Never had a problem with any of the games in the trilogy. Finished them all and liked the experience.
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Valhalla is the first mainline AC game I just can't finish
- Thread starter Cruxist
- Start date
I got this for PS5 just to have something else to play and I never even got out of the first territory. On top of the overall jank and really disliking the combat, I went around trying to do side quests and found the writing to be terrible and none of the dialogue with random quest givers felt natural. The "I'll bang whoever finds and brings me my bomb" lady was just... what??
I'm bummed a bunch of you feel this way, I wish everyone enjoyed the games they play.
For me, it has been pretty fascinating and hard to put down. I enjoy the search for the various chests and whatnot. I like the combat. I could do with more stealth, but I knew going in that a Viking wasn't going to be all in the shadows much. I've also felt that way about origins and odyssey, so maybe I'm just looking at this game with rose tinted glasses. Time will tell if it wears on me.
For me, it has been pretty fascinating and hard to put down. I enjoy the search for the various chests and whatnot. I like the combat. I could do with more stealth, but I knew going in that a Viking wasn't going to be all in the shadows much. I've also felt that way about origins and odyssey, so maybe I'm just looking at this game with rose tinted glasses. Time will tell if it wears on me.
Ubisoft is right back where they started when they had to reboot AC with origins. They ran it into the ground. AGAIN
I'm about 20 hours in but finding I really enjoy the setting. There isn't a lot of verticality as you mention, but the early-medieval theme really scratches a prototypical "fantasy" itch I didn't realize I had.
I don't like how it seems they completely nerfed stealth, but honestly it's a bit faster to clear locations now because of it.
I don't like how it seems they completely nerfed stealth, but honestly it's a bit faster to clear locations now because of it.
I'm 30 hours in myself and enjoying it well enough but it does lack a certain something about it. The setting just isn't as visually interesting or special like Origins and Odyssey were. That said, it's still an interesting era to see at least, a good few hundred years before the real heyday of knights and castles England.
The thing about the combat is how it feels so limited.
With Origins and Odyssey I picked out the skills and equipment that best fit my playstyle. I had extremely fast weapons that gave me lots of combo points to use on big finishers with my bows or other abilities, I was constantly doing really cool stuff. In this game I seriously just go up to people spam light attack and now and then I'll do one ability and that's all, I mostly have the same gear I had 15 hours ago and all my skill points mostly increase the damage I do.
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For example, I've yet to fight any of those roaming bosses in this game since I've almost no tools to take them out. I just have to keep leveling up so I can be strong enough to kill them. With Origins and Odyssey, though? I took those guys out super underleveled since, even though my character was very weak, I had a ton of ways to take them out. Sometimes it took me like 5 minutes of slowly dotting them up and building up finishers or whatever but I could do it but not in this game.
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I'm ~30 hours in- doing the Lunden questline right now. I've found this one more enjoyable than Odyssey but yeah, I internally groaned when I saw how many more regions I had left. I was primarily looking forward to interacting with Alfred and Wessex because of Last Kingdom but it looks like I won't get to Winchester for at least 15 more hours.
I do like the questing and exploration in this one- they did the Watch Dogs thing of hiding items behind environmental puzzles which is always fun.
I do like the questing and exploration in this one- they did the Watch Dogs thing of hiding items behind environmental puzzles which is always fun.
I just recently started on Origins and that game is big as shit, so I installed a trainer that lets you instantly teleport to anywhere on the map. It's even better than fast travel. I'm gonna save dozens of hours from just running around. OP, you should look into something like that.
Strangely I feel more compelled to finish Valhalla than I do Odyssey. With Odyssey it felt like they just barfed content all over the map. Valhalla's feels a bit more crafted in a way that doesn't make me want to quit. I also don't do all of the side content though. I do some here and there then go back to the main quest. Been working for me so far.
I also want Ubi to reconsider their use of historical figures. I remember how hyped I got when da Vinci showed up, but now Ubi throws in every possible historical figure, sometimes for comic relief (I'm looking at you Socrates). Like, I want to play an Assassin's Creed that gives me this reaction again
I definitely hit a mental wall at one point. I've been clearing out each region before moving on to the next one. Thankfully I just had a three day weekend and could spend most of it playing Valhalla. I knocked out all three regions outside of England/Norway (Asgard, Jotunheim, and Vinland) and two or three English regions. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel so all's good to me now.
I'm enjoying the game a lot. It's just too damn big and they should consider scaling the next game down.
I'm enjoying the game a lot. It's just too damn big and they should consider scaling the next game down.
I'm at about 46 hours, power 180ish, just finished Vinland. Haven't touched AC since Unity but I'm having a good time.
Though combat has gotten a bit easier since I found a certain weapon (see spoiler). And dual wielding it with the Surtr Sword and the fire ability is just downright OP.
