Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris

The Siege of Paris was one of the largest undertakings ever by the Viking raiders, and its outcome dramatically altered the course of history for the Vikings, Franks, and all of Europe. So it should come as no surprise that Assassin's Creed Valhalla would visit these events in a downloadable expansion, aptly titled "The Siege of Paris." What is a surprise, though, is how such a game changing chapter in the pages of history winds up not changing all that much in the actual game. That's not to say the Siege of Paris doesn't bring a few new toys to Valhalla's open world sandbox. The scythe weapons are quick but powerful tools of destruction, carving a path of destruction wherever they swing. New abilities like the Plague of Rats can distract and injure foes with swarms of white rats keen to do players' bidding. And then there's the Golden Flame, which can turn an enemy into a ticking time bomb. These are fun new additions to the Eivor's arsenal of tricks, but they're don't exactly revolutionize the gameplay.

That's the biggest problem with The Siege of Paris expansion. It never quite lives up to expectations, especially when compared to the breadth of content in the Wrath of the Druids expansion. In that, everything felt fresh and new, with lush landscapes and interesting characters that kept players' interests. Here, it feels like everything new is old again. The city and surrounding settlements feel grimy and bland. The characters and quests are almost carbon copies of what players have faced before. And overall, most of Eivor's time spent in Francia feels like little more than base filler material. It's not that it's "bad," but rather that it just lacks much in the way of enthusiasm and excitement. And considering The Siege of Paris is meant to be the culmination of Assassin Creed Valhalla's first "season" of content, the fact that it simply feels like more of the same doesn't give players much motivation to look forward to any potential second season.