Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök

The third Godfather movie has the iconic line, "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." That's a perfect way to describe the feeling when playing Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök. After the base game and the two major expansions that came included in the game's Season Pass content, it's natural to assume Ubisoft was moving on to the next chapter of the Assassin's Creed series once the season was over. As Dawn of Ragnarök shows though, there's still more left in Eivor's (and Odin's) story left to tell. But the expansion's focus on Odin's tale and the Norse mythology makes this feel less like an expansion and more like a spin-off. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. The world of Svartalfheim is huge and lush. It's not quite as diverse a landscape as Ireland in the Wrath of the Druids, but it's still a beautiful and expansive realm. The new powers granted to Odin via the Hugr-Rip make for some interesting twists on the familiar gameplay. Raising the dead to fight for you, freezing foes solid before shattering them into a million pieces, and swooping in as a raven for an airborne assassination never gets old.

Unfortunately, the Hugr-Rip and its abilities are also very specific and exclusive to Odin, so Eivor won't be making use of its nifty tricks. That's not to say the expansion doesn't offer players a reason to return from their Svartalfheim tour. Players can dive in and out of the new adventure at any time, with an optional power boost and loaned equipment to take them up to the required level if they're not already there. Gear, skill points, and new character abilities transfer over to the main game seamlessly. Players can also test their mettle in the new Valkyrie Arena, fighting against swarms of foes and bosses for both the glory of battle and in-game rewards like runes, gear, cosmetics, and more. Players can customize their arena battles by collecting and using Boasts scattered around Svartalfheim. While the Valkyrie Arena doesn't really tie much into the main game, it's a fun way to kill some time, try out some new tactics, and to earn some extra goodies for Eivor/Odin. While Eivor may take a backseat to Odin in Dawn of Ragnarök's story, it still adds a slew of new options and content to the overall Assassin's Creed Valhalla experience.