Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the last major game in the Assassin’s Creed series, and a pretty good one at that. Set in 9th century England and other places, here you play as Eivor, a Viking warrior who takes part in the bitter war between the Templars and Assassins on the British Isles.
Aside from featuring improved combat, and the new assault and raid missions, Valhalla also brought back gameplay ideas from the past like being able to blend in crowds in order to hide from enemies and deliver the killing blow, making players feel more like assassins as in earlier games like 2014’s Assassin’s Creed Unity.
And while Assassin’s Creed Unity might have been considered a flop back in the day, it did introduce the fan-favorite “black box missions” to the game, sandbox style missions which are coming back to the series in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s “The Siege of Paris” expansion this summer.
Slated for release on August 12, The Siege of Paris takes players to the Kingdom of Francia, which at the time was ruled by infamous leader Charles the Fat. And it seems Valhalla’s protagonist Eivor will get a chance to mince words (or rather cross swords with) Charles himself, as he’ll be taking part in the siege of Paris as the expansion’s title indicates.
This will give players a chance to enjoy more of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s bloody combat, which arguably is the series’ best so far. Also, with new quests, storyline and locations, this should keep players busy for about another 15 hours, even if admittedly the main game is already bursting at the seams with content.
But those already invested in Eivor’s story and his Viking clan will likely want to pick this up, so hopefully The Siege of Paris will be as good as the earlier Wrath of the Druids expansion which was pretty decent by most accounts.
What’s more interesting about The Siege of Paris expansion, though, is the return of the black box missions as stated earlier. Last seen in Assassin’s Creed Unity, these let you go about assassinating a target how you see fit, with the game putting you in an open location which presents the player with a series of opportunities to take advantage of as seen in Ubisoft’s tweet below (via sportskeeda.com).
Your target is clear – but the how, when, and where are up to you.
Black Box Infiltration missions are making their way to Assassin’s Creed this summer with The Siege of Paris. #AssassinsCreed #ACFacts pic.twitter.com/X1AYTvzBfw
— Assassin’s Creed (@assassinscreed) July 24, 2021
The Siege of Paris expansion also adds new gear and weapons (such as a spinning harpoon), plus also new abilities and skills for Eivor. There will be new enemy types to deal with, and hopefully these will be fun to fight in the game.
Aside from this, the Viking festival “Sigrblot” is now live in the game and can be enjoyed by all players, featuring mini-games, new quests and a new weapon to get hold of amongst other things until August 19.
Meanwhile, The Siege of Paris expansion releases on August 12 as stated earlier.
Those Assassin’s Creed Valhalla players who own the expansion pass will be able to download the expansion come this date, while it can also be purchased independently on PC and consoles. Here’s hoping it’s good, then, and that those wishing to continue Eivor’s story in 9th century Europe can have a good time this summer.
Read more: 5 gameplay surprises in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla