Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s free roguelite mode has arrived

Ubisoft has released a free update for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, adding a new roguelite mode to the Viking adventure.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Forgotten Saga looks like a fairly typical roguelite expansion, casting you as Odin to fight through a procedurally generated world. Set in Niflheim, you’ll return to the beginning of the realm after each death, losing whatever buffs and weapons you acquired on the way.

There’s an element of persistence, however. You’ll be able to find more gear and runes in each run, as well as unlock new abilities and upgrades across a skill tree. NPCs offering side quests also dot the world, although Ubisoft says you’ll need to attempt multiple runs if you want to see them all.

Genre shift

Although Forgotten Saga is a separate game mode that has little impact on the main game’s story, successfully completing it will give you a fresh set of gear for Eiover. You’ll need to reach a certain point in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla to unlock it, however, as it’s accessed through Everold’s Hut in Ravensthorpe. You can build that once you’ve traveled to Asgard for the first time.

It’s certainly a change of pace. Niflheim hasn’t featured in Valhalla before, and Ubisoft’s never produced a roguelite set in the Assassins’ Creed universe. Speaking in Forgotten Saga’s reveal trailer, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla producer Jose Araiza called it the “most ambitious game mode” Ubisoft has made for the series.

Rather amusingly, however, it does sound a little similar to the Niflheim maze mini-game in God of War. That challenges you to search for chests across a poisonous labyrinth, before returning to the maze’s entrance to deposit your loot. While God of War’s interpretation of Niflheim isn't exactly a roguelite, it's interesting that both Sony and Ubisoft saw the Norse realm as prime material for a standalone mini-game.

More content is also on the way to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The in-game Sigrblot festival will run from August 4 to August 25, handing players new quests to play through, time-limited events to participate in, and rewards to nab.

We expect bigger news to come next month when Ubisoft says  it will reveal "the future of Assassin's Creed". Expect to hear more about the upcoming live-service platform Assassin’s Creed Infinity, as well as stealth spin-off Assassin’s Creed Rift. 

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