Sometimes all you need to get excited about Assassin's Creed again is to have the right setting show up. For me, Revolutionary America was alright, but the Golden Age of Piracy was better. London and Paris are on too many college dorm room walls for me, but Egypt and Ancient Greece do the trick. So that's why Assassin's Creed Valhalla finally has my attention. The Baltic Sea and not-yet United Kingdom during the Viking era? Yes. Yes please. There's little doubt in my mind I want to spend a hundred hours in this place.
Which is why I like this post-launch roadmap for Valhalla. There's a season pass you can buy into, but there's also free seasonal content for everybody, season pass or not.
Season Pass:
Free Seasonal Content:
Expansion 1, Wrath of the Druids, is a journey through Ireland spent unraveling the mysteries of an ancient druidic cult, attacking ring forts, and influencing trade in the bustling port city of Dublin. This takes on a darker tone than the average Valhalla mission.
Expansion 2, The Siege of Paris, recounts "one of the most recognizable events in Viking history." Here you're meeting some famous faces, engaging in new repeatable activities, infiltrating Francia's upper echelons, and conquering the City of Light from within.
These two massive DLCs and the bonus Beowulf mission will be included in the Gold Edition and Ultimate Edition.
The freebie stuff, available to everyone, kicks off with a Yule event, paralleling with Christmas stuff, naturally. River Raids apparently show up in this freebie content at some point, possibly in the Spring 2021 timeframe, though the video isn't entirely clear on that. But there will be new gear, new skills, and new events happening within your settlement throughout the next year. The events sounds great and will go a long ways toward making Valhalla feel like a living game, despite its single-player nature. The Discovery Tour—Ubisoft's way of creating a non-combat educational walkthrough of their worlds—is also making its way to Valhalla, though it's not nailed down on the roadmap as of yet.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla launches on November 10 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and PC. Then on November 12 on PlayStation 5's launch day.