In just a few months, Ubisoft will be making its next-gen debut with several new games in its upcoming triple-A lineup. Of course, the publisher's flagship franchise Assassin's Creed rings in the next generation with Valhalla. Assassin's Creed Valhalla seems to be following-up Assassin's Creed Odyssey, but it's clear a lot of pivotal changes have been made to the gameplay loop. Many of these features like the Settlement system may be exclusive to this game, but the new combat changes could be a mainstay for Assassin's Creed.
When Assassin's Creed changed gears with Origins, the combat systems changed drastically with the new RPG-like mechanics. Those mechanics were furthered honed in Odyssey, but Assassin's Creed's RPG approach to combat hasn't been flawless. That being said, it's clear that Assassin's Creed Valhalla has made several big changes from its predecessor. Assassin's Creed Odyssey did set a foundation with many of the mechanics and elements of weapon variety, but Valhalla attempts to make combat more engaging.
Combat in Odyssey and Previous Assassin's Creed Games
Combat in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, much like Origins, depended heavily on loot levels and the player's level during enemy encounters. Yes, there were plenty of elements of skill-based mechanics, like perfect dodges and parrying attacks, but Odyssey had a pretty serious problem. Fighting enemies didn't have a lot of contextual cues to make combat seem weighty or engaging. Parry timings were too easy, special meter booted up extra quick which meant plenty of free damage, and plenty of other things like relying heavily on player and enemy levels, which contributed to combat being too easy or uninteresting.
Granted, earlier Assassin's Creed games were never that much better in terms of combat mechanics, but combat was also less of a focus in games prior to Origins. Games in the Ezio trilogy focused twice as much on good stealth strategy compared to proper combat skills. Countering attacks was relatively easy, and chaining kills with instant takedowns was easily maintained throughout group fights. With games like Origins and moreso Odyssey, combat became a constant portion of the gameplay loop, which is where those cracks were able to show themselves prominently.
How Combat Has Improved With Assassin's Creed Valhalla
This time around in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the game has implemented several important changes and additions that make the combat far more interesting to play in comparison to Odyssey. While things like special abilities and parrying attacks are in the game, multiple mechanical changes make combat far more skill-based/reaction-based and engaging. There's a whole new system of attacking weak spots, status effects, optimizing usage of Eivor's stamina, re-working of special abilities, and more. Rather than grinding up mercenary level or finding/cannibalizing weapons for better loot, Assassin's Creed Valhalla handles combat skill differently.
The same level of weapon variety and versatility from Odyssey can be found in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but the weapons themselves behave far differently in comparison. Each heavy strike with a battle axe strikes deep in enemies, staggering them and dealing huge amounts of damage. Hand axes are quick and oppressive, and can do a serious amount of damage quickly. Enemy levels are no longer a concern, but rather focusing in on the dynamic between different weapon types and how they compete against one another. This in turn makes combat seem a lot more weighty and focused, compared to Odyssey's comparatively weaker player engagement.
Much More Engaging Combat Mechanics in Valhalla
There's a ton of additional smaller changes that make Valhalla's combat much more complex and precise, without sacrificing any of the fun. Strong attacks now utilize a stamina bar, and cannot be used consistently like in Odyssey. Certain attacks have different statuses and unique properties. The special attack meter is a bit more limited and doesn't refill as quickly as in Odyssey, making special attacks less frequent. There's also several unique contextual attacks, like how Eivor can body check enemies into walls either as a method of repositioning or breaking down doors.
Overall, there's a lot less focus on RPG levels hindering or prohibiting players from certain engagements. Players can pick and choose which enemies they fight, and each will behave differently depending on the type of enemy soldier they are. Shield enemies are best dealt with by breaking their defenses with a claymore, while enemies with heavy weapons may be better suited for a hand axe and shield. Parrying enemy attacks, dodging, managing stamina, utilizing specials as necessary, these are all considerations made in each combat scenario. All of these mechanical changes making combat far more engaging in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, perfect for a game focused on Viking raids.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla releases on November 10, 2020, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The PS5 version releases on November 12, 2020.