Some new promotional images for the upcoming Wrath of the Druids DLC for Assassin's Creed Valhalla have appeared online, and one of them reveals a new enemy players may have to face. The Wrath of the Druids DLC is the first of two revealed upcoming packages, the other being The Siege of Paris. Although Wrath of the Druids was originally supposed to release on April 29, it was recently delayed until May 13, with developer Ubisoft Montreal citing its intention to give fans "a more refined experience."
The Wrath of the Druids DLC is set in an old Dublin, Ireland that mixes Viking and Irish culture. As Eivor, Assassin's Creed Valhalla players will investigate an ancient druidic cult in an environment that is heavily influenced by Gaelic mythology. Although its delay is certainly a setback, the Wrath of the Druids DLC could right some of game's biggest wrongs if it can successfully combine the newer RPG elements of the Assassin's Creed franchise with the older stealth-oriented gameplay and ensure Ireland is a fun and different experience from Anglo-Saxon England.
Originally released by Italian Twitter account Aggiornamenti Lumia, the new Wrath of the Druids DLC promotional images were retweeted by Assassin's Creed fan community account The Ones Who Came Before. The three images depict a lush Irish landscape and several members of the Children of Danu cult, which should be nothing new to fans following the DLC's progress. However, one of the images also reveals Eivor and several cult members fighting off a werewolf creature. Although it could just be the thick of battle, this image may also indicate that Eivor will occasionally have to work with the Children of Danu members in combat.
The werewolf makes sense in the scope of Irish mythology, as there are some accounts of werewolves in the medieval Irish kingdom of Ossory. For Irish warriors, the wolf was associated with ferocity and martial prowess, though it isn't clear yet how a werewolf will fit into the Wrath of the Druids story. Some fans are already skeptical of this DLC's aim to take Assassin's Creed Valhalla further into fantasy territory, as they feel it's just another way that the newer games in the Assassin's Creed franchise are stepping away from older traditions.
However, this isn't the first time that the Assassin's Creed franchise has dabbled in werewolf mythology. Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, a game still very much steeped in classic stealth mechanics, featured enemies belonging to the Cult of Romulus. These enemies dressed in wolf skins and claimed to follow the legendary Romulus, the purported founder of Rome who was raised by wolves with his twin brother, Remus. Romulus and Remus were said to be half wolf and half human and were worshipped as gods.
Whether the Wrath of the Druids DLC will incorporate historic elements of the Ossory werewolves won't be known until the DLC releases May 13, but for now fans will likely continue to debate if this direction for Assassin's Creed Valhalla is good or bad for the future of the franchise.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.