Things You Need To Know Before Downloading Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is a huge game. Not only does the Viking saga stretch all across Anglo-Saxon England, the story itself is around 70 hours long. It's also one of the best entries in the Assassin's Creed franchise -- thankfully for Xbox Series X|S owners, since its arguably the top launch game on the new platform -- and it's one of the few games I've been happy to sink that much time into.

The story itself goes to interesting places -- so many Saxon puppet kings to install on thrones, so little time -- and it can be easy to get caught up in the drama of it all. However, the world of Valhalla is teeming with worthwhile encounters, valuable collectibles and fun things to do. 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla PC system requirements have been revealed by Ubisoft with less than a month to its release. Valhalla, the next entry in the long-running Assassin's Creed series, offers an alternate take on the Viking invasion of Britain in late 9th century. While most publishers give us two configurations (minimum and recommended), Ubisoft has gone all out for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, telling you what PC components you'll need to run the game on different graphics settings (low / high / very high / ultra high), resolutions (1080p / 4K), and frame rates (30fps / 60fps).

Common specifications across the board include 64-bit Windows 10, a GPU with support for DirectX 12, and 50GB free storage space (SSD recommended). Without further ado, here are the PC system requirements for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, via Ubisoft

Assassin's Creed Valhalla PC minimum system requirements

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200 3.1Ghz / Intel i5-4460 3.2Ghz
• GPU: AMD R9 380 4GB / Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 4GB
• RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
• Resolution: 1080p
• Targeted frame-rate: 30fps
• Video preset: Low

Assassin's Creed Valhalla PC recommended system requirements

Recommended for 1080p at 30fps

• CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2Ghz / Intel i7-4790 3.6Ghz
• GPU: AMD RX 570 8GB / Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 6GB
• RAM: 8GB (Dual-channel mode)
• Resolution: 1080p
• Targeted frame-rate: 30fps
• Video preset: High

Don't forget Mysteries 

Side quests have been replaced by "Mysteries." These are shown as glowing blue dots on your map and in HUD. There are many different types -- so many that I'll just list them for you here: 

World Event: World events are "chance" encounters initiated by NPCs that add another dimension to Valhalla. You may stumble across a Norseman with an axe stuck in his head, complaining about a bit of a headache. Other times, you'll have to convince a father not to sacrifice his daughter to the gods or recreate the sensory experience of a viking raid so a couple can, err, reconnect. (Yes, this is the first known instance of a battle kink.)

Offering Altar: Sometimes you'll stumble upon an altar that requires an offering. It could be coins, material or a specific fish. Completing one of these altars unlocks another World Event. 

Flyting: This is essentially a rap battle, but Medieval. Make sure to identify rhyming patterns to help you pick the right answer. Winning will increase your charisma, which unlocks extra dialogue options in quests. 

Legendary Animals: I'm too much of a baby to complete these but, hey, if you're a fan of hunting animals, this one's for you. If you build the Hunter's Lodge in your settlement, you can unlock cool schematics and skill points for killing these beasts. 

Lost Drengr: Oh no, it's an old Norse warrior and he's survived every battle in his life so far. That's not good at all -- this man needs a ticket to Valhalla ASAP. This is an easy fix: Simply kill him in battle. Except it's not so easy, as these warriors put up difficult fights. The XP is worth it, though. 

Daughter of Lerion: The three daughters of a cult leader who practiced dark magics but was killed by the powerful families of England. His daughters now roam the country, itching for combat with any poor soul that comes too close. Sometimes that's you! They're challenging miniboss fights, but there's a good reason to find them: Each sister carries a piece of Thor's armour set and you need to defeat all three to unlock the final piece of the set. Worth it.

Standing Stone: These are visual puzzles found on stone circles (like Stonehenge). Using Odin's Vision will highlight a pattern on the stones, and it's just a matter of looking at them from the right angle for it to form a complete image. Solving these grants XP and 1 skill point. 

Cairn: Stacking stones. You just stack stones. It's surprisingly calming and always features a charming view. 

Mysteries are voluntary and can be easily ignored. At the beginning of my playthrough, I often did ignore them out of sheer laziness. But there are some real treasures hidden in these Mysteries (both literally and figuratively). 

This is how side missions should be. With a game as massive as Valhalla, the quest log and map can become overwhelming. And in 2020, who has the energy to put effort into things? We're just trying to get through the days. Mysteries are brief, interesting glimpses into Valhalla's world that carry real challenges as well as funny or even touching moments.

 If the conquering business gets a bit tiring, these Mysteries will pep you up.

Collect the legendary Treasures of Britain to make Excalibur yours 

One aspect of the game that deserves a special mention is the Treasures of Britain Mysteries. On your map, they appear to be little doors with anchors on them. Why? I don't know. It took me far too long to understand what they were -- 11 tablets scattered throughout England. If you find all these tablets, you can unlock the legendary blade Excalibur, one of the most powerful weapons in the game. 

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: How To Get Explosive Arrows

In order to be able to use explosive arrows in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, players will need to track down the Incendiary Powder Trap skill. This ability can actually be picked up pretty early in the game, and it is one that players will most likely want to have in their possession as soon as they can. This is mostly because the explosive arrows are almost more effective for exploration than they are in combat. Typically in order to break down walls, the player needs to shoot an explosive pot, but the Incendiary Powder Trap skill negates that.

In order to snag the Incendiary Powder Trap skill, players will need to travel to the city of Walden in Grantebridgescire. The Book of Knowledge is actually really easy for players to get their hands on because it is just sitting right inside a building here. All the player has to do is walk inside and pick the Book up to acquire this skill. The only catch is that there are actually quite a few enemies patrolling this area, so players will probably want to take the majority of them out before trying to sneak into the building. Once the Book is in the player's possession they will be able to use the Incendiary Powder Trap skill to use exploding arrows whenever they wish.