In the past Assassin’s Creed has experimented with crafting a headquarters for the player before, like the den defense systems in Revelations or the homestead in Assassin’s Creed 3. Now in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, settlements will serve as the safe haven for players’ between raids and other missions. Players will be able to upgrade and customize their settlements to better accommodate their community, as well as boost their abilities and equipment. There’s a few miniscule details fans known about settlements thus far, but assuming the game takes inspiration from past efforts in the franchise, settlements could be something much more than just a rest stop for Eivor.
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Home Base
As of right now, all that’s known about settlements is that these shifting communities will serve as the player’s home throughout Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Settlements consist of structures players can build and upgrade throughout the game for a variety of benefits. Examples of structures given on the game’s official website note that players can build barracks for their warriors, a blacksmith shop for creating/upgrading weapons, and even a tattoo parlor for the player’s customizable protagonist. Upgradeable structures likely translates to things like adding additional capacity in the barracks for recruitable raiders, or unlocking new weapons at the blacksmith’s workshop. Other than that, it’s left to imagination what other settlement structures can be built and used.
Another interesting tidbit states that settlements are designed to mold and evolve based on the player’s actions, even more so than just building additional structures. Decisions in-game will reflect consequences, both good and bad, that affect players’ settlements directly. Questlines will be designed with settlements in mind, often guiding players back to one or more settlements multiple times. Alliances or grudges between rival Viking clans will directly impact the lives of those living in players’ settlements. Players will be encouraged to return to various settlements across Northern Europe throughout the game.
Fans can presume from these details that settlements intend to be a very significant portion of the gameplay loop in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Past entries in the Assassin’s Creed franchise have had similar headquarters-style systems before, but seemingly never to the extent of which Valhalla will introduce.
Defending Settlements
Assassin’s Creed Revelations expanded on the gameplay loop that Brotherhood introduced with Assassins’ Dens, which were essentially landmarks that served as hubs for each region in Istanbul. Players would liberate these regions by taking over said dens from the Byzantines to establish an Assassin cell in that area. But unlike Brotherhood, these liberated regions could also be assaulted again by enemies if the Assassins’ notoriety level reaches its max. Ezio could return to that den to begin the Den Defense, which involved players commanding Assassins to fight back against the Byzantines in a tower defense mini-game.
Considering the nature of settlements and warring clans in Valhalla, it’d be interesting if the next Assassin’s Creed game implemented similar defense mechanics for settlements as well. Viking raids will likely function similar to the conquest battles established in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, so it’d be interesting to see how that concept could be flipped for defending settlements. Utilizing tactics like arrow storms or barricades/traps around the perimeter of the settlement could add an additional layer of depth beyond conquest battles that players need to manage. Players would likely still be fighting on the front lines with their clan, but incorporating similar defensive elements from Den Defense would enhance settlement defense beyond Eivor’s own combat abilities.
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Raider Contracts
Settlements will also likely implement tasks for fellow Viking warriors to carry out in between raids. Several past Assassin’s Creed games have had passive mission systems like contracts for recruited Assassins to complete. It’ll likely be no different for Valhalla, considering the game will have recruitment functionality similar to that of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. Incorporating something like Kenway’s Fleet from Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag would allow raiders to level up and collect supplies for the settlement in between liberating different regions. Raiders could be assigned tasks all around northern Europe to pillage other colonies and collect supplies for the settlement.
Alliances that are established in Valhalla could also factor into managing settlements. Negotiating with allies in the region could yield supply rewards that are exclusive to another clan’s region. Similar to how Assassin’s Creed 3 has regional and naval trading, players could send community members out to allied regions to organize trade deals for settlement supplies. Alternatively, since players can choose to rival other clans as well, players could also raid and establish a new settlement in that area to gain access to those regional supplies. Yet another reason to emphasize player optimization so that they get the most out of their settlements.
More Than Just a Homestead
Considering settlements will be a pivotal slice of the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla experience, players will likely need to take these factors into account during their playthrough. Den Defense mechanics as well as secondary assignments like contracts could serve to emphasize the importance of settlements to the player as part of their character’s progression. As Eivor explores and conquers northern Europe, protecting and improving settlements may be just as important as overtaking new regions.
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