Assassin’s Creed Valhalla continues to take the franchise down a path that’s more of an RPG than an action adventure game like the originals were. While fans having conflicting views about this decision, most agree that Valhalla managed to strike a healthy balance, maintaining its new identity as an RPG while still making some concessions for fans of the old-school Assassin’s Creed games. Despite its intent on branding as an RPG, Ubisoft seems to have left out one of the most iconic symbols of an RPG from the game, the one handed sword. At no point is it possible for Eivor to equip a one handed sword.
There are of course a variety of other weapons at the player’s disposal in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, including warhammers, flails, axes, bows, and more. For the most part, these feel as though they fit within the setting, and most players won’t find themselves questioning their inclusion. Even so, the lack of something as simple as a one handed sword option is baffling, especially in a game focused on Vikings, a society that used swords around the same amount as it did axes.
Starting with a one handed axe doesn’t feel out of place at all, as axes with wooden handles were one of the most common weapon types used by the Vikings. Their cheap production cost and ability to be used as a thrown weapon all made them great for outfitting large raiding parties or armies. What’s more, they also doubled as wood cutting axes that helped Vikings build and repair their longships. Despite this, swords were still used frequently during the Viking age, and were typically considered superior as well. Constructed entirely of metal, swords were a lot more expensive and difficult to come by than axes were, but could be more deadly in the hands of a skilled warrior.
Swords were also used as a show of wealth and status, as wielding a very decorated sword would indicate more of both. With all of that in mind, while it isn’t hard to believe that most of Eivor’s raiders would be equipped with axes, she and Sigurd would likely have more sophisticated weaponry thanks to their position as leaders in the Raven Clan. Even disregarding that, there should be no reason that the player can’t equip an English sword, as they were very common weapons all throughout the region during this time period.
There are two main types of swords in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, but players are only able to use one of them. The two handed sword weapon can be purchased from Yanli as soon as the player builds her merchant hut in their settlement, but as the name implies it cannot be used in one hand. The only way around this is to get the Heavy Dual Wield skill from the skill tree which allows the weapon to be used in one hand in conjunction with another weapon. This seems to be Sigurd’s fighting style.
Beyond this, one handed swords do exist in the game but can only be used by enemies. Most of the English soldiers players come across on their adventure will wield these one handed swords against the player, but they can’t be looted. The only exception is when the player performs a stun attack against these enemies, during which Eivor will take their sword and use it to run them through. As cool as this move looks, it serves as a reminder that players can’t equip and use their own one handed Viking sword for some reason.
As if to add insult to injury, some of the weapons that are present in the game don’t actually belong in the time period. Though it may not seem out of place, weapons like the two handed sword and the flail typically weren’t used until the 13th century. There are always exceptions, but given that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set at the end of the 9th century, it’s rather odd that these weapons appear at all. Historical accuracy is something that players praise the Assassin’s Creed franchise for, so this type of oversight seems odd.
This is especially true when compared to the complete lack of one handed Viking swords. Historically it doesn’t fit right that Eivor can use a large two handed sword or flail in combat during the end of the 9th century but is unable to equip a Viking sword for the same purpose. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s other weapon choices are likely enough to satisfy fans, but the image of a one handed sword in the main character’s hand is something that RPG fans have grown up with since the start of the genre.
That is the crux of what makes this whole situation so bizarre: swords are iconic to the RPG experience. In most RPGs, players begin the game with nothing but a one handed sword at their side, and can choose later on whether they want to branch out to different weapons or stick with it. For those games that don’t start the player out with a sword, it is almost always an option moving forward at some point. For Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to forgo it entirely is very strange, leading many players to ask Ubisoft for a patch that adds this weapon type to the game.
Whatever the reason behind Assassin’s Creed Valhalla not including one handed swords as a weapon type, there’s been no comment from Ubisoft about a change anytime soon. Though Ubisoft is listening to fans more nowadays, players may have to get accustomed to a different weapon for this game, or settle for using the two handed sword in one hand with the Heavy Dual Wield skill. At the moment, those seem like sword enthusiasts’ only option.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
![\"IT電腦補習](\"http://itteacheritfreelance.hk/test/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/logo2-2.png\"){kind=logo}
www.itsec.hk
www.itsec.vip
www.itseceu.uk
Leave a Reply