Ubisoft’s announced roadmap for its 2020 action RPG Assassin’s Creed Valhalla includes two DLCs and one bonus mission, the Legend of Beowulf, available exclusively to those who purchase the game’s season pass. The first expansion Wrath of the Druids released in May, and leaked information about the second DLC has already begun to surface.
Wrath of the Druids takes Eivor to Ireland and offers about 8 to 20 hours of content, depending on how thoroughly a player explores the new territory. Though not diverging much from the gameplay established in the main game, the DLC includes four regions to explore, introduces an engaging story, serves up a helping of druidic mysticism, and provides a welcome break from the landscapes of England and Norway with Ireland’s green hills and boggy swamps.
The Siege of Paris expansion, as its name implies, takes players to the land of Francia, ruled over by Charles the Fat. So far, Ubisoft has revealed almost nothing about the contents of the DLC, other than some artwork and the short marketing blurb on the official Assassin's Creed Valhalla website. However, a leaker who has proven reliable in the past, a French content creator who goes by the moniker J0nathan, has released some exclusive information about the DLC.
In addition to the map of Siege of Paris, which J0nathan revealed at the beginning of May, there are some other interesting tidbits to be found within the game’s files. In the May leak, J0nathan explained that Siege of Paris does not play out solely around the capital city, but will also take players into several small villages in Normandy. He shared that the game’s files also indicate that one-handed swords will be added to Assassin's Creed Valhalla with the second expansion.
Further digging into Valhalla’s files has uncovered additional information that J0nathan shared today, including more details about the expansion’s synopsis. Charles the Fat, the great grandson of Charlemagne, has united the kingdom of Francia under a single king for the first time in a hundred years. The monarch is now waging a slow war against the Norse who have settled in Francia, and those across the Channel fear that England may be next. The settlement of Ravensthorpe must send an emissary to make an ally of Francia and avoid war.
Siege of Paris takes place in 885, several years after the events of Assassins Creed Valhalla, which occurs between 872 and 878. Those hoping that the DLC would expand upon the conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients may be disappointed. J0nathan uncovered only one brief line of dialogue, possibly spoken by Eivor to a random character, in that regard: “Just as they were in England, the Hidden Ones seem absent from Francia. What treasures could they have left behind?”
As for the release date of Siege of Paris, which has up until now been expected to release this summer, J0nathan points out that the PlayStation Store specifies that all of Valhalla’s season pass content will be available by November 9. Given that Siege of Paris is the only remaining season pass content, this implies that the expansion may not launch until then. Of course, the word “by” means it could come out sooner, and the date could also just be a placeholder.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.