You Need To Do This ASAP In Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla has braved the icy waters of a next-gen release to hit store shelves, and, for the most part, critics love it. Reviewers praised the game's combat, attention to detail, and worthwhile content. Moreover, the title can last from 40 to 120 hours depending on where you go, what you do, and how many times you reset after a failure. Since Valhalla is an open-world game, you can basically go anywhere and do anything you want, but some activities should be higher on your priority list than others.

While you can, will, and should eventually take advantage of all the activities Valhalla has to offer, taking a specific approach or delving into certain locations will provide some long-lasting advantages for your first tenuous steps into the game. If you want the smoothest ride possible, completely immune from the looming shadow of "fear of missing out," you should do the following at your first opportunity.

If you played Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, combat should feel like a warm, comforting friend. You can hack and slash enemies into human cutlets, and you can also utilize a bevy of brutal abilities to aid in the slaughter. However, earning abilities underwent a facelift. Instead of unlocking them via skill tree — as you do with Odyssey's skills — you can only learn abilities through Books of Knowledge. You can find these books in the strangest of places (because public libraries haven't been invented yet), and you can pickup three before you even land on British shores.

The first three Books of Knowledge are waiting in Nottfall, Gryttirsand, and near Kjotve's Fortress. These books grant the Throwing Axe Fury, Thorn of Slumber, and Rage of Helheim abilities, respectively. If you don't loot the books before you leave for England, you won't be able to obtain them for quite a while, as Valhalla won't let you return to Norway for a long time. While not necessary, these abilities can make certain fights and quests far easier.

Assassin's Creed: Valhalla includes plenty of new features to give that simulation game feel. You can pet cats and dogs, customize your character's appearance, and catch all the fish you can reel. You can also participate in flyting, which is essentially a Viking rap battle. And if you win them all, you will do more than make just a few dimes.

Flyting contests increase your charisma, a powerful stat-based boon. This skill opens up dialogue options that can make men and women swoon. With high enough stats, you might avoid a nasty fight. Or, you can wiggle a few more coins out from people when you finish a quest right.

Since flyting is a well of charisma, seek out contestants in every settlement you embrace — or at least those that do not welcome you with a sword to your face. Make flyting a priority before you talk to other NPCs. If you do this, the rest of the game could turn into a breeze.