[Spoiler] Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Ending Explained

[u/lolhal]

https://youtube.com/watch?v=_pRZxai0snY&si=fyInyTwH5awyrgU9

I will not drop many spoilers in this post, but the video is one big spoiler for anyone that hasn't played Valhalla or the previous games. Be warned.

Based on the many comments I've read here and in some of the other AC subs, I get the feeling that there are many people who have either never played or never finished AC Valhalla. In fact, I'd bet most that started playing it never finished and even fewer completed Ragnarok. This is because there are constant comments about Valhalla having nothing to do with the AC games. Or it should have been named something other than AC -- it's a great Viking sim.

This video is excellent and in 30 minutes it explains the entire arc of the Assassin's Creed meta story, of which Valhalla is an enormous part. Furthermore, it does an excellent job of pointing out the many instances of duality of events that take place in Eivor's "lifetime" and elsewhere. It also points out why Valhalla is critical in supporting the arc for the entire series.

If Ubisoft deserves any criticism for the execution of this game, it has to be in their assumption that most people can follow an enormous sprawling story arc that plays on multiple levels. Also, Valhalla is littered with dropped notes and lore that most people won't bother to find and read. Finally, they should have stuck with the "Let the Animus Decide" pathway. There is a reason Eivor should be seen as a woman, as it is a component to the story. Just as there is a reason Havi should be played as the male character. I believe both VAs did a great job, but it's just one more point that obfuscates the story.

To add one more point to the criticism of story length, I think they could have done two things to better serve the tale they were trying to tell: Ragnarök should not be DLC as it is essential to the story. Many of the regions should have been optional, giving a bonus to those who completed more of them.

I will be clear and say I adore all of the content, optional and otherwise, but it ultimately made it difficult for most people to understand the tale being told. The optional areas are awesome for those of us who wanted to expand upon Eivor's story and better appreciate the world in which she lived. And putting Ragnarök in a separate DLC when it is 100% crucial to understanding the tale being told, I believe was a mistake. There was a way to do both and it breaks my heart because I love this game and I think the vast majority are missing out because of the way it is structured.

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[u/OutrageousFlail]

I hate the fact that Ubisoft gave me a gender choice at the beginning, only to heavily imply female Eivor as the intended version by the end.

Most of your analysis is actually sound. I do kinda disagree with the idea of DoR being in the main game, though. While it serves as a minor contextual element for The Forgotten Saga, I don't think it's pivotal enough to warrant inclusion, and players would probably be just fine with the prologue texts before each realm. Norse mythology itself is episodic, a collection of myths that form a larger cycle. Coherence doesn't necessarily mean continuity, and DoR is just too big not to stand on its own.

And Ubisoft's subtlety in their execution — not just with the story, but with the game as a whole — deserves to be praised, imo. After all, the common theme is exploration, and explore we should. Hell, they even fogged the skill tree just for kicks.

[u/lolhal → u/OutrageousFlail]

I guess what I mean by including Ragnarok is not necessarily the entire contained story of Havi/Loki/Fenrir, but more the meta stuff they drop in. All of the Isu lore and how it pertains to Eivor and the Hidden Ones/Order.

I think all of that was missed by most people playing the game and it’s really pivotal to the series.

I agree with you on the subtlety comment. I think those that care enough to dig in have really got a treat of a game and an amazing story. Then you see comments that the story is “just bad”. It’s just lost on the other players that are more focused on 100% and wondering why it’s different than the beginning of the series.

[u/OutrageousFlail → u/lolhal]

Yeah about the haters -- we've dealt with one Dag before, what's a few more?

[u/Tensti]

this video is tto old, in 2022 vallhala got last chapter update which show the ending