Explore the real world of Vikings in Assassin's Creed Valhalla's 'Discovery Tour,' coming in October

Assassin's Creed's "Discovery Tour" is a quasi-educational mode that enables players to explore game worlds and histories without the fear of being, you know, assassinated. It was originally developed for Assassin's Creed Origins and proved popular enough to be done for Odyssey as well, and last year Ubisoft confirmed that Valhalla would also get the tourist treatment. Today it announced that Discovery Tour: Viking Age, as the new mode is officially known, will go live on October 19.

Discovery Tour: Viking Age "will shed light on the Viking era and allow players to discover more about the history and traditions of the time," Ubisoft said. "Designed in close collaboration with historians and archaeologists, this non-violent, interactive learning experience is an engaging deep dive into the Viking Age in ninth-century Norway and England."

The Viking Age tourist trap will be a little different from its predecessors, and will put a greater focus on narrative. Instead of the "guided tours" of Origins and Odyssey, Viking Age players will play as characters in the game world, embarking on quests and completing objectives—all of the non-violent sort, of course—and interacting with "Discovery Sites" focused on Viking and Anglo-Saxon cultures and traditions of the time.

But Ubisoft also emphasized that historical authenticity remains a priority, noting that image contributions come from partners including Hampshire Cultural Trust, the British Library, The Réunion des Musées Nationaux - Grand Palais photo agency, York Archaeological Trust, The National Museum of Denmark, and Preston Park Museum & Grounds.

Discovery Tour: Viking Age will be free for owners of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and will also be available standalone for $20 on Ubisoft Connect, the Epic Games Store, and other storefronts.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.