Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X
Tested on: PS5
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök DLC – Review
Right before the next generation of consoles was available, we were treated to the latest Assassin’s Creed installment that took us back to the age of Vikings. We very much enjoyed our Nordic adventures, and we found Valhalla to be a solid entry in the Assassin’s Creed franchise. The game eventually spawned a few extra DLCs, which also proved to be entertaining. Now, a massive new expansion is available for fans of the game. Instead of sticking to the limitations of the human body, we are now enhanced by the power of the gods while we battle fire and frost giants. Dawn of Ragnarök was an interesting experience, but ultimately it felt like more of the same in a flashier jacket. For our review of the base game, click here, and for our review of The Siege of Paris, click here.
Let us start off by saying that the Dawn of Ragnarök is a strange piece of DLC, as it presents itself as a completely separate story, albeit in the same universe as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Sadly, you’ll have to own the base game to be able to actually access the content. After this, you’ll either have to meet the required conditions in the base game, or you can start a new Dawn of Ragnarök playthrough without having to actually play the base game. For this reason, we find that this DLC should have been a standalone purchase, as we reckon this storyline will also entice fantasy fans to try out this specific storyline.
All of that being said, this time you’ll be playing as Havi (Odin), who is on a quest for vengeance. As you’ll be playing with the All-Father himself (even though you can also choose a female depiction in the game), you won’t be playing through a ‘realistic’ set-up for this expansion. Instead, you’ll be battling fire and frost giants, while also being able to steal their powers, preventing you from taking fire damage, or you’ll even be able to freeze your opponents. Other powers allow you to raise the dead, or even fly around the map in the shape of a raven. Sadly, you can only equip two powers at each given time, and thus you’ll constantly have to swap depending on the situation at hand. We would have loved to have a full inventory of powers we had come across, instead of hoping to find the right power when we had a need for it. Many story quests do provide the right power when needed, which is a mild comfort.
Other than that, you’ll be going through the same content as what the base game had on offer. You’ll go from quest to quest, or you can choose to explore the world, uncover collectibles, level certain skills, and so on. The basics of the original are all there, albeit with a mythological theme, a new map to explore, and even a new weapon to try out. We did enjoy playing through the content that was on offer here, but it didn’t really feel like anything new to us.
Conclusion
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök is a fun new way to explore more of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s content with a new protagonist. We enjoyed getting back in the saddle, but we expected a bit more from this original storyline. This DLC sticks too close to what the base game offers, making it just more of the same. Is that a bad thing? Not at all. Is it something that you should immediately purchase? Also, not at all. Those wanting more Valhalla content will be happy with this expansion, but those who were still on the fence for the base game will not find anything to win them over here.
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