Assassin's Creed Valhalla RPG Catch-All

Pre-load now available on the Epic Store. 49GB download.

Looks like this will unlock just as Eta hits. Can't think of better timing...

Moggy wrote:

Pre-load now available on the Epic Store. 49GB download.

Looks like this will unlock just as Eta hits. Can't think of better timing... :-)

Unlocks on the 10th at 8pm PST.

Less spoilery review:

More spoilery review:

Minimum spoilery TLDR:

Spoiler:

Good game, great graphics. Less RPG but more focused than Odyssey. More bugs than usual for an AC game.

Vector wrote:
Moggy wrote:

Pre-load now available on the Epic Store. 49GB download.

Looks like this will unlock just as Eta hits. Can't think of better timing... :-)

Unlocks on the 10th at 8pm PST.

Staggered release windows through Ubisoft Connect. Haven’t tried it yet but in theory if you VPN over to AUS/New Zealand/Shanghai you should be able to play right now.

IGN wrote:

Great (8)
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a massive, beautiful open-world fueled by brutal living and the dirty work of conquerors. It's a lot buggier than it should be but also impressive on multiple levels.

GameSpot wrote:

Great (8)
The Good
+ Long-time questions for the Assassin's Creed franchise are finally answered, giving the series a clear narrative direction for the first time in years
+ Eivor's quest to avoid their fate makes for an empathetic hero, one whose many journeys flow together into an intriguing mystery
+ Exploration is encouraged through memorable snippets of world-building, rewarding you with powerful weapons and abilities
+ You're afforded a great deal of agency in how you want to fight and are rewarded for strategically playing to your strengths

The Bad
- Layla's arc isn't handled in a satisfying way, ending without much character growth
- The start of the main campaign isn't paced very well, making the first hours a little tedious
- The development of the supporting cast suffers under the campaign's structure

The Escapist wrote:

Score: 9
When Assassin’s Creed moved away from its legacy open-world systems and adopted more RPG elements in 2017’s Origins, it felt like the start of something special, but only a half-step in its intended direction. 2018’s Odyssey moved much closer to that vision with many more successes than failures. Now, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla puts it all together and delivers the best RPG experience the Ubisoft series has seen yet, while telling a story that feels more freeform and full of life than all that came before it.

Assassins Creed Valhalla Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Never Touch?"
- verdict wait for a sale.

FYI the Gamespot review gives a spoiler about the modern day story that you may want to avoid. Not something that really bothered me, but if you want to go in with a minimum of spoilers you'll want to give their review a pass.

staygold wrote:
Vector wrote:
Moggy wrote:

Pre-load now available on the Epic Store. 49GB download.

Looks like this will unlock just as Eta hits. Can't think of better timing... :-)

Unlocks on the 10th at 8pm PST.

Staggered release windows through Ubisoft Connect. Haven’t tried it yet but in theory if you VPN over to AUS/New Zealand/Shanghai you should be able to play right now.

They've really done a weird job handling the release times. Through Ubisoft Connect it's 9pm PST today and Epic is 8pm PST tomorrow. Consoles are all 12am local time on the 11th.

I can confirm that VPN into Australia (Hi, Perth!) and running through Ubisoft Connect works.

[quote="trueheart78"]

GameSpot wrote:

- The start of the main campaign isn't paced very well, making the first hours a little tedious

Isn't that part of the Assassins' Creed? "Something something dessert is forbidden, something something every first act takes six hours." I think that's it.

This appears to be one of the Assassin's Creeds that shifts back towards what I favor in open world games personally. Seems like it will be worth checking out once some bugs are fixed and maybe the hackers get their trainers written that let me bypass the newest procedurally generated leveling system. Plus since I made the Danelaw in Crusader Kings, somewhat on accident, now I feel a little beholden to at least tromp around Ubisoft's virtual rendering of it.

I still miss that time in Ezio's games were it was a move to steal other character's melee weapons and throw them back like a madman. Seems like it would've fit in well with this game's tone.

Somebody stop me from dropping $120 on the ultimate edition. I've been run over by a hype train.

Just get the $100 version instead. All you're "missing" out on are the set items that just make you overpowered and allow you to completely ignore all the weapons and armor for the first like, half of the game.

I say this as a person who bought the Ultimate edition of both Origins and Odyssey, and this time went with Gold.

BadKen wrote:

Somebody stop me from dropping $120 on the ultimate edition. I've been run over by a hype train.

farley3k wrote:

Assassins Creed Valhalla Review "Buy, Wait for Sale, Never Touch?"
- verdict wait for a sale.

From the PC Gamer review that might make some folks here happy:

PC Gamer wrote:

Not once during the 60-hour story was I told to stop and level up a bunch before I could take on the next quest.

BadKen wrote:

Somebody stop me from dropping $120 on the ultimate edition. I've been run over by a hype train.

All you're doing is buying a season pass and utterly inconsequential nicknacks and doodads.

Vector wrote:

All you're doing is buying a season pass and utterly inconsequential nicknacks and doodads.

