‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ launches ‘Dawn of Ragnarok’ expansion in 2022

Ubisoft has unveiled a cinematic trailer for its upcoming story expansion for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Described as the “most ambitious expansion in franchise history,” Ubisoft's next major expansion titled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok is slated to debut on March 10, 2022, and will see Valhalla’s Eivor embracing his destiny as the Norse God of Battle and Wisdom, Odin.

Developed by Ubisoft Sofia, which previously worked on Assassin’s Creed Rogue and Assassin’s Creed Origins – The Curse of the Pharaohs, the new story expansion is set after the events of the Asgard and Jotunheim arcs in Valhalla’s main campaign and will entirely focus on the one-eyed god, also known as Havi.

Set entirely within Norse mythology, Dawn of Ragnarok will follow Eivor as he transports himself into the dwarven realm of Svartalfheim in a bid to rescue his son, Baldr, who is held captive by the immortal fire giant, Surtr.

As the All-Father takes revenge on Baldr’s captors, Eivor must also face off against a wide range of enemy archetypes and creatures in Norse mythology including the Jotnars, as well as those from Jotunheim and Muspelheim.  

“Under occupation from the fiery realm of Muspelheim (as well as icy Jotunheim), Svartalfheim has become a hostile, lava-filled landscape patrolled by flame-wielding enemies, some of whom can do things like revive their fallen comrades. To survive, Odin will need to find hidden Shelters across the world, and seek help from the dwarves who’ve taken refuge in them,” Ubisoft said.

“Baldr, the armies of Muspelheim, and the world of the dwarves, Svartalfheim, are deeply incorporated into the saga of Ragnarök,” says Mikhail Lozanov, creative director at Ubisoft Sofia. “Svartalfheim is where all the famous magical weapons and artifacts have come from, and this beautiful and surreal world is torn by war. Most of the dwarves have been imprisoned and forced to search for ancient artifacts, or to craft weapons for the upcoming war against the gods. Players must be very careful when they traverse the open world, because since the occupation began, no place is safe, even for a god.”

In Dawn of Ragnarok, the All-Father may utilize a new artifact called the Hugr-Rip to draw new powers from defeated enemies. Alternatively, the artifact also gives Odin various abilities like taking on the guise of a fiery Muspel or turning himself into a raven to quickly cover long distances. Aside from that, players will also be able to imbue their weapons with freezing effects, raise defeated enemies to fight for them, and more.

“One of the key elements of the vision of Dawn of Ragnarök is to make players engage with the world and its inhabitants; to encourage players to observe and explore the world, and to experiment with the challenges we offer them” says Lozanov. “The powers that Odin can acquire from defeated enemies will allow players to traverse the vast world and create opportunities that were not possible before. For example, players who love stealth gameplay will be able to remain concealed and use this to their advantage. The powers are designed towards almost every kind of gameplay style that our players love.”

Meanwhile, apart from Dawn of Ragnarok, a free update is also coming to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which will allow Eivor to travel to the Isle of Skye, where he will meet a familiar face: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s Kassandra.

Ubisoft explained that Kassandra’s appearance is part of a crossover that actually spans both games. In the crossover event, those who own Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will get a free story expansion titled “Those Who Are Treasured,” in which Kassandra or Alexios, after finding the immortality-granting Staff of Hermes Trismegistus at the end of the game’s story, travel to the island of Korfu as they wrestle with the question of what to do with their newfound longevity.  On the other hand, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla's “A Fated Encounter” will bring Eivor to the Isle of Skye in Scotland, where they’ll cross blades with Kassandra.

“The first question we wanted to answer was about Kassandra’s immortality,” says Clémence Nogrix, associate creative director at Ubisoft Quebec, the studio that led development of both crossover stories. “Then, we can allow ourselves to ask what happens when two Assassin’s Creed protagonists [from past games] meet… and not when one is dead or an illusion. This time around, we could ask ourselves what would happen between these two characters, Kassandra and Eivor, who have very similar, very distinct personalities, but are also very witty and have their own personal egos.”

Dawn of Ragnarok will be available as a separate purchase for those who already own the main game on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Stadia, and Amazon Luna, and will also be included with a Ubisoft+ subscription.  

The crossover stories, meanwhile, will be available on Dec. 14 as part of a free update for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.