Though combat has gotten a bit easier since I found a certain weapon (see spoiler). And dual wielding it with the Surtr Sword and the fire ability is just downright OP.
Excalibur
I haven't found the game to be bloated at all because everything extra is literally extra, and there are no level gates since you level up from breathing. The main storyline is what's long as fuck compared to the other games it feels like.
Main story took me 48.5 hours, I was able to walk into areas that were higher power and do fine.
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Valhalla makes me feel like an asshole. Vikings are a power craze that probably looked fine as a game on paper but in reality has me questioning why I am such a complete jackass to everyone. It's boring and one sided. Valhalla's world has no depth. It's pillage pillage pillage mindlessness.
And Eivor straight up sucks. They're the worst AC protagonist since Connor, potentially even surpassing them.
I miss Odyssey's writing, and I miss Kassandra.
And Eivor straight up sucks. They're the worst AC protagonist since Connor, potentially even surpassing them.
I miss Odyssey's writing, and I miss Kassandra.
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I've played and loved every Assassin's Creed game so far, bar Rogue which I've never gotten around to. I put over a hundred hours into Origins and over 160 into Odyssey. Beat all the main campaigns and the DLC and loved my time with both. They definitely had their bloat, but the worlds were great and the combat was fun. I'm over 10 hours in Valhalla and I can't stand it. It's worse in practically every way, and usually significantly so. Norway was pretty, but there wasn't much there. Just snowy, rocky mountains. England appears to be the same green hilly area over and over, with similar-looking cities every once in a while. The region I've been in for the last couple of hours is power level 20. Every other region around me is over 200. In my 10+ hours of play, I'm at 33. Your bird companion has gone from probably a little overpowered in Origins/Odyssey to completely useless. Seriously, I don't know why it's in the game. It doesn't do anything. The vast majority of times I've triggered it are by mistake when I'm trying to do something else. The map isn't much better. The markers on it only give you the vaguest idea of what anything is. When you get close to some of the Mystery ones, they'll change to a more specific icon, but that's basically useless because the game doesn't tell you what they mean. And it never tells you what any of them are called anyway. They have names but you won't find them out until you finish them. And the game doesn't track them as you're trying to complete them so you'll frequently find yourself wondering what you're even supposed to be doing to finish them. The combat has gone from flexible and enjoyable in Odyssey to painful. I basically avoid it whenever possible. You have to find abilities in the world instead of choosing which ones you want, a decision that baffles me. The addition of stamina adds nothing but frustration. Several of the enemies seem designed for a completely different combat system as they'll dodge nearly every one of your attacks and have such poor tells for their own that trying to parry them is a fool's game. And you can't dodge all of their attacks because your stamina will run out. I just finished a boss fight that felt borderline impossible with any weapon the average player will have at that point of the game. I only managed to beat it because I happened to have a staff due to looting every chest I come across. Stealth barely works anymore, which kinda makes sense since you play as a Viking, but the game still has "Assassin" in the title so it's still weird. I want to keep playing because I like the time period and I like that it seems to have a bigger emphasis on the modern-day aspect, but actually playing the game is a slog.
I'm literally at the same spot as OP and feel the exact same about it all. I honestly feel like a piece of shit compared to the other protagonists in the series. Something is so off. The one scene where my dude just stands by and let's THAT thing happen...the most disturbing thing in entirety of the series, was just so bizarre. Assassin related anything feels so shoehorned in in this one too. Just bleh.
I'm taking the same approach to Valhalla that I did to Odyssey. Play in chunks whenever I get the itch. It means it took me 2 years to see the end of Odyssey, but I loved almost every minute of it. I've got about 40 hours into Valhalla and I've put it aside for now. I'll probably get back to it in a few months.
I was getting bored at around hour 20, pushed myself to keep playing, and finally put the game down at 30
I love Eivor, and the game's intro is really strong, but the individual arcs you go through just are not interesting at all to me
and when I finally hit an arc that connected to the greater Eivor+vikings and assassin/templar plots, it ended quickly and I was back to the boring stuff again
the combat also wasn't satisfying or fun, just became tedious as I continued to play, and stealth is hardly even a viable option (I'd wager the number of times I even had the opportunity to assassinate in 30 hours was less than half a dozen or so)
the homestead stuff is not at all well realized, the characters barely have anything to say or do
and the sidequests, jesus
they all feel like they were written to become viral twitter videos because of how wacky and zany they are
I don't need this game to be fully serious 100% of the time but (for example) a sidequest about feeding eggs to a lady so she can make a big stinky fart?? what???
