Assassin’s Creed is still treading water after the change of scenery. We explain in our test why Valhalla’s Paris DLC is not the turnaround we had hoped for.
In principle, there’s nothing wrong with building on a successful formula. And if Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was one thing, it was undoubtedly successful.
The second major DLC, The Siege of Paris, is strictly conservative in the test: although there is a new open world with material for six to ten hours of play (15 if you really collect everything), the Paris DLC remains mechanically tied to the strengths and weaknesses of AC Valhalla.
This makes it clear from the start what The Siege of Paris is not: an add-on that will excite even those players who were rather disappointed by the controversially received main game. Instead, Ubisoft Montreal delivers new Viking fodder for fans. But is it worth the price of 25 euros? Our review will help you decide which game to buy.
Paris
City
What’s in The Siege of Paris?
The DLC begins in your home village, where two new characters convince you to raid Paris. You then travel to a separate map, the dimensions of which are rather compact. Beautiful fields, some colourful settlements and lots of treasures await you around the French capital. In addition, there’s another boss fight against a legendary beast.
The new game world looks magnificent, but like the Ireland DLC Wrath of the Druids, it offers no side quests. Dialogues only take place within the framework of the main story; apart from that, you only work through collection tasks or try your hand at the new rebel missions. The latter, however, turn out to be an unimaginative collection of “go there and beat up X enemies” missions, which you sometimes complete alone and sometimes with a few AI cronies.
For rebel missions you receive special currency that you can use to upgrade your squad of helpers. The grind to the next infamy level is tedious, though, and the missions are monotonous.” <src=”https://www.global-esports.news/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Assassins-Creed-Valhalla-The-Siege-of-Paris-DLC-8.jpg” />
The heart of the expansion is clearly the story about King Charles III, who is also consistently called Charles in the German version. His appearances are vaguely reminiscent of the Bloody Baron’s performance from The Witcher 3. Heroine or hero Eivor tries to negotiate with the mad king so that he does not send his armies towards England. But in the end all diplomacy is in vain and it comes to … well, guess what? Correct: the siege of Paris.
For more impressions, click through our picture gallery with screenshots from the test version:
How good is the story?
The story is confidently told with plenty of cutscenes, but suffers from similar weaknesses to the main game. Your male or female Eivor seems downright uninvolved in the events and lets himself be remote-controlled by his comrades. As protagonists, on the other hand, the new characters are in the foreground. Their motivations are comprehensible and their change in the narrative is logical.
However, The Siege of Paris ultimately suffers from what makes the story so ideal for a DLC: it is completely detached from the main plot. Only at the very beginning does a familiar character appear, the frame story around the assassins or even the present is completely faded out.
At least we can find a hiding place of the Hidden Ones in the Paris catacombs, but apart from a new weapon, this trip delivers nothing important. It follows: If you skip the DLC, which is also part of the Season Pass for AC Valhalla, you’re not missing out.
Warrior
King
Leader
What changes to gameplay?
In The Siege of Paris there is also a new secret order whose members you hunt down. The fanatical Christian warriors of the Bellatores Dei pull the strings in the background; in contrast to the main game and The Wrath of the Druids, however, you kill their members in the course of half a dozen predefined assassinations, not by searching for clues in the open world. Accordingly, there is no separate screen with the order’s organisation chart as usual.
Speaking of assassinations: Despite some promising Hitman-like approaches, the assassination missions offer primarily standard fare. Before we get the chance to assassinate a target, we first have to ask around in the tavern for clues on how to get past the guards. In the role of Eivor, we look for a secret passage or become aware of a disguise with which we can approach the target unnoticed.
Sense
Shortsword
In the end, however, the assassinations always come down to the same, linear result. There’s no real freedom of choice (except for the choice between fighting and sneaking) and sometimes the tasks to be completed before an attack are downright ridiculously simple, for example when we take a pass from a drunken diplomat five metres from the blocked door.
We found the constant search for keys in the DLC really annoying. The mission design very often reverts to simple-minded Stone Age methods when we have to unlock several doors one after the other – we find the keys from guards nearby. With the raven’s eye view, they are quickly found, but this game element is far from fun.
Furthermore, it is striking how little freedom the missions give you. Often you have to follow NPCs while they tell you something. If you are too impatient and only run a few metres ahead, you overtax the artificial intelligence: the companions simply stop and wait until you fall in line behind them. A little more flexibility in the design of the missions would have been nice!
Key madness
Shifting
Pest infestation
Pause
We like the fact that in the sewers of Paris there are always swarms of ravenous rats blocking the way. The plague of rodents is reminiscent of comparable head-butts in A Plague Tale: Innocence, except that here you have to attack the rats to scare them away – the light of a torch is not enough. The little brainteasers with the rodents loosen up the gameplay a little, which otherwise runs along very familiar lines.
Clearly: The Siege of Paris is suitable for all people who just can’t get enough of the Viking action in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. But really only for them.
