Asassin's Creed Valhalla

[MillerEP 30446]

Fuck yes!

 

[bernorange 8359]

I'm interested to see game play footage.  I wonder if they have kept the combat/open world structure from Odyssey and Origins.

[Bigbend1812 12915]

 

[vtaenz 601]

More information will be announced tomorrow at 10AM CST in a video on youtube on Ubisoft's channel.

I finally finished AC Odyssey; only have the DLC left to play. I played as Kassandra and I fucking loved this game. I enjoyed it much more than Origins and thought that they did an excellent job improving on the things they tried to do with Origins in nearly every way. If they can keep this trend going I'm excited for what's to come with Valhalla. 

[MillerEP 30446]

13 hours ago, vtaenz said:

More information will be announced tomorrow at 10AM CST in a video on youtube on Ubisoft's channel.

I finally finished AC Odyssey; only have the DLC left to play. I played as Kassandra and I fucking loved this game. I enjoyed it much more than Origins and thought that they did an excellent job improving on the things they tried to do with Origins in nearly every way. If they can keep this trend going I'm excited for what's to come with Valhalla. 

The DLC is great, it delves into Greek Mythology pretty heavily. I'm fully expecting them to do the same for Norse mythology with Valhalla. 

[Michael Knight 12976]

reveal here

 

 

[bernorange 8359]

15 hours ago, vtaenz said:

I finally finished AC Odyssey ... and I fucking loved this game. I ... thought that they did an excellent job improving on the things they tried to do with Origins in nearly every way. If they can keep this trend going I'm excited for what's to come with Valhalla. 

2 hours ago, MillerEP said:

The DLC is great, it delves into Greek Mythology pretty heavily. I'm fully expecting them to do the same for Norse mythology with Valhalla. 

Agreed.  Last DLC for Odyssey started to drag for me a bit.  The map of Atlantis was a bit tedious to navigate.  I really enjoyed the more open world feel though.  The combat was much smoother too. 

 

[iodeac 138]

I got about halfway through with Odyssey but haven't touched it in a while. It just never seemed like I was going to finish it and that was without the DLC.

I'm generally a huge AC fan, AC2 is probably one of my favorite games of all time. I was originally out on Valhalla but I just saw on Twitter that Jesper Kyd is back to do the music, so I might have to jump back in.

Enviado desde mi SM-G973U mediante Tapatalk

[bernorange 8359]

Quote

...
Even the littlest details about the next game can be a big deal. For example, Ashraf Ismail, creative director for this fall’s Viking-themed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, recently told me that this latest entry won’t just bring back the series’ iconic hidden blade, but will once again make it lethal enough to regularly pull off one-hit kills.
...
But in recent Assassin’s Creed games the hidden blade lost its edge. In 2017’s Assassin’s Creed Origins, the previous game Ismail oversaw, it didn’t always kill its target in one thrust, turning it into an agitant that alerted guards and spoiled stealth missions. In 2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players couldn’t even wield it. Only a non-playable character in the game’s first expansion could.
...
“Eivor receives the hidden blade quite early on,” Ismail told me, referring to Valhalla’s main character. “We continue with the idea that Eivor is not a trained assassin. Eivor is a Viking who receives this badass weapon and has to learn very quickly. Early in the experience, Eivor will learn a technique that, with the right timing ... can one-shot-kill virtually anybody.”

That last bit is the key. If we can one-hit kill with the hidden blade (it will require some skill, he notes) then we can be stealthy. If we can be stealthy, then perhaps we can play this new game as we could the old: from the shadows or, cue another positive revelation from Ismail, from crowds.
...

https://kotaku.com/assassin-s-creed-valhalla-is-bringing-back-the-instakil-1843417623

I really enjoyed the stealth combat in Odyssey.  Sure it was a broken spear instead of a hidden blade, but you could configure your gear for one hit assassination kills and it was very fluid and fun to play that way.  The comment about "with the right timing" for the new game actually makes me a bit apprehensive that they fucked this up.

[vtaenz 601]

On 5/7/2020 at 11:35 AM, bernorange said:

Agreed.  Last DLC for Odyssey started to drag for me a bit.  The map of Atlantis was a bit tedious to navigate.  I really enjoyed the more open world feel though.  The combat was much smoother too. 

