Assassin's Creed Valhalla Combat Guide: Master Every Mechanic

Q: How is Valhalla different from Odyssey and Origins?

The settlement. Ravensthorpe grows through six levels, Encampment to Town, and buildings are paid for with supplies and raw materials that only raiding produces. Origins and Odyssey had no equivalent economy. Valhalla also replaces the ability menu with a skill constellation of star nodes and adds the Jomsviking system, where players design warriors other players hire.

Q: Which skill branch should I pick first?

Bear if you want to fight in the open, because Heavy Dual Wield is the standout node and Valhalla's melee is generous. Raven if you want the classic Assassin's Creed loop, since Chain Assassination is the branch's real payoff. Wolf is the specialist pick and shines against Lost Drengr and Zealots.

Q: How do Jomsvikings work?

Build the Barracks, design a warrior at the quartermaster, and yours goes online for other players. Every time someone recruits yours you collect 100 silver from your own quartermaster. You hire other players' Jomsvikings at docks for 100 silver and take up to six warriors raiding, and they can be killed for good.

Q: How do I get Excalibur and Mjolnir?

Excalibur needs all 11 Treasures of Britain tablets, each guarded by a Lost Drengr, placed in pillars in a hidden chamber. Mjolnir needs the complete Thor armour set, which means defeating the three Daughters of Lerion and the Order of the Ancients Zealots, then recovering the hammer in Hordafylke in Norway.

Q: Where is Ravensthorpe and can I move it?

Ravensthorpe sits on a river in England, established after Eivor leaves Rygjafylke in Norway, and it cannot be relocated. What you control is which buildings go up and in what order, and each new building pushes the settlement toward the next of its six levels.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla combat guide covering every mechanic, advanced techniques, and the strategies that separate good players from great ones.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla puts you in the boots of Eivor Varinsdottir, a Norse raider who leaves Rygjafylke in Norway in the year 873 and rebuilds a clan settlement called Ravensthorpe on English soil. Unlike Origins in Egypt or Odyssey in Greece, the spine of this game is a settlement you grow through six levels, a raiding economy that feeds it supplies and raw materials, and a skill constellation of star nodes instead of a perk menu.

Combat in Assassin's Creed Valhalla rewards knowledge over reflexes. Understanding how each mechanic works (and how they interact) is what turns a struggling player into a dominant one. New here? Start with our beginner's guide for the basics.

Core Combat Mechanics

1. Ravensthorpe settlement building

Ravensthorpe climbs six named levels, Encampment, Colony, Hamlet, Borough, Village and Town, and every level is bought with buildings rather than with time. Tier one covers the Blacksmith, Barracks, Hidden Ones Bureau, Stable and Aviary and Trading Post. Tier two adds the Fishing Hut, Brewery, Bakery, Shipyard, Tattoo Shop and Museum. Tier three brings the Cartographer and the farms that feed the longhouse.

Why it matters: This is the foundation of all combat. Everything else builds on this.

2. Raids and River Raids

Blowing the horn on the longship sends your crew at a monastery or riverside camp, and the chests they break open are the main source of supplies and raw materials. Without raiding, settlement construction simply stops. The free River Raids mode added in 2021 runs three rivers, the Exe, the Severn and the Dee, with randomised layouts and a separate reward track.

Why it matters: The most underrated mechanic. Players who master this early have a massive advantage.

3. The skill constellation

Skill points buy nodes on a star map split by colour. Red Bear nodes cover melee, blue Wolf nodes cover ranged, yellow Raven nodes cover stealth and assassination. Most nodes are flat stat increases and the named ones are the reason to push a branch: Heavy Dual Wield and Sprint Bash in Bear, Charged Shot and Arrow Reinforcement in Wolf, Chain Assassination and Counter Roll in Raven. Gear carries the same three tags, so a Raven weapon rewards a Raven-heavy tree.

Why it matters: Unlocks a new layer of gameplay depth once understood.

