You can accept more of them as additional side quests if you wish, but their rewards are pointless, and as game experiences they offer nothing special.įortunately, the main story is brilliant, and its characters far better handled than Azar. They involve being sent somewhere to kill someone or pickpocket something, and play like Skyrim’s radiant quests: procedurally generated filler content. I do get to resolve Azar’s personal story arc, but her final mission is simple and ultimately anticlimactic.Īnother low point comes in the royal demand missions, which represent Eivor’s efforts to win over the other petty kings of Ireland to Flann’s cause. Completing all the trade contracts in an area unlocks infinitely repeating quests that grant a trickle of silver and XP, which might prove useful for the rest of my game if I can tolerate the loading screens to swing by Dublin regularly, but otherwise there’s little long-term reward here. The primary incentive for all of this is loot: each destination has a new armour set. The story is brilliantly poised for drama, and the execution doesn't disappointĪs the goods stack up I return to Dublin periodically to fulfil Azar’s contracts, increasing the city’s renown and unlocking new trade destinations. His plan is to impress the newly crowned High King Flann by developing Dublin into a hub of international trade. She’s come on behalf of the king of Dublin, Eivor’s cousin Barid, who needs your help securing his throne.
You’re invited to this enchanting land by a Persian merchant named Azar. As I said in our review of the base game, Valhalla is second only to Red Dead 2 in the heart-achingly beautiful and closely detailed open world it presents, and Wrath of the Druids maintains those high standards. They come both in set pieces and organically, but regardless of how they occur your fingers will itch to book a flight to Ireland. Like England in the base game, the Ireland that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla presents in its Wrath of the Druids expansion delivers dozens of thickly atmospheric experiences in a postcard-picture version of its setting. I’m running across dazzling emerald hillsides beneath a rainbow conjured by a gentle rain, as a chirruping fox chases a pair of rabbits past my feet. I'm stalking a deranged druid through a bog. I'm duelling a Viking with a deathwish on Downpatrick Head as the sun sets over the sea. I’m chasing a phantasmal wolf over fog-shrouded hills. I’m riding between a pair of looming black cliffs crowned by a castle, birdsong twittering around me.