I was surprised at how much I was enjoying it early on but I have zero desire to go back at this point, I'd probably sell my copy if I hadn't bought it digitally
I love Eivor, and the game's intro is really strong, but the individual arcs you go through just are not interesting at all to me
and when I finally hit an arc that connected to the greater Eivor+vikings and assassin/templar plots, it ended quickly and I was back to the boring stuff again
the combat also wasn't satisfying or fun, just became tedious as I continued to play, and stealth is hardly even a viable option (I'd wager the number of times I even had the opportunity to assassinate in 30 hours was less than half a dozen or so)
the homestead stuff is not at all well realized, the characters barely have anything to say or do
and the sidequests, jesus
they all feel like they were written to become viral twitter videos because of how wacky and zany they are
I don't need this game to be fully serious 100% of the time but (for example) a sidequest about feeding eggs to a lady so she can make a big stinky fart?? what???
I was surprised at how much I was enjoying it early on but I have zero desire to go back at this point, I'd probably sell my copy if I hadn't bought it digitally
I actually really like the world, but hearing that just getting through the story can be 80+ hours makes me not want to play anymore. I rarely put more than 50 hours into a single player game, and that's with doing some (but usually not nearly all) side stuff. This game is EASY to put 100 hours into. That being said, I'm not mad it's like that, because I can imagine those people who like to dig into games and play for a good month or two would probably be ecstatic it's so long.
I'm newish to the series, having only played Black Flag, Syndicate, Origins, and Odyssey. I've finished all four and loved them all. I platinumed Odyssey, and that game is huge.
But I got into the series because my wife loves them and has played them all. So I've been watching her play Valhalla (she's put in 140 hours and still hasn't finished it) and I think I'm going to sit this one out. The setting and vibe of it just don't appeal to me, and I don't like what I've seen of the Order quests or the named Assassin hunters.The skill and power level systems are bizarre and overly intricate. Most damagingly, I find Eivor to be pretty boring as a protagonist, which is a killer in a game this long.
But I got into the series because my wife loves them and has played them all. So I've been watching her play Valhalla (she's put in 140 hours and still hasn't finished it) and I think I'm going to sit this one out. The setting and vibe of it just don't appeal to me, and I don't like what I've seen of the Order quests or the named Assassin hunters.The skill and power level systems are bizarre and overly intricate. Most damagingly, I find Eivor to be pretty boring as a protagonist, which is a killer in a game this long.
1000% there with you. I have finished every mainline AC game and enjoyed them. They are my winter comfort food. I just could not get into this one. I kept trying, because I really didn't want to not finish an AC. But, after about 20 hours and it still not grabbing me, I had to walk away. I just hit a point where I didn't know what I should do next, and I wasn't really enjoying anything.
I hope they come back with something amazing for the next game and get me back in.
I hope they come back with something amazing for the next game and get me back in.
There should be a compromise between the first Ac1 and new style. Ac1 had almost nothing to do. New title have almost too much to do. Strike a balance.
I was considering this game but...no thanks. No patience for games this long anymore. Not with my huge backlog. It's giving me anxiety already lmao.
At one point in Odyssey I just had to force myself to do just the main plot.
Seems Valhalla will need do the same.
Seems Valhalla will need do the same.
Just played Brotherhood for the first time (after playing Origins and Odyssey) and I was struck at how all of the gameplay elements linked into each other. Destroying towers means you can recruit assassins, and they can level up to help you on missions or make more money. With more money you can unlock more shops, weapons, etc. I wanted to 100% the game because it was this never-ending circle of achievement. It seems like those ideas SHOULD transfer to a bigger open world, but the recent games just seem kinda boring and I'm not sure what the disconnect is.
I've been really enjoying it and think the landscape is beautiful, I'm really not sure what you're talking about complaining that it's nothing but farming villages, it's about as stupidly reductive as if I were to say Origins was nothing but boring sand and shacks.
Jorvik, Lunden and Wincestre are three of the best cities in this trilogy and feel so much more like the sort of bustling cities I want out of Assassin's Creed and that I've felt have been missing from the series.
Its side content is also the best of this trilogy, with but a few major sidequests and a multitude of fun little bite-size stories that have much of the fat that the previous games had trimmed down. And loot is more meaningful because there's less of it and it's more distinct.
I at least get being a bit disinterested in the story, but I've personally enjoyed each little arc like episodes of Eivor's adventure and it's great that it takes the player to places that previously would have been relegated to DLC all but a few would have played.
The biggest flaw I'd say is that the game still has too much of a focus on clearing it out - you don't need to do it but the game is practically begging you to. They need to go harder in the direction of BotW if they're going to make games this big, with the landscape full of a variety of different activities and secrets but far less emphasis on checking it all off or sense that you're shortchanging yourself if you don't. It's very easy to burn out players when making a game this big that encourages every single icon be explored.
All that being said, I'm not one of the "Every game has too much bloat now" croud who've been crowing a lot lately but I do hope that current gen Assassin's Creed scales down to a smaller, denser location set in a classic city of the past instead of these massive sprawling landscapes.
