Skills are the cornerstone of an RPG. You need to use your character’s skill to access various things and to defeat enemies in the game. In the AC Valhalla skill system, there are two basic things called skills and abilities.
Skills here are the passive perks that you have in combat. Skills allow you to perform a certain action under a specific circumstance, but the action is free and without consuming any resources. AC Valhalla skill is upgraded by using Skill Points. You get Skill Points by exploring and fighting.
Meanwhile, abilities are the active skills that enable you to perform special moves. Using abilities will consume Adrenaline. You can also increase the Adrenaline refill rate by activating perks or buffs. Keep in mind that your weapon and armors could further increase the effectiveness of your Skills and Abilities.
You start with one Adrenaline Bar, and you can upgrade it further via AC Valhalla Skill Tree. Some skills use 1 Adrenaline, while some others use more. You can also replenish the Adrenaline Bar by eating some mushrooms in the fields.
AC Valhalla Skill Tree: The Way of The Raven, The Bear, and The Wolf
Okay, this is the AC Valhalla skill tree, and you will start from the center. The shape of it is basically a triangle. Mainly, you have 3 types of skills, The Way of The Bear (red), Raven (yellow), and Wolf (blue).
You can reset all or a single Skill node at any time. So, you can always start with a fresh new build. At the bottom of your Skill Menu screen, you can see your Power Level. Power Level is equal to the Skill Point that you have spent. To learn a skill, first, you have to activate the Passives. The small icons are Passives, while the big ones are Skills.
Remember to always go with an Adrenaline Bar upgrade in the skill tree. More Adrenaline means more ability available. Thus, the more damage you can deal.
The Way of The Bear
The Way of The Bear comes in red color in the AC Valhalla Skill Tree. The Bear is for you who want to go wild and not shying away from a fight. Here is the list of 14 skills in the Bear branch. I will highlight the skills that I think important to pick.
- Stomp: When an enemy falls to the ground, press R3 to stomp on their face.
As satisfying as it goes, it also deals a lot of damage. It’s also useful for finishing off prone enemies. Try to combine this with a heavy weapon to knock the enemy down and finishing them off quickly. - Berserker’s Mettle: A partially filled Adrenaline Slot will not be affected by an enemy’s first strike.
This will protect your adrenaline from the enemy’s first strike. So, you can keep your momentum and using skills even when taking damage. This skill particularly important when you face a boss. - Heavy Dual-wield: You can dual wield Heavy Weapons. This will alter the stats and handling of each weapon.
Unlocking the ability to dual wield Heavy Weapons increase your versatility in combat. You could also equip a Shield in your offhand, so you don’t sacrifice blocking while keeping the enemy at bay with the Heavy Weapon.
- Dual Swap: When Dual-wielding, hold RT + R3 to swap weapon hands.
- Perfect Attack: Press RB again during a weapon swing to do more damage the next hit.
- Parry Damage: Successful parries also deal damage to the attacker.
- Light Bow Combo: Consecutive shots with a light bow deals extra damage.
- Warrior takedown: Attempt an RT takedown on an unaware enemy with your melee weapon. It will alert all enemies around you but will fill your adrenaline for every one of them.
- Adrenaline Fiend: When 1 or more Adrenaline bars are filled, you gain a damage boost. This effect augments with each slot filled.
- Terror: After a stun finisher, weaker enemies may cower in fear.
- Battlefield Cremation: Enemies who perish from one of your fire attacks will continue to burn, damaging those around them.
- Sprint Bash: Unlocks the ability to bash through breakable objects and push NPCs to the ground while sprinting.
- Arrow Volley: Discharge all loaded arrows at once by holding and releasing R with a light bow that costs stamina.
The Way of The Raven
The yellow node goes to The Way of The Raven. This branch will allow you to play like a true assassin. Hidden and deadly, this branch focused on enhancing your stealthiness and your critical strike.
- Brush With Death: Dodging just before an attack land gives you heightened, making others around you appear to move slower for a time.
