Assassin’s Creed Shadows vs Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Which Is Better?

With the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, comparisons between it and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla are natural. Here’s our take on it.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now out, making it the first major open-world release since Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (not counting the smaller-in-scope AC Mirage). As such, it is quite natural for fans to wonder which of these two games are better. There are major distinctions between the two games, which might turn off some players, especially those who loved Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. Others might find the changes in AC shadows refreshing and welcoming.

In the following comparison, we aim to point out the differences and the similarities between these two games. That should help you decide which of them you’d like more.

Which Game Is Better: Assassin’s Creed Shadows or Assassin’s Creed Valhalla?

We’ll break down the comparison into sections for gameplay, plot, visuals and open-world activities. For most players, these are the four key pillars that make or break an Assassin’s Creed game.

Gameplay Comparison

AC Shadows does make some drastic changes when compared to the gameplay in Valhalla. The biggest change is also the most obvious. Shadows has two protagonists that play very differently from each other. Yasuke is more of a brute strength character, limited in his parkour and strength abilities. On the other hand, Naoe is a ninja who is tailor-made for players who prefer the stealthy approach. You can choose to approach missions or activities as either of these characters, making gameplay completely dynamic. In AC Valhalla, the sole protagonist, Eivor, is a master of both stealth and combat. While playing with the one character can make it easier to learn his moves and abilities quickly, it can also make the enormous game feel monotonous at parts.

Beyond the protagonists, Assassin’s Creed Shadows also introduces a fleshed-out seasons system, which changes not just how the world looks but gameplay aspects too. For instance, you might be able to dive underwater to hide from enemies in the summer. However, that same body of water might freeze over completely in winter, preventing you from approaching undetected in a similar way. Also, rain sounds during a season can drown out the noise you make, making you harder to detect. Each season lasts around 2-3 hours of in-game time. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla lacked seasons, even though its different regions had snowfall or clear skies. Also, the rain or snow didn’t impact gameplay in any way and was more of a visual variety.

Combat itself has been reworked tremendously in AC Shadows to give it more depth. Previous Assassin’s Creed games have been known to have button-mashing combat. However, in the latest entry, you’ll need to time your strikes, blocks, dodges, and parries to get through an enemy’s defenses. Powerful foes have a yellow armor bar that you will need to drain before you can affect their health. Even though AC Valhalla also had dodge and parry abilities, they weren’t as in-depth as the newer game.

Also Read: 5 New Features Introduced in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Plot Comparison

This is completely subjective, but many players feel that the plot in Assassin’s Creed Shadows isn’t particularly outstanding. In fact, the game’s story line starts out quite slow. While a slow start can sometimes be a good thing, you might even begin to lose interest by the time the pace picks up. The game also takes some time to unlock its second playable character, Yasuke. Pacing was a major issue for Valhalla too, with the main story often getting lost behind hours upon hours of open-world activities and other filler content.

In AC Shadows, you play as Naoe and Yasuke (the only AC protagonist based on an actual historical figure) in 16th-century Japan. It is a historically significant period in the country’s history, when civil war ran rampant. The game’s story revolves around the two main characters and how they uncover a plot that leads them straight to the ancient rivalry between the secret sects of the Assassins and the Templars.

In AC Valhalla, you play as Eivor during the 8th century AD. You take on the role of a fierce Viking warrior who must protect his group and build anew. On this quest, Eivor meets people from both the Order of the Ancients (Templars) and the Hidden Ones (Assassins), including Basim, the protagonist of AC Mirage. The plotline takes a great deal of inspiration from Nordic mythology and creates a compelling narrative. However, it’s easy to lose track of the story with so many side activities to pursue.

Visuals Comparison

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the newer game in the franchise, and its visuals are arguably better than AC Valhalla. With ray tracing capabilities, access to the latest DLSS, FSR, and XeSS tech, and frame generation, the game can look stunning. The colorful and vibrant presentation of Japan makes it all the more beautiful to look at while playing. Some of the important characters in the game have also received the motion capture treatment, giving their animations a much more organic and natural feel.

By comparison, Valhalla’s graphics can start to feel a bit dated by the present standard. However, that’s not to say by any means that AC Valhalla didn’t impress with its graphical quality upon release.

Also Read: 7 Mistakes You Should Avoid While Playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Open World Activity Comparison

In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, there is a lot to do and see. From taking part in horse archery to finding lost scrolls, completing all of the activities can take you several dozen hours. And you get knowledge points for every activity you complete, which helps you unlock new tiers of upgrades for your equipment. So, you aren’t simply clearing off map markers to earn a few XP. Instead, you are engaging in activity to effectively increase your effectiveness in combat or stealth.

AC Valhalla also offered several types of open-world activities. However, their sheer number often overwhelmed players. There were just too many points of interest on the map. After a point, it might begin to feel like a grind, collecting all of the treasures in a region. Then, you progress to a different region and have to do it all over again. Barring completionists, many players left these world activities unfinished simply because of how overwhelming they can be.

Which Game Should You Play?

Ultimately, the choice boils down to what you prefer and prioritize. If you’re looking for more than 150-200 hours of fun in an extremely large world filled to the brim with activities, we’d recommend Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. The gameplay itself won’t knock you out of the park, but being a Viking badass is surely worth it.

However, if you are looking for updated visuals, a combat system with more depth, and a game that lets you be a stealthy ninja or a skilled Samurai, we’d suggest trying AC Shadows.

Also Read: How To Breathe While Underwater in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

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We provide the latest news and create guides for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Meanwhile, you can check out the following AC Shadows articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:

• Assassin’s Creed Shadows: PS5 and Xbox Performance and Quality Modes Explained
• Can You Do One-Shot Assassinations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
• How To Get Assassin’s Creed Shadows Slash of Sprecher for Free
• Who Are the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Protagonists? Everything We Know About Yasuke and Naoe
• Can You Play Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Steam Deck
• Assassin’s Creed Shadows Release Time Countdown for All Regions