what happens when she's spared or killed.
About Modron
This figure is likely a reference to a figure in Welsh folklore, whose name fittingly translates to "mother."
A pagan of the old gods, Modron is a high priestess of Glowecestrescire and the mother of Gwenydd. Her dedication as a pagan and a leader of the druidic cult, the Daughters of Nimue, Modron is distrusting of Christians, despite her daughter serving as a symbol of unification between them and the pagans.
Tewdwr is to be the successor of the shire's leader following her lover Cynon's planned sacrifice. But upon learning of Tewdwr's disdain of pagans and the threat he poses to her and her daughter, Modron concocts a plan to take out Tewdwr and become the ealdorman of the shire herself. It's at this point that Eivor finds themself caught in the middle of this plot—and the target of framing by a conspiring Cynon.
Finding the Quest
"The Gutted Lamb" is part of a wider line of quests called "A Tale of Wicker-Fire," which is the series of alliance quests in the Glowecestrescire region. Once a player has progressed to "The Gutted Lamb," they will be tasked with hunting down Modron, who engineered Tewdwr's kidnapping for some sort of human sacrifice.
Modron's lair is located in Aelfwood, which is on the western portion of the map. Players will have to find a cave entrance that is just to the northeast of Aelfwood's town marker. It isn't difficult to seek out, as the quest marker on the map will be directly over the entrance, and it will be heavily guarded. Eivor will also give off audio clues when they are near the cave.
Once inside the cave, the path is fairly linear. There will be a couple of sections with guards, though most are easy to assassinate.
Fighting Modron
Eventually, players will enter a large, open room triggering a cutscene in which Modron is seconds away from gutting Tewdwr. After the cutscene ends, the battle with Modron will begin.
- This is a fairly easy battle, heavily relying on ranged attacks.
- Modron will stay on an elevated platform for the most part, so just whittle down her health with a bow; ideally a lighter one that can fire off arrows quicker.
- Get ready for her to swoop to the ground level and respond with counterattacks and dodges. This is a good time to use close-ranged attacks and potent abilities, particularly those that deal damage over time.
- Alternatively, players can choose to scamper up to the higher ground and knock her off with a heavy blow, as this will deal extra damage and give players the chance to stomp on her while she's down, inflicting even more pain.
- Take advantage of the nearby fire, which can be used to set Eivor's weapon on fire. This will yield more powerful attacks and damage over time.
The Modron Decision
Beating Modron will engage another cutscene, and after some dialogue, a player will be presented with a tough choice to either kill or spare Modron. Unlike some other decisions, whatever a player chooses does not have any lofty bearing on the storyline, nor is there a unique, specific reward for either choice; instead, it's a question of morality. Whether or not a player kills Modron, her daughter will then appear, either reuniting with her mother or finding her in a pool of blood.
What Happens If You Kill Modron?
Killing Modron will elicit a creepy warning from her daughter, though it amounts to nothing. Either way, Eivor and Tewdwr walk out, and the ordeal is rarely brought up again. Killing Modron can be made more difficult when considering the fact that Eivor later does the honors of burning Cynon, the aforementioned child's father, alive.
What Happens If You Spare Modron?
Modron, grateful for being spared, will assure poor Tewdwr that his wounds will heal quickly, at which Tewdwr thanks her. Following the ordeal, a reformed Modron will join Gwenydd in setting up and looking after the upcoming festival with (a bit strangely) no bitterness or grudges.
Outside of this festival appearance and ending cutscene, the decision Eivor makes ultimately makes no difference in the grander story. The ominous threat by Modron's daughter ultimately leads to nothing. Players will receive their XP reward regardless of the decision they make.
Sparing Or Killing Cynon In The Quest "A Love Betrayed"
Sparing Cynon in the prior Glowecestre quest will lead to the character meeting his death and getting condemned. As mentioned, he'll be burned in a cage as part of the Burning of the Wicker Man quest. Choosing to kill Cynon will set things up for the brief fight against Modron.
Players will be rewarded with 3400 XP upon winning the fight against Modron and finishing the Gutted Lamb quest.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.