Since Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was announced, Ubisoft has emphasized the importance of the Viking settlement you’ll be building as the game progresses, although specific details have been few and far between. Previous Assassin’s Creed games have had home bases of sorts, but it sounds like Valhalla’s settlement, which goes by the name Ravensthorpe, will take things to the next level.
Eurogamer recently got to tour Ravensthorpe, and what they report sounds promising. The settlement will begin small, basically just a place to for Eivor to sleep in, collect mail, and kickstart quests, but as you collect resources by raiding, you can upgrade the village’s footprint up to six times. Eventually, you’ll be able to build a wide array of improvements, including a shipyard, trading post, stable, aviary, graveyard, brewery, hunter’s hut, cartographer, museum, and Seer’s hut.
Interestingly, it sounds like the settlement will have some simple sim elements – for instance, you can hold feasts that will give your crew buffs before missions, and if you build farms, your feasts will be more effective. It’s not just the number of buildings that will grow, more residents will also join your town, and yes, you can romance some of them. Your sweethearts will wait for you back at the settlement, and you’ll be able to go on dates, although marriage and kids aren’t in the picture. And hey, if you’d like to be a Viking rapscallion and play the field, you can freely break up with romantic partners and pursue others.
Finally, a few details about the Seer’s hut – it’s home to a shaman type, who grants you access to “another time, another plane” with a special mind-altering drink. Apparently, this is how you’ll access some of the more supernatural stuff we’ve seen hinted at in various Assassin’s Creed Valhalla trailers and footage. Eurogamer says the Norse Gods will be featured in the game somehow, and Valhalla level designer David Bolle promises supernatural elements will be a “pretty big” part of the game.
Do check out Eurogamer’s full article on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s settlement, as they get into more detail than we can cover here.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla launches on PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and Stadia on November 10, and PS5 on November 12 or 19, depending on where you live.