The curtain has finally been drawn back on the game once known as Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok. Now that Assassin's Creed Valhalla has formally been announced, Ubisoft is beginning to really give fans an idea of what to expect later this year, and that includes how it will expand upon the role-playing mechanics seen in recent entries like AC Odyssey.
Ubisoft Montreal is the studio that got the ball rolling on the series’ move towards more RPG-influenced gameplay with 2017’s AC Origins, and now it’s leading the development of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. While it didn’t lead development on the latest title, 2018’s Odyssey (that was handled by Ubisoft Quebec), it will be providing “a fresh take” on what that game added to the recent AC formula with Valhalla, according to a recent Game Informer interview with creative director Ashraf Ismail.
This includes the game’s approach to gear, which Ismail said will be “more anchored in the world.” Whereas most pieces of gear in Odyssey are randomly generated, in Valhalla every piece of gear will be not only unique but upgradeable and customizable as well. This means players won’t have to abandon their favorite pieces of early-game gear for more powerful weapons and armor later on if they so choose, making for “a new take on that RPG format in terms of gear.”
Skills and abilities will also see a similar revamping. According to Ismail, players will have “this (quite large) skill graph that they sort of traverse through” that lets them unlock many ways to fine-tune the game’s protagonist, Eivor. This will allow for a wide variety of playstyles, ranging from the more traditional stealth-based gameplay that AC is known for to the more brutal combat-focused action seen in Valhalla’s reveal trailer.
These skills will also change up how the difficulty scales in the game. While Valhalla's gameplay will feature some semblance of a traditional leveling system, Ismail stressed that the skills players gain, and what those skills enable them to do, will be more of a deciding factor in overcoming stronger enemies than what level they’re at. “Based on the skills you have, you gain power,” he said.
All of this looks to be shaping up into what could very well be the deepest and most versatile Assassin’s Creed experience yet. As Ismail said, “Everything from abilities to skills to weaponry, we have a fresh new take on progression that we feel is anchored in the world and the Viking fantasy we’re trying to achieve.”
Assassin's Creed Valhalla will launch this holiday season for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
Source: Game Informer