Step into the god-boots of Odin to tackle Hel's forces in Niflheim

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla may have seen the last of its paid DLC with Dawn Of Ragnarök in March, but today’s free Forgotten Saga update is hoping to draw you back into the game again and again. That's because it's inspired by roguelites, see. Refresh your memory about Valhalla by watching the trailer below.

Forgotten Saga is meant to be a roguelite-style experience in the realm of the dead, Niflheim, plunging headfirst into the Norse fantasy worlds introduced to Valhalla in Dawn Of Ragnarök. Don’t worry, because you won’t need the paid expansion to play Forgotten Saga – it’ll be unlocked after you reach a certain point in the game, easily accessible through a new hut in the village of Ravensthorpe. This time you’re playing as god-parent Odin, who’ll die, rinse, repeat their way through Niflheim and its rock-solid enemies in search of their missing son Baldr.

Niflheim isn’t like setting out for a pleasant hike through the Scandinavian wilderness though. Odin has to brave environments such as the frozen region of Kaldstad, poisonous swamps of Nidheim, and eventually rock up to Hel’s castle. As well as the standard minions to fend off, every zone in Niflheim has a boss to beat in the form of one of the champions of Hel. There’ll be secret areas to find, and NPCs who’ll offer side quests that you won’t be able to tackle in just one run.

Odin starts out with a randomised set of gear, but you’ll need to scrounge whatever you can find to bolster their chances of success by offing enemies, completing world quests and spending in-game currency at the merchant’s shop. Get taken down by Hel’s mates though, and you’ll lose all the fancy stuff Odin collects. If you’re booted out of Niflheim then you’ll at least have the option to spend ability points in a new skill tree to improve your chances of finding decent gear next time.

The Sigrblot festival is back in Ravensthorpe from August 4th to the 25th too, if you fancy a good ol’ Viking knees-up. There are “exclusive festival rewards” to be had, but you’ll need to have reached England first, obvs, have completed either the Grantebridgescire or Ledecestrescire story arcs, and be at settlement level two. The 1.60 update also fixes some issues with main and side quests from Dawn Of Ragnarök, and adds some miscellaneous improvements.

Alice Bee dug the final DLC for the game in her Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarök review. “There's a bit more of a sense of wonder, and more weird things to run into around the place,” she said. “It's not going to impress Elden Ring fanciers, but it's probably the most engaging world in Valhalla, and proof enough in my book that Ubisoft Sofia are ready for a crack at a full game.”

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is on Ubisoft Connect and the Epic Games Store for £50/$60/€60. You can read the full patch notes for the 1.60 update here.