To start the new content, you only need to have reached England (around one hour of playtime) but you should have your character levelled up to around 55 as recommended by the game. The DLC will take you on a set of missions that take the player on a journey to Ireland when a new guest suspiciously arrives at the docks of Ravensthorpe, the main settlement of the base game.
This will add around 10 hours of additional content to an already huge game and sees the player visit Ireland to help out a cousin who is looking to expand their control over the country. It brings a new mission type in Royal Demands but follows the same idea of the main game, Explore, fight and take over.
The added content comes with new gear for your character, and some of this looks fantastic. New content listed below:
- Accomplish the Royal Demands from the Gaelic Kings to gather resources.
- Claim and conquer the Ring Forts of Ireland, form alliances to dominate the trade routes to build Dublin’s wealth and establish it as the primary seat of commerce
- Trade rare resources and exotic rewards with overseas nations to make Dublin a thriving city.
- Master a brand new type of weapon: the Sickle, a fast and deadly blade that can be dual-wielded.
- Use new abilities and skills like the Viking Salute, the Smoke Bomb Arrow, the Irish Hound Summoning, and the Sickle Combo.
- Battle and defeat new powerful enemies including the Children of Danu, a mysterious cult of Druids; Drengrs; Irish factions; and new mythical creatures.
- Discover a variety of new gear and weapons, and more customisation options for Eivor’s longship, horse, raven, tattoos, hair, and settlement decorations.
Wrath of the Druids doesn’t change the game, but it continues the excellent storytelling from England. The Children of Danu function similar to the Order of the Ancients featured in the base story (Valhallas version of the templars featured in the first few games), with you gaining information to identify the members and then taking them down one by one.
This is fleshed out more than the main game, and progression is required to progress the story later on. The Druids also feature interesting takes on the combat of the game, and this leans into the more fantastical side of Assassin’s Creed. Using a hallucinogenic green fog, this is the cults signature weapon and the player’s vision will become unclear and make enemies look like mystical beasts.
Side note, Assassin’s Creed should go full force with the fantasy side of things. Going forward, I would love to see Assassin’s Creed Blood Dragon(first featured in Far Cry 3 DLC)……..Please Ubisoft, bring back Blood Dragon………..
The trading posts are also a nice touch but are more for completionists rather than players in search of more story.
DLC should offer something different, an escape from the main game or a reason to come back to a game that’s been completed. This is missing here, but I will revisit when the 2nd DLC drops later this year as the base game is very enjoyable.
Overall the new missions and content are more of the same from the starting point on Valhalla. It offers amazing visuals and a strong story, but the game doesn’t change the format of whats came before. For players that have put in the hours so far, I’m not sure if it offers enough to recommend a revisit. However, if you’re just starting your Viking journey, this is a better experience than some of the side mission content available, with great gear, XP and abilities on offer.
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