Check out the changes in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Update 1.5.0, coming February 22nd and adding support for the upcoming third expansion!
Patch 1.5.0 adds support for the upcoming third expansion to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla – Dawn of Ragnarök. The expansion itself will launch on March 10th, 2022, while update 1.5.0 is available for download from February 22nd. Here you can read a patch highlights, explaining what to expect in this update; and a preview of what will be available in the expansion.
AC Valhalla Update 1.5.0 Highlights
The size of Patch 1.5 varies from platform to platform. Here are the expected file sizes you will have to download:
- Xbox Series X|S: 12.3 GB
- Xbox One: 9.8 GB
- PlayStation 5: 3.6 GB
- PlayStation 4: 7.9 GB
- PC: 15.1 GB
This is a seeming small patch with primarily bug fixes for the game. The one big new feature releasing tomorrow is a new difficulty mode, called “Saga Difficulty Mode”.
In this difficulty mode, Ubisoft allows you to “write your own Viking Saga without having to worry about the challenges of stealth and combat”
Saga Difficulty Mode comes with two major changes to your gameplay. The enemies you face will deal less damage to you and will not scale up with your level. At the same time, while in stealth, you will have additional time to perform combat or evasive actions right after being detected. In other words, this is a very casual-friendly stealth-inspired difficulty mode.
I find this a bit strange because Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is more than a year old game now. Most of us, who still play it, are veterans and are facing little to no challenge even on the higher/highest difficulties.
Saga mode includes the following preset parameters:
- Guaranteed Assassination: On
Avoid detection: 6 seconds - Avoid detection (aiming) 6 seconds
- Alerted enemies: Standard
The guaranteed assassination will grant you the ability to always assassinate your opponents regardless of their rank, tier, level.
I assume this new mode is specifically designed with the new Dawn of Ragnarök expansion in mind. It will bring a brand new story for us to experience and will likely attract new players, who would not be as familiar with the game and its mechanics, as a veteran Viking might be.
The update adds even more diversity and additional options for you to tweak when it comes to combat sections like the amount of damage Eivor takes and deals to their opponents, the amount of HP you heal by using rations, alter your adrenaline generation to make it easier or more challenging to build up adrenaline to use special abilities and last, but not least, you will be able to further tweak your opponents’ health.
The other notable set of changes is improvements and fixes to stealth-related gameplay. Update 1.5.0 also comes with plenty of the usual bug fixes, some related to the main storyline of the game. One of those annoying bugs was in the quest “A Brewing Storm” where Dag may not be available in the expected location, near the longhouse.
What to expect from Dawn of Ragnarök
The third expansion is currently available for pre-order. For giving your money to Ubisoft early enough, you will receive immediately (meaning now, not when the expansion launches) the Twilight Pack. I have reviewed it for you, of course.
The expansion itself costs $40 at its normal price. You can certainly expect it to be discounted after some time. This expansion is not included in the Season Pass like the previous two expansions were. If you want to play it, you have to purchase it. You do need the original base game as well, of course.
Dawn of Ragnarök releases on March 10th, 2022.
In it, you will be transported into the “breathtaking world” of Svartalfheim – the dwarven realm. As you explore it, you will be able to learn new abilities. One cool new feature that we saw in the recent trailer was the way your character can shape-shift into a raven to perform spectacular assassinations.
The expansion will also unlock a Divine Quality for armor and weapons. Three new tiers of upgrades will be available and a special new rune slot as well.
There will be more unique weapons and armor sets to find and earn. Your character will learn four new abilities and six new skills.
Ubisoft aims to offer the experience from this expansion to as many players as possible. That’s why they have lowered the requirements to play the new content right away by using a “Player Boost” feature from the game’s main menu. This will get your character immediately up to power level 340, which is around the level you would be if you complete the main story of the game and have done some additional exploration and questing on the side. You will also be given a predefined set of gear and weapons to wield.
AC Valhalla Update 1.5.0 Full Patch Notes
If you want to get into the neat details of the 1.5.0 patch, check out the full patch notes that Ubisofr released a day before it released.
Bug Fixes and Improvements
- AI reaction to whistle improved.
- Players get detected by enemies when using environmental traps.
- Wild animals detecting Eivor regardless of distance/angle and alerting nearby NPCs.
- NPCs disengaging from conflicts extremely quickly.
- Enemy detection cones reducing when using a bow.
- Monks having difficulty to leave the music crowd stations in the quest Taken (Kidnap Estrid).
Gameplay
- Added a Saga Difficulty Mode: Write your own Viking Saga without having to worry about the challenges of stealth and combat.
- Combat: Enemies inflict less damage and don’t scale with players.
- Stealth: More time allowed to perform actions when being detected (assassinating, shooting, disengaging, etc.).
- Added new combat settings.
- Damage Eivor Takes
- Eivor Damage Output
- Ration Healing Ratio
- Adrenaline Regeneration
- Enemy Health Modifier
- Added support for more controllers on PC (Nintendo Switch Pro & Stadia).
