This week’s big Assassin’s Creed Valhalla update added a new mode to the game, Mastery Challenge, which offers a series of repeatable maps to stomp and stealth your way through in return for fresh rewards.
We knew the gist of all this already – and we’ll go into more detail below – but what has come as a nice surprise is the new narrative this mode folds into the game, including a tease for something being added to Valhalla down the line.
The Mastery Challenge questline begins with a bang, as a meteor hits Eivor’s Ravensthorpe. The impact reveals a door, apparently concealed within the cliffside all this time, and a mysterious woman, Hildiran, who’s now investigating what’s going on.
Unlocking this door will require time and also energy, Hildiran says. Specifically, energy acquired while playing the game’s Mastery Challenge maps, which are explained as training grounds in a mind palace-like “Hugrheim” realm. Sure, let’s go with it.
There are five challenge maps to tackle, each of which has three variants themed around melee combat, ranged combat and stealth. Each variant feels very different, with different routes and enemies, as well as lava, frost or forest theming (more on that in a bit). So, overall, it feels more like 15 challenge maps are on offer.