The huge addon The Signs of Ragnarok costs almost as much as a full-price title. We explain who it’s worth it for and who can save themselves the money.
Ragnarok is getting closer, at least as DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. And for many, this raises the big question: Do I want to buy this? What exactly do I get for my money? Does Dawn of Ragnarok bring more variety for open-world-obsessed Assassins or, above all, more of the same?
We have not yet been able to try out the big add-on ourselves, but in the meantime we have seen a good hour of gameplay behind closed doors and already know a lot about the story, the new area and so on. Based on this, we can already make a pretty accurate assessment of which types of players should grab it – and who should rather leave it alone.
Table of Contents
What is Dawn of Ragnarok?
Dawn of Ragnarok is a major DLC or addon that requires you to own the base game.
Summarised: In the DLC, you don’t travel as the Viking assassin Eivor, but as the Norse deity Odin. You will travel through a completely new area, Svartalfheim, the mystical world of the dwarves.
The DLC is not part of the Season Pass for the second content year, so you’ll have to buy it separately. 40 euros, says the price tag. For this you can start the addon at any time, you don’t have to have completed Eivor’s story – which clearly shows how separate Odin’s adventure is from the other events in Valhalla.
What can you expect from Dawn of Ragnarok?
- In bare numbers: 20 hours of new story, at least 35 hours of activity if you really want to scour and collect everything.
- New area: Svartalfheim promises to be a nice change from England and Norway with its fire-and-ice theme.
- New story: Odin’s search for his son Baldur takes you across the dwarven kingdom, which has been invaded by Muspelheimers.
- New gameplay elements: Odin has magical abilities, wields a special type of weapon (the Atgeir, a dagger spear) and can prove himself in a Valkyrie arena. There, you deliberately make your own life harder with boasts in order to collect better rewards.
Here in the video you get a pretty good overview:
What does the DLC not offer?
What we know about Dawn of Ragnarok so far doesn’t really lead us to believe in a gameplay revolution. Rather the opposite. Odin not only controls like Eivor, but also behaves very similarly, somewhat pompous and always up for a teasing quip.
So far we have only seen humanoid opponents, who look quite impressive with their lava skin, but still fight similarly to human enemies. Except that they throw fireballs instead of dust or stones. Maybe a few more impressive beasts will appear that require special tactics – that would definitely add to the variety.
You have no influence on the story of Odin, you are allowed to choose answers in conversations – but according to Ubisoft this is just a personal touch on your part. So there are no moral dilemmas and decisions like in the main game.
For whom is Dawn of Ragnarok worthwhile and for whom not?
Whether the DLC purchase is worthwhile for you depends mainly on your relationship to Valhalla. Which statement can you identify with?
“I had 100 hours of fun with Valhalla!”: You sign up for every new event, are highly motivated to explore all the question marks in the open world and your collecting rage is still not satisfied even after the 39th flying paper. For you, Dawn of Ragnarok is definitely welcome fresh fodder that will keep you busy for many more hours.
“I love the mythological parts of Origin and Odyssey”: The whole story about the mysterious Isu fascinates you? Can’t get enough of gods and mythical worlds? Have you already played God of War? Then Dawn of Ragnarok will fit perfectly into your collection. Why are we so fascinated by the world of the Vikings?
“I thought Valhalla was okay and I hope that the DLC will bring a lot of innovations”: If you expect Dawn of Ragnarok to completely change the gameplay and knock your socks off with heaps of new stuff, then you will probably be disappointed. What we’ve seen so far is basically more of the same, just with a new (rather fancy) coat of paint. New weapons and skills are certainly cool for the first few hours, but they don’t break the eternal Valhalla loop of explore, collect, sneak, fight. You’ll have to decide if that’s enough variety for you.
“I left Valhalla after 20 hours because I got bored”: If the pull of Valhalla hasn’t grabbed you so far, then you don’t need to shell out 40 euros for a DLC in which the setting is new but you do the same as in the main game. Only as Odin instead of Eivor. Even a nice idea like the Valkyrie Arena won’t change that.
“I didn’t like Valhalla”: We don’t really need to mention that the DLC is definitely not for you then, do we?
If you are not absolutely convinced that you will like Dawn of Ragnarok, then wait for our DLC test. Then, at the latest, we’ll be able to tell you exactly how much fun Odin’s new adventure is – and whether there are any exciting surprises waiting for you that Ubisoft has been hiding so far.
Editor’s verdict
After the gameplay presentation of Dawn of Ragnarok I was quite disillusioned. Yet it had started so well! When a stream starts with the (fantastic voice) of Wardruna singer Einar Selvik, it can only be phenomenal. And I also think the basic idea behind the DLC is great; I like Norse mythology and have since accepted that Assassin’s Creed is now half a fantasy adventure.
However, the fantastic God of War is still fresh in my memory and compared to it the DLC seems almost tame – although according to the sagas, the Aesir and Jötun were quite the action! Somehow I just can’t get on with this fluffy basic mood of Valhalla. Even less when it comes to Odin’s story. But well, I guess that’s just a matter of taste.
I can imagine that the new story is motivating and that the Valkyrie Arena will go down well with many. But I’m hoping for more than just a few nice ideas from a 35-hour DLC. Hopefully there’s more in this package than there seemed to be in the demo. But I remain sceptical for now.