Dodging at the last second with this skill slows everything down. This skill is crucial for zealot and other boss fights that employ a lot of unblockable attacks. - Advanced Assassination: Unlocks the ability to assassinate high-level targets with a timing-based attack.
This ability will allow you to do it in one go without finishing off the opponent in open combat. - Chain Assassination: After performing a successful assassination, throw an axe at a second NPC standing nearby.
A great addition for an assassin playstyle, you can take down multiple enemies in one go. I suggest you take this after the Advanced Assassination and the Adrenaline upgrade.
- Backstab: Landing a blow directly on an enemy’s back will inflict increased defense damage and cause them to stagger.
- Guided Arrow: Press RB to adjust the arrow’s trajectory as it flies.
- Predator Bow Combo: Consecutive headshots with a predator bow deals extra damage.
- Explosive Corpse: Booby Trap a dead body to damage anyone who investigates it.
- Breakfall: Eivor automatically performs a roll when landing from a dangerous height, reducing damage taken.
- Counter Roll: Dodge towards an enemy’s unblockable Rune Attack just before it hits to dodge behind them.
- Miasma: Enemies who die from one of your poison attacks will release a toxic cloud around them, infecting those who enter.
- Assassin’s Cantrip: Following a successful parry, you can throw a smoke bomb at your feet and disappear.
- Auto Loot: Loot an enemy automatically after a stealth or melee kill.
- Missile Reversal: Catch and throw virtually any projectile to its sender before it hits you
The Way of The Wolf
Too lazy to get close? Just kill them from afar. If you want to do just that, then go with the Wolf. This branch enhances Eivor’s advantage over his enemy and unlocks powerful ranged skills.
- Battleground Bolt: Enables you to pick up the nearest discarded weapon and automatically throw it at an enemy in sight.
Basically, it’s a free ranged attack that doesn’t cost you arrows and can’t be interrupted. This works well in large raids. - Grit: Regain the red portion of lost health on your bar when landing successful melee attacks.
This increases your durability in a fight, especially when you’re trying to go with assassination or range attacks. - Bow Stun Finisher: Press R3 when aiming at a stunned enemy head to trigger a bow stun finisher.
This provides you a flashier way to finish off enemies. After shooting them in their weak points or taking them down to a knee, complete the job with a finisher shot.
- Stealth Recon: Automatically highlight enemies when crouched and undetected.
- Sprint Attack: Press RB while sprinting to make a sprint attack.
- Bow to Melee Link: Alternating between the bow and melee attacks deals extra damage for a short time.
- Emergency Aim: Holding LT will snap your aim to the enemy as they detect you, allowing you to kill them and remain undetected.
- Last Chance Healing: When your health reaches a critical state, time will slow around you, allowing you to flee or heal.
- Stealth Adrenaline: While in stealth, gain adrenaline by looting a chest or pickpocketing in a restricted area.
- Hunter Bow Combo: Release your arrows as you finish drawing it to make the next one draw faster.
- Charged Shot: Fire two fully charged arrows with the Hunter Bow in an attack that cannot be canceled.
- Arrow Reinforcement: Loosed arrows will never break and may be collected from fallen enemies.
AC Valhalla Ability: Ranged and Melee
There are two types of abilities in AC Valhalla, Melee and Ranged. You can have up to four abilities slotted for each type. You have a total of eight abilities ready for combat. You can freely remove and replace abilities in the slots.
There are 11 Abilities for each Melee and Ranged type. Each ability can be found and upgraded once. To learn an ability, you need a Book of Knowledge. Then, when you discover an ability, it will be on Tier 1. You can upgrade the ability to Tier 2 (max) by finding the Book of Knowledge of that ability again.
Here’s the list of AC Valhalla Ability and their Book of Knowledge location.
Ranged Ability
- Thorn of Slumber: An arrow marked with the Svefnthorn symbol puts targets to sleep almost instantly.
- Upgrade: On impact, arrows expel a cloud of poison, putting anyone nearby to sleep.
- Location: The lower floor of Gryttirsand, Rygjafylke, and Dover Fortress, at the south-eastern shores of Cent.
