[Megathread] Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

[Great Destiny Man]

The good:
Travel:
England is easy to traverse and the boat and horse are both not bad to use. I disagree with the above criticism regarding the boat. The boat clipping the shore is something that has maybe happened to me 2-3 times and I use the boat a lot. Also the horse is probably better for travel once you have all the fast travel points unc locked, but until then/for traveling large distances the boat is really nice.

I used the boat a lot at the start as well, it's just that once you get improved swimming on your horse and more stamina it just feels easier to use your horse to go in an (almost) straight line to your destination rather than having to follow all the meanders in the river. It's not that I dislike using the boat, far from it, it's just that a fully upgraded horse is more practical with getting around.

Also, it's not just clipping the shore but also if some dumb bastard decides to row their boat in front of yours and you smash into it it also cancels the auto sailing feature.

[Katchii]

The two main things I'm not liking are having to spam Odin's Sight and how seldom true stealth tactics are used. Make the effects from Odin's Sight last longer/ be permanent or let me use my bird to mark shit like in other games, as it is here it's just an annoying button I feel the need to hit every 10 seconds. As to stealth, granted you ARE playing a Viking, so straight up hack and slash combat is expected, but this is also an Assassins Creed game and the stealthier aspects of it are why I play it.

[DingDongKing]

They dumped the stealth bit quite a while ago, didn't they?

[RobertoCarlos]

They dumped the stealth bit quite a while ago, didn't they?

Distrust areas are a nice addition.

So no stealth can still be used. You can even increase enemy detection rates to give yourself more of a challenge

[Katchii]

They dumped the stealth bit quite a while ago, didn't they?

They dumped as a hard requirement, yes, but the game play is still very much there. The problem is in many situations they made it outright impossible to use effectively, meaning they took the choice from you, which is annoying.

[DingDongKing]

They dumped as a hard requirement, yes, but the game play is still very much there. The problem is in many situations they made it outright impossible to use effectively, meaning they took the choice from you, which is annoying.

Sounds like a blast. I like them doing all these different eras in history, but it increasingly just feels like a skin on an existing game. Formulaic.

[Katchii]

Sounds like a blast. I like them doing all these different eras in history, but it increasingly just feels like a skin on an existing game. Formulaic.

It actually makes it more interesting sometimes, because you're forced to do the assassinations in populated areas, which is accurate, and making yourself an exit strategy is fun. The issue sometimes comes in situations where you simply don't have the time to make an exit strategy and have ot just go for it and deal with the fallout afterward, which usually devolves into 5+ minutes of just killing everyone who aggros you before you can make your getaway.

This is just a little bit of a departure from previous games where the majority of your assassinations could be done in secluded areas where you didn't have to deal with all the extra NPCs.

With Origins, Odyssey and now Valhalla, you just have so many targets and missions that happen out in the open, on the road, in open ruins, etc... where stealth is simply not possible or extremely difficult, where in those situations you just have to go full on action combat to get it done. That's not a BAD thing, it's just different than previous games, where most situations like that happened inside the city walls where stealth was a more readily available option.

[DingDongKing]

It actually makes it more interesting sometimes, because you're forced to do the assassinations in populated areas, which is accurate, and making yourself an exit strategy is fun. The issue sometimes comes in situations where you simply don't have the time to make an exit strategy and have ot just go for it and deal with the fallout afterward, which usually devolves into 5+ minutes of just killing everyone who aggros you before you can make your getaway.

This is just a little bit of a departure from previous games where the majority of your assassinations could be done in secluded areas where you didn't have to deal with all the extra NPCs.

With Origins, Odyssey and now Valhalla, you just have so many targets and missions that happen out in the open, on the road, in open ruins, etc... where stealth is simply not possible or extremely difficult, where in those situations you just have to go full on action combat to get it done. That's not a BAD thing, it's just different than previous games, where most situations like that happened inside the city walls where stealth was a more readily available option.

The game is definitely under consideration. The last 'open world' game I really enjoyed was Shadow of War, because I loved the world.

