Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, for the most part, has remained grounded in its Norse mythology setting. But now, as the game sets its sights towards Ireland and Paris for its upcoming expansions, it seems like the game is set to branch out and touch upon the many other segments of Viking lore.
In an exclusive interaction with The Gamer, Hugo Sahuquet, Associate Narrative Director at Ubisoft Bordeaux, detailed AC Valhalla’s first major expansion – Wrath of the Druids – that is scheduled to arrive on April 29.
On the history of the North Gaels – a culture birthed from the marriage of Vikings and Celts – and how it would play into AC Valhalla’s expansion, Sahuquet had some very interesting things to say.
“At the time of the expansion, we are about eight decades after the first Viking raid in Ireland and 40 years after they first settled in Dublin. The reasons are still unclear, but as opposed to England, the Vikings merged more quickly with the Irish culture. At the time of the expansion, there was a new generation emerging: the Norse-Gaels, born from marriages between Norse and Gaelic people. These marriages were used both by the Norse and Irish to secure the other’s protection, land, or assistance. The Norse-Gaels were embracing both of their cultures, and Dublin soon became a very cosmopolitan city.”
Hugo Sahuquet
While it’s already been revealed that the expansion will involve a mysterious ancient cult, now we also know the cultural setting of it all which definitely makes things more intriguing.
Delving further into the Viking expansion, Sahuquet said that by the time AC Valhalla reaches Ireland, the expansion there has already ended, with Norseman Barid mac Imair on the throne as the King of Dublin. He also added that Ubisoft is imagining Barid is Norse-Gael as a way to explore the cultural blending between Vikings and Celts, and that the expansion’s story begins as a result of Ireland’s High King Flann Sinna hiring Viking mercenaries to join his war campaigns.
Based on the details revealed so far, it looks like Ubisoft is leaving no stone unturned in making the expansion historically accurate as possible. In fact, Sahuquet also mentioned that Ubisoft brought on University of Liverpool Professor Clare Downham and Trinity College Dublin Professor Sean Duffy as experts to advise on Irish and Viking history.
Next up after Wrath of the Druids will be The Siege of Paris and seeing from what we know of the former, Ubisoft is setting a high standard for all future expansions. While the Ostara festival saw its fair share of issues, the update brought a fair bit of content to the game for players to enjoy. Now, Ubisoft, where are those sweet details for the game’s upcoming Parisian adventures?
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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