How to start Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök (Image by Ubisoft)
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök (Image by Ubisoft)

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok has officially launched. The massive expansion takes the players to Svartalfheim and follows the story of Havi, the lord of Asgard, as he looks for his son Baldr.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest iteration of the decade-and-a-half long stealth-action franchise takes the players to 9th century England, as they follow the story of Eivor Varinsdottir of the Raven Clan, as she, along with her brother Sigurd Styrbjornsson, leads the clan to the new world in the search of a place to call home.

youtube-cover

Aside from a grounded story featuring the divided kingdoms of Great Britain, Assassin's Creed Valhalla also has its own interpretation of the Nordic mythology, featuring the Aesir and the Vanir gods. Dawn of Ragnarok expands on that aspect and builds upon the foundation set by the base game, to tell an epic mythological saga unbounded from the shackles of history.


What are the ways to start Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok?

Dawn of Ragnarok is the third major expansion of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and is part of its Year 2 content. As such, it is not included in the Season Pass alongside Legend of the Beowolf, Wrath of the Druids, and Siege of Paris.

To add Dawn of Ragnarok to their library, players have two options. Players who already own Assassin’s Creed Valhalla can buy the expansion from the storefront of their platform.

Alternatively, players who do not own Assassin's Creed Valhalla can either buy the Ragnarok Edition, which includes the base game, and Dawn of Ragnarok only or buy the Complete Edition, which includes Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with all of its DLCs and Expansions, including Dawn of Ragnarok.

After getting Dawn of Ragnarok for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, a notification will pop up in-game letting the player know that Dawn of Ragnarok has been added and is now accessible.

Two ways to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok (image by Ubisoft)
Two ways to play Assassin's Creed Valhalla Dawn of Ragnarok (image by Ubisoft)

Interestingly, there are two methods to play the expansion, either as a new standalone game on its own, with players having access only to the expansion and not the base Assassin's Creed Valhalla campaign, or experiencing it organically as part of Assassin's Creed Valhalla story and Eivor’s journey.

While players can certainly play Dawn of Ragnarok on its own, it is always recommended to access the title as part of the Valhalla story. With that being said, let’s take a look at both methods of playing Dawn of Ragnarok.


As part of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s saga

youtube-cover

After adding the expansion, a new quest will be added under the Ravensthorpe region, which will lead Eivor to sleep under a tree. This will then continue in a dream-like sequence, where players will reprise the role of Havi from the Asgard and Jotenheim sagas and travel to Svartalfheim along with Frigg, looking for Baldr.

After the prologue, Eivor will wake up from her slumber and go talk to Valka about her dream. (Note: this requires Revensthorpe to be level 3 with Valka’s hut already built). After a brief dialogue exchange, Valka will send Eivor on a fetch-quest to find and bring some mistletoe.

Dawn of Ragnarok’s recommended level is 340. If the player has achieved that, they will be able to continue with ease. If not, Valka will give Eivor a portion that will temporarily boost her power to match that, so that she doesn’t get overwhelmed.

Players can return from Svartalfheim to England after finding the Asgard gate in the region, and can travel back to Svartalfheim from Valka’s hut.

Boosting the level to 340 will give the player access to high level gears, level 2 abilities, and power level 340 with an unlocked skill menu. However, while the player will lose access to these gears while returning to England, the high level gears and abilities unlocked in Dawn of Ragnarok will be available, and that might severely affect gameplay.


As a standalone expansion in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

youtube-cover

While it is not recommended, players can also experience Dawn of Ragnarok on its own, as a stand-alone expansion. To do this, select the new game from the main menu, where the players will be presented with two options, to play a new game of Assassin's Creed Valhalla or to play Dawn of Ragnarok on its own.

Selecting Dawn Ragnarok on its own will kick off the game with Havi traveling to Svartalfheim with Frigg to find their son Baldr. Playing the expansion on its own will start the player off with power level 340 and the gears from the base game at the mythical rarity, along with unlocked abilities.

It should be noted that playing Dawn of Ragnarok as a standalone expansion does not affect the base Valhalla saves. As such, players can effectively play the expansion as part of Valhalla's story later down the line.