Assassin's Creed Vahalla

Paradroid · Post by **Paradroid** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 3:54 am

I forgot to add: the loot is better in this game in my opinion. You don't find new gear every five minutes like some of the previous games have done. Similarly to the most recent Ghost Recon games, you only find new gear in specific locations throughout the world. I prefer it for two reasons:

1. You aren't constantly changing your weapons and learning to fight in different ways.
2. You get attached to the weapon you're using and it's worthwhile upgrading it.

Basically, gear means something in Valhalla. Also you can't just send your bird up to spot resources and have them five minutes later; they seem to be much more scarce too. After nearly four hours of play I've only found enough resources to upgrade one thing.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:46 am

It hasn't grabbed me yet the way Odyssey did, but I'm still in the prologue so I'm trying to be patient. I do think the underlying mechanics seem strong (scarcer loot, more activities to do, etc) so I'm encouraged to continue.

I think the biggest turn off for me so far has been the initial setting in the cold with lots of mountains, etc. It reminds me too much of Far Cry: Primal's northern section, which is the part of the game I hated the most. I've wasted a ton of time finding a treasure or something on the map only to be frustrated when I can find no way to get to it.

These are minor annoyances though - I'll get settled in and be fine with some more play under my belt.

Octavious · Post by **Octavious** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 9:30 am

I saw in the one review that a lot of the loot has minor puzzles. That's the only thing from the review I was a bit put off by. From my experience their puzzles are obtuse and I end up just looking it up online. Otherwise it looks really cool and I'll grab it at some point.

FYI they are saying 45-50 hours with just following the main storyline. That's insane.

Paradroid · Post by **Paradroid** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:09 pm

YellowKing wrote: ↑Wed Nov 11, 2020 8:46 am I think the biggest turn off for me so far has been the initial setting in the cold with lots of mountains, etc.

It gets better when you get to England in my opinion, which probably won't take you much longer if you've already had one session.

I've wasted a ton of time finding a treasure or something on the map only to be frustrated when I can find no way to get to it.

Yeah same here. Although I do recall seeing a "hidden entrance" or something on the map which may have led to the loot I was after. I didn't bother to go back and check but I will next time I see one.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 1:24 pm

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 3:35 pm

Yeah I usually hate games within games (I'm looking at you, Witcher 3), but dammit I kind of like Orlog.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 4:01 pm

I do love when they implement thematic games in games, like Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Having a modern style game tends to pull me out, though.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Nov 11, 2020 4:16 pm

The only game in a game in recent memory I loved was in the KOTOR games. As for Gwent Ive always hated it. I only liked the dice poker from the first game. It was ok in the 2nd but they changed the view on it and made it worse.

Paradroid · Post by **Paradroid** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 4:00 am

This is going to be one of those games. I played for nearly two hours last night and barely accomplished anything story-wise at all. I completed a raid to gather supplies for our new settlement in England, but other than that I went wandering and found plenty to do. It seems the gold and blue dots you see all over the map are wealth/supplies and puzzles, respectively.

It's going to be fun finding all the stuff on the map. I nipped back to Norway for a bit (bit silly you can do that but whatever) and went to a location on the west of the map with three gold dots. I found two of them, but there was one beneath the ice I didn't figure out how to access.

Looking at all the settlement expansion options, associated costs, and scarcity of resources, it seems that building up a decent settlement will be a game in itself. Likewise, I still don't have enough resources for the gear upgrade I want. Don't get me wrong, I like that it isn't all being handed to me on a plate. I'll have to plan another raid next time I play, and absolutely scour the area until I'm sure I've picked everything up.

It's a bit sad that the bird has been nerfed so much. In Origins it was incredibly useful for tagging enemies. Having said that, I acquired a skill early on that allows me to see enemies as long as I'm undetected - it's nice to be encouraged to play like an assassin. Anyway, I'm betting somewhere in the pretty big skill tree is something that upgrades the bird.

