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Ubisoft has just dropped a cinematic trailer for their new Assassin's Creed: Valhalla DLC, Dawn of Ragnarok.
As with Ubisoft cinematic trailers, the main idea is to convey the setting and context of the new expansion, which is also the first dose of year-two content for the first time in an Assassin's Creed Game.
Nevertheless, there are some gameplay guesstimations to be gaged from the combat-focused trailer of the DLC in an apocalyptic land of the Gods.
5 gameplay elements apparent from the new Assassin's Creed Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok trailer
1) Svartalheim
Svartalheim, Dawn of Ragnarok's setting, is completely separate from the England, Paris, and Vinland featured thus far on Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. From the trailer, it appears to be a shambling mythical hellscape that will likely provide new platforming abilities to traverse it.
2) The Shadow of Mordor 'Shadow Strike' knockoff
The short Dawn of Ragnarok trailer featured numerous new abilities, most of which seem to take a page out of the Shadow of Mordor/Shadow of War playbook. The most obvious one that jumps out at the viewer, literally and figuratively, is a teleportation and chain-kill ability through an arrow, complete with a wraith-like visual added to the bow.
3) Odin's elemental powers
In the Dawn of Ragnarok, the player takes up the aspect of Odin in what the leaks portray as the end-game DLC. Like with previous mythological expansions to Assassin's Creed title, new abilities and game mechanics are nearly taken for granted at this point. The obvious exhibition in the Dawn of Ragnarok trailer seems to put focus on Odin's new elemental abilities - including frost effects added to his melee swings, as well as new finishers related to these elemental affinities.
4) Necromancy
Another big highlight of the trailer is what appears to be undead enemies at first glance. However, fallen enemies being reincarnated is more likely to be from one of Odin's powers: necromancy. Drawing a parallel to the previous inspirations that Dawn of Ragnarok has taken from Shadow of War, it might be the case that both Odin and opponent necromancer enemy types can reawaken the fallen to fight on their side.
5) Shapeshifting
An early shot of the trailer shows Odin (i.e., the player's character) jumping through the fog, transforming into a raven, and then reverting to a humanoid form mid-air for an aerial execution. "O, shapeshifter!" the narrator cries at the same time.
Shapeshifting as a player ability has not yet manifested in any of the previous mythical expansions of Assassin's Creed: Origins and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. It appears that Dawn of Ragnarok will be the first to introduce the same in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and the franchise at large.
Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok is set to release March 10, 2022.