4. Jomsviking barracks

The Barracks lets you design a Jomsviking who then goes online for other players to hire. When another player recruits yours you collect 100 silver from the quartermaster. You can hire other players' Jomsvikings from docks for 100 silver each and take up to six warriors along on a raid, and unlike your named allies they can die permanently.

Why it matters: The tactical edge that separates average players from advanced ones.

5. Alliance map and pledges

Randvi's alliance map inside the longhouse is the quest hub. You pledge to a region, play its arc, and bring an alliance back to the map. Regions carry a suggested power number, from 20 in Ledecestrescire and Grantebridgescire up to 55 in East Anglia, 90 in Oxenefordscire and 130 in Sciropescire, and going more than about 30 above your own power turns every fight into chip damage.

Why it matters: The endgame optimization mechanic. Small improvements here compound into massive gains.

How These Mechanics Combine

Understanding how mechanics interact is where real optimization happens:

Ravensthorpe settlement building + Raids and River Raids

Ravensthorpe climbs six named levels, Encampment, Colony, Hamlet, Borough, Village and Town, and every level is bought with buildings rather than with time. When combined with Raids and River Raids, blowing the horn on the longship sends your crew at a monastery or riverside camp, and the chests they break open are the main source of supplies and raw materials. This combination is the core of every effective build.

The skill constellation + Jomsviking barracks

Skill points buy nodes on a star map split by colour. Paired with Jomsviking barracks, the barracks lets you design a jomsviking who then goes online for other players to hire. This is why the tier list favors builds that leverage both.

Alliance map and pledges as a Multiplier

Randvi's alliance map inside the longhouse is the quest hub. You pledge to a region, play its arc, and bring an alliance back to the map. Regions carry a suggested power number, from 20 in Ledecestrescire and Grantebridgescire up to 55 in East Anglia, 90 in Oxenefordscire and 130 in Sciropescire, and going more than about 30 above your own power turns every fight into chip damage. This system amplifies everything else. The better your Alliance map and pledges optimization, the more your other mechanics pay off.

Combat by Build

Each build approaches combat differently:

Bear branch melee (A-Tier)

Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Varin's Axe Primary mechanic: Ravensthorpe settlement building

Bear branch melee offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.

Wolf branch ranged (A-Tier)

Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Hidden Blade Primary mechanic: Raids and River Raids

Wolf branch ranged offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.

Raven branch stealth (A-Tier)

Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Fyrd Spear Primary mechanic: The skill constellation

Raven branch stealth offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.

Dual wield hybrid (A-Tier)

Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Excalibur Primary mechanic: Jomsviking barracks

Dual wield hybrid offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.

Raid captain (A-Tier)

Combat approach: Balanced combat style. Key equipment: Mjolnir Primary mechanic: Alliance map and pledges

Raid captain offers a solid combat experience. Full setup in our builds guide.

Advanced Combat Techniques

Damage Optimization

Match your equipment to your build's stat priorities
Exploit Ravensthorpe settlement building for maximum damage windows
Chain Raids and River Raids and The skill constellation for combo damage
Use Jomsviking barracks to create openings

Survivability

Learn enemy patterns before committing to attacks
Supplies and raw materials only come from raiding in useful quantities. If your settlement build queue has stalled, the fix is a raid loop rather than another hour of exploring.
Position using Ravensthorpe settlement building to control spacing
Save defensive options for guaranteed survival, not comfort

Boss Combat

Bosses test your understanding of every mechanic. See our boss guide for fight-specific strategies.

Phase awareness: Most bosses change behavior at health thresholds
Patience over aggression: One extra hit per opening beats dying to greed
Build preparation: Swap gear and equipment for specific fights when needed

Common Combat Mistakes

Button mashing: Committed attacks have recovery frames. Mashing locks you into animations.
Ignoring Raids and River Raids: This mechanic exists for a reason. Players who use it take significantly less damage.
Wrong equipment for the situation: Check our weapons guide for situational picks.
Not learning from deaths: Every death teaches something. If you don't know why you died, you'll die the same way again.
Overcommitting: Trading hits works in Ravensthorpe but will get you killed in Vinland.

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