As part of Ubisoft Forward, the developer shared a long list of new details about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla regarding the combat, how you can recruit cats, and that you’ll be able to switch between male and female Eivor at any point in the game.
Another detail confirmed during the presentation was that Valhalla will have a fishing mechanic–and it’s tied into another new system for the game. In Valhalla, your health does not automatically regenerate over time, so you will need to find ways to replenish it. One way is to catch and consume fish.
Given that Valhalla is set in 873 CE, the game does not feature actual fishing rods. So you will simply cast a line with your hand and try to catch a fish that way. Once you have a fish on the line, you’ll need to mash the A button to bring it in. You must control the direction of the fish and also the tension of your line to be able to successfully land the fish.
In the demo, we see Eivor catching a bullhead catfish, with the on-screen message stating that it’s a “regular” size, which presumably means there will be bigger and smaller fish (and of different varieties) to catch. We don’t see Eivor choosing the specific type of bait, so it’s unclear if you’ll get to choose what you want to fish with. Also worth noting is that Eivor casts her line from what appears to be a fishing village, but you can also fish from your long boat in the open water.
In addition to catching fish, players can forage for food, like mushrooms, in the wilderness to regain health.
Valhalla releases on November 17 for PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia. It’s also coming to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X when those consoles release, and players who buy the game on current-gen can upgrade to the next-gen edition for free.
For lots more on Valhalla, check out GameSpot’s new hands-on impressions in the video above. You can also read Jordan’s interview with narrative director Darby McDevitt and assistant level design director Laurence Letalien about Eivor’s mysterious identity, the interwoven story, and more.
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