 

Yeah, I wasn't a huge fan of the first part of the DLC, Elysium was cool to look at but the story didn't real me in. Really thought Hades was great and aside from the odd navigation at first for Atlantis, it was really cool to see and I enjoyed that story line. The Layla story line confused me more than anything. I assume she was affected by the staff but it felt like they kind of hit you in the face with it as I didn't feel like there was anything subtle about her transition.

On 5/15/2020 at 8:57 AM, bernorange said:

https://kotaku.com/assassin-s-creed-valhalla-is-bringing-back-the-instakil-1843417623

I really enjoyed the stealth combat in Odyssey.  Sure it was a broken spear instead of a hidden blade, but you could configure your gear for one hit assassination kills and it was very fluid and fun to play that way.  The comment about "with the right timing" for the new game actually makes me a bit apprehensive that they fucked this up.

I agree, I enjoyed it as well. As more news comes out on Valhalla hopefully they don't do anything drastic or terrible. I still miss the old AC formula that was in Unity and Syndicate. I'm not sure which I prefer more though since the games are so different. If you had all the elements from Odyssey in Unity, would I prefer that game or how Unity currently is? 

 

Legacy of the First Blade was more of the same for DLC. I enjoyed the story and characters for the most part. The one thing that stood out were some technical and consistency issues. References to things that I hadn't done or choices I didn't/hadn't make/made. Characters not being present at all in cut scenes so the dialog never was spoken (that was really odd). Cut scenes seemingly starting at odd points and dialogue being spoken over one another. At first I though, oh cool it's like a heated conversation where one person cuts the other off, nope it was definitely a glitch. Still enjoyed the hell out of this game and I know why, I could tell I was a bit saddened by finishing the game and ending the tale of the protagonist. Or the sense of dread when something happens to the protagonist. Not too many games really evoke that type of emotion but this one did a great job of it.

 

I hope as far as story and those little character hooks, they keep up the same level they set in Odyssey. I think I need to mention, I played as Kassandra the whole way through. I don't think I would have cared nearly as much if I had played as Alexios, but I would be interested in seeing the differences in the cut scenes in the DLC. I'll just look it up on YouTube.

[Storm the Field 5291]

 

[bernorange 8359]

Combat looks sufficiently brutal.  In.

[Fastbreak 3974]

Maybe a bit overstated. But I’ll take it. 

[MillerEP 30446]

I can't wait. I hope it's more optimized than Watch Dogs: Legion. I haven't been able to play WDL because it crashes every 30 mins, and I have a pretty beefy PC.

[Fastbreak 3974]

It runs pretty well on a decent PC. There are some slowdowns, but I haven’t had a crash in awhile. 

[iodeac 138]

I love the AC series but Odyssey was too much for me.  Just way too big and I think I only finished about half of it because I knew with the DLC and everything that I would never finish.  Interested to see if Valhalla is as big or bigger.  I miss the Ezio trilogy where the games took around 30 hours or so and that was it. 

[Fastbreak 3974]

I'm not going to lie, it is an 80 to 100 hour game.  But it is much different than Odyssey.  For one, there are really no side quests.  Each territory has its own narrative arc which is like a 4-5 hour experience.  So it is much easier to digest as pieces. 

Here is some of the cool artwork from the game's artists and designers.  The link just went up today:

https://magazine.artstation.com/2020/11/ubisoft-assassins-creed-valhallaart-blast/

[MillerEP 30446]

Loving it so far, it's really making me want to go back and re-watch the Last Kingdom series, but that may be because I choose a male Eivor, and the dude's voice is cnuts.

[vtaenz 601]

What are the thoughts in sound? I heard a lot of different opinions on the sound being jarring due to compression and that it sounded really poor.

[MillerEP 30446]

Haven't heard anything about the sound. I've been playing it non-stop since release, and haven't noticed any sound issues. Memory leak issues after a while? Now I get those a lot, but haven't noticed any sound issues.

