Over the weekend at E3 20210, Ubisoft revealed the Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla Discovery Tour mode. Discovery Tour is a new DLC that puts players in the role of ordinary villagers during the Viking age. History has always played an important role in the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and now Ubisoft is going to let players experience that by letting them step into the role and lives of ordinary Vikings, allowing a more explorational and educational type of experience as introduced in Assassin’s Creed: Origins. This expansion will give those more interested in history than assassinations a long-awaited update that was initially teased closer to the game’s launch. Alongside the Discovery Tour – Viking Age expansion, Ubisoft also announced that a wealth of content and support into its second year would be coming.
An Exploration Into the World and Lives of Vikings
Discovery Tour changes and expands a lot of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla by taking the attention off of the main story and onto the ordinary Viking civilians of the time. The expansion strips the combat and quests away, allowing players to explore the world without any worry of enemies attacking at any moment. Besides allowing players to visit and see scenic vistas, it provides various options to learn about the history of the land. From guided tours with NPCs to marking points of interest for players to go visit and explore, players can take in the historical landscape around them. It will also allow players to take in jobs around a settlement that the main character of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, Eivor, presides in, giving players the chance to dive deeper into the lore and history surrounding the game’s world.
Though details of how this expansion works are being released sparsely, the announcement video does say that players can “Play as people during the time of the Vikings and follow them in their endeavors, big and small.” The mode will explore the lives of these Vikings, with the announcement trailer showing examples such as a player controlling a common villager chopping wood and a Christian monk at a monastery. Players can also play as real-world characters like those featured in the world of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. Taking part in the Discovery Tour will also earn players unspecified exclusive rewards as they progress through the tours. Overall, this new mode aims to give players the chance to experience life as it was in the Viking age with all the benefits and features that will expand the in-game world.
Past Discovery Tours and What Players Can Look Forward to
With the announcement of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s Discovery Tour expansion, players can look forward to the historical exploration of the game’s world, like other Assassin’s Creed titles before it. Assassin’s Creed Origins and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey have featured this mode, with similar features and gameplay but in different landscapes set in history with Ancient Egypt and Greece. Both of those titles have featured an exploration mode that allows players to participate in history around them, similar to what Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla’s Discovery Tour has now promised. What players can look forward to with the new DLC releasing in Fall 2021, is a historically authentic explorational and educational experience in a world full of Viking inhabitants. It will give the opportunity and chance for those finally looking forward to learning about the deeper lore and historical world that the game has set itself in, like the previous titles before it that have created such similar historical experiences.
At Epoch XP, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse Epoch XP’s service on our parent site, SJR Research.
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(This article is credited to Josh Rife. Josh has been a longtime gamer, playing games from vast amounts of genres. From Sci-Fi to historical or fantastical medieval games, he enjoys playing and discussing them with others. Some of his particular favorites include the Mass Effect series and the Total War franchise. He’s working towards writing and researching history as a full-time career, taking inspiration from his parents, who own Epoch’s parent company, SJR Research.).