Speaking of which, skill points are the one thing that is handed out on a plate. It seems that any time I accomplish anything at all I get another two points to spend, and so far every skill has only required one point to unlock. So my tree is growing pretty quickly and I'm getting some nice abilities. The multi-assassination ability is particularly fun.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 3:40 pm

Octavious wrote: ↑Wed Nov 11, 2020 9:30 am I saw in the one review that a lot of the loot has minor puzzles. That's the only thing from the review I was a bit put off by. From my experience their puzzles are obtuse and I end up just looking it up online.

I'm about 21 hours in and the "puzzles" are mostly figure out what to break or blow up to get access to the loot. Sometimes you have to find an opening to shoot a lock or an explosive. Sometimes you have to find a handy explosive to throw at a stone barrier or use the world's simplest Tetris to move some barriers to get access.

There are some very simple puzzle-y things in [redacted] but nothing that will burn your brain for more than a second or two.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 6:13 pm

Since we're leaving Sunday for our anniversary I was going to hold off playing ACV, but I was weak and fired it up

. I got through the scenes with the kid and the start of the episode with the now adult kid about to be a slave, then not

. As soon as I saw hints about gathering resources and maps and quests and other stuff I decided to hold off since I won't be playing again till next Thursday.

The good news is that with my new rig I can make the game really, really pretty

:

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 6:27 pm

I'll never retire if you make me buy a new PC!

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Thu Nov 12, 2020 7:24 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 6:13 pm

The good news is that with my new rig I can make the game really, really pretty :

I was able to get my hands on a Samsung Odyssey G9, and I thought the 5120x1440 resolution would kill these games. But with only a measly 2080TI I can pretty easily get over 60fps on this and Watch Dogs Legion. It's kind of cool to see the world in superultrawidescreen.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:15 pm

Something happened at the Ubisoft Montreal site. Active shooter or hostage situation. Breaking news with little detail

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:20 pm

IceBear wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:15 pm Something happened at the Ubisoft Montreal site. Active shooter or hostage situation. Breaking news with little detail

Look for a cargo drone hovering nearby

Seriously though, hopefully everyone OK

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:23 pm

Looks like everything is OK, from the Washington Post: Police evacuate building housing Ubisoft Montreal, find no threat

Montreal police were dispatched en masse and evacuated the building housing the headquarters of video game developers Ubisoft Montreal Friday afternoon in response to what the CBC is reporting as hoax, citing police sources.

As police cordoned off an area near the corner of Avenue Saint-Viateur and Saint-Laurent and urged the public to stay away from the Mile-End district near the studio, local media reports detailed a possible hostage situation. With tactical units arriving on the scene, the police evacuated a large number of people remaining both inside and on the building’s roof before determining there was no threat.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:11 pm

I agree with my friend...I want a Wild Wild West Assassins game

...Set an AC game in the wild west cowboy times.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 9:52 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 6:23 pm Looks like everything is OK, from the Washington Post: Police evacuate building housing Ubisoft Montreal, find no threat

Montreal police were dispatched en masse and evacuated the building housing the headquarters of video game developers Ubisoft Montreal Friday afternoon in response to what the CBC is reporting as hoax, citing police sources.

As police cordoned off an area near the corner of Avenue Saint-Viateur and Saint-Laurent and urged the public to stay away from the Mile-End district near the studio, local media reports detailed a possible hostage situation. With tactical units arriving on the scene, the police evacuated a large number of people remaining both inside and on the building’s roof before determining there was no threat.

I was pissed that the media was reporting on the people on the roof while the situation was still ongoing. If there were gunmen there, letting them know exactly where people are hiding from them doesn't seem super helpful.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:08 pm

Turned out to be fake.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Nov 13, 2020 10:46 pm

Daehawk wrote: ↑Fri Nov 13, 2020 7:11 pm I agree with my friend...I want a Wild Wild West Assassins game ...Set an AC game in the wild west cowboy times.

