Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok

Dawn of Ragnarok is a much better paced and written experience than vanilla AC Valhalla is, but suffers from the same gameplay and design problems, even with its better condensed and well thought out world and characters.

The result is a rich and fun expansion, which will especially satisfy those who prefer the fantasy approach and the exquisitely action setting of the production.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök doesn’t stray far from the Ubisoft formula that has made their games either adored or loathed by gamers. Though some may think that a third expansion for Ragnarök may be overkill, it’s the developers focus on the more mythical origins of Eivor that makes this DLC different enough for lovers of the base game to be excited about exploring the new territory of Svartálfar. Dwarves as new friends and the Muspel as new foes creates opportunities for new stories, new personalities and new gameplay to be introduced, all that make for a worthy addition to the Valhalla lineage.

Dawn of Ragnarok might be Valhalla’s largest campaign expansion by scale, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much The Wrath of the Druids and even The Siege of Paris. Unless you’re a hardcore Valhalla fan or someone who is particularly enamored with finding a collecting the (admittedly cool-looking) new armor sets, wait for this one to go on sale to satiate your craving to plunder.

Dawn of Ragnarok is content that explores the purest fantasy of Norse mythology. Warriors of fire and ice take to the field to thwart Odin in search of his kidnapped son.

Dawn of Ragnarok does enough to satisfy by the time that the credits roll, but if you're burnt out on Assassin's Creed Valhalla, there isn't much here that'll reignite your interest. The mythological angle is well played, the fantastical setting is cool, and Odin makes for an intriguing lead, but after a year of DLC and updates, Valhalla's gameplay loop is wearing a bit thin.

Dawn of Ragnarok is the most ambitious Valhalla DLC and arguably the most ambitious DLC out of the three new Assassin’s Creed games. This is the biggest thing it has going for it, but it may also be too ambitious for its own good. The new additions offered in this content breathe fresh air into the game, but despite these additions it’s still even more Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a game that can last over 100 hours without any of the additional content. On one hand if someone were to only play one piece of expansion for Valhalla, this is the one to be prioritized, but after playing through the main game and previous expansions, it’s hard to find the motivation to return to Ravensthorpe.

As much fun as I had with this expansion, I do have to admit that I feel a little let down. If this were explicitly leading into another DLC story I’d be excited, but as things are I feel more like I’ve taken a running start into a brick wall with a very cool door painted on it. I can see this as a fun experience to play as part of an overall Assassin’s Creed Valhalla experience, if you were stepping into the game and all its DLC for the first time – but as something that brought me back to the game seven months after finishing The Siege of Paris, it feels like more of a promising snack than a satisfying main meal.

Despite a nice map, the content and additional mechanics never really come together, and Havi’s adventure feels notably weaker than Eivor’s.[Issue#13, p.86]

The first post-season pass DLC is a substantial slab of new plot, gear, and abilities but never anything more than that. If you loved the base game, this is a lot more of exactly the same.

Dawn of Ragnarok is a decent if unessential expansion. Its game world is engaging and the new combat elements included work extremely well, but for all its size there's a distinct lack of anything new to do. Those who loved the original game's Asgard sections will likely find plenty to love, but like the other Assassin's Creed Valhalla DLC it sits firmly in the nice-to-have territory.

For the devout Assassin’s Creed Valhalla fan, there’s about 20 hours or so of solid gameplay to be gleamed out of Dawn of Ragnarok. A bit more if you want to see and do everything. But chances are it won’t particularly impress. It’s simply more of the same for the most part, with a story that fails to truly engage.

With the recent influx of incredible games paired with the ample amount of innovative Norse Mythology games released in recent years, Assassin's Creed: Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok serves as little more than a familiar midnight snack for those looking for something to nibble on in between better games.

A fantastical setting and solid story can't disguise the fact that Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok has us running through the same motions as the main game a year and a half later.

Still can't get enough of Valhalla after all those tens of hours? Then you should get some fun out of Dawn of Ragnarök. Despite its deserted areas, Svartalfheim is beautiful enough to walk through. But yearn for a more historically accurate part? Then you better stay away from this. This actually has little to do with Assassin's Creed, and at the same time is more of the same after spending about a hundred hours in Valhalla.

If you still want more Assassin's Creed Valhalla after a year and a half, you will not go wrong with this Dawn of Ragnarök. With a story of about ten hours and a big world to explore and stretch the game time to at least double that, Dawn of Ragnarök offers just that. Nothing more, nothing less. However, if you are more ready for a new chapter in the Assassin's Creed series, then you can let this expansion pass you by without missing anything.

An utterly conservative DLC with everything you’d expect including a lot of stuff to hoover from the map, a few new armours and weapons and an interesting addition in the form of draining special powers from enemies – which sounds great, but the game cannot really handle the implications. In summary, there’s so little creativity it hurts.