Assassin's Creed Valhalla leak reveals "most ambitious" update yet

While we already knew that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is officially set to receive a second year of updates, details pertaining to said updates have been sparse. Thanks to a fairly hefty leak from a Chinese store, however, we now have a better idea of where Eivor may be headed for their next Norse adventure. 

Originally spotted over on Reddit, Valhalla’s next expansion is rumored to be called ‘Dawn of Ragnarok’. Any Norse mythology buffs in the audience will likely recognize how interesting this phrasing is – Ragnarok obviously signals the end of all things, but on top of being the first expansion of several, this is quite literally referred to as the dawn of Ragnarok, implying a potential interconnectedness between upcoming DLC. 

With that in mind, it’s no wonder Ubisoft has purportedly described Dawn of Ragnarok as the “most ambitious expansion in the series’ history” according to a Google Translated description of the DLC. If you’re concerned about potential spoilers for the expansion, it’s probably best to refrain from reading on, as there’s quite a lot to unpack here.

“This time, Eivor must personally experience the fate of Odin, the war of the North, and the destiny of the god of wisdom,” the roughly translated description reads. “The world of mythology, shouldering the urgent task of saving children, unleashing the brand-new supernatural power of the thunderbolt. After this shocking Viking legend, save your own flesh and blood before the gods are swallowed by the catastrophe.” (sic)

The story also appears to include the “kingdom of frost and flames,” likely referring to Niflheim and Muspelheim, respectively, as well as the dwarves, although the translation makes it difficult to determine where Valhalla’s fiction places their origin. In contrast to God of War’s depiction of the character, Baldr looks like one of the good guys here. Unfortunately, he’s been kidnapped by an enormous fire giant named Surtr. 

We can also garner quite a bit of additional information from the images themselves. Yggdrasil, commonly referred to as The World Tree, looks like it’s burning. Given that Surtr is the figure who marches against the Aesir at Ragnarok, and, again, is literally a fire giant, this makes sense for the eponymous Dawn of Ragnarok. Other images clearly show Eivor in the fiery realm of Muspelheim, which is likely either as part of an effort to rescue Baldr or investigate Surtr.

Some of the screenshots are even more interesting. One shows two versions of Eivor alongside a massive wolf, who is likely Norse mythology’s Fenrir, the son of Loki who is prophesied to kill Odin at Ragnarok. Notably, both versions of Eivor are missing an eye. Given that Valhalla’s explanation for Odin losing an eye is so he can be reborn as Eivor after Ragnarok, the fact Eivor themselves appears to canonically lose one in the present day is worth considering, especially if the wolf is supposed to be Fenrir. Aside from that, Eivor is also holding an axe made of frost and flame, which is particularly intriguing when you consider that most of Norse mythology’s legendary weapons are swords. 

That’s all we’ve been able to extrapolate from the rumors so far. According to the leak, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok is slated for release on Mar. 10, 2022, and will be the first of several expansions further fleshing out Eivor’s story.

Written by Cian Maher on behalf of GLHF.