Bugs and glitches aside, the new River Raids is pretty good in terms of the improvements made to the game mode since this feature was introduced...

First, a nod to visual and level design. I appreciate that Ubisoft took time to make the regions for the new rivers (Erriff, Berbha, and Rhine) feel more like the rest of the world in AC Valhalla. There were real roads that connected various locations along the rivers, as opposed to the spattering of forts and settlements in the English rivers. Some of the locations in the new rivers actually felt like real towns, not just with a variety of structures, but regular people walking about. The structural and level design of some of the forts and settlements were also different from anything that we’ve previously seen, which helped in keeping the gameplay fresh.

Another positive note was the introduction of the Champions of the Faith. These opponents were fun to fight as they were the only ones who presented any real challenge to Eivor because they used unique abilities that other enemy types don’t utilize. The note to Eivor at the very end of the story arc was a nice touch as well, as it implied there may be future champions to fight. Ubisoft may be on to something here to create real replay value for the River Raids. It would be pretty cool if there were a Champion of the Faith every week with a new piece of gear, weapon, or diamond rune for the player to acquire. I know, it’s wishful thinking...

Last positive note is the refilling of chests for foreign supplies and the refilling of small chests that allow players to repeat raids for more leather and ore. I also noticed that when going back to a river more than once, I saw an uptick in the output of foreign supplies. At one point, I was banking 60 foreign supplies per chest. I don’t know yet if that is the cap, or if there is a higher number, but it was a nice upgrade by the developers to encourage repeat trips to the same rivers.

Okay... time for the complaints...

The rewards for this story arc were interesting, but not really that great. I’m not sure I’ll use Lugh’s armor set when I can get some of the effects with better values for Eivor by combining two other sets. It kind of comes down to play style in the end. And speaking of play style, I honestly have no inclination to use Lugh’s Spear or any of the other weapons acquired from the River Champions and the Champions of the Faith because they all felt a bit too focused in using particular abilities or actions to activate their effects. If Ubisoft were to have weekly Champions of the Faith, where there was a weapon that utilized a different ability, then eventually every player’s play style could be accommodated.

Also, the story here was kind of hum-drum compared to the previous River Raid storyline. We didn’t learn anything new about Vagn, and there was no real story behind the River Champions or the Champions of the Faith. Ubisoft had an opportunity to build on the development of the prelude towards the Templar Order, but squandered it for two-dimensional fighting. To give an analogy... Ubisoft could have given us Darth Maul from The Clone Wars, but instead we got Darth Maul from The Phantom Menace.

Alright, that’s my two cents... What do you think about the new River Raids?

Considering the pre-existing mechanic of delegating whether/whether not you may be directed towards a goal...

It would be pleasing to see quest locations re-directed to the map by the quest tab with a button.

While in the quest menu, I naturally hit square thinking it would bring me to a map focused on the quest. I’m not sure why, but I think that would be cool.

Fantastic so far in general, I’ve enjoyed it and will go back to playing now.

-Justin

I’ve put the game on hold since close to release, in the hopes they’d add an option to make the camera closer in combat. When I saw the most recent update I got excited for half a second before realizing it’s everything BUT combat. 😖. Have they ever commented on the combat camera and whether or not it’s something they’d consider? Is the fact that they added non combat only camera options, pretty much a sign they won’t do so for combat as well? I just find the combat so much less enjoyable and engaging with it zoomed out so much. Personally feel Origins had the best combat camera and wish they’d add an option to make it like that.