Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Everythings a Puzzle in Merry Old England

 Well, I did do some complaining about Odyssey's environment so I am pleased to say that Valhalla's is much more destructible. Despite playing as a marauding Viking, looting is often not a simple smash and grab. To get the good stuff the player might need to search for keys, peer through every window and crevice and destroy things or move stubborn objects. There's the usual visual puzzles and some new types thrown in. I wasn't sure what to think in the early going but as more features unlock, the more enthusiastic I become.  The game world is not restricted to England of course, but so far it's the most interesting place.

Before release, I was debating what gender to play. I played the female mercenary in Odyssey and this time I wanted to be a face stomping boy Viking. Well, I didn't know about the face stomping beforehand but I haven't regretted my choice. I really like Eivor. He's a bit mild mannered but he's savage when it counts.  The main quests have been fun so far. I have found some of the side stuff rather silly but it's usually short and contributes to the grind. 

Developers did remove some of the things I really liked about Odyssey but I'm not sure that's a bad thing. A lot of combat attributes have been moved from crafting to the very confusing skill tree. From what I can tell, Valhalla is more like Witcher 3 with skills connected to gear type and play style. No load outs or treating your character like some gnarly paper doll in this one. There are still bonuses for equipping multiple pieces of  named armour. I decided to commit to the Way of the Raven and the Raven clan so I have followed the spidery stealth paths to Raven gear bonuses. There I found variations of my favourite tools from the past and some new intriguing ones. Fortunately, most of the skills are passive and I don't have to think about them because I am really disconnected from abilities. You can only have eight active at once and I can't for the life of me remember what I have assigned to what. Except poison arrows. I can always remember those poison arrows. They aren't as over powered as past poisoned darts because one arrow now costs precious adrenaline. I was soon hunting through the skill tree for more adrenaline slots.

The whole Power thing confounded me at first. In the initial region, power requirements go from 1 to 240 or something like that with nothing in between. The next map is similiar though not as dramatic. Power levels up fast however and skills are awarded frequently especially when following along the main quest lines. I don't think anything prevents players from entering high level areas but I did some grinding to upgrade gear and power in between quests because the numbers just look so intimidating. There are some tough fights and high level enemies in low level areas but Eivor and his crew are killing machines for the most part. I really like that the crew goes on raids with you but they are only available on designated raids. They will fire arrows at enemies at other times if you are close enough to the ship.

After Red Dead Redemption 2, it's kind of hard not to be a bit disappointed when starting other games especially when it comes to mounts but Valhalla is very pretty. As for the horses, they don't look nearly as good as RDR2's but on the bright side they are never out of whistle range and will gallop directly to you rather than stop ten feet away and just look at you expectantly. They do come with names but they aren't very engaging beyond acting as efficient transport.

I am definitely having fun with the game but my overall opinions are still evolving. I'm not very good at their dice game or their drinking game. 

I do have a few tips.

If you can't figure out how to get into a building and you still have a main quest active in the region you may need to progress in the quest line to get access. I have encountered one unsolved puzzle offering clues that the solution lies elsewhere altogether.

If you aren't sure where to invest skill points, follow the path of the armour you like to get gear bonuses. The Way of the Raven for stealth, the Way of the Bear for warrior, or the Way of the Wolf for hunter. If you change your mind, it costs nothing to reassign skills. You will need to invest a few points in other trees to get more adrenaline bars so watch for those opening up where the trees connect.

Unless you go raiding monasteries levels way above you, you will have to make decisions about settlement upgrades. Many upgrades only offer cosmetics and buffs. The blacksmith, barracks and shop are the most useful right away. Get the map guy as soon as you can. His maps help with grinding for gear and resources. 

The blacksmith only gives new rune and upgrade slots. To get higher stats you need to be upgrading in the inventory menu which costs resources. Different weapons have different attacks. Dual wielded and two handed weapons have special attacks. Switch them around. It's fun. Gear seems to be a somewhat scarce resource. You can't sell it or break it down and enemies don't appear to drop it.

Winning flyte battles gets you charisma points that open up dialogue options. And they are silly fun.

Your horse won't swim unless you train it at the stable. You can loot from horseback which is nice. Fighting seems a different matter. I have been able to use a bow and assassinate from horseback but I haven't been able to get Eivor to draw melee weapons. He just seems to kick at enemies. If I'm doing it wrong, please correct me in the comments.

Once you acquire the Incendiary Fire Trap ranged ability, you no longer need to hunt for explosive oil jars to blow through walls.