Is Assassin‘s Creed Valhalla Multiplayer?

No, Valhalla is fundamentally a single player open world action RPG focusing on memorable mythic stories and progression. It does not have direct multiplayer modes. You won‘t be questing alongside friends or battling hordes in PvP arena battles.

That said, through the Jomsviking system veteran players can create a mercenary Viking to assist others and receive goods in return. So limited collaboration exists, albeit more passively than the abandoned multiplayer attempts of past AC titles.

Diving Deep on Valhalla‘s Jomsviking Mechanics

Constructing the Jomsviking Barracks allows Eivor to shape a fierce lieutenant with custom gear and tattoos. Think of it like crafting an NPC companion card in other RPGs – investing resources to craft something uniquely your own.

• Once constructed, the Jomsviking can be summoned in combat to unleash attacks or draw aggro
• They gain XP and return hauling foreign cargo to sell at your settlement‘s merchant
• Most intriguingly, friends can borrow your Jomsviking for their own solo journeys
• Seeing your character appear in YouTube videos or hearing their feats is profoundly satisfying

Top players gain fame as their eye-catching Vikings rack up kills across the world. It becomes a symbol of mastery over Valhalla‘s systems.

"The battles waged without you along for the ride will etch their own marks into your Jomsviking‘s burgeoning legend."
- PC Gamer on the Jompsviking experience

There‘s an innate joy in lending "yourself" out as a mercenary while still playing solo. It echoes past systems like the pawn rental of Dragon‘s Dogma, the companion customization of Shadow of Mordor, or delegating teams in XCOM:

These passive asynchronous connections have wide appeal versus direct co-op or PvP. They reward investment in a symbolic avatar – a "self" beyond your playable character.

Valhalla‘s Content Shows No Signs of Multiplayer Either

Both of Valhalla‘s epic DLC expansions to date – Wrath of the Druids and The Siege of Paris – focus purely on single player content.

They allow you to continue Eivor‘s odyssey across 9th century Europe, acquiring exotic gear and expanding your settlement‘s capabilities. Their self-contained stories even sideline your Jomsviking lieutenant in favor of localized companions like the fiery Caoimhe or hulking Toka.

So those hoping to delve into the rich world of Valhalla with friends will currently need to settle for discussing adventures over mead rather than uniting blades.

That said, dawn breaks on a new era for the AC franchise…

The Curious Case of the Missing Multiplayer

Looking back at a decade plus of releases reveals a fascinating split for Assassin‘s Creed:

• Titles from AC Brotherhood through AC Unity experimented extensively with competitive, cooperative and hybrid multiplayer modes
• Yet from 2015‘s Syndicate onward, the series has entirely focused purely on single player immersion

Early attempts proved fairly niche and prone to stability issues given the complex world simulations. Still, their abandonment is intriguing given Ubisoft‘s doubling down on cooperative play in properties like The Division 2 or Rainbow Six Siege.

What explains this about face toward solitary experiences again in one of gaming‘s crown franchises? Industry veterans have weighed in with several theories over the years:

"Multiplayer is out because it splits development resources from their focus on massive intricately detailed open worlds and sumptuous RPG systems."

 - Kotaku‘s Stephen Totilo on the sheer effort of annual Assassin‘s releases  

The sentiment is common among critics: creating satisfying multiplayer requires tremendous care in netcode, balance and longevity of progression systems. With their beautiful recreations of history taking absurd effort already, perhaps Ubisoft felt they needed to laser focus on perfecting core single-player satisfaction first.

"They likely crunched the numbers and saw that relatively few players engaged deeply with multiplayer versus single-player campaign completion."  

- Gene Park, reporter for The Washington Post

Player behavior analytics guides many project decisions. While AC multiplayer reviewers praised as tense and stylish, the question lingers if it found commercial success. There is speculation that usage rates were insufficient to warrant continued overhaul and maintenance given rocky launches for Unity and Syndicate.

"Live service games have become the golden goose - reliable years-long revenue fueling constant content updates."

- Ryan McCaffrey, IGN‘s Executive Editor of Previews and former host of Podcast Unlocked  

Ubisoft openly embraces games as evolving platforms rather than static products now. Assassin‘s Creed itself aims to become a live hub dubbed "Infinity" for regularly expanding stories.

And recently leaked documents revealed Project Invictus – a standalone multiplayer title set in the AC universe. With Microsoft acquiring Activision, the pressure to bulk up recurring revenues increases.

The truth likely combines the above: refocusing on nailing core single-player quality while preparing to augment it with ongoing multiplayer services.

Valhalla‘s world will remain solo – but new journeys may enable alliances.

Just How Vast are Recent Assassin‘s Worlds?

Freed from multiplayer constraints, recent entries have crafted staggeringly large realizations of history to explore. Let‘s contrast Valhalla with its two predecessors:

From the golden dunes of Egypt to the emerald hills of England, players have lived a thousand lives in these lands. Each bustling world brimming with cities, forts, jungles and villages.

These maps showcase beautiful unity – the efforts of hundreds of artists and engineers. Exploring their forest paths and political secrets as the roguish Eivor feels profoundly personal.

Assigning portions to hypothetical multiplayer facets may have diluted their coherence or curtailed their scope. Their existence as unified solo works enables our hero‘s legend to shine bright.

Closing Thoughts – The Allure of Being the One

Lands like ancient Greece or England host rich lost histories we yearn to uncover. Walking the streets of Athens as the misthios or the fields of Wessex as the wolf-kissed drengr connects to that deeper desire.

Assassin‘s Creed has always sought to create a historical tourism full of secrets – an immersive portal to eras when legacies were forged by blade and conviction.

There is special flair granted to singular heroes in these sagas stretching centuries.

We remember bold names – Altaïr. Ezio. Edward. Arno. Aya. Alexios/Kassandra. Eivor.

Perhaps someday the creed may call for alliances again. For glorious co-adventures to echo the multiplayer memories of old. Of stalking rivals or uniting against tyrant order.

But for now, wander alone under Northern Lights or Grecian sun. Adventure awaits. Fate and glory call you by name. Seize your destiny, wolf-kissed!

Let the bards sing of your legend in ages yet unknown!

Skål!