- Eivor gets teleported randomly in some instances.
- Headshots are blocked by the NPC’s shield when shooting from behind while undetected.
- Players can remain stuck in any Boss fight if Dive of the Valkyries is used as last hit while having the Night Rogue Set equipped.
- PC players losing all input after pressing the ; key on their keyboard.
- Light Fingered skill not activating when dodging through a lootable body.
- Cannot defeat the Black Shuck Alpha Animal as the end QTE is not appearing.
- Enemy’s attacks become weaker if Combat Difficulty value was set to Custom.
- Unable to use the fishing line.
- Unable to use rations.
- Several option changes made from the pause menu were not applied.
- Hero stats not updated correctly upon equipping the Arenhare’ko:wa Gear Set.
- Feign death ability not working properly when used on specific terrain or objects.
- Eivor’s bow disappearing when using the Goule Breath.
- Mouse and keyboard icons remain visible despite adding a controller.
- Wrath of the Druids: Enemies in Dublin and Meath territories do not scale with Eivor’s Power Level after changing Level scaling options.
- The Siege of Paris: Keyboard input being displayed while using a controller in some instanc
Main quests, world events, and side activities
- Dag is not present near the longhouse making it impossible to complete A Brewing Storm.
- Cannot progress The Prodigal Prince as the assassination prompts are not showing up during the training sequence.
- Cannot collect the Offchurch Key during the Tilting the Balance quest.
- Cannot assassinate Gorm in Hunter of Beasts.
- Missing quest marker in Closing the Vault after following Ljufvina.
- Unable to complete The Forge and the Flame quest as a cutscene would not be triggered.
- Unable to complete Pilgrimage to St. Albanes as players cannot interact with Fulke.
- Unable to kill the Pict Chief during the quest Old Friends.
- Unable to proceed in Road to Hamartia as Beonton the dog is stuck.
- Unable to interact with Ivarr during King Killer.
- Unable to complete A Feast to Remember after defeating Suttungr.
- Unable to proceed in Abbots Gambit with the objective Find Fulke and Sigurd.
- Unable to complete This Son of Jorvik as Faravid does not get on his horse.
- Old Wounds cannot be completed as Rollo is stuck outside his camp.
- Guards are stuck in the brothel in Old Wounds.
- Cannot complete King of Shitsby World Event due to NPC spawning outside of the church.
- Deviled Water world event cannot be completed as NPC is stuck in the river.
- Haunting of Neist Point and The Drink of the Picts world events cannot be completed if a meditation is performed during the Dialogue Scene.
- The NPC does not show up in the camp in the World Event The Twit Saga Part 2.
- The Siege of Paris: Siegfried does not move in Warlord of Melun.
- Wrath of the Druids: Barid and Ciara will not go to the coronation for Flann over Irel
Assassin’s Creed Crossover stories
- A Fated Encounter does not update upon completing A Wise Friend and building Valka’s Hut.
- The Temple could be opened by throwing a fire pot at the door in What Dream May Come.
- What Dreams May Come quest does not update after exploring the Cave of Gold if the objective is reached after entering a conflict state.
- Enemy villagers can be found again at the light puzzle in the Cave of Gold after completing What Dreams May Come.
- Two of the five shards remain marked on the map upon collecting them in Counting Sheep.
- Kassandra’s voice does not match in a segment of the Dialogue Scene in Night and Day.
River Raids, Jomsvikings, Raids
Extensive loading times when transitioning from River Raids to the Ravensthorpe.
Mastery Challenge
- Unable to progress in A Challenge From the Gods after the first cutscene.
- Enemies are not highlighted when using Odin Sight in Odin Mine Hideout.
- Goliath NPC can throw the boar outside of the arena making it impossible to complete the Outpost Fight Challenge.
- NPC fall to their death in Lolingestone bandit camp.
Tombs of the Fallen
- Platforms descending before the push/pull object is on them.
- Carriable snaps in Eivor’s hands if thrown behind the spike wall in Swamp tomb.
- Various issues where Eivor would remain stuck in a free fall animation and/or get desynchronized.
Misc
- Wrong gameplay options present in the Discovery Tour: Viking Age menu.
- Online Service Error (0x20100302) when viewing photos on world map.
- Assassination cutscenes are still playing when activating Photo Mode.
- Horses can photobomb dialogues scenes.
- Achievements / Trophies are not unlocking after playing AC Crossover stories when sharing progression on multiple platforms.
Graphics, animations, audio
- Meteorites not being spawned in England.
- Store items disappearing from the inventory or not being visible on Eivor.
- Smoke Bombs not exploding when returned to the enemy with the missile reversal skill.
- Instances of misplaced or floating objects or textures.
- Numerous clipping issues.
- Numerous graphics, texture, animation, or lighting issues.
- Various issues with missing SFX.
- Numerous Menu Narration issues.
UI/HUD
- Numerous UI/HUD issues.
- Added various improvements to the Codex menu.
Source for the patch notes: Ubisoft.
