First look at Dawn of Ragnarök, Assassin's Creed Valhalla's fiery new expansion

Dawn of Ragnarök will arrive on Xbox One and Xbox Series X | S on March 10, when it takes Assassin's Creed Valhalla players on a new journey into Nordic myth in the vast realm of the dwarves of Svartalfheim. Dawn of Ragnarök focuses on Odin (aka Havi), who enters this strange new land on a mission to save their son, Baldr, from the immortal fire giant Surtr.

Set thousands of years before the events of Assassin's Creed Valhalla (and experienced as a vision by Eivor), Dawn of Ragnarök is the largest expansion in the series, with around 35 hours of estimated content. Svartalfheim is a huge kingdom filled with huge dwarven buildings, literally mountains of gold, and a skyline dominated by the twisted branches of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. It is a world occupied by the forces of Surtr, the fire giants Muspel, who have allied with the frost giants of Jotnar to hunt for powerful relics hidden throughout Svartalfheim.

Their presence has contorted the landscape with ice and magma, and apart from a few hidden dwarven havens, there are no safe havens here. Most Muspels and Jotnars will attack Odin on sight, and in addition to wielding powers of fire and ice, their ranks include new enemy types such as Flame Keepers, which can resurrect fallen enemies and prolong battles indefinitely if not be careful.

Odin has one major advantage, however: the Hugr-Rip, a mythical bracelet that allows them to steal powers from certain marked enemies. Powered by a new resource, Hugr, which can be tapped from giant flowers or obtained by sacrificing some of Odin's health in special shrines, these new abilities last for short periods of time and include the following:

Power of the Raven - Transforms Odin into a white raven, allowing players to freely and quickly explore the skies.
Power of Muspelheim - Disguises Odin as a fire giant, allowing for social stealth and immunity to heat and magma.
Power of Winter: Imbues Odin's weapons with ice, allowing them to freeze and shatter enemies.
Power of Jotunheim - disguises Odin as a frost giant and allows them to teleport to special targets with bows and arrows.
Power of Rebirth - While active, raise all defeated enemies from the dead to fight for Odin. (Especially effective if you can assassinate several enemies in quick succession.)

All of these powers can be permanently upgraded at Dwarf Blacksmiths, adding new twists like the ability to assassinate in the air while in crow form, but there's a catch: Odin can only equip two powers at a time ( out of five possible). This is intended not only to get players to think carefully about which ones will be useful in their current situation, but also to let the developers throw in little hints - a power-carrying corpse lying outside a cave, for example, is a dead giveaway that one or more of the puzzles within can be solved using that power.

Hugr-Rip's powers only work in Svartalfheim and cannot be carried over into the main campaign, but there are many other things that can. Powerful new armor sets are hidden throughout Svartalfheim, and a new weapon type, the Atgeir, allows Odin to unleash a variety of bladed and ending pole weapon combos. New abilities can also be unlocked, and while these have fantastic effects in Svartalfheim, more "realistic" versions can also be used in the waking world of Eivor. And if you bring the right gems to the right eccentric dwarf, you'll also unlock new cosmetic features to place around Ravensthorpe.

As Odin explores Svartalfheim, they will discover another new feature - the Arena. Run by Kára the Valkyrie, the Arena is a place where Odin can re-enact stories of past victories as he faces waves of enemies and bosses. For greater rewards, Odin can add Perks to each "story"; Melee Tradeoff, for example, causes Odin's consecutive melee attacks to deal less damage (unless interrupted by a ranged attack or ability), while Enhanced Enemy Melee causes them to do more damage and can also work in your favor if you use the power of Rebirth during the match.

Once purchased, Dawn of Ragnarök content is accessible at any time by Assassin's Creed Valhalla players (and can upgrade it to the recommended power level of 340 if they haven't yet achieved it on their own). The fiery end of Norse mythology begins on March 10, so get ready and prepare for the greatest adventure yet in the distant past of Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed® Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök

Purchase Assassin's Creed® Valhalla - Dawn of Ragnarok now and receive instant access to the Twilight Pack

In Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, the most ambitious expansion in the franchise's history, Eivor must embrace his own destiny as Odin, the Norse god of Battle and Wisdom. He unleashes new divine powers as you embark on a desperate quest in a breathtaking world.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is required to play this game.

Assassin's Creed® Valhalla

This game leverages Smart Delivery by allowing access to both the Xbox One title and the Xbox Series X | S title

Build your Viking legend at 60 FPS and 4K resolution on Xbox Series X.

Become Eivor, a legendary Viking warrior. He explores the dark ages of England as you raid your enemies, grow your settlement and build your political power in the quest to earn your place among the gods in Valhalla.

- Lead epic Viking raids against Saxon troops and fortresses.
- Relive the visceral combat style of the Vikings as you wield powerful double-handed weapons.
- Challenge yourself with the most diverse collection of enemies ever in Assassin's Creed.
- Shape your character growth and clan settlement with every choice you make.
- Explore an open world of Dark Age, from the rugged shores of Norway to the beautiful kingdoms of England.