Has that axe been gathering a bit of dust lately? Well, it’s time to clean it off and set sail for medieval Ireland, to bloody it up like a good little Viking. It has been a hot minute since the release of Assassins Creed: Valhalla, 6 months to be exact, but it’s better late than never. Wrath of the Druid is the first major expansion by Ubisoft and it is a welcome opportunity for both new and returning players. It should be mentioned, to avoid any confusion, you will be required to own the original game to access this DLC even though it is a self-contained story arc.

Depending on where you are in the story, whether you have poured a hundred hours into the game or just starting, will determine how organically you will be introduced to the DLC. If you have completed everything or are at least a fair way into the campaign, a new mission will pop up named “Irish Trade” which will start your quest line after meeting Azar at Ravensthorpe.

If you are starting fresh it may take a little adventuring and reaching at least a power level of 55 before stumbling across your invitation to Ireland. No matter which end of the spectrum you are, this self-contained story can be explored from start to finish, without needing to have completed the main storyline and is perhaps more beneficial to those who are at the start of their journey.

Keeping with the Vikings aesthetic, Ireland, the home of the Wrath of the Druid DLC, is a captivating landscape of lush green tundras, peppered with outposts and grand stone castles. The further you venture, the more unsettling areas of swamplands induce fantasy mysticism and lays the foundation for Celtic mythology. A large-scale uprising of traditional Paganism and Druidry has unsettled the regions of Irelands, as they are slowly assimilating Christian beliefs.

The Children of Danu have emerged as the prime threat and the meat of this expansion has you hunting them down. I was rather invested in the thought-provoking religious themes that divided the nation. While loosely based on history, it felt authentic to their struggles and was conveyed convincingly by stellar writing. The accents were what you would expect from traditional media, whether it is authentic to a native from Ireland will vary depending on who you ask.

Ubisoft has incorporated mythology into the gameplay through the use of hallucinogenic poison. What should be another standard fight, evolves into a battle against otherworldly and powerful monster-like beings. However since they can bring something new to the table, Eivor should be able to the same.

A new weapon type, the sickle, is brutally satisfying to wield and the headbutt attack is unnecessary but extremely welcome. Outside of combat, the mission objectives to progress the story is largely unchanged, save for one addition. Each quest can have added objectives that are akin to the old system of the original Assassin’s Creed games to try and reach full synchronization. Veterans of the series will appreciate this added touch but they can be arbitrary and feel like an afterthought.

Everything I have mentioned above makes it feel like a worthy addition to the Valhalla ecosystem and they take it one step further by introducing the trading posts. Through your travels, trading posts need to be reinstated so they can passively generate materials that can be traded for some sweet loot or renown. Time-wise, depending on your OCD and skill level, there is about 10-20 hours of content to conquer and a fair amount of gear to collect. With one of the most enjoyable soundtracks in the franchise to listen to as well, it’s well worth the time invested.

Written by: Shane Fletcher