Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a unique entry in the franchise. Not only does it serve as a continuation and refinement of the last two RPG entries, AC Origins and AC Odyssey, but it brings many of the old beloved features such as insta-kill hidden blades, social stealth, and more. On top of that, its current and modern-day story accomplishes many unique things, while also relying on the overall cohesion of the franchise. One way it does this is the unique way that it follows up on everything established in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but extends those connections to Assassin’s Creed 3.
It’s interesting how Assassin’s Creed Valhalla both sets up the events that will unfold in that game, while following up on the events that transpired there. It should be noted that this article contains MAJOR SPOILERS regarding AC Valhalla, so fans may read on at their own risk.
There are two key moments in which AC Valhalla connects to AC3, this is the saga set in Vinland and the game’s ending. For those interested, however, it’s easy to miss out on Vinland depending on playstyle. Players will need to complete the Lunden storyline, which will eliminate all but two members of the Order of the Ancients on the Wardens of War tree. Players will then to take out these members, which unlocks a quest called “In a Strange Land.” Players will discover that the next member of the Order is Gorm, the son of Kjotve (who kills Eivor’s parents), yet he is located in Vinland.
This creates a beautiful and distracting (in a good way) side adventure in Vinland, as Eivor tracks down Gorm while gathering materials to trade for new gear. It should be noted that players just wanting to get through it can easily cheese the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla encounters found in Vinland. Here, however, players will not just eliminate Gorm—they will meet the Kanien’keha:ka who occupied the region. The Kanien’keha:ka were one of the five nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, all except for one notable village in Assassin’s Creed 3.
For context, Vinland is an area of coastal North America, where Lief Erikson is commonly believed to be the first European on the continent (400 years or so before Christopher Colombus). In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it turns out this land was once explored by Brendan of Clonfert, who was unable to access the Grand Temple. The Order of the Ancients would, years later, send Gorm here with a Crystal Ball, a Piece of Eden not to be confused with the Apple of Eden, in attempting to access the Isu vault.
This is where Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s depiction of the events stray away from history, with Eivor arriving to end Gorm’s work. Eivor assassinates Gorm, taking the Crystal Ball completely unaware of its origins or power. As a result, she passes it to the Kanien’keha:ka who continue to protect it and the Grand Temple over the next few hundred years. Assassin’s Creed 3′s protagonist Connor would learn of this during his adventure, and inadvertently, this means that Eivor’s passing it to his tribe brought them may have helped bring attention of the Templar Order centuries later (although, of course, this was part of Juno’s mechanizations as well).
As a whole, it can be sometimes hard to draw connections between the various games of the franchise, yet some are more closely connected than others. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s continued use of the Order of Ancients in AC: Origins, continuation of the modern day storyline from AC: Odyssey, but potent connection to the events of AC3 gives it a unique twist in the franchise. However, it doesn’t end there.
As aforementioned, the modern-day storyline as established in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey sees Layla become the Heir of Memories but falling to the dark influences of the Staff. This is followed up in such a way that Layla eventually joins The Reader to prevent a reality where the world is ended once again. Even with the two of them, it is implied that it could take some time, but in basic terms, this is a continuation of AC3‘s story.
The Reader is clearly Desmond Miles, once again voiced by Nolan North. While that may receive some criticism for bringing back a character who has been thought “dead” or lost to the gray since AC3, it’s actually quite the clever execution. It’s not the standard “oh, he’s back” and can continue being Desmond Miles; no, Desmond Miles is the Reader now. Bringing back Desmond, as well as explaining as how the “Second Catastrophe” really isn’t the end of it all, means that what officially started in AC1 isn’t over. The Solar Flare of the original games has come and gone, but once again, Humanity is threatened.
Now, how this plays out will be interesting to see. But the game shows how Eivor interprets her reincarnation as Odin through a cultural lens—the norse Ragnarok. This turns out to still have been the First Catastrophe, which the Isu prepared Desmond Miles for. The Reader is continuing his work there, trying to find a way to prevent a Third. He has Layla now, which bodes well for Humanity.
Of course, it couldn’t be this simple. Basim is back, alive and well, in the modern-day story. His exact plans are still up in the air, though it involves his surprising LI (Aletheia), but if there’s one thing that’s for sure: Basim/Loki changes everything established about Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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