After the events of the main game and factoring in AC Valhalla’s Wrath of the Druids DLC too, it’s pretty obvious that the new set of antagonists cannot mimic the originals. Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but as it stands, Paris’ Order of the Ancients will likely be more like the Children of Danu than The Order from the base game. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: From Order of Ancients to Templars

 

Discovering the leader of the opposition is always important, and as fans learn throughout Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, King Aelfred himself is the Grand Maegester of the Order of the Ancients. As it turns out, he loathes them for their belief system and wants a return to his Christian roots, so to speak. He talks of beginning an order dedicated to Christ, with this clearly one day becoming the Templar Order proper. What King Aelfred doesn’t foresee and what the franchise has yet to explain is how the pagan beliefs of the Order of the Ancients infiltrate the Templars.

That’s neither here not there, though, but it’s important to note that Aelfred has ended the Order in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, explaining his actions to Eivor and continuing about his life. However, no matter how powerful this cell was, it was just a part of the Order. By Eivor’s time, the Order of the Ancients has swept across the entire world, and there are multiple Grand Maegesters. Just as Haytham Kenway was the Grand Master of the Templar Order in North America, there was one in Europe too (and more the world over). At this time, it’s likely to be even more divided, and so when players get to Paris, they aren’t likely to deal with an Order plagued from the inside by its Maegester, but a new threat altogether.

Wrath of the Druids’ Children of Danu vs. The Order of the Ancients

 

Given that it’s a new threat and a new set of people to track down and kill, it’s more likely that this cell of The Order is more like the Children of Danu than they will be The Order found in England. For starters, there’s the technical limitations of this being a DLC: while it may have entire new areas to explore, its scope won’t match that of the base game by nature. As such, while the Order of the Ancients mattered a lot to the story of the base game, it remains to be seen if it matters the same in Paris.

The Order could be involved with the Siege, after all, with Charles the Fat predictably primed to take on the role of Grand Maegester. Players have to “infiltrate the city of Paris, forge new alliances within its walls, and strike a blow that will shatter an empire.” There’s a certain level of subterfuge implied, setting up what is hopefully a decent pre-Assassin vs. Templar storyline.

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The point is, though, that the Children of Danu were part of the Wrath of the Druids’ storyline, but they were not as involved or as important to its core storyline as many may have believed. As such, it’s likely to explore a similar path: the Order of the Ancients may be part to the Siege of Paris DLC storyline, but they may not as important as many would think.

For example, there is only a few Children of Danu cultists who have to be killed in Wrath of the Druids. There are 5 that are part of the main story, with a couple of them simply lengthening the DLC length. There are two major ones involved from those 5, and that’s it. Otherwise, players are encouraged to hunt down the Children of Danu for a boss fight, as well as a new legendary weapon.

The Order of Ancients in Paris

With this in mind, players can probably expect the same out of the Order of the Ancients. There will likely be 10 members that Eivor ends up hunting down in total, with no more than half of them being involved in the main story. One or two of them may have a bigger role, but nothing existing in terms outside Paris. The others will likely need to be hunted down and turned into a quest giver to unlock a similar boss fight, as well as a new weapon.

Now, whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is up in the air, but all signs point to similar beats even if approached uniquely. After all, while there are a few mysteries in AC Valhalla that need to be resolved, it’s unlikely that this Siege DLC will answer them. However, with more and seemingly more ambitious DLC on the way (with traveling to Muspelheim in AC Valhalla practically confirmed), it stands to reason that this is just another chapter in Eivor’s greater saga.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.

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