Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Will Let You Dual Wield Shields

Last week, Ubisoft pulled back the curtain on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the latest game in the long-running franchise. While Valhalla immediately drew comparisons to Sony’s God of War franchise, Ubisoft has been quick to point out that the game will take more inspiration from the actual historical setting, as opposed to the myths that surround it. In fact, it would actually appear that the creators are doing their research to make sure the era feels authentic. According to Ubisoft, weapons in the game will be used in a manner similar to the time period, and that will even allow players to dual wield shields!

In an interview posted on Ubisoft’s website, Thierry Noël discussed the game, and how Ubisoft is researching how combat worked during this particular era. Noël is both a historian and the inspirational content advisor of the Editorial Research Unit for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

“We know that combat at the time was rough and rustic. It was really harsh; our research taught us that Vikings were very versatile fighters. They knew how to use a wide variety of weapons; and managed to dual-wield any kind of weapons they could get their hands on. They even weaponized their shields, which is why you can dual-wield them in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. There was so much variety in Viking combat, and that’s what we wanted to make available to the player as well,” said Noël.

It will be interesting to see how this works in the game. It’s not hard to imagine how shields might work as an offensive weapon, especially if the combat allows players to really cut loose. Whether or not shields will be nearly as effective as the other options in the game, however, is another story entirely. Still, this attention to detail bodes well for the rest of the game. Assassin’s Creed fans worried that the game might turn into God of War should see these details as a very good sign. It’s clear that Ubisoft is intent on making the game every bit as historically authentic as previous games in the series.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set to release later this year on current and next-gen consoles.

Are you excited to dual wield shields? What do you think of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla‘s combat, thus far? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!