Assassin's Creed Valhalla Tier List: Current Rankings

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 tier list ranking every build and equipment option. Updated rankings with detailed reasoning.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

This Assassin's Creed Valhalla tier list ranks every major option by overall effectiveness. Rankings factor in damage output, survivability, versatility, gear requirements, and how well each option scales.

Tier definitions: S = best in class, always a strong pick. A = strong and competitive, minor weaknesses. B = solid but clearly outperformed in most situations. C = viable only for players who enjoy the playstyle.

Builds Rankings

Tier	Build	Rating	Playstyle
A	Bear branch melee	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Wolf branch ranged	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Raven branch stealth	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Dual wield hybrid	8.5/10	Balanced approach
A	Raid captain	8.5/10	Balanced approach

Detailed Builds Analysis

Bear branch melee (A-Tier)

Bear branch melee is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Varin's Axe. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Wolf branch ranged (A-Tier)

Wolf branch ranged is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Hidden Blade. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Raven branch stealth (A-Tier)

Raven branch stealth is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Fyrd Spear. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Dual wield hybrid (A-Tier)

Dual wield hybrid is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Excalibur. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Raid captain (A-Tier)

Raid captain is a competitive option in the current meta.

Best with: Mjolnir. See our builds guide for full setup. Stat focus: Balanced stats

Equipment Rankings

Equipment	Best With	Notes
Varin's Axe	The whole of the early game, and as a dual wield partner long after you have better main-hand options.	Eivor's inherited axe and the first weapon in the game.
Hidden Blade	Any Raven build, and specifically for Chain Assassination clearing a camp before an alarm sounds.	Kept from the earlier games and upgradeable at Gunnar's Blacksmith, where each rank raises its assassination damage multiplier.
Fyrd Spear	Raven builds that need a melee answer without abandoning the stealth tree.	A Raven-aligned spear with long reach that keeps you outside most enemy swing arcs.
Excalibur	Late game heavy builds fighting large groups, where blinded enemies stop blocking entirely.	A mythical greatsword locked behind collecting all 11 Treasures of Britain tablets, each guarded by a Lost Drengr, then placing them in the pillars of a hidden underground chamber.
Mjolnir	A completed save where the stun chance turns crowd fights into a formality.	Thor's hammer, and the reward for assembling the full Thor armour set, which means killing all three Daughters of Lerion and clearing the Order of the Ancients Zealots before digging it up in Hordafylke in Norway.

Check our weapons guide for in-depth stats and comparisons.

Equipment Analysis

Varin's Axe: Eivor's inherited axe and the first weapon in the game. Its perk stacks attack speed every time you land a hit, which makes it a strong permanent off-hand once Heavy Dual Wield opens up in the Bear branch.

Hidden Blade: Kept from the earlier games and upgradeable at Gunnar's Blacksmith, where each rank raises its assassination damage multiplier. The gameplay options also let you decide whether assassinations always kill or run a skill check against high-level targets.

Fyrd Spear: A Raven-aligned spear with long reach that keeps you outside most enemy swing arcs. Spears in Valhalla favour poke-and-retreat, which suits a stealth build that got caught rather than one that planned to fight.

Excalibur: A mythical greatsword locked behind collecting all 11 Treasures of Britain tablets, each guarded by a Lost Drengr, then placing them in the pillars of a hidden underground chamber. It blinds surrounding enemies after heavy finishers and criticals.

Mjolnir: Thor's hammer, and the reward for assembling the full Thor armour set, which means killing all three Daughters of Lerion and clearing the Order of the Ancients Zealots before digging it up in Hordafylke in Norway. It carries a chance to stun every nearby enemy on any hit.

Meta Analysis

The current meta in Assassin's Creed Valhalla centers on Ravensthorpe settlement building and Raids and River Raids. Builds that leverage both systems outperform those that focus on only one. Our combat guide explains these interactions in depth.

What's strong right now:

Bear branch melee with Varin's Axe is the benchmark. Everything else is measured against it.
The skill constellation builds are gaining ground as players find new combinations.
Raven branch stealth remains essential for learning hard content. See the boss guide.

What's underrated:

Wolf branch ranged is consistently overlooked despite being the most flexible option.
Fyrd Spear offers excellent performance for its investment level.

What's overhyped:

Pure Raid captain builds. High ceiling but the consistency isn't there for most players.

Quick Picks by Situation

Situation	Best Build	Best Gear	Why
Overall best	Bear branch melee	Varin's Axe	Highest consistent performance
New player	Wolf branch ranged	Hidden Blade	Most forgiving, teaches mechanics
Hard content	Raven branch stealth	Fyrd Spear	Survivability when you need it
Group play	Dual wield hybrid	Excalibur	Utility and team support
Experienced player	Raid captain	Mjolnir	Unique challenge and high ceiling

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