[Megathread] Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

[Tech614]

Well, we're getting hidden blade instant kills again. Hoping that just means all stealth kills, because that's one thing I really didn't like about the last game. If you didn't build around stealth/assassination damage then you were basically never going to kill something with a surprise attack.

But I can kinda get why...being able to one-shot so many things while still rocking a combat focused build would have really trivialized a LOT of the encounters.

Damage Sponge enemies are terrible design and getting stealth undetected 1 shot kills of targets in older AC games was far harder then merking an entire town in Origins and Odyssey.

I don't want to play a 1 man army in a game where you're supposed to be an Assassin, it was really quite stupid design.

[Cattleya]

Damage Sponge enemies are terrible design and getting stealth undetected 1 shot kills of targets in older AC games was far harder then merking an entire town in Origins and Odyssey.

I don't want to play a 1 man army in a game where you're supposed to be an Assassin, it was really quite stupid design.

Funny to read this days after seeing someone stream Black Flag and going through the entire game by just getting into combat and counter -> one-shotting every enemy in the area one by one

You were always a one-man army in AC.

[Tech614]

Funny to read this days after seeing someone stream Black Flag and going through the entire game by just getting into combat and counter -> one-shotting every enemy in the area one by one

You were always a one-man army in AC.

Oh I never said the non stealth combat in old AC games was anything amazing, but actually playing the game with no detection(which you had to do for 100% sync) was far better then trying to mindlessly kill shit. The problem with Origins and Odyssey was you no longer had this option for most bosses.

There is a difference between having the option to be a one man army, or basically being forced into being one.

[Edge-]

The problem with Origins and Odyssey was you no longer had this option for most bosses.

There is a difference between having the option to be a one man army, or basically being forced into being one.

I'd be pleased as punch to see them add that option back in (even if it's a legit one shot) as long as I can still go around and functionally say "Fuck stealth, I'm just gonna hit shit until it dies."

I'm a simple man. I have a weapon, I swing it at things until they stop hitting me. Much more than that is too much to be bothered with.

[Jastall]

Damage Sponge enemies are terrible design and getting stealth undetected 1 shot kills of targets in older AC games was far harder then merking an entire town in Origins and Odyssey.

I don't want to play a 1 man army in a game where you're supposed to be an Assassin, it was really quite stupid design.

I mean, the Assassin part is more or less obsolete now. The series just uses it an excuse to drop you into a new semi-historical setting and letting you kill half its population and talk to all its even halfway important historical figures. Which, as I said before, I'm totally fine with, even if I do agree the damage sponginess of enemies in Odyssey was ridiculous at times, especially given how easy the game was overall. Only real danger were a couple of Arena fights, the monstrous bosses, and engaging in naval battles against too many enemies at once.

[Cattleya]

Oh I never said the non stealth combat in old AC games was anything amazing, but actually playing the game with no detection(which you had to do for 100% sync) was far better then trying to mindlessly kill shit. The problem with Origins and Odyssey was you no longer had this option for most bosses.

There is a difference between having the option to be a one man army, or basically being forced into being one.

True, the primary reason I even turned the difficulty down from the highest one in Odyssey was because the bosses were such damage sponges. Regular enemies were fine since I had an assassin build that actually did one-shot all but the most resilient enemies, but bosses turn into a real chore on higher difficulties.

I like the stealthy playstyle so I'd be fine with them adding stuff like that back in as optional objectives. Just as long as they're optional so I can ignore it for that one mandatory crappy mission every AC has where you gotta tail a guy through 50 enemies

[Nerraw]

https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/artic...riter-revealed

Jesper Kyd, Sarah Schachner (AC Origins), and Einar Selvik (Vikings TV show) will collaborate on the soundtrack for Valhalla!

[Edge-]

https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/artic...riter-revealed

Jesper Kyd, Sarah Schachner (AC Origins), and Einar Selvik (Vikings TV show) will collaborate on the soundtrack for Valhalla!

Damn, I guess that's a hard "no" on the "THE ENTIRE SOUNDTRACK IS JUST AMON AMARTH" then. Damn, shit would have been fuckin fire.

[Nerraw]

My hype for the soundtrack is uncontainable at this point.

[ParanoiD84]

https://news.ubisoft.com/en-us/artic...riter-revealed

Jesper Kyd, Sarah Schachner (AC Origins), and Einar Selvik (Vikings TV show) will collaborate on the soundtrack for Valhalla!

Jesper Kyd i love that guy i still think Assassin's creed 1 have one of the better soundtracks. He also did a amazing job on vermintide 2.

- - - Updated - - -

Also talking about stealth they said they will bring back social stealth and wrist blade insta-kills.

https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-cr...e-insta-kills/

Recent games have seen its utility reduced somewhat, from a tool of quiet instant kills to just another blade, albeit one you can wear. But Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail told Kotaku that its effectiveness as a stealth weapon will be restored in the new game, in part because it will have a perhaps unexpected focus on stealth-based gameplay.

[Amarys]

Well, we're getting hidden blade instant kills again. Hoping that just means all stealth kills, because that's one thing I really didn't like about the last game. If you didn't build around stealth/assassination damage then you were basically never going to kill something with a surprise attack.

But I can kinda get why...being able to one-shot so many things while still rocking a combat focused build would have really trivialized a LOT of the encounters.

I played it on nightmare and still was able to 1 shot almost everything.. well critical assassinate plus the hero strike thingy almost always did the trick. And when discovered or I wasn't feeling particularly patient, I could easily still fight the entire fort by just running in circles, shooting them in the face with a bow(infinite arrows ftw, unlike Origins) and using the hero strike on cooldown.

I really hope they won't go back to the old formula (ac3, unity etc.). I personally love prehistoric to around 400 AD era and the last 2 games were absolutely amazing in that regard, so this being set in a later era as well as it being a shorter game is already a bit of a disappointment. Viking era in real history was somewhat boring as there was really nothing much there. No amazing architecture, sculptures.. just basic castles, and wooden houses and since it's an AC game, I doubt well be seeing goblins, elves or dragons.

[Tech614]

I doubt well be seeing goblins, elves or dragons.

Uhh you appear to have played the last 2 AC games and you're saying this? Both Origins and Odyssey had fights against mythical creatures that they ass pull as "glitches" in the animus. I wouldn't expect them to stop doing that so soon since people like it and it doesn't effect story much.

[Amarys]

Uhh you appear to have played the last 2 AC games and you're saying this? Both Origins and Odyssey had fights against mythical creatures that they ass pull as "glitches" in the animus. I wouldn't expect them to stop doing that so soon since people like it and it doesn't effect story much.

Well yea but these things were not "in the open".. like in say Skyrim, where they were just part of the scenery. In AC games you really had to go seek them out or they appeared in visions or dreams and didn't really affect the actual world.

[Stardrift]

I feel AC is in a muuuuch better position than it was, starting with Origins. Everything before Origins was just abysmal. I tried each of the first 4 games, the fan favourites, and put each of them down.

Too little action, too much disposition and monologue. Waaaay too much of the whole animus horseshit nobody cares about. Seriously. Wtf was up with half the game being animus interruptions? Not to mention the god awful follow or stalk quests. People talking about Origins and Odyssey being full of filler and padding, yet that's all the original games were.

The original ACs are near the top of my most horrible games list. Seriously. That shit reeked. Having recently picked up Origins, I feel Ubisoft has smartened up, got rid of all the cringe, and added actual gameplay. I'm very excited to try out Odyssey and then Valhalla.

[Edge-]

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/...ys_ubisoft_dev

Map's apparently "a bit" larger than Odyssey. Given that they said the game would be shorter I wasn't expected this, but I'm pretty freakin alright with it. As long as there's cool shit to explore and dick around with, I'm happy.

[Tech614]

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/...ys_ubisoft_dev

Map's apparently "a bit" larger than Odyssey. Given that they said the game would be shorter I wasn't expected this, but I'm pretty freakin alright with it. As long as there's cool shit to explore and dick around with, I'm happy.

So are we gonna get a map that is 50% sea again or are we gonna get an ass load more of copy pasted villages. Stay tuned folks!

More isn't always better Ubisoft. I have little faith in them in this regard, they aren't rockstar and they fail to fill their open worlds with believable life. The closest they ever got to this was Unity which was a way smaller map compared to the newer AC games.

[Edge-]

So are we gonna get a map that is 50% sea again or are we gonna get an ass load more of copy pasted villages. Stay tuned folks!

More isn't always better Ubisoft. I have little faith in them in this regard, they aren't rockstar and they fail to fill their open worlds with believable life. The closest they ever got to this was Unity which was a way smaller map compared to the newer AC games.

If there's stuff do do, I'm fine with it. Especially if a lot of it is open ocean you can skip with fast travel when you want (though it sounds like ships/naval combat are taking a back seat).

I'm plenty happy. Even if it's not all super fleshed out and meaningful, I enjoyed mindlessly going to Keep #13 and thinking of new ways to murderlize my way through it and clear it out. I'm a simple man, and I liked what they put down with AC:Od even some of the more optional grindy activities.

[Tech614]

If there's stuff do do, I'm fine with it. Especially if a lot of it is open ocean you can skip with fast travel when you want (though it sounds like ships/naval combat are taking a back seat).

I'm plenty happy. Even if it's not all super fleshed out and meaningful, I enjoyed mindlessly going to Keep #13 and thinking of new ways to murderlize my way through it and clear it out. I'm a simple man, and I liked what they put down with AC:Od even some of the more optional grindy activities.

If I wanted to do the same thing over and over again I will play a game with far better gameplay then AC.

[Edge-]

If I wanted to do the same thing over and over again I will play a game with far better gameplay then AC.

Cool, and you can do that! I have fun with it and everyone is into different stuff. Hopefully it'll be filled with enough interesting activities and diversity to keep you engaged if you pick it up, but as long as they are at least at the level of AC:Od that's plenty fine for me. I can catch up on podcasts while mindlessly grinding shit, which is pretty relaxing for me. Not everyone's cup-o-tea, but we'll find out which direction the world goes soon enough, I imagine.

[ParanoiD84]

http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2020/...ys_ubisoft_dev

Map's apparently "a bit" larger than Odyssey. Given that they said the game would be shorter I wasn't expected this, but I'm pretty freakin alright with it. As long as there's cool shit to explore and dick around with, I'm happy.

Sweet i can also see them having lots of dlc places to add like perhaps france as the vikings attacked paris and more places.