Bubbling lava oozes over the once-green surface of Svartalfheim, snaking past its proud, towering Tolkien-esque statues and mountains of gold. Molten fragments now fill its sky, and bear down ominously from above. This dwarven realm has been torn apart by fiery invaders while Odin, supposed protector of the Nine Realms, did not care to intervene. Now, finally, the Norse god has arrived to tackle the marauding Muspels – but only in pursuit of those who have captured Baldr, a beloved son.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök review
- Publisher: Ubisoft
- Developer: Ubisoft Sofia
- Platform: Played on Xbox Series X
- Availability: Out 11th March on PC, PlayStation, Xbox.
It’s been some time since I last wandered Valhalla’s dreamworlds, the game’s mythology-inspired areas that weave a companion tale to its main Norse narrative. (I will try my best to avoid spoilers here.) For most players, Asgard and Jotunheim were a fun diversion from Saxon slaughter, a chance to sightsee some of the bigger names and places in Viking/Marvel Cinematic Universe mythology. For Assassin’s Creed diehards, they were also a window into the franchise’s longer-running story threads. Here, Dawn of Ragnarök serves up a more expansive mythological storyline that’s still grounded and approachable enough for all players, even as the expansion immerses itself fully into fantasy, and layers on a fresh set of systems.
Svartalfheim is a land where, playing as Odin, you finally feel like a god. Through a new power system and fresh abilities, with supercharged gear and across dramatic scenery, Dawn of Ragnarök emerges as a mighty expansion which builds upon the current Valhalla gear endgame with a further array of fireworks, while centring its version of Odin and letting players delve a little deeper into the mind of its mysterious star. Its story, set after the main game’s mythical sections but before the much-prophesied Ragnarök itself, fills in more details of Odin’s life and motivations. Several faces – some expected, some not – pop back in to accompany you along the way. And there’s also a bit more from Eivor herself, in a handful of scenes which neatly cap off the main game.
Dawn of Ragnarök is primarily designed as an endgame expansion, one for those who have mastered Valhalla’s basic systems and wrapped up its main plotline. Still, the game’s Asgard and Jotunheim story arcs are briefly recapped, and there’s even an option to jump straight into the action (and instantly level up if necessary) should you really prefer. Otherwise, Dawn of Ragnarök is largely its own adventure, with the hunt for the previously-unseen Baldr as its macguffin. It’s a shame Odin’s son was not given screentime in the main game, and the bond between the two was not previously established. There’s little time for this here, either, as Baldr begins the adventure already kidnapped, and the relationship between father and son is only touched on in expository dialogue and slightly clunky text screens.
Instead, Odin spends time with the dwarves – lots and lots of dwarves – and the expansion does a good job of showing the god’s true colours through interactions with them. There are some nicely drawn characters here (plus another riff on Valhalla’s Welsh accent joke, and an invasion-denying dwarf conspiracy theorist), with plenty of tales to uncover simply by chatting with its various vendors and NPCs. The writing throughout the expansion is often lyrical in its archaic turns of phrase, while the bulk of the voice work is performed beautifully by Odin/Male Eivor actor Magnus Bruun, whose warm, husky voice makes you lean in to listen, as if cosying up to a softly crackling log fire.