The Season Pass actually sounds rad. Expansions include the Siege of Paris, and a section of Ireland.

But... but doodads!

r013nt0 wrote:
Vector wrote:

All you're doing is buying a season pass and utterly inconsequential nicknacks and doodads.

The Season Pass actually sounds rad. Expansions include the Siege of Paris, and a section of Ireland.

YOU AREN'T HELPING!

Vector wrote:

YOU AREN'T HELPING!

I did say to skip the doodads!

Have there been any comparisons between the Xbox One/X and the Series X versions? I'm not getting a Series X until Christmas, and I know I'm getting this. I also know that I won't restart it on the Series X. If they're pretty close to parity, then I may as well start it now. If there's drastic improvements, then I'll just wait.

Chaz wrote:

I also know that I won't restart it on the Series X.

Pretty sure that as a Smart Delivery game, you wouldn't need to start over on the new hardware. Your save will transfer forward to the Series X.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Chaz wrote:

I also know that I won't restart it on the Series X.

Pretty sure that as a Smart Delivery game, you wouldn't need to start over on the new hardware. Your save will transfer forward to the Series X.

I know that, just anticipating responses like "just play it now, then start it over on the new system to get the best of both worlds!" With a month and a half between now and Christmas, I'll probably be able to get at least halfway through, and if it's way better on the Series X, I'd probably rather spend more of the game with the better version. If it's better, but not BETTER, then I don't mind splitting between consoles as much.

Chaz wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Chaz wrote:

I also know that I won't restart it on the Series X.

Pretty sure that as a Smart Delivery game, you wouldn't need to start over on the new hardware. Your save will transfer forward to the Series X.

I know that, just anticipating responses like "just play it now, then start it over on the new system to get the best of both worlds!" With a month and a half between now and Christmas, I'll probably be able to get at least halfway through, and if it's way better on the Series X, I'd probably rather spend more of the game with the better version. If it's better, but not BETTER, then I don't mind splitting between consoles as much.

I'd like to say, if it's anything like Odyssey’s launch, there will be some quality of life changes and bugfix patches before Christmas. I remember playing Odyssey at launch and then coming back a month or more later and seeing things that just made the game smoother overall. I'm personally tempted to wait on playing it just for that reason, but my wife adores vikings and so that will likely not happen.

Yeah, as much as I love Assassin's Creed, I think the last one I bought and played on day one was.. Brotherhood? There's always an early period of bug-fixing, and the quality of life updates that Origins and Odyssey got in particular were worth the wait.

beanman101283 wrote:

Yeah, as much as I love Assassin's Creed, I think the last one I bought and played on day one was.. Brotherhood? There's always an early period of bug-fixing, and the quality of life updates that Origins and Odyssey got in particular were worth the wait.

Best point yet. Especially since reviews are mentioning bugs.

I waited over a year to start one of the recent ones (can't remember which) and it didn't hurt my experience. FOMO is not a factor. I just miss getting my stabbystabby on.

Chaz wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:
Chaz wrote:

I also know that I won't restart it on the Series X.

Pretty sure that as a Smart Delivery game, you wouldn't need to start over on the new hardware. Your save will transfer forward to the Series X.

I know that, just anticipating responses like "just play it now, then start it over on the new system to get the best of both worlds!" With a month and a half between now and Christmas, I'll probably be able to get at least halfway through, and if it's way better on the Series X, I'd probably rather spend more of the game with the better version. If it's better, but not BETTER, then I don't mind splitting between consoles as much.

How much better does it need to be? I'd expect better resolution and higher frame rate on the Series X but nothing that would make me say, "I'm glad I waited to experience it this way."

But FWIW, here's gameplay on Xbox One X:

Vector wrote:
BadKen wrote:

Somebody stop me from dropping $120 on the ultimate edition. I've been run over by a hype train.

All you're doing is buying a season pass and utterly inconsequential nicknacks and doodads.

This is my thinking, as I've still not finished the DLC to Odyssey (and yet I somehow have nearly 300 hours in that game through multiple playthroughs). Why buy something that's not even released yet? If anything, the season pass is only going to go down in price, if and when I ever get to it.

trueheart78 wrote:
Vector wrote:
BadKen wrote:

Somebody stop me from dropping $120 on the ultimate edition. I've been run over by a hype train.

All you're doing is buying a season pass and utterly inconsequential nicknacks and doodads.

This is my thinking, as I've still not finished the DLC to Odyssey (and yet I somehow have nearly 300 hours in that game through multiple playthroughs). Why buy something that's not even released yet? If anything, the season pass is only going to go down in price, if and when I ever get to it.

Vikings.

Just do it.

Moggy wrote:

I can confirm that VPN into Australia (Hi, Perth!) and running through Ubisoft Connect works.

Just connecting VPN through Australia and then launching connect doesn't seem to do anything for me, just says not available yet.

Save early and often. Some reviewers have mentioned rough auto save frequency and with crashes that could make for some particularly crushing progress loss