Assassin's Creed Valhalla unleashes Dawn of Ragnarok expansion and crossover stories in Year 2

It has been an interesting year for Ubisoft and its Assassin's Creed franchise, with the adventures of Eivor in Assassin's Creed Valhalla getting more varied with two big expansions - Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of Paris - and a ton of smaller content updates, including the educational Discovery Tour: Viking Age.

If you thought that was the end, Year 2 is only going to get more mythical and grander with the Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök expansion.

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The third major expansion will be the most ambitious one in the franchise history yet, developed by the studio that gave us both Assassin's Creed Rogue and Assassin's Creed Origins - The Curse of the Pharaohs.

Players can expect to enjoy more than 35 hours of gameplay with a diverse cast of characters, bringing to life a thrilling story that fleshes out the godly side of things in Norse mythology.

With a focus on Eivor's other role as Odin, we once again return to the likes of Asgard and Jotunheim, and this time, the objective is to rescue our son, Baldr, in the dwarven kingdom of Svartalfheim.

A new realm to conquer in Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök

Similar to the base game, we will be exploring a vibrant world, teeming with underground forges to soaring golden peaks, all while trying to seek out the dwarves and benefit from their knowledge.

This will be key, as Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök hides plenty of threats that require a new strategy to take down.

The frost giants, Jotnars, return, while new fiery enemies from the realm of Muspelheim are along for the ride as well. At the centre of it all lies Surtr, the unkillable fire giant and the greatest foe Odin/Eivor has ever faced.

Thankfully, the new expansion is giving players new toys to play with, as defeating the mystical enemies will grant Odin incredible, godly powers to wield in Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök.

An initial look showed shapeshifting assassinations, weapons infused with ice, and even teleportation using a bow to reach more advantageous vantage points, all of these will come in handy whether you are charging straight into combat or taking a stealthier approach.

If you need a break from the main story, the new expansion also packs the Valkyries' challenge in a new fighting arena.

Sweet rewards await the victor, and you can always turn things up with difficulty modifiers as more daring trials come your way.

The substantial expansion that is Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök will launch on March 10, 2022, but that is not all for the second year of content.

Assassin's Creed crossover stories

If you are a big fan of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, then rejoice, for Kassandra is back! Knowing the positive reception to the heroine of the previous entry, Ubisoft will be releasing a free cross-game event that will see Eivor and Kassandra cross paths.

The premise of the crossover stories is to answer two questions: What will Kassandra do with the rest of her immortal life, and what will happen when two Assassin's Creed heroes meet?

This will unfold in different stories that will be available in each of the two games, Those Who Are Treasured is playable in Assassin's Creed Odyssey, while the story A Fated Encounter is playable in Assassin's Creed Valhalla.

Not only that, we will be heading to two new islands for more adventure while a rich storyline involving an Isu artefact unfolds that will hopefully flesh out the overall arc more.

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Fans will not have to wait long to experience this coming together, as the Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories will be available on Dec 14.

As a series with a long history, Ubisoft has decided to adopt a new way of doing things by extending content support for a second year.

Based on what we have seen of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök thus far, that will likely pay off as players have grown to be more invested in the various characters over the years.

By giving Eivor more opportunities to shine and bringing back the fan favourite Kassandra, Year 2 of Assassin's Creed Valhalla looks set to be another worthwhile ride.

More information will be shared about the expansion in due time, but the hype train has already left the station.

This article was first published in Geek Culture.