Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök disappoints more than it transcends

gamepur.com:

The premise behind Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s expansion, Dawn of Ragnarök, is exciting and fun on the surface, but poorly executed in practice. In it, you’ll be assuming the role of the Allfather of Norse Mythology, Odin referred to as Havi, as he investigates the disappearance of his son, Baldr. Quickly, Odin learns Baldr has been captured by Surtr in the Dwarven land of Svartalfheim, and Odin must unite the scattered Dwarves to rally against Surtr and free his son. 

While the attempt is to pull away from Valhalla’s traditional framework of England’s knights and Vikings, not too much legitimately changes in the overall framework of this expansion. The names of your enemies change from knights and brigands to Frost and Fire Giants. The foes are fearsome, but they lack teeth and depth to make them feel threatening. Many parts of this expansion feel the same way, with more of the same wrapped around a new coat of paint. You’ve already experienced basically this throughout Valhalla and the other released DLC.

After the game proper opens, a brief glance may look like you have a large area to explore, with limited guidance. Unfortunately, upon finding the first Dwarven shelter where the citizens hide from the Muspel invaders, you’re bombarded with quests. Although minor, they point you in the direction of many of the landmarks full of items for you to collect for additional upgrades. Alas, those upgrades are mostly for your new gear, and still, they don’t add much to the overall experience. The most notable added feature is the Hugr-Rip, which allows Odin to use the powers of other mythical creatures in Svartalfheim, and while fun, it quickly loses its luster.

Pulling away from the real world into this Nordic adventure seems