Ubisoft briefly showed off the surprise roguelite mode coming to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla during its anniversary stream in June when it revealed the next phase of the game’s general roadmap. That was more of a broad look, but now the company has released a more focused video, detailing what players will discover when they dive into Niflheim for Forgotten Saga when it drops for free on August 2.
The tips video explains how there are four levels to Niflheim that players will have to traverse to, presumably, fight Hela at the end. Each seems to have a different visual style, as well. While it doesn’t appear to have procedurally generated layouts (much like Far Cry 6‘s roguelite DLC), some paths crumble upon crossing them, lending it more replayability as it will take new runs to see other branches. Going straight to exit also might be easier, but doing so might leave behind a vital upgrade, which makes pathfinding an even bigger choice.
Upgrades are vital since users won’t have access to the gear from the main game and must attain it during their run. There are hidden buffs and secrets in addition to chests that yield perks or coins that the player can choose between. Coins can be spent at shops to also gain items.
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Some perks perish with Eivor, but others remain, which makes it a roguelite and not a roguelike. Weapons are randomized each time and aren’t persistent, but armor stays even after death. It appears as though there are two types of currency that let players pick their perks before starting, but Ubisoft didn’t detail that aspect. It also looks like dying may open up more story progression, as is the case with games like Hades, but that section of the video was a tad vague. Not all the side missions, which yield loot, can be completed in a single run, so users have to pick and choose what to do.
Ubisoft not only confirmed the aforementioned August date in the comments on the video (something that strangely wasn’t in the video, its description, or on the game’s social channels), but also stated Forgotten Saga will have its own trophies and achievements. As is usually the case, those will probably go live just a bit before the update comes out. (Update: Ubisoft finally came out and confirmed it on Twitter, stating it would be coming in the 1.6.0 update.)
Forgotten Saga will probably be part of the game’s final set of updates. Not only has it been out for almost two years and received many expansions and free updates over that long period, Ubisoft confirmed it plans to speak more about the “last episode of Eivor’s story” at the end of this year. The company is also holding a stream in September to speak about the “future” of the Assassin’s Creed series. That would likely be a good place to confirm the oft-reported Assassin’s Creed game that’s set in Baghdad. Said title was also reportedly the untitled game Ubisoft delayed alongside Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
