Assassin’s Creed Valhalla adds new combat and stealth challenge mode tomorrow • Eurogamer.net

Tomorrow’s update for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla adds a new Mastery Challenge mode to the game.

Update 1.2.2 will arrive for PC, PlayStation, Stadia and Xbox around 1pm UK time and also adds new skills, river raid cosmetics and other improvements.

Mastery Challenge mode is the big addition, and can be found at “numerous shrines hidden in the world”, Ubisoft said in its patch notes. Each shrine will host a Trial of the Bear, testing your combat strength, a Trial of the Wolf, testing your ranged ability, and a Trial of the Raven, testing your stealth.

You’ll need to be Power 221+ to access Mastery Challenge. Expect “unique rewards that will both show your mastery and give you more options in combat”.

Separately, three more skills will be added to the game’s ability tree. Mounted Archer will unlock bow abilities while riding an animal. Shield Master will automatically rotate you to block incoming attacks when shielding. Unstoppable will let you sacrifice stamina to keep your sprint going, while knocking enemies back.

The game’s previous additional mode, River Raids, has also been refreshed. There’s now better rewards when rivers are at higher alert levels, and a new armour set to acquire.

Speaking of new cosmetics – if you haven’t nabbed it already, it’s worth flagging that Basim’s armour set is available now to claim in-game for free via Ubisoft Connect.

Finally, there are hundreds more bug fixes – welcome news for anyone still suffering from various bugs. I’m very pleased to see the (minor) issue of being constantly told I have unlocked bonus content has now been sorted. You can find the full list of bug fixes in Ubisoft’s patch notes.

Earlier this week, Ubisoft confirmed a second year of post-launch support will arrive for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, and teased the addition of the fiery mythical realm of Muspelheim.