Assassin's Creed Valhalla update adds a new difficulty mode and tweaks stealth

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok

(Image credit: Ubisoft)

Assassin Creed Valhalla's Eivor will once again be stepping into the shoes of Odin next month in Dawn of Ragnarok, but ahead of that Ubisoft is releasing a patch full of bug fixes, improvements and even a new difficulty mode.

At the top of the list, we've got some tweaks to stealth. These are mainly fixes, like NPCs disengaging from combat too quickly or Eivor being detected when using environmental traps, but the AI reaction to their whistle has also been improved.

AI reaction to whistle improved.
Players get detected by enemies when using environmental traps.
Wild animals detecting Eivor regardless of distance/angle and alerting nearby NPCs.
NPCs disengaging from conflicts extremely quickly.
Enemy detection cones reducing when using a bow.
Monks having difficulty to leave the music crowd stations in the quest Taken (Kidnap Estrid).

The update also introduces a new, easier difficulty mode: Saga. This makes enemies inflict less damage, and they won't scale with Eivor. You'll also have more time to perform stealthy actions before your enemies realise they're being murdered by a big Viking.

Valhalla already has a bunch of settings beyond the pre-existing difficulty modes that let you side-step some of the challenge, and it's absolutely one of the more accessible big games around. It's great, then, to see that the team isn't resting on its laurels, and continues to let players dictate how they experience the game. And those settings have also been enhanced with new things to tweak.

Damage Eivor Takes
Eivor Damage Output
Ration Healing Ratio
Adrenaline Regeneration
Enemy Health Modifier

On top of this, there's a long list of bugs and other issues that have been addressed, including "numerous" UI/HUD issues, visual quirks, Eivor getting stuck and broken Mastery Challenge progression.

Title Update 1.5.0 arrives today at 12 pm GMT/7 am EST/5 am PST, and it'll take up 15.09 GB on PC.

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Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.