Despite a lackluster showcase during Microsoft's Inside Xbox gameplay event earlier in the month, anticipation for the next entry in the popular Assassin's Creed franchise remains at an all-time high. In 2017, Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed: Origins acted as a soft-reboot, substantially reinventing the series core gameplay and combat, and that direction will continue on in Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, a new Viking themed entry coming due to make its debut as a cross-generation launch title for PS5 and Xbox Series X.
Players will take on the role of Eivor, a Viking Raider and Clan Leader that wields the Assassin Brotherhood's iconic hidden blade, however, it's unclear how exactly Eivor came into contact with the ancient order. Long before the creation of the Brotherhood and the Templar Order, Assassin's Creed: Origins introduced players to the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients; two opposing ideologies at war over the future of humanity. With over a thousand years between AC: Origins and the original Assassin's Creed, who are the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients and how will they play a role in the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Valhalla?
The Hidden Ones
The Hidden Ones were first introduced in Assassin's Creed: Origins, which takes place between 49-43 BC, roughly 400 years after the events of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, 900 years before Assassin's Creed: Valhalla, and 1200 years before Assassin's Creed, the first game in the series where players first met the Assassin Brotherhood. Founded by Bayak of Siwa and his wife Aya, the Hidden Ones was formed as a direct response to the rise of a secret society known as the Order of the Ancients, the primary antagonists in Assassin's Creed: Origins.
At the beginning of AC: Origins, Bayak worked as a Medjay, best described as an Egyptian paramilitary police force that served to protect the Pharoah. On a mission to exact revenge against the people that killed his son, Bayak and Aya, sworn to protect Queen Cleopatra, learn that the men responsible were part of a much larger organization known as the Order of the Ancients, a secret society that works in the shadows, manipulating and controlling Egypt to meet their own ideologies. After the defeat of the Order, Bayak and Aya form their own organization known as the Hidden Ones, laying the foundations for what would eventually become the Assassin Brotherhood, sworn protectors of the people that fight against oppression and injustice.
The Order of the Ancients
Founded nearly 1300 years before their appearance in Assassin's Creed: Origins, and 900 years before Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the Order of the Ancients is a secret underground society that makes up the beginning of what would become the Templar Order. The origins of the Order of the Ancients can be traced back to ancient Egypt where the organization sought to locate and use relics of the gods, such as the Apple of Eden, in order to spread their own ideologies for how the world should run. The Order wanted to bring peace and prosperity to the world, however, it believed that that hundreds must be sacrificed in order to achieve their goal.
Founded in 1334 BCE, the Order originated in Egypt but quickly expanded to Persia, and eventually throughout Europe and Great Britain. Working from the shadows, the Order was made up of various men and woman from high-class families and people that held a position of power, which would be used to its advantage as a way to get close to and influence the Ptolemaic dynasty from the shadows, ranging from Darius I through to Julius Caesar. Unfortunately, there remain over 1200 years of unexplored territory between the events of Assassin's Creed: Origins and the original Assassin's Creed, meaning very little is actually known about the Order of the Ancients during the Middle Ages. With Assassin's Creed: Valhalla being the first game set during that timeframe, it could be some time before a real explanation is given on how its reach extended this far after the formation of the Hidden Ones.
Will They Appear in Valhalla?
With such a big gap in time between games, the biggest question right now is how Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's protagonist Eivor finds themself working alongside the Hidden Ones. Set during the 9th century, Eivor and the Norseman were forced to flee from Norway due to years of endless war and dwindling resources, arriving in the southern part of Great Britain where they establish a new settlement. At this point in time, both the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients had existed for over a thousand years but were yet to rebrand themselves as Assassin's and Templars, something that wouldn't happen for another 200 years.
Templar control in England has been seen frequently throughout the series, from the original game all the way up to the events of Assassin's Creed: Syndicate, which is chronologically the closest game to modern-day. The presence of King Alfred the Great and the Anglo-Saxons lays the groundwork for the Order of the Ancients in Great Britain, however, the Hidden Ones were only known to have spread throughout Europe by this tie, so hopefully Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's story will offer some real insight into their first appearance in the yet-to-be-United Kingdom.
After complaints about the overall size of 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft has confirmed that Assassin's Creed: Valhalla won't be the biggest or longest games in the series. For years, Ubisoft games have been known to follow a very specific gameplay formula, filling out its open worlds with bloat including enemy camps, map unlock towers, fetch quests, and collectibles that often feel overwhelming for a lot of players. Luckily, it appears that Ubisoft has listened to player feedback and will be aiming to deliver an expansive and compelling open-world but one that recognizes the player's time.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
