History VideoGame / AssassinsCreedValhalla

* AnAesop: Strength, glory, and pride is '''not''' honor; ''true'' heroism is learning how to compromise, TurnTheOtherCheek, and even backing down from a challenge to protect that which you love. Time and again in their quest to unite the Pagans and Christians of England, Eivor learns that kindness and forgiveness forges bonds of love and friendship stronger than conquest and cruelty ever could. Also, [[spoiler:Eivor finally learns to understand the ''bravery'' of Varin's seemingly-cowardly surrender when they let go of their axe just as their father did to protect their beloved adopted brother from Odin.]]

* DropTheHammer: Hammers are commonly wielded by friends and foe alike. The most outstanding example is of course Mjölnir, Thor's personal weapon and a Piece of Eden that Eivor can find.

''Assassin's Creed: Valhalla'' is a historical open-world ActionRPG, the twelfth main entry in the ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' series, and the first to be released on UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and [[UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS the fourth generation Xbox consoles]]. It released on November 10, 2020 for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, UsefulNotes/XboxSeriesXAndS, UsefulNotes/GoogleStadia, and [=PC=], with a UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 coming on that console's launch on the 12th/19th. Music/JesperKyd, the first composer of the franchise, returned for the soundtrack nine years after leaving the series with ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRevelations''. Also collaborating to the soundtrack are Einar Selvik of Music/{{Wardruna}} fame, and Sarah Schachner, who composed for various games in the franchise; namely ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity Unity]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOrigins Origins]]''.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Eivor's power level caps out at 400, but they can continue to level up beyond that to gain Mastery Levels that give minor stat boosts across the board. Even without Mastery, level 400 is on par with the strongest BonusBoss in the game and far above what the most difficult regions recommend. Several patches have increased this cap by adding new skills to learn.

** Eivor can also throw down with Steinbjornn, a bear-shaped monster from Norse mythology that's made of ice and rock. At power level 400, it's the highest-leveled enemy in the game, though thankfully it's a BonusBoss.
* BeefGate: World regions have level recommendations that you shouldn't undercut too much if you don't want to get bogged down by normal enemies killing Eivor in one or two hits. Also, keep in mind that these recommendations are for the main quest only. Any BonusBoss you encounter there has a level completely independent from the region they inhabit, with some outranking their home by 200 levels or more. For instance, Jotunheim, with a recommended level of 190, is home to level 400 Steinbjornn, and you can enter his stomping ground as soon as you arrive in the area. Another is Daughter of Lerion, Cordelia, in East Anglia with its recommended level of 55, rocking her own recommended level of '''340'''. This often results in some [[OhCrap very nasty surprises]] for adventuring players trying to earn the requisite achievement/trophy by going region by region starting from the lowest.

* BonusBoss: The three Daughters of Lerion, the Lost Drengr, the various legendary animals, Steinbjornn... take your pick. Some must be defeated if you're after certain legendary weapons and armor, but none of them figure in the main story in any way.

** "Wrath of the Druids" has Black Stout, a giant boar [[BonusBoss Legendary Animal]] in [[MeaningfulName Black Pig's Dyke]] in Connacht. Killing it gives the Bone Sickle.

** Gae Bolg, the spear of Cú Chulainn. [[spoiler:In "Wrath of the Druids," Eivor is tested against Balor who serves as a BonusBoss after killing all of the Children of Danu.]]

** The reward for beating Steinbjornn, the game's most powerful BonusBoss, is ... absolutely nothing. Not even an achievement!

* ArtifactTitle: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig Zagged]]. Unlike ''[[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedOdyssey Odyssey]]'', ''Valhalla'' does focus on the Assassin-Templar conflict and Eivor has the Hidden Blade as one of their weapons, not to mention that they work with the proto-Assassin Hidden Ones to re-establish their presence in England by building a bureau in Ravensthorpe. [[spoiler:However, Eivor chooses not to join the Hidden Ones for personal reasons, making ''Valhalla'' the second ''Assassin's Creed'' game to not have an Assassin protagonist]].

** Sigurd & Basim: [[spoiler:Eivor is successfully able to bring Sigurd back from the brink of glory-obsessed madness; and thwart Basim's plot against the duo. In the aftermath, Sigurd realizes he is no longer fit to rule Ravensthorpe and abdicates to Eivor. If the player [[KarmaMater defied Sigurd too many times]], he chooses to stay [[WalkingTheEarth in Norway]]. If you have a positive relationship with Sigurd, he comes home; but the loss of his arm ensures [[NothingIsTheSameAnymore he won't ever be going a-vikingr like he used to.]]]]

** A Mentor of the Hidden Ones named Fuladh asks Hytham to meet them at Aluh-Amut, aka Alamut, in 879 to discuss [[spoiler:Basim's betrayal of the Order by attacking Eivor and Sigurd.]] This also happens to Call Forward to the (at the time unreleased) ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage'' where the Alamut branch of the Hidden Ones is focused on, as well as a MythologyGag to ''Literature/{{Alamut}}'', one of the inspirations of the original ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreed''.