That would be an interesting locale and time period. I'd play it

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 8:58 pm

Unfortunately, I don't think that time period will ever happen. The most modern we've ever got was the 1800's with Syndicate, with segments taking place during WWII, but Ubisoft has repeatedly said that a game set in the Wild West is not something they want to do.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sat Nov 14, 2020 9:43 pm

Still having fun 20 hours in, though I am lukewarm on the loot system. I think I’ve swapped out only two items since I started. I just haven’t found anything better, which is kind of boring. I understand the need to not have the constant equipment swapping, but it almost seems like they nerfed it too far in the other direction.

I also don’t like that I apparently can’t break down gear, and I can’t preview gear before I buy it. I wish the whole gear system would just get an overhaul because as it stands it’s the only part of the game that sucks.

Aside from that, however, I’m having a blast. I fluctuate back and forth between questing and just hitting exploration points and trying to clear areas. The beauty of the game is that you really do have endless freedom to play however you want. I spent half a hour today getting sidetracked hunting rabbits for a shrine donation.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 9:02 am

once you wrap your head around the idea that loot isn't really a thing in the game it's kind of nice to NOT have to deal with piles of useless drops. I have been getting a second set of Bear gear that has a different bonus and I've rerolled a bit of my skill tree to focus on bear stuff and now I can kill the lower tier zealots. The way you can selectively reset skills to trim branches of the tree is really nice.

I switched to hammer/shield so I am basically Thor now. The hammer feels nice knocking people to the ground a lot.

Paradroid · Post by **Paradroid** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:03 am

coopasonic wrote: ↑Sun Nov 15, 2020 9:02 am The hammer feels nice knocking people to the ground a lot.

Heh, yeah the first time I was attacked by hammer-wielding enemies was annoying.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Sun Nov 15, 2020 10:47 am

Yeah I'm slowly warming to it now that I've moved into a different area. I think part of my frustration was I was trying to be a completionist in an area far below my level, so anything I found was trash. Once I moved a bit out of that comfort zone I found a couple of interesting items.

I'm currently dual-wielding axes and focusing on the Bear tree. I need to do a skill reset since I was a bit scattershot early on.

I'm having to wrap my head around a different playstyle with this game. I tend to be an obsessive "collect every item before moving on" type person, and this game works best, I think, when you stop focusing on one thing and just let diversions pull you forward. Case in point, the main quest line has a few chokepoints where you can't proceed until you upgrade your settlement, which is going to require raids and side explorations for the necessary supplies. If you focus quest to quest, you're setting yourself up for some grind to get past those spots, whereas if you had been hitting those all along as you explored you're more apt to have the resources naturally.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Nov 16, 2020 8:04 am

If you have Amazon Prime, you can claim a loot drop by linking your Amazon and Ubisoft accounts. The Carolingian gear set is mythical quality and starts with at least a couple of upgrades applied to each item.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:59 pm

Returned this afternoon from our anniversary trip and got in a couple of hours on the game. Very pleased so far, feels like Origins/Odyssey which is a good thing. Did I not see a difficulty adjustment? I looked around for it but may have missed it. I figure I'm not going to be wielding those combo attacks like the young kids, I'm just mashing buttons and hoping for the best

coopasonic wrote: ↑Thu Nov 12, 2020 6:27 pm I'll never retire if you make me buy a new PC!

Then you're probably not going to want to see what's in the spoiler tags

Spoiler:

wonderpug · Post by **wonderpug** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:19 pm

I got asked multiple difficulty setting questions on my first play. One for exploration, one for combat, one for... stealth maybe?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:20 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:59 pm Returned this afternoon from our anniversary trip and got in a couple of hours on the game. Very pleased so far, feels like Origins/Odyssey which is a good thing. Did I not see a difficulty adjustment? I looked around for it but may have missed it. I figure I'm not going to be wielding those combo attacks like the young kids, I'm just mashing buttons and hoping for the best

Mashing buttons is pretty OK for the game... until you find an enemy with a shield.

