Assassin's Creed Valhalla will get a second year's worth of expansions and loads of free content

During the Ubisoft Forward E3 event we got a look at what's in store for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and it's a lot. Ubisoft says this will be the first time an Assassin's Creed game is getting a whole second year of support, which means even more free updates and new expansions. Details are slim, but at the end of the Assassin's Creed segment we got a short teaser of a smoldering stone archway with runes engraved in it. Seems to me like we're probably headed to Muspelheim, land of the fire giants (which makes perfect sense if you've beaten Valhalla in its entirety). Ubisoft says to expect a lot more Odin too.

During the Valhalla segment, we also got a good look at the upcoming summer expansion Siege of Paris. This paid DLC follows the Viking incursion into France and one of the biggest battles in Norse history. One cool detail is that infiltration missions are making a return, wherein you're just given an objective but no guidance on how to actually complete it. Players will have to figure out how to break into secure areas, deal with guards, and get out alive all on their own—which is awesome since Assassin's Creed is so much more fun when you use the options to turn off a lot of its quest guidance features.

There's also going to be a lot of free updates to look forward to. In the next few weeks, Ubisoft says single-handed swords will be added to the game because it was a top-requested feature by players. Later this fall, Valhalla will get its own version of the Discovery Tour, a free update that focuses on the real history of Valhalla's setting rather than the pillaging and murder. This time around, players will be able to take on the role of average villagers and NPCs and experience a day in the life of an English or Danish person in 9th century England, completing chores and tasks that will teach you about historical buildings and culture.

So, yeah, there's a lot more Valhalla coming over the next year. I'm totally fine with that, personally, since Valhalla is my favorite game in the series so far. The base game is fantastic, but its new Wrath of the Druids DLC is also worth it (assuming you can spare 100-plus hours to finish both).

Assassin's Creed Valhalla's next DLC, Siege of Paris, launches this summer.

To catch the rest of E3, check out our full E3 2021 schedule.

With over 7 years of experience with in-depth feature reporting, Steven's mission is to chronicle the fascinating ways that games intersect our lives. Whether it's colossal in-game wars in an MMO, or long-haul truckers who turn to games to protect them from the loneliness of the open road, Steven tries to unearth PC gaming's greatest untold stories. His love of PC gaming started extremely early. Without money to spend, he spent an entire day watching the progress bar on a 25mb download of the Heroes of Might and Magic 2 demo that he then played for at least a hundred hours. It was a good demo.