The long-spanning narrative of Assassin's Creed Valhalla has now come to an end with the implementation of the game's Last Chapter DLC, which aims to bring the extensive narrative of protagonist Eivor Varinsdottir to an end as future franchise projects begin to take precedence. As a free DLC, the Last Chapter is rather short, but nevertheless is saturated with a commendable level of needed storytelling to end such a massive character arc.
Despite this, many are characterizing the Last Chapter DLC for Assassin's Creed Valhalla as better suited for an entirely different purpose, one completely outside the title itself. The Last Chapter DLC actually serves as a great transition into the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage, an upcoming franchise title that is drawing massive amounts of hype and interestingly involves some key characters that featured in Valhalla itself.
Assassin's Creed Mirage
Assassin's Creed Mirage is one of the many upcoming projects within the storied franchise, one that was recently announced alongside the likes of the Japan-set Assassin's Creed Red and the mysterious AC Hexe. Mirage is set to bring the series back to a more classic formula, opting to move away from the relatively controversial new RPG elements of the franchise in favor of a more intimate, small-scale experience.
Crucially, Assassin's Creed Mirage is set to feature Basim Ibn Ishaq as its protagonist, a character that many will recognize given his importance in the narrative of Valhalla. With Mirage reportedly taking place before the events of Valhalla, the upcoming release should have great utility in showcasing a younger Basim as he is inducted into the Hidden Ones, while also depicting his inner conflict as his shared personality with the Isu God Loki becomes more and more apparent to him. With Mirage set to release in 2023, it is no wonder that the final narrative installment for Valhalla has a lot of hints and nods toward the upcoming game.
How Valhalla's Last Chapter Transitions Into Assassin's Creed Mirage
The Last Chapter DLC for Valhalla only features two distinct quests, but both of them possess great narrative utility in setting up the upcoming Mirage. Perhaps the most overt way in which this free DLC does this is with the Raven and the Cuckoo quest.
This specific quest sees Eivor hunting down a group of Saxons who are aiming to besmirch her clan's honor in order to oust them from their settlement in Ravensthorpe. As Eivor draws closer to uncovering these persecutors, she meets a mysterious older figure by chance who introduces herself as Roshan. Keen fans of the upcoming Mirage will recognize this figure as Basim's mentor, with Roshan likely playing a massive role in the events of the upcoming release.
With Roshan making her in-game debut in Valhalla's Last Chapter, the link between the DLC and Mirage is clear to see. The other quest for the Last Chapter DLC involves Eivor saying goodbye to some key figures from Valhalla's main story before leaving England for America, and while this has less narrative links to Mirage, Basim acts as the figure who is manipulating the Animus to uncover these key memories in Eivor's life.
By ending the core narrative of Asssassin's Creed Valhalla through the lens of Basim, players are able to get some relative closure regarding Eivor's story while looking to the future of the franchise and the role Basim will play in it. As well as this, having Roshan interact and befriend Eivor is a perfect way to create a tangible link and a level of familiarity between Valhalla and Mirage, which ultimately has great utility in setting up the upcoming title.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now on Amazon Luna, PC, Stadia, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