That said, I bought the 'definitive edition' for £15.99. So I'd likely not pickup Valhalla until it's heavily discounted, because it feels like a previous gen game as opposed to a PS5 game. So until then, it's going to be a wait and watch thing. I haven't committed to any new game for that reason.

[Katchii]

The game is definitely under consideration. The last 'open world' game I really enjoyed was Shadow of War, because I loved the world.

That said, I bought the 'definitive edition' for £15.99. So I'd likely not pickup Valhalla until it's heavily discounted, because it feels like a previous gen game as opposed to a PS5 game. So until then, it's going to be a wait and watch thing. I haven't committed to any new game for that reason.

PS4 is still technically current generation, together with PS5 since they're both being actively supported, and it very much takes full advantage of the capabilities of the PS4 system, and comes with the capability for the performance to be bumped by the PS5.

There's really no reason to look down on Valhalla as some kind of "lesser game because it's a previous generation game" kind of thing. It's well worth the price tag if this style of game is your thing.

As to open world games, Assassin Creed Origins and Odyssey are both great, as are Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima.

[DingDongKing]

PS4 is still technically current generation, together with PS5 since they're both being actively supported, and it very much takes full advantage of the capabilities of the PS4 system, and comes with the capability for the performance to be bumped by the PS5.

There's really no reason to look down on Valhalla as some kind of "lesser game because it's a previous generation game" kind of thing. It's well worth the price tag if this style of game is your thing.

As to open world games, Assassin Creed Origins and Odyssey are both great, as are Horizon Zero Dawn and Ghost of Tsushima.

The reason I'm looking at it that way is because I want a PS5 game so to speak. I'm sure Valhalla still looks great anyway, but I want that extra bit.

[Kumorii]

The one thing I miss is the danger of having multiple Mercs hone in on you at once. I've only even seen 2 Mercs so far.

At one point in the story you get a mission to burn a scroll with your name on it. If you don't burn it zealots will hunt you, if you burn it they don't hunt you but can still be found in the world. I kinda regret not letting them hunt me.

[Gorsameth]

It actually makes it more interesting sometimes, because you're forced to do the assassinations in populated areas, which is accurate, and making yourself an exit strategy is fun. The issue sometimes comes in situations where you simply don't have the time to make an exit strategy and have ot just go for it and deal with the fallout afterward, which usually devolves into 5+ minutes of just killing everyone who aggros you before you can make your getaway.

This is just a little bit of a departure from previous games where the majority of your assassinations could be done in secluded areas where you didn't have to deal with all the extra NPCs.

With Origins, Odyssey and now Valhalla, you just have so many targets and missions that happen out in the open, on the road, in open ruins, etc... where stealth is simply not possible or extremely difficult, where in those situations you just have to go full on action combat to get it done. That's not a BAD thing, it's just different than previous games, where most situations like that happened inside the city walls where stealth was a more readily available option.

A result of the series moving away from assassinations and more into general combat.

Assassins Creed is becoming more and more Skyrim then Assassins Creed to me.

[Lora]

At one point in the story you get a mission to burn a scroll with your name on it. If you don't burn it zealots will hunt you, if you burn it they don't hunt you but can still be found in the world. I kinda regret not letting them hunt me.

killing that dude and not burning the scroll is the best way to go for that very reason. having them hunt you saves you time in the long run. although i've yet to have them really hunt me. they dont feel as threatening as the mercs in odyssey.

[blankfaced]

At one point in the story you get a mission to burn a scroll with your name on it. If you don't burn it zealots will hunt you, if you burn it they don't hunt you but can still be found in the world. I kinda regret not letting them hunt me.

I'm glad I was too late then. I didn't have a choice in the matter for that one. I've had the occasional person from the bushes jump me on the road but that's about it.

[Katchii]

A result of the series moving away from assassinations and more into general combat.

Assassins Creed is becoming more and more Skyrim then Assassins Creed to me.

