Assassin's Creed Valhalla is taking a more concerted stance on building out its live-service, as evidenced by the latest patch which introduces a brand-new River Raids game mode. River Raids are a permanent addition to Valhalla introduced in the game's first Season, Yule Season, which will continue to run until sometime in March.
River Raids expand upon the raids seen in the game since last fall's launch, offering greater rewards and more challenges for players looking to keep things fresh in ninth-century England. Higher-stakes raids will bring new, unique maps which players can raid without impacting their main game progression.
A new element of permadeath comes to the game in this mode as well. Your hired hands, the Jomsvikings, can die in battle if they are not revived in time when struck down, leading to players having to recruit new Jomsvikings in the base game to bring into their crew. Jomsvikings are player-created Viking warriors that appear in other players' games as NPCs for hire. In turn, players get some rewards when their Jomsvikings are hired for other crews in elseworld versions of Valhalla's 90+ hour epic and the new River Raids mode.
A new customizable Viking longship comes to the game with this update too, allowing players to upgrade and restyle the ship to their liking. The new Jomsviking Hall comes along for the update too, and includes three tiers of upgrades for players to max out during their River Raids. A higher level of Hall means better Jomsvikings to recruit to your longship crew.
This new content opens up to all players for free, but they first much reach a particular part early in the story. "After players complete one of the first narrative arcs in England, either Grantebridgescire or Ledecestrescire, build their Barracks and recruit their Jomsviking Lieutenant, they will encounter a new NPC named Vagn and his crew of Jomsviking raiders, who will introduce them to the River Raids game mode."
This update also includes a few new abilities and cosmetics including:
- The Saint George Armor set and Great Sword
- 3 new Abilities, hidden in monasteries
- 2 new Settlement Buildings
- A new set of longship and player cosmetics
As for Season 2, Ubisoft has teased just a bit of what to expect. "Season 2, named Ostara, will start in March 2021 with an update bringing a festival in the Settlement, a new game mode that builds on Valhalla’s core combat experiences, new gear, and cosmetic items. More information about Wrath of the Druids, the first expansion of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla releasing in Spring 2021, will come at a later time."