Edited December 7, 2020 by MillerEP

[Hozz 1017]

I picked this up when it came out because Vikings but I never got around to playing it until now.  I like it a lot.  Last AC game I had played was the pirate one.

[Nivek 16916]

I picked this up when it came out because Vikings but I never got around to playing it until now.  I like it a lot.  Last AC game I had played was the pirate one.

Malaka, how did you miss playing Kassandra? The pirate games were fun but the characters kind of sucked in comparison to Ezio, Bayek, and Kassandra.

[Hozz 1017]

3 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Malaka, how did you miss playing Kassandra? The pirate games were fun but the characters kind of sucked in comparison to Ezio, Bayek, and Kassandra.

I have that one too, just never played it.  I will try it at some point after I am done with Valhalla.

[Nivek 16916]

I have that one too, just never played it.  I will try it at some point after I am done with Valhalla.

Gotcha. Play as Kassandra.

[Hozz 1017]

On 12/31/2021 at 9:23 AM, Nivek said:

Gotcha. Play as Kassandra.

I am loving Valhalla.  I think I will play Origins next and finish with Odyssey.  That might take me through 2022...these games are huge.

[vtaenz 601]

Working my way through Valhalla. Feels more like a viking game than an assassin's Creed game but maybe I'm not far enough in yet. I've cleared four regions in England I think.

So far I prefer ac Odyssey but we'll see how this shakes out.

[Nivek 16916]

On 1/7/2022 at 9:31 AM, Hozz said:

I am loving Valhalla.  I think I will play Origins next and finish with Odyssey.  That might take me through 2022...these games are huge.

Origins is shorter than Odyssey, so you have that going for you.   Bayek was a good character but it felt little unsatisfactory how it ends with him, even if it makes sense.   With Odyssey you want to make sure you don't do the DLC before the end of the game.   

[FunkSoulBrother 930]

Had a blast playing Valhalla and all its DLC. Maybe I’m just biased because I love Vikings but I enjoyed the music and scenery of England in this game. I can’t wait for the next DLC called Valhalla:Ragnarok. Supposedly it’s like 40 hours.

[Hozz 1017]

15 hours ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

Had a blast playing Valhalla and all its DLC. Maybe I’m just biased because I love Vikings but I enjoyed the music and scenery of England in this game. I can’t wait for the next DLC called Valhalla:Ragnarok. Supposedly it’s like 40 hours.

Yeah I definitely love Vikings and the setting so I am sure that helps my enjoyment...I can't say I'm a huge AC fan.  I played the first 2 and 4.  I thought the first two got old fast.  I liked 4 a lot more but still did not come close to finish it.  This game has me hooked though and I think in part because it doesn't really feel like an AC game.  I have only had to do the modern day shit (I despise the modern day story line in these and feel the games would be so much better if they were just set in whatever time period the action occurs) right after getting to England it was like 5 minutes with no risk of failure/death.  Closest comps for me are Witcher 3 and Ghost of Tsushima which were two of my all time favorites.

[FunkSoulBrother 930]

34 minutes ago, Hozz said:

Yeah I definitely love Vikings and the setting so I am sure that helps my enjoyment...I can't say I'm a huge AC fan.  I played the first 2 and 4.  I thought the first two got old fast.  I liked 4 a lot more but still did not come close to finish it.  This game has me hooked though and I think in part because it doesn't really feel like an AC game.  I have only had to do the modern day shit (I despise the modern day story line in these and feel the games would be so much better if they were just set in whatever time period the action occurs) right after getting to England it was like 5 minutes with no risk of failure/death.  Closest comps for me are Witcher 3 and Ghost of Tsushima which were two of my all time favorites.

Been playing Odyssey the past few months. It’s the same mechanics and gameplay as Valhalla but it’s also freaking annoying with these random mercenaries that pop outta nowhere. Black Flag was fine. I didn’t like 3 much at all.

[MillerEP 30446]

19 hours ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

Had a blast playing Valhalla and all its DLC. Maybe I’m just biased because I love Vikings but I enjoyed the music and scenery of England in this game. I can’t wait for the next DLC called Valhalla:Ragnarok. Supposedly it’s like 40 hours.

