Ubisoft's associate narrative director explains more about Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Wrath of the Druids DLC
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a stunning game set in the years 872–878 AD during the Viking invasion of Britain that follows the adventures of Eivor, a Viking warrior.
In the game's new DLC, Wrath of the Druids, the compelling Norse mythology story will continue but this time, players will get a taste of the green shores of Ireland as it focuses on investigating an ancient druidic cult rich in Gaelic myth and folklore.
To lay down more context on what players can expect in the new DLC, Ubisoft Bordeaux associate narrative director Hugo Sahuquet, sat down with The Gamer to delve into the structure of the story a little more.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids Story Details
As someone who lives in Ireland, there's nothing more appealing and exciting to me than seeing your wee country depicted in video games, albeit, at times, inaccurately. Don't even talk to me about the accents.
Thankfully, Ubisoft director Hugo Sahuquet has aimed to squash those fears in the new DLC by stating to The Gamer that Ubisoft brought in two experts, professor Clare Downham from the University of Liverpool and Professor Sean Duffy from Trinity College Dublin, whose focus is on Viking and Irish history to keep the storyline as accurate as possible.
The DLC happens around 40 years after the Vikings first settled in Dublin with the Vikings adapting to the Irish culture rather quickly which then leads to marriages to secure protection, land and whatever else that's needed.
Sahuquet explains that with the Druids DLC, players will see a new leader named Barid mac Imair as king of Dublin after the Vikings conquered High King Aed Findliath which lead to reinforcements making their way to England.
“Though there are no definite records of Barid's parents, we imagined that Barid was chosen by Aed exactly because he was a Norse-Gael, born from an Irish mother,” Sahuquet continues. “The Vikings were allowed by Aed to keep ruling Dublin, but by that time, the Vikings had no hope to conquer Ireland."
Sahuquet also expands on the life's of the Vikings in Ireland during that time by coming together with the Irish in terms of business and how the Irish were also sought after as mercenaries of war by the Kings of Ireland.
Apparently, the High King of Ireland, Flann Sinna, gets together with a main character to join Viking war campaigns and this is where players will start their Wrath of the Druids adventure.
It certainly sounds like Ubisoft have put a lot of effort into wanting to make this DLC as authentic and as interesting as possible with deep narrative exploration. Here's hoping the end product does Ireland's history proud.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Wrath of the Druids DLC launches later this month on April 29