Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has one of the earliest timelines in AC games, older than the original AC titles. Even the location settings of Norway and England are real-life locations that you can even visit today!
While mixing the open-world RPG elements with stealth gameplay, AC Valhalla plays very well with a robust story-driven plot. Not only is the gameplay something to look out for, but the game location and timeline are of historical significance.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set in the 9th Century and takes place around 837 AD. This makes AC Valhalla set in the time frame even before the Ezio trilogy.
Only two other Assassin’s Creed games have explored an era before Valhalla – AC Origins and AC Odyssey. The Nordic adventure and an early timeline are not the only things that make Valhalla unique; it’s a fact, not recognized by many, that the locations in AC Valhalla exist in the real world as well!
Real Life Locations in AC Valhalla
Valhalla starts in the middle of Norway, at least for the first few hours of gameplay before you embark on England. This plot made me realize that at least some of these places must be modeled after actual historic sites. And to my delight, they were!
1. Rygjafylke & Hordafylke
The two stunning scenic locations of Rygjafylke and Hordafylke in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are inspired by the real-life locations of Rogaland and Hordaland (later Vestland), respectively, in Norway.
The beautiful tall mountains of Rygjafylke and Hordafylke, covered in lush greenery and snow simultaneously, portray an amazingly realistic depiction of these real locations and are simply a treat for the eyes of every gamer.
A simple walk through the peaceful terrain of Norway in Valhalla can be considered a well-made virtual tour of these gorgeous locations.
2. England
All of the cities of England in AC Valhalla are inspired and created to represent present-day real-life cities and counties like London (Lunden), Eurvicscire (Yorkshire), Snotinghamscire (Nottinghamshire), etc.
In fact, the developers have tried to incorporate the entire map of England within the game. Still, unfortunately, the developers have shrunk the size of the cities in England and the distance between them immensely as opposed to the real-life situation to make sure just traveling from one place to another doesn’t take ages.
It is one of the best examples in the case of video games, where not all realistic things are better for the gameplay and user experience.
However, the environment of the cities of England would have been much more crowded and infrastructurally developed in the 9th century, which is severely lacking in AC Valhalla’s recreation.
3. Stonehenge
Stonehenge, a prehistoric stone circle monument, cemetery, and archaeological site located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, has also been recreated in AC Valhalla as a part of England’s rich ancient culture and heritage.
The creative team has done an absolutely perfect job on this one, as the Stonehenge monument in Valhalla seems like an exact replica of the one we are all well aware of.
Excitingly, we not only get to visit this mysterious monument in the game but also solve a standing stone puzzle etched on its pillars.
10/10! Loved engaging with such an integral piece of history.
4. White Cliffs of Dover
Just like Stonehenge, AC Valhalla does an amazing job recreating the White Cliffs of Dover, which in real life is located in the region of the English coastline facing the Strait of Dover and France.
It has been modeled in such vivid detail that words cannot describe the sheer joy of visiting this beautiful location in the virtual world of Valhalla, so I’ll just leave you with the two images below for the comparison.
5. Temple of Mithras
The Temple of Mithras is a historic Roman temple that Mithras devotees constructed in the second century.
It became the most famous Roman discovery in London in the 20th century. An exhibition of Roman artefacts from the city is now on display at the location. In Assassin’s Creed, it is represented virtually as a majestic ruin that is situated in the heart of the city of “Lunden.”
6. Ireland
The Wrath of the Druids DLC takes Eivor to the lush green grasslands and eerie bogs of Ireland. The Irish landscape under the virtual sun of Valhalla feels enchanting, and all of it, more or less, accurately represents the terrain of 9th century Ireland.
The swamps are as eerie as they can get, and they mostly act as an arena for all mini and major boss fights in the DLC.
About Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Developed and Published by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the latest instalment in the Assasin’s Creed series launched in November 2020. The action-adventure, role-playing video game is available to play on Playstation 5/4, Xbox One/ Series X/S and PC.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes players back to the Vikings’ glory days around the 9th century through the eyes of a Viking invader from Norway named Eivor. By playing as Eivor, gamers must represent the clan and help fellow warriors in the battle against Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms. The game brims with phenomenal main quests along with noteworthy side quests. AC Valhalla will also embrace many new features like dual-wielding of various weapons and armours.
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