Some expansion details leaked last week (December 11), following earlier indications of its arrival being spotted in a datamine back in October. However, the official reveal provides some fascinating details on what promises to be one of Assassin’s Creed’s biggest adventures yet.
Ubisoft describes Dawn of Ragnarök as seeing Valhalla’s protagonist being forced to “embrace their destiny as Odin, the Norse god of Battle and Wisdom.”
Ubisoft adds that “the dwarven kingdom of Svartalfheim is crumbling, and amid the chaos, Odin’s beloved son, Baldr, has been taken prisoner by the unkillable fire giant, Surtr.” In Norse mythology, Ragnarök is the end cycle of the gods, which starts with the death of Baldr, so the expansion seems set to follow that downfall.
Primarily developed by Ubisoft Sofia, Dawn of Ragnarök will also see players harnessing “new divine powers”, indicating the expansion will lean even more heavily into the mythological aspects of Valhalla’s world. The presence of ice giants and flame demons in the trailer above reinforces this, hinting at a joint invasion of Midgard (aka Earth) by Jotunheim and Muspelheim.
While the expansion won’t arrive until March 10, 2022, any players pre-ordering or purchasing Dawn of Ragnarök between now and April 9, 2022, will receive the Twilight Pack, an “exclusive bonus” that includes “the Dellingr’s Envoy Raven Skin, the Havardr Lynx Mount, the Twilight Gear Set and the Algurnir Dane Axe Weapon.”
Ubisoft also announced two free Crossover Stories for Valhalla and the previous main game in the series, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Described as “the first cross-game project on the franchise”, the project consists of two free content packs, one for each game, with storylines that will “explore the ties between the heroes of the two games”.
Valhalla owners will be able to download “A Fated Encounter”, which will feature Valhalla’s Eivor and Kassandra, the protagonist of Odyssey. At the same time,Odyssey players will receive “Those Who Are Treasured”, which will feature Kassandra or Alexios, the male alternate player character in the Grecian game.
Both content packs will be available from tomorrow, December 14. Ubisoft says Valhalla players will need to have reached Settlement Level Four and completed the quest “A Wise Friend” in Ravensthorpe to unlock the content, while Odyssey players must have completed Chapter One and reached Megaris to access the content. However, it’s recommended that players finish Odyssey’s main story to avoid spoilers.
Development on the Crossover Stories is fronted by Ubisoft Quebec “in close collaboration” with Ubisoft Montreal and aims to answer the question, “what happens when two Assassin’s Creed heroes meet?”. Given the events of each game are separated by nearly a thousand years, fans will doubtlessly also ask how they meet, too.
