Assassin's Creed Valhalla released The Final Chapter today, and in addition to closing out the story of Valhalla while setting up Basim as the new protagonist, it also features a quest that pairs Eivor with a major character from the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage. To everyone's surprise, Ubisoft stunned its fans by launching Update 1.6.1 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla's final chapter a week earlier than announced. This half hour epilogue concludes Eivor's saga, and sees some familiar faces return to the fold in the franchise's modern day story.
While the reception to the DLCs of Assassin's Creed Valhalla have been lukewarm over the past two years, The Last Chapter still represents a competent bookend to Valhalla. As it bids farewell to Eivor, Scandinavia, and England, the gaze of the franchise turns to its roots. Assassin's Creed Mirage will feature Basim Ibn Ishaq in the leading role, as he transforms from street thief to Assassin in ninth century Baghdad.
The Final Chapter for Assassin's Creed Valhalla eases players into this world through the "Shared History" quest, setting Eivor up for a small adventure with Basim's mentor Roshan, played by renowned Iranian American actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. This crossover between Valhalla and Mirage was announced on Twitter through the official Assassin's Creed account at the same time the new DLC became available for download.
While the quest is an incredibly fun addition to the game, and a sneak-peak into Roshan's character, Assassin's Creed players will need to wait until Mirage to find out more. In a sharp contrast to the bulkier Assassin's Creed games that started with Origins, Mirage represents a return to a smaller, more focused scope. While it will not have the amount of content players have grown accustomed to with Odyssey and Valhalla, given the fatigue they've expressed in recent years, perhaps this is the change in direction that the franchise sorely needs.
Assassin's Creed players eager to experience Basim's journey will need not wait long, as the most recent rumors put Assassin's Creed Mirage for a spring 2023 release. Initially conceived as an expansion for Valhalla, Ubisoft has transformed the project into a full-fledged sequel using all the technology it built over the course of Valhalla's development, but hearkening back to the original games that made the franchise famous and beloved. Though some details about the plot and gameplay of Assassin's Creed Mirage have been revealed, it's likely that Ubisoft is keeping the rest under lock-and-key until players have had time to say their goodbyes to Eivor and Valhalla.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now on Amazon Luna, PC, Stadia, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.