Yeah it looks sweet too:

 

[Viper 12097]

Got this on Stadia a few weeks ago when it was $15, but I've been too busy playing Bloodstained to try it.

[Hozz 1017]

Ok so I played the fuck out of this over the last 6 weeks or so and did all the quest arcs except for Paris, which I started but am very early in and kind of burned out on the game at this point.  I ordered Ragnarok but really am not looking forward to it as the Asgard/Jotunheim arcs were my least favorite in Valhalla and the whole absorb their powers shit looks gimmicky to me and I didn't really use but a fraction of the abilities in Valhalla anyway.  I almost never used the ranged ones and used the same 4 melee ones for the whole game.

Anyway, I am going to start up Origins or Odyssey.  For those who have played both, which order would you play them in?  I am thinking Origins then Odyssey...it seems the slight consensus internet opinion is that Odyssey is the best of these three, and I would not want to play Valhalla, Odyssey and then Origins if Origins would then feel like a let down.  Also, for me personally, I would be shocked if I like either of the other two as much as I liked Valhalla.  I fucking loved it and haven't cracked out on a game like this since Ghost of Tsushima and then Witcher 3 before that.

[bernorange 8359]

For me, Origins had better puzzles but Odyssey was more fun with OP assassination abilities.  Both can be grindy though.

[Nivek 16916]

Origins first was my suggestion.  

I disagree on the Mercenary comment above.  At first when I was weak they were a grind, but after building up the character, they became much easier to deal with.  You can become OP with Kassandra which I kind of liked because you have played for so long weak, it is nice to get a bit of payoff eventually.   The DLC will scale it back so you won't be ridiculous.  But I suppose it all depends on the mode you play as well.   

 

[Hozz 1017]

I went with Origins.

[FunkSoulBrother 930]

On 2/19/2022 at 8:41 AM, Nivek said:

Origins first was my suggestion.  

I disagree on the Mercenary comment above.  At first when I was weak they were a grind, but after building up the character, they became much easier to deal with.  You can become OP with Kassandra which I kind of liked because you have played for so long weak, it is nice to get a bit of payoff eventually.   The DLC will scale it back so you won't be ridiculous.  But I suppose it all depends on the mode you play as well.   

 

The difficulty with the mercenaries was never my issue. It was just too many of them for me to have to deal with before I can move to the next mission.

[Nivek 16916]

14 hours ago, FunkSoulBrother said:

The difficulty with the mercenaries was never my issue. It was just too many of them for me to have to deal with before I can move to the next mission.

Yeah, sometimes they did crash the party when I was trying to kill a fortress or sneak around.  

[Hozz 1017]

Ragnarok is out for Valhalla and I got it even though the Asgard/Jotunheim parts were, for me, easily the shittiest content in the base game.  I think its a little nuts this is $40 too, vs the $25 I paid for Ireland and France, but whatever.  Anyway, it's a lot better than I thought it would be.  The new powers are just fancier abilities that use a new fuel called Hugr as opposed to Adrenaline but they are pretty cool.  The Raven one is especially awesome.  You turn into a Raven for 30 seconds or so and then can pick exactly where to land resulting in exploration shortcuts or creative assassination attempts.  There's only like 5 new powers, but they are all interesting.  

I can't really comment on the story as I have only played a few hours and I always go exploring vs doing main quest stuff to start with.

My biggest complaint is that you have to drink the potion to go there and wake up to get back, I wish they would have just made it like going to the normal places.

[vtaenz 601]

I've been kind of forcing my way through Valhalla. It's not bad but it's not really gripping me that much. It has a few great moments but it doesn't feel like it sustains the momentum. 
One of the issues may be that you have several other games that do a very similar setting (think medieval fantasy) so the location and atmosphere isn't "new."

 

Of the three being discussed here, I preferred Odyssey over Origins and I'm undecided between Origins and Valhalla, need to finish Valhalla first. Origins looked amazing and had a great setting but the story didn't really pull me in and there was a lot of "why would you do/think that" moments from the protagonist. Odyssey I played as Kassandra and I think that was the correct choice. It for sure gets repetitive but I think the setting and some of the islands really had some great stuff there.