Interest in Viking video games has never been higher, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla may have just served up its most traditional slice yet. There are no ancient civilisations here in Valhalla’s new river raids mode, no friendly Saxon alliances to settle. It’s just you and a bunch of bastards bombing up English rivers on a boat.
As it stands, it’s pretty fun. I’ve spent about five hours raiding since the mode arrived in yesterday’s 1.1.2 update – enough time to tick off its main objectives – and will probably dip back in again to unlock more of its lengthier cosmetic pursuits. It’s not perfect – more on that in a bit – and for a mode about raiding it could do with some juicer ongoing incentives. But there is something to it – and there’s signs Ubisoft will stick with it and hopefully build on it from here.
How’s it all work? Well, head to your Settlement and you’ll find a new crew have pitched up on shore, lead by a piratical Viking named Vagn. He has a ship you can use and a crew you can hire. In return, you’ll quickly build him a house to settle into and a hall for your Jomsvikingr recruits, which you can upgrade further to find more (and more sturdy) crewmembers.
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