The Dawn of Ragnarök DLC for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set in the Early Middle Ages, making its setting one of Assassin’s Creed’s oldest chronologically, coming behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and Origins. The third and final DLC for 2020’s AC Valhalla, Dawn of Ragnarök sees the game’s protagonist, Eivor, embrace their destiny as Odin and embark on a quest to save their son. So far, the early reviews of Dawn of Ragnarök put it on par with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, with many players praising the expansion as Assassin’s Creed’s most ambitious DLC to date.
The 12th installment in Assassin’s Creed’s main series, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is primarily set during the years 872–878 AD during the time of Viking raids of the British Isles. The DLC continues a storyline from AC Valhalla, with the game’s protagonist stepping into the role of Odin wielding god-like in Dawn of Ragnarök, it presumably takes place during this same time period. However, Dawn of Ragnarök steps away from history, choosing to instead lean further into Norse mythology, granting the game’s protagonist divine, otherworldly powers.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s setting in the late ninth century makes it the third oldest in the Assassin’s Creed series, in terms of chronology. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, set in Ancient Greece, is chronologically the oldest game in the franchise, taking place in the years 431–404 BC. Second is Assassin’s Creed Origins, which takes players back to the origin of the Assassin Order, during the years 49-43 BC in Ancient Egypt. Assassin’s Creed then jumps forward over 900 years between the stories of AC: Origins and Valhalla, the longest amount of time elapsed between any two Assassin’s Creed games, leaving plenty of room for potential installments.
AC Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök Is Set In A Mythical World
After AC Valhalla comes the game that started it all, 2007’s Assassin’s Creed. Set in the late 12th century, Assassin’s Creed takes players throughout the Holy Land, jumping between the time of the Third Crusade and the modern day. The inaugural game introduces players to the Assassin Brotherhood, as well as the elements characteristic of the Assassin’s Creed franchise as a whole, with an open-world environment that players are free to explore using stealth and parkour mechanics. Aside from the main series, Assassin’s Creed has spawned numerous spinoffs and games developed for handheld consoles and mobiles. Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles is one such spinoff, a prequel set a year prior to the first Assassin’s Creed.
Assassin’s Creed has been revered for its historical elements, albeit not always historical accuracy, taking its players to various historical periods and ancient worlds. Dawn of Ragnarök strays away from this, opting to hone in on the Norse mythology that shaped and defined Viking culture. As Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set over 900 years later than AC Origins, the near-millennia gap between the two games leaves plenty of room for additional titles to be set during this period, with the next Assassin’s Creed installment reported to star Basim in Baghdad.
