As fan excitement and anticipation rises for the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, more news has dropped that could lead to an interesting tie-in to the game. Slated to drop on November 10, 2020, the book Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Geirmund’s Saga, written by Matthew J. Kirby, is not only meant as a companion to the upcoming game release, but may provide a specific callback to a different AC game.
From its description, fans know that the upcoming book will follow Geirmund Hel-hide with a backdrop of the mid-9th century. Like most Assassin stories, he is sent on a journey through oceans and land (although probably not Sherwood Forest) to rise through the ranks of the king’s army. However, the book’s description gives a little more insight and hints at a game feature players haven’t seen since Assassin’s Creed 3 when it mentions how Geirmund is given a mysterious ring from a mythical being.
Assassin's Creed and Rings
It’s possible that the ring mentioned in Valhalla’s book could reference the Ring of Eden from Assassin’s Creed 3. The Ring of Eden was found by Connor in AC3, but has a long history beyond its retrieval. The Isu, also known as The Ones Who Came Before, created the Pieces of Eden, and therefore created the Shards of Eden as well. The Ring of Eden is categorized as a Shard of Eden because it is made of leftover fragments of the Isu’s advanced technology.
The ring Connor finds in AC3 protects its wearer from harm, functioning as a shield. Though it is extremely powerful, it does not grant full immunity from attacks, so many who used the ring also used external shields as well. William Kidd was the first to use the ring and garnered great renown on the battlefield before hiding it away on Oak Island. This isn’t the first time players have seen Shards of Eden used either, as Black Flag’s Edward Kenway could use an armor that the Mayans created from scavenged Shards.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla and the Ring of Eden
Despite the excitement, little is known about both the upcoming book and the game itself. There have been different teases like the reveal of Basim, who bears a striking resemblance to Ezio, or the surprise news that the AC Sisterhood symbol will be available as an in-game tattoo.
Providing a call back to AC3 with the Valhalla book could have big implications for the game’s lore. Because of the overarching history of the Assassin Creed and Templar Order, it makes sense to have call backs to previous games because it shows how everything is connected. It can also tie up loose ends and provide big additional revelations for players.
What makes the possibility of the Ring of Eden so exciting, however, is the fact that it hasn’t been mentioned since AC3. Players can get new insight into the Ring, its power, and how it was made in the first place, in this book and likely in-game. Just because players know the material it’s made out of doesn’t mean that’s the end of the story. It would be interesting to see its origin explored more in depth, especially if that’s the route the book decides to take.
While it may take players a while to pick up the book since it’s got the same release date as the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla game itself, there’s no doubt there will be plenty of Assassin’s Creed content for players to sink their teeth into come November.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will release on November 10 for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X, and available November 12 for PlayStation 5.