Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Story Better Than Odyssey’s? A Deep Dive
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The age-old question: Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s story better than Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s? The answer, while subjective, leans towards Valhalla having a stronger main narrative, at least in terms of scope and focus. However, the overall storytelling experience is far more nuanced, and the preference often boils down to what a player values most in an open-world RPG. While Valhalla’s main plot offers a more focused and traditional Assassin’s Creed experience, revolving around alliances and kingdom-building in 9th-century England, Odyssey boasts a more personal and epic journey, packed with mythical elements and a compelling protagonist-driven story.
Valhalla’s Story: A Saga of Conquest and Alliances
A Focus on Political Intrigue
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla centers on Eivor, a Viking raider who leads their clan from Norway to England. The narrative revolves around establishing settlements and forging alliances with various kingdoms to secure a foothold in a new land. This creates a storyline deeply intertwined with political intrigue, warfare, and the clash of cultures. The game’s story is essentially a long and elaborate war, with most of the game’s 60+ hour main story focusing on conquest and conflict.
A More Structured Narrative
Valhalla’s story is arguably more structured and linear than Odyssey’s, with the main quests and story arcs having a clearer path. This focus benefits those seeking a tightly woven plot with well-defined objectives. While this does come with its downsides (such as a potentially overwhelming number of alliances and characters to track), it also offers a satisfying sense of progression as Eivor’s settlement grows and their influence expands. You are actively building a community, and this feels integral to the gameplay experience.
The Modern Day Story
The modern-day story in Valhalla also attempts to build upon the previous narrative beats set in Odyssey. The transition between the two games is important, and playing Odyssey first may enhance the modern-day experience within Valhalla.
Odyssey’s Story: A Mythical Epic of Fate and Family
A Personal Journey
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey places more emphasis on a deeply personal narrative, following either Kassandra or Alexios as they uncover their family history and fate in ancient Greece. The story is a sprawling epic involving gods, cults, and personal vendettas. This focus on a specific character’s journey creates an immersive and emotional experience.
Choice-Driven Storytelling
Odyssey utilizes a more open, choice-driven narrative system than Valhalla. Your decisions have tangible consequences, influencing the characters you encounter and the ending you ultimately achieve. This gives players more agency over the course of the story and offers high replayability. The “Lost Tales of Greece” provides side stories that enhance the depth of the narrative.
Exploring Mythological Elements
One of Odyssey’s key draws is its rich incorporation of Greek mythology. Players battle mythical creatures, encounter gods and goddesses, and explore legendary locations. These fantastical elements contribute to a more diverse and engaging storytelling experience.
Key Differences and Why They Matter
The core difference lies in the focus of each game. Valhalla prioritizes a more historically-grounded experience, emphasizing political conflict and territorial expansion. Odyssey, on the other hand, embraces a more fantastical and character-driven narrative.
- Structure: Valhalla’s story is more linear and structured, while Odyssey’s story is more open and choice-driven.
- Themes: Valhalla explores themes of conquest, alliance-building, and cultural integration. Odyssey delves into themes of fate, family, and the clash between myth and reality.
- Protagonist: Valhalla has a more stoic, warrior protagonist, whereas Odyssey’s has a more personal and emotionally-driven protagonist.
- World Design: Odyssey’s world feels more vibrant and alive, while Valhalla’s feels more grounded but perhaps less densely populated.
The Verdict
While Valhalla may have a more tightly controlled main story focused on political conflict and war, both stories are compelling. Ultimately, the ‘better’ story is largely subjective. Valhalla is great for players who appreciate historical narratives and enjoy alliance building and a more focused game. However, Odyssey remains the better choice for those who crave an epic personal narrative, a more mythical setting, and a protagonist-driven story where player choices make a real difference. The main story in Valhalla can take 59-91 hours compared to the 42-45 hours in Odyssey, indicating the scale of Valhalla is larger in the main quest-line.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla bigger than Odyssey?
While Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has a larger map based on measurements, much of that is water. Valhalla offers a sizable landmass, with its map spanning the regions of England and Norway and the recent expansions. The total land mass of Odyssey is still slightly larger than the combined maps of Valhalla.
2. How long is the main story of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?
The average playtime for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s main story is approximately 59 hours and 39 minutes. Speedrunners can complete it in around 44.5 hours, whereas a leisurely pace can take over 91 hours.
3. How long is the main story of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey?
The main story of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey typically takes about 42 hours to complete. A completionist run, aiming for 100%, can take up to 132 hours.
4. Did Valhalla sell more than Odyssey?
Yes, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has outsold Odyssey by a significant margin, with reports stating a 50% higher sales performance.
5. Is Assassin’s Creed Valhalla worth playing after Odyssey?
Absolutely. While both games have similar gameplay mechanics, they offer unique stories, settings, and experiences. Valhalla is worth playing after Odyssey for its Viking-era narrative, focused story, and alliance-building gameplay. The story also makes a point to connect to the events of Odyssey, making it worthwhile to understand the whole story.
6. How is Valhalla different from Odyssey?
Valhalla has a greater emphasis on the main story, with a focus on alliances and settlement building. It also lacks open-ended side quests found in Odyssey. Valhalla also does away with levelling enemies so that combat stays challenging.
7. Which is the longest Assassin’s Creed game?
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has the longest story in the series, with the main story averaging about 60.5 hours. However, a full completion of Valhalla is still slightly shorter than Odyssey.
8. Which Assassin’s Creed game is most like Odyssey?
Assassin’s Creed Origins is the most similar game to Odyssey. Both games share similar combat and exploration mechanics, as well as the ancient setting, making the transition between them seamless.
9. Is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey the best in the franchise?
This is a subjective question, but Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is often cited as one of the best, and is often highly praised for its open world and choice driven gameplay. While personal opinion on the best game is varied amongst fans, Odyssey has become a fan-favorite.
10. Is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey difficult?
Some players find Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to be more challenging than some other entries. Combat and exploration require understanding the game’s mechanics to be successful.
11. Is AC Valhalla worth buying in 2023?
Yes, AC Valhalla is still worth buying in 2023, especially if you are a fan of open-world RPGs, Viking lore, or enjoyed other recent entries in the series. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that the game can become bloated if playing for too long. Playing in sessions may help mitigate this issue.
12. What is needed to 100% complete Valhalla?
To achieve 100% completion in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you need to collect all 782 collectibles, including Wealth, Mysteries, and Artifacts.
13. How long does it take to 100% complete AC Valhalla?
A full 100% completion of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla takes about 144 hours of playtime.
14. What is the recommended order to play Valhalla?
For an optimal story experience, play the main story until the Valka missions, then complete the Valka acts. Once done, finish the 10 optional Animus glitches before completing the main story and the Dawn of Ragnarok DLC afterwards.
15. Is Odyssey and Valhalla connected?
Yes, they are connected. Kassandra appears in Valhalla via a side quest on the Isle of Skye. The modern-day story in Valhalla also progresses the narrative set in Odyssey.