Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Ancient Britain can give franchise new lease of life

With Assassin's Creed Valhalla releasing in early November, anticipation for the new game is seriously high.

Much of the focus in the build-up to the title has been around Eivor and the Vikings, however, the game will be predominantly set in Ancient Britain.

Some gamers have pointed out that Assassin's Creed has already visited London in AC Syndicate, but Valhalla's Britain will be vastly different, opening up a world of opportunities for Ubisoft to explore.

A Melting Pot

Modern England, and especially London, is often known as a melting pot of many different cultures and influences.

This trend is nothing new as Ancient Britain was similarly impacted by many cultures from around the world.

Roman Invasions

Perhaps the most obvious ancient influence to Britain was the Roman invasions of Celtic Britain starting way back in 55 BC, with Roman occupation spanning from 43 to 410 AD.

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The Roman Empire left behind plenty of cultural and structural reminders of its existence.

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The likes of Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Baths would be great to explore in Valhalla and Ubisoft could even include a nod to Ezio Auditore -something all fans would love to see!

Myths and Legends

One aspect of Assassin's Creed games that has become more prominent in recent titles is the myths and legends of the world.

Both Origins and Odyssey included mythical creatures and deities, such as the Egyptian Sphinx and Cretan Cyclops.

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EYE ON THE PRIZE: AC Valhalla will look to continue Odyssey's mythic themes

Valhalla will look to continue this theme, with plenty of British folklore to explore (Ubisoft has already confirmed that Sherwood forest will feature in the game).

King Arthur

The Romans weren't the only people to invade England before the Vikings, with early Saxon invaders looking to conquer England once Roman forces had withdrawn.

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Legend has it that King Arthur, perhaps the most famous Ancient British leader, led the defence of Britain against the early Germanic forces.

There is so much scope with the Legend of King Arthur, surely Ubisoft will include something around the tale.

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STUFF OF LEGENDS: Ubisoft has blurred the lines between reality and myth in recent times

Perhaps you could complete a quest for a mysterious warlock by the name of Merlin, in which you find a legendary sword in a lake...*cough* Excalibur *cough*.

Unfortunately, AC Valhalla's map doesn't seem to span as far as the South-West, so it's unlikely we'll be able to explore the ruins of King Arthur's stronghold at Tintagel - perhaps this would make a fitting expansion post-release?

Ancient Britain at War

With so much history prior to Valhalla, it's easy to forget the complexity of Ancient Britain during King Alfred the Great's reign (which is when AC Valhalla is set).

When the Vikings invaded, they weren't attacking a unified England.

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FRAGILE FOUNDATIONS: Valhalla's Britain is broken into four kingdoms, all with the capability to wage war on each other

By the time Alfred was King of Wessex, and after a hell of a lot of fighting, there were in fact four main Kingdoms - Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria.

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Sometimes the Kingdoms got along and somtimes they didn't...The unsettled state of Valhalla's Britain gives Ubisoft licence to create a war torn world with a rich mix of story lines.

It's far from as simple as Vikings vs. England and we can't wait to see how Ubisoft interpret that when tying in the Assassins' ongoing battle against the Templars.

To read more about Assassin's Creed Valhalla, head here.