Which is fine, IMO, I'm fine with there being a choice for game play, as long as one of those choices is to be, y'know...an Assassin, as the title of the game suggests. So far, it's been fine. Hopefully they keep at least this level of stealth game play. I think Odyssey was a really great mix of stealth vs action, and so far Valhalla seems to stay in line with that, it just seems like the AI is FAR more aggressive in this game than it was in Odyssey.

In Odyssey if I flubbed and got seen I could run a bit and hide for a little and then try again, because it was only 1-3 people that actually followed me. Here, if I get seen, it seems like the whole damn town/garrison is alerted and I have to run for miles or hide for much longer before they leave me alone.

[rhorle]

They dumped the stealth bit quite a while ago, didn't they?

With Origins they changed the approach to more of an action style of combat. Stealth still exists and even in Valhalla you can do a lot of things with stealth. Some things like raids can still be done with stealth but you need to summon your crew to at least help open so me doors and get the raid loot. There is just less need to use stealth because other forms of combat work just as well.

The only thing with stealth I don't like is the chain kill ability seems to rarely trigger so I can never target a second person. But that is a bug rather then the design.

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In Odyssey if I flubbed and got seen I could run a bit and hide for a little and then try again, because it was only 1-3 people that actually followed me. Here, if I get seen, it seems like the whole damn town/garrison is alerted and I have to run for miles or hide for much longer before they leave me alone.

They can definitely search better but you can still be spotted, kill quickly, and not alert everyone. It just depends on the camp and the location. I've also dropped combat pretty easily when needed. Not sure why my experiences seem different. If you don't hide somehow they can chase you for a little bit I've noticed. Since coming back from doing the Native stuff I am also doing more stealth approaches.

I think the marking from the bird has a greater effect on how it feels. Normally you could get all the guys marked so you can watch everything. Now that is limited so sight lines or archers and stuff can go unnoticed a little more. I like that you have to work a little more for stealth.

I am not sure why my experiences seem different the others. Maybe it is just that I am enjoying myself so it doesn't really seem like an issue. Its like the bugs. There are some animations, graphical, quest, and ability stuff. But most of it doesn't really feel like a big deal that many make it out to be. Perception is just such a large thing I guess. Origins I quickly grew bored of and had to push myself to finish the story line. Odyssey I enjoyed getting the game to 100% completion.

[beanman12345]

The combat is too challenging at times honestly, I like that it’s not as easy as odyssey, but certain situations/boss type stuff take me like a 20 tries to do... feels like dark souls sometimes. Even though I’m proper level/gear... you are fighting mobs and waiting for small openings to make tiny chips off their health, but if you slightly mistime a dodge or parry you can easily find 2/3 of your hp bar gone... honestly feels like the mobs cheat sometimes, like they will start a red attack before you can even finish partying their normal attack... goodbye half your hp. Starting to feel like I need to reduce difficulty.

.

You can't parry red attacks, need to dodge them, and with brush of death passive it makes dodging red attacks OP. Avoiding red attacks with a dodge is crucial since that's where most of the big damage comes from. Overall I feel like the combat is a lot easier than odyssey because in odyssey if a enemy was just a few levels higher than you? good luck. This game is much less an issue I found in that regard. Still can be challenging but not impossible.

[Advent]

People really need to stop calling this game grindy. It isn't. Warframe is grindy. Anthem is grindy, Division 2 is grindy. WOW is grindy. This isn't even close.

[Asrialol]

Ending spoilers

So Basim is basically Loki, right? And now we're playing as the bad guy, looking into our good bois memories.. What kind of future DLCs will we see, I wonder.. Also, I ended the game at power level 400 with masteries capped at 30 each. kek.

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You can't parry red attacks, need to dodge them, and with brush of death passive it makes dodging red attacks OP. Avoiding red attacks with a dodge is crucial since that's where most of the big damage comes from. Overall I feel like the combat is a lot easier than odyssey because in odyssey if a enemy was just a few levels higher than you? good luck. This game is much less an issue I found in that regard. Still can be challenging but not impossible.

Huh. I can press Q to block/parry red attacks.

[beanman12345]

Huh. I can press Q to block/parry red attacks.

Have no idea how you're able to accomplish that.