Is the Valhalla DLC Worth Playing in 2024? An In-Depth Analysis

As a hardcore Assassin‘s Creed gamer and content creator, I get asked this question a lot: are the DLC expansions for Valhalla really worth picking up? With three major releases now available – Wrath of the Druids, Siege of Paris and Dawn of Ragnarök – adding over 50 collective hours of content, it‘s a key question for fans.

Well after playing and analyzing all three expansions in depth, I have some clear verdicts to share…

Wrath of the Druids DLC – Recommended for Fans

Kicking off with Wrath of the Druids, this first expansion takes us across the sea to a beautifully realized medieval Ireland. After hearing rumors of a druidic cult wreaking havoc, Eivor travels there and quickly becomes embroiled in the quest to hunt them down.

Overall, I‘d summarize my verdict as:

Recommended for fans, but inessential for completionists.

Here‘s my full analysis:

• Playtime: 20 hours – A meaty expansion adding a significant new map area
• Cost: $25 standalone or access via Season Pass
• New Weapons: Gaelic swords, sickles and druidic staffs. Well designed but nothing standout
• New Abilities: Druidic magic like summoning animals. Situationally useful additions
• Story Quality: 7/10 – Interesting cultist plot albeit dragging in the final act
• Gameplay Innovation: 5/10 – Same fundamentals as base game just in a new location
• Map Design: 8/10 – Beautiful wilderness reminiscent of old school AC maps
• Public Reception: Mostly positive. 72 OpenCritic Average.

The Verdict?

A quality expansion adding some welcome improvements like enemy scaling and new abilities. The Irish wilderness map is breathaking to explore and druidic storyline solid if not mindblowing. At $25 it‘s reasonably priced for a AA production level add-on with no major faults.

For hardcore fans I‘d call it a must-buy for supporting more expansions. For casual players, it‘s still a quality option if wanting more Assassin action, just not quite essential.

Siege of Paris – Disappointing & Skip-able

Moving onto the Siege of Paris DLC, expectations were high to see the Assassin‘s take on a legendary historical battle. Taking place in 885 CE, Eivor arrives amidst the Vikings siege of Paris to aid her friend Count Odo in defending the city.

In terms of my recommendation:

Largely skip-able DLC with repetitive quests salvaged only by the Paris setting

Here‘s the full analysis:

• Playtime: 10 hours – The shortest of the three major expansions
• Cost: $25 standalone or via Season Pass
• New Weapons: Crossbows, guisarmes, sickels etc – nothing memorable though
• New Abilities: Built for stealth so some useful infiltration tools like body hiding
• Story Quality: 3/10 – Very boring, black & white tale of defending Paris vs Vikings
• Gameplay Innovation: 1/10 – Fundamentally identical to base game
• Map Design: 7/10 – Decent recreation of medieval Paris but quite small
• Public Reception: Lackluster – Has only a 64 OpenCritic average.

The Verdict?

A passable but mediocre expansion that fails to do anything fresh with the series. The brief 10 hour quest feels repetitive with bland friend vs friend narrative. Only mildly saved by the well crafted Paris setting – but even then the city feels small.

At $25 there‘s just not enough content or innovation to justify cost like Wrath of the Druids did. One for die-hard completionists only.

Dawn of Ragnarök – An Epic Must-Buy

But just when I‘d written off the Valhalla DLC experiment comes Dawn of Ragnarök. And what an expansion this turned out to be…

Transporting us to the fantastical dwarven realm of Svartalfheim, this 20+ hour epic sees us playing as the Allfather Odin on a dangerous quest to rescue his son. With an entirely new suite of dynamic "Hugr" god powers to wield, it completely flips the script on the base game.

My verdict?

A triumphant expansion that equals & arguably exceeds the base game. This is the pinnacle of RPG Assassin‘s Creed.

Here‘s the full analysis:

• Playtime: 35 hours – One of the biggest AC DLCs ever in terms of scope
• Cost: $40 standalone or $10 upgrade w/ Season Pass
• New Weapons: Bladed & frost channeled gauntlets. Unique from everything else in series
• New Abilities: Hugr powers – insanely fun elemental & shapeshifting abilities
• Story Quality 9/10 – An epic Norse saga up there with the greats
• Gameplay Innovation 10/10 – Hugr powers completely refresh combat, stealth & exploration
• Map Design 9/10 – Stunning, colorful forests, dwarven ruins & temples
• Public Reception: Overhwelmingly positive – 84 Opencritic average. Fan favorite

The Verdict?

Far and away the most superlative chapter in Eivor‘s saga yet seen. Dawn of Ragnarök features Assassin‘s Creed at its most ambitious, unleashing stunning new frontiers to explore with Odin-esque god powers that lend combat more possibilities than ever.

This is an easy recommendation for ALL Valhalla players. The $40 entry cost might seem steep, but with 35 hours filled with some of most versatile,tightly designed quests of the entire RPG trilogy – it‘s worth every dollar. Don‘t miss this.

Compare the Full Valhalla DLC Suite

To put the full expansions picture into comparison:

Cumulative quality and value ratings out of 10 for all Valhalla expansions

|| Wrath of the Druids | Siege of Paris | Dawn of Ragnarok |
|-|——————|—————-|—————–|
| Content Quality | 8 | 4 | 10 |
| Replay Value | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Innovation | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| RPG Impact | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| Lore Contributions | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| Overall Verdict | 7.4 / 10 | 3 / 10 | 9.8 / 10 |

The Bottom Line – Great Additional Value

While the experiment got off to a rocky start with The Siege of Paris, the bookends of Wrath of the Druid and Dawn of Ragnarok make the Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla season pass absolutely great value for RPG fans.

Offering a combined 55+ hours of expansive new stories, abilities and territories to explore, the two stellar expansions almost rival the base game‘s scope when combined. Dawn really puts a bow on the package too as one of the most ambitious and quintessential Assassin‘s RPG chapters yet with its injection of dynamism via the Hugr god powers.

So for hardcore fans wanting more out of their stay in majestic Norway and beyind, the DLCs are easily recommend to build out your saga. Between the Vikingsimulated Ireland, the grand streets of Paris and jawdropping dwarven ruins of Svartalfheim – they flesh out the world in completely new ways.

Even for casual players just finishing the main story, I‘d still recommend checking out Dawn of Ragnarok when possible. It‘s truly a must-play high point for the series and Odin‘s mythical quest should not be missed!