** A Mentor of the Hidden Ones named Fuladh asks Hytham to meet them at Aluh-Amut, aka Alamut, in 879 to discuss [[spoiler:Basim's betrayal of the Order by attacking Eivor and Sigurd.]]
** in "Wrath of the Druids," a letter in Barid's longhouse written in Old Gaelic by his mother, after some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwHMaaMKVNg translation]], reveals that the mac Imhair family are the distant ancestors of [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedRogue Shay Patrick Cormac]].

The following game, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage'', is a SpinOff focusing on the youth of Basim in Abbasid Baghdad. It was release in October 2023.

The following game, ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedMirage'', is a SpinOff focusing on the youth of Basim in Abbasid Baghdad. It is due for release in October 2023.

* VikingsInAmerica: One arc involves Eivor traveling to Vinland to assassinate the fledgeling Viking colony's leader. [[spoiler:In the end Eivor returns to Vinland and lives out the rest of their life there, until Layla's crew finds their remains.]]

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: The vikings never seem to do any actual raiding. You're literally ''not allowed'' to kill civilians, the one thing vikings were most famous for. The most you can do is politely steal the treasure from conveniently placed treasure chests in churches.

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: ** The vikings never seem to do any actual raiding. You're literally ''not allowed'' to kill civilians, the one thing vikings were most famous for. The most you can do is politely steal the treasure from conveniently placed treasure chests in churches.

* StealthSequel: To ''Assassin's Creed III''. The modern day plot follows the aftermath of Desmond saving the world from the coronal mass ejection eight years ago. [[spoiler:By the end of the game, Layla encounters who appears to be Desmond himself in the Gray, and together, they try to save the world by seeing what would happen if Desmond heeded Minverva's advice and let the Earth burned]].

** Like ''Origins'' and ''Odyssey'', the huge role slavery plays in the time period is barely ever addressed, as presumably it'd clash if the pro-freedom ideals the Hidden Ones / Assassins are supposed to support if the local economy runs on the back of slaves. As mentioned above, Thralls were not only an aspect of raiding, but a major focus for raiding.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: At the end of the Asgard arcs, [[spoiler: a vision of Ragnarök is shown, with each of the Norse pantheon's gods and goddesses sitting down at a table and drinking mead that will allow them to "cheat death"]]. If the player completes all of the Animus Anomolies, they will be shown [[spoiler: what ''actually'' happened, with Eivor's perception of the events removed to show the Isu unfiltered. At the dawn of the Great Catastrophe, the Norse pantheon of Isu sit at a table and allow a machine, Yggdrasil, to upload their genetic material to the human genome, ensuring that they will cheat death through resurrection. However, this unaltered version also shows Loki killing Heimdall and using his glass mask to upload his genetic code as well, ensuring that he will cheat death, too.]]

*** Nodens' Arc takes this up to eleven - to figure out how to obtain it without glitches, players had to ''decode the fictional Isu languange'' and figure out the exact meaning of certain symbols found on the physical collectors edition of the game.

* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: While guards are somewhat more perceptive than in most other stealth games, but they still aren't exactly smart. They generally ignore disappeared colleagues unless found dead, and their detection is a bit wonky - sometimes it's possible to air assassinate someone without alerting their buddy right next to them, while other times a regular {{Mook}} can spot you from half a camp away after you briefly enter within a 180 angle of their face.[[note]]There is a mechanic that causes enemies to stay extra alert after spotting you, but even calm camps seem to have their super-aware enemies.[[/note]] Not to mention that they will ''always'' fall for "Feign Death" even if Eivor keeps pulling the trick over and over again, and that just like the [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI first game]], you can blend in with monks to slip by guards even while armed to the teeth.

** Most of the "groups of three" Order members infiltrating Lunden, Jorvik and Wincestre have stories and gameplay scenarios that reference those of assassination targets from the very first game. Some examples: The Leech -> Garnier de Naplouse, The Compass -> Sibrand, The Fireband -> Jubair, The Vault -> Abul'Nuquod, The Gallows -> Majd'Addin.
** The Animus Anomalies that Layla [[spoiler:and Basim]] can do are basically an extended reference to The Truth clips in ''II'' and ''Brotherhood.''

* OnceMoreWithClarity: At the end of the Asgard arcs, [[spoiler: a vision Ragnarök is shown, with each of the Norse pantheon's gods and goddesses sitting down at a table and drinking mead that will allow them to "cheat death"]]. If the player completes all of the Animus Anomolies, they will be shown [[spoiler: what ''actually'' happened, with Eivor's perception of the events removed to show the Isu unfiltered. At the dawn of the Great Catastrophe, the Norse pantheon of Isu sit at a table and allow a machine, Yggdrasil, to upload their genetic material to the human genome, ensuring that they will cheat death through resurrection. However, this unaltered version also shows Loki killing Heimdall and using his glass mask to upload his genetic code as well, ensuring that he will cheat death, too.]]

* BladeOnAStick:
** Spears are among the available weapon types. Enemy pikemen make great use of them, too.
** The most elite type of Jötunn warriors in the Asgard arc wields a giant halberd about twice as long as Eivor is tall.