Jorvik, Lunden and Wincestre are three of the best cities in this trilogy and feel so much more like the sort of bustling cities I want out of Assassin's Creed and that I've felt have been missing from the series.
Its side content is also the best of this trilogy, with but a few major sidequests and a multitude of fun little bite-size stories that have much of the fat that the previous games had trimmed down. And loot is more meaningful because there's less of it and it's more distinct.
I at least get being a bit disinterested in the story, but I've personally enjoyed each little arc like episodes of Eivor's adventure and it's great that it takes the player to places that previously would have been relegated to DLC all but a few would have played.
The biggest flaw I'd say is that the game still has too much of a focus on clearing it out - you don't need to do it but the game is practically begging you to. They need to go harder in the direction of BotW if they're going to make games this big, with the landscape full of a variety of different activities and secrets but far less emphasis on checking it all off or sense that you're shortchanging yourself if you don't. It's very easy to burn out players when making a game this big that encourages every single icon be explored.
All that being said, I'm not one of the "Every game has too much bloat now" croud who've been crowing a lot lately but I do hope that current gen Assassin's Creed scales down to a smaller, denser location set in a classic city of the past instead of these massive sprawling landscapes.
If it's any help, it took me 67h to complete the main mission, clear the whole alliance map and clear the whole order, so you're almost halfway there lol.
I enjoyed the game ,yes, but I was more of a fan of the shorter AC games, they had almost a perfect length 10-15h, chef's kiss.
change the '163' to '16', & that's me, exactly. until the series returns to stealth/assassination, & drops the open combat overkill, no more ac for me...
the old games have distinctive personality & character, things the new ones are seriously lacking, imo...
Yes, but here's the thing - that only happened because of all the other games they released. Far Cry is somehow a FPS that feels like a weirdly-similar experience to modern AC. Same for Watch Dogs, and even Immortals. Playing the same fundamental open world game every time is exhausting.
Ubisoft are the most repetitive AAA developer in the world, but until people speak with their wallets it won't change.
I'm the opposite. I couldn't get more than a few hours into Origins and Odyssey but I'm now 90+ hours into Valhalla and loving it. I think I'm approaching the end...
But I'm enjoying every arc. I might just give Odyssey another shot after I'm done.
on my map I just have Snottingham and Winchester left.
I don't really know why Ubisoft thinks if their games aren't 80+ hours people won't buy it. Its a weird mentality they have that makes them heavily bloat all their games now. Just loads and loads and loads of pointless side missions, and everything feels designed-by-committee so its bland and won't offend anyone.
Still, I do enjoy playing ONE of their games every year, just for that "gotta do it all" open world aspect and some real gorgeous graphics and views. I spent 120 hours on AC Odyssey this past summer and loved it, but I know the trick with Ubisoft games now: once you finish one, wait at least a year to play another. If you don't do that, you will get bored fast. So I won't be starting AC Valhalla until summer 2021, by which time it'll be $30 for ultimate digital anyways. Unfortunately that also means WD Legions and Far Cry 6 and maybe Immortal Fenyx are years away from being touched.
Still, I do enjoy playing ONE of their games every year, just for that "gotta do it all" open world aspect and some real gorgeous graphics and views. I spent 120 hours on AC Odyssey this past summer and loved it, but I know the trick with Ubisoft games now: once you finish one, wait at least a year to play another. If you don't do that, you will get bored fast. So I won't be starting AC Valhalla until summer 2021, by which time it'll be $30 for ultimate digital anyways. Unfortunately that also means WD Legions and Far Cry 6 and maybe Immortal Fenyx are years away from being touched.
I think I'm at the point where i'll only be playing one AC game per generation now.
Unity soured me. Odyssey was fine but have no desire to touch another AC game for 2 or 3 more years.
Unity soured me. Odyssey was fine but have no desire to touch another AC game for 2 or 3 more years.
The lack of cityscapes can really be felt in Valhalla. For all the horseback riding you did to get from one place to another in Origins or Odyssey, you still spent a great deal of time in cities like Athens or Alexandria. In Valhalla, the only "big cities" you really get to experience are London, York, and Winchester, and even then they don't have quite the same spark to them.
Valhalla is getting a lot of praise for being a "return to form", and while I did enjoy it, it's absolutely nothing of the sort. It's the furthest the series has strayed from its roots, while feeling more and more like a generic Ubisoft open world than ever.
Valhalla is getting a lot of praise for being a "return to form", and while I did enjoy it, it's absolutely nothing of the sort. It's the furthest the series has strayed from its roots, while feeling more and more like a generic Ubisoft open world than ever.
I think, you as a player, just need to cut out the stuff you don't enjoy. Because Ubisoft isn't going to. The sales numbers speak for themselves.