Like other major Ubisoft releases in recent years, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has a cash store that offers more than just DLC. Odyssey was criticized for its experience boosters, which many players argued the game was balanced around selling, so there’s been some concern over whether or not Valhalla would repeat this trend. Well, I have good news for all of you. Well, mostly.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla does not have exp boosters in its store, but it does feature equipment, silver, and materials.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla does not feature a single experience booster of any sort in the store, and the game itself absolutely showers you with skill points needed to progress. All said, the game does not feel as strangely balanced as Odyssey was, but there are a few items in the store that many raise an eyebrow or two.
A healthy selection of items in the store are cosmetic. The property and companions tabs feature nothing but cosmetics, and you can find tattoos for sale in the Character tab. Not everything is purely for looks, however. Armor sets and weapons do come with traits and stats, and while Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is a single-player game, some will find this concerning. Every piece of equipment in Valhalla is unique, and there are more than enough sets and weapons in-game to fit any sort of build. But, if you are uncomfortable with games selling actual loot that affects gameplay in any form then the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla store will irk you.
Of course, there are convenience “Utilities” up for sale, and while they’re not as egregious as Odyssey’s experience boosts, a few holdouts remain. You can buy in-game silver for straight cash, which seems a little odd until you see how many tattoos and hairstyles are for sale at the various vendors in England. You need silver to not only buy these cosmetics, but new weapons, materials, and arrows that also sell for silver at these vendors. Earning silver is not difficult, but if you want all the cosmetics ASAP then Ubisoft has given you a way to purchase them with cash.
Leather and iron are also bundled together as an item you can purchase. These two resources are used to “level” your equipment, and are also easy enough to acquire in-game. But, if you want your giant Dane axe at max level immediately then I guess you could buy one of the three material bundles. Finally, there are maps for equipment, ability books, and upgrade materials. You can buy variants of these in-game via the Cartographer from your settlement, but like the other items within Utilities these maps are for those of you with more money than time.
You will have to purchase Helix Credits to buy mostly anything within the store, and these come in the usual $5, $10, and up bundles. Naturally, these Helix Bundles are balanced around you either having extra Helix after a purchase, or just not enough, so if you plan to buy anything from the Assassin’s Creed Valhalla store be sure you know the exact amount of real world cash you will need to spend to get all the credits you need. You can also buy DLC and the Season Pass ($40) from the store under Add-Ons, but these are purchased with straight cash and not Helix Credits.
