After months and months of rumors, speculation, and even a long-reported title, Ubisoft has finally revealed the first details about the next entry in their assassination-based action series titled Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Starting with the reveal of a spiffy new image, the upcoming effort from Ubisoft Montreal has since received a monsoon of information, all of it teasing quite the definitive Viking experience slated for later this year. Here’s everything we know so far:

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla follows a new Viking protagonist by the name of Eivor, centering around their settlement of England during the Dark Ages. Portrayed optionally as either a man or a woman, Eivor is described as the “lone wolf” leader of a clan who is pushed to escape the harsh and war-ravaged environment of Norway for the thriving lands of England in 873 AD. Eivor’s struggle with personal ambition and duty to their community is teased to manifest in several different ways over the course of the game’s narrative.

While Eivor’s exodus is meant to be a new start for their people, this foreign arrival is largely treated with hostility by the English kingdoms, most notably by King Aelfred of Wessex, who historically stood against Viking settlements to great avail during the era. With this in mind, Eivor is tasked with forging alliances with friends, embarking on raids against enemies, and paving the way for the Viking community to thrive. Early on in this endeavor, Eivor is teased to cross paths with the series’ longstanding feud between Assassins and Templars, a.k.a. the “Hidden Ones” and the “Order of the Ancients.”

Following the lead of the previous two Assassin’s Creed games, Valhalla will feature a large-scale open world spanning from the Viking homeland of Norway to the kingdoms of England. Four major areas are confirmed to be explorable on this epic journey: Wessex, Northumbria, East Anglia, and Mercia. Along the way, a myriad of Viking-specific activities are peppered throughout such as hunting, sailing, and drinking games, with much more to be revealed over time. Of course, players can also make the trek back across the Noth Sea whenever they please, as Norway will have much to offer in terms of content.

Keeping the trend of recent AC games, Valhalla is confirmed (H/T Prima Games) to also feature a variety of “advanced RPG mechanics,” granting the ability to tailor Eivor’s appearance, make story-altering decisions, and fine-tune player’s gear progression, with gameplay being that much more reliant on player choice. Creative users will have the means to craft custom raiders (called “Jomsvikings”) as well as the ability to fine-tune their base with buildings such as barracks, blacksmiths, tattoo parlors, and more.

​As for combat, players will have access to a myriad of Viking fighting styles as well as weaponry such as axes, swords, and shields – with players even able to dual-wield them to their heart’s content. Of course, there’s also the addition of the AC series’ signature Hidden Blade, which makes its return after being absent in 2018’s AC Odyssey. Utilizing these violent tools allows players to engage in particularly brutal combat, allowing foes to be dismembered, impaled, and even decapitated in battle.

Enemies themselves are being touted as the most varied ever featured in an Assassin’s Creed game. This idea was heavily suggested by the towering “Ringleader” enemy featured in the Valhalla cinematic trailer, with Eivor having a particularly tough time bringing the armored giant down. When the numbers start to add up, players will be able to confront these foes through the use of their own battle-ready Viking clans, with attacks carried out through plundering raids or full-on assaults – all facilitated by players’ own formidable Viking longboat.

As of now, ​Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is scheduled to release sometime in Holiday 2020 as a launch title for the next-gen PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. Current-generation platforms won’t be left out, as the game will also release for Google Stadia, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via the Epic Games Store and Uplay. As of now, a Steam release is currently not in the cards. On the other hand, a recent Best Buy listing suggests the game will support Microsoft’s Smart Delivery feature, allowing anyone who owns the Xbox One version to upgrade to the Series X version free of charge.

#AssassinsCreedValhalla supports Smart Delivery on Xbox Series X. pic.twitter.com/9srVOjGZBN

— Shinobi602 (@shinobi602) April 30, 2020

What do you think? Are you loving what the new Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is cooking up, or would you prefer a more linear experience like the AC games of old? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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