There are 3 different difficulty settings, stealth (detection speed), combat (health and damage) and Exploration (UI stuff).

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Wed Nov 18, 2020 8:38 pm

coopasonic wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 7:20 pm
jztemple2 wrote: ↑Wed Nov 18, 2020 6:59 pm Returned this afternoon from our anniversary trip and got in a couple of hours on the game. Very pleased so far, feels like Origins/Odyssey which is a good thing. Did I not see a difficulty adjustment? I looked around for it but may have missed it. I figure I'm not going to be wielding those combo attacks like the young kids, I'm just mashing buttons and hoping for the best
Mashing buttons is pretty OK for the game... until you find an enemy with a shield.

There are 3 different difficulty settings, stealth (detection speed), combat (health and damage) and Exploration (UI stuff).

Thanks, that makes sense and is in line with how they did difficulty in Ghost Recon Breakpoint.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 5:56 pm

I think I've either found a bug or maybe I'm not supposed to be able to proceed. I'm at the (spoiler due to location, but very early in game)

Spoiler:

and while I've been able to squeeze past the first tight spot in the cave, I just can't get through the second one.

This is the path that's supposed to lead me to the

Spoiler:

Is this intentional or a bug? Or something else? Do I look fat in this armor?

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:39 pm

Did you try lighting a torch? I've read that Eivor might be a little afraid of the dark under certain circumstances.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:06 pm

Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 6:39 pm Did you try lighting a torch? I've read that Eivor might be a little afraid of the dark under certain circumstances.

I'll try that.

I'm also unable to get to a chest inside a sunk ship here:

Lost some health from the cold water and from whacking my axe over and over fruitlessly on the wreckage. Any useful suggestions?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:36 pm

I'm at 288 power level and have cleaned out most of England but I didn't do much clearing back home so far.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:51 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:06 pm Lost some health from the cold water and from whacking my axe over and over fruitlessly on the wreckage. Any useful suggestions?

Assuming it's the same one I found, there should be a weak point somewhere on the hull that you can smash to get access to the interior of the wreck.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Thu Nov 19, 2020 11:54 pm

Max Peck wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:51 pm
jztemple2 wrote: ↑Thu Nov 19, 2020 7:06 pm Lost some health from the cold water and from whacking my axe over and over fruitlessly on the wreckage. Any useful suggestions?
Assuming it's the same one I found, there should be a weak point somewhere on the hull that you can smash to get access to the interior of the wreck.

Thanks, that worked. I was swimming around the sides instead of attacking the bulkhead. It didn't help that my twit crewmates kept jumping in and out of the water distracting me

Scraper · Post by **Scraper** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:34 pm

I'm about 6 hours in on the PS5 and I'm really loving this game. It scratches almost every open world itch i have. It doesnt hurt that the geaphics are stunning at times. The HDR lighting is super impressive, especially when you manage to have it hit castles and old buildings just right.

naednek · Post by **naednek** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 1:53 pm

you got HDR to work on your PS5?

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:41 pm

I'm getting a bit annoyed with some of these mysteries. I met a man next to a tent on the edge of the water and he needs me to bring him a beast so he can tell a good story. I kill a bear, but I can't pick it up. Same for some wolves. How am I supposed to bring him a beast? Irritating.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:52 pm

jztemple2 wrote: ↑Fri Nov 20, 2020 4:41 pm I'm getting a bit annoyed with some of these mysteries. I met a man next to a tent on the edge of the water and he needs me to bring him a beast so he can tell a good story. I kill a bear, but I can't pick it up. Same for some wolves. How am I supposed to bring him a beast? Irritating.

You need to aggro a beast and draw it back to him so that he can try to fight it. There should be some wolves nearby that will work nicely.