- Focus of the Nornir: Use the power of the Nornir to aim and shoot at your enemies with fateful speed.
- Upgrade: Each killed enemy increases damage dealt.
- Location: in the Offchurch’s crypt, Ledecestrescire, and Bolingbroc Castle in Lincolnscire.
- Man’s Best Friend: Summon your wolf to attack an enemy.
- Upgrade: Your wolf will stay to fight by your side.
- Location: “A Little Problem” quest reward and in a building in Crepelgate Fort.
- Piercing Shot: Shoot an arrow with enough force to pierce through nearly any obstacle.
- Upgrade: Multiply damage for each enemy the arrow passes through.
- Location: In Templebrought Fort and Lincoln.
- Mark of Death: Mark sighted enemies. Release to let fly a deadly volley of arrows.
- Upgrade: Increase the maximum number of targets.
- Location: Inside the Meldeburne Monastery, and in Hordafylke, in a farm house’s cellar.
- Ranged Poison Strike: Applies a poisonous concoction to the tip of your arrows.
- Upgrade: Applied poison splashes in an arc in the flight of the arrow, poisoning all enemies caught in the arc.
- Location: After you defeat five and nine members of the Order of the Ancients, bring their medallions to Hytham.
- Ranged Fire Strike: Set the tip of your arrow on fire. Anything it hits will catch on fire.
- Upgrade: The fire blazes in an arc in front of you, instantly setting enemies caught in the arc on fire.
- Location: Defeat Order of the Ancients members, and bring the medallions to Hytham.
- Incendiary Powder Trap: Attach a small pouch to your arrow that spreads a volatile powder wherever the arrow strikes. Any nearby movement causes the powder to burst into flames.
- Upgrade: The powder can be detonated a second time.
- Location: in Walden, Grantebridgescire, and in the middle of Embert River, in Suthsexe.
- Raven Distraction: Use your raven, Synin, to briefly distract your enemies.
- Upgrade: Synin attacks the target to begin the distraction. During combat, Synin stuns the target.
- Location: in Tonnastadir, and in the Belesduna Bandit Camp in Essexe.
- Axe Blizzard: Aim and throw a devastating barrage of axes.
- Upgrade: Completing the full series of Axe Blizzard by adding a bloody finishing combo of extra throws.
- Location: in an abandoned old church, East Anglia, and in Wincestre.
- Poisonous Powder Trap: Attach a small pouch to your arrow that spreads a volatile powder wherever the arrow strikes. Any nearby movement causes the powder to burst into poison mist.
- Upgrade: The powder can be detonated a second time.
- Location: Beneath the Petuaria Ruins in Eurviscire, and in the Odin Mine Hideout, Snottinghamscire.
Melee Ability
- Throwing Axe Fury: Hurl throwing axes at all enemies in range.
- Upgrade: Any enemy struck will also be staggered.
- Location: in Nottfall, in Rygjafylke, and Gaustow Castle in Sciropescire.
- Rage of Helheim: Enter rage mode, slam your enemy to the ground, and launch a barrage of hits.
- Upgrade: Land more blows with faster taps.
- Location: behind Kjotve’s Fortress, and in the Archives of Jorvik.
- Harpoon Impalement: Impale an enemy with your harpoon and throw them in any direction. If the impaled enemy runs into obstacles, the ability deals more damage.
- Upgrade: Pulling the enemy and finish them off.
- Location: Venoni, Ledecestrescire, and Santa Helena’s church, Essexe.
- Dive of the Valkyries: Launch yourself into the air and come crashing down onto your enemies.
- Upgrade: Inflict stun damage within a radius of impact.
- Location: During the raid of Ely Monastery in Grantebridgescire, and in the Lolingestone Bandit Camp, Lunden.
- Vengeance of Thor: Hold the ability button to concentrate all your strength into an unstoppable attack.
- Location: In Oxeneforda, Oxenefordscire, and in Thieves’ Warren, Glowecestrescire.
- Kick of Tyr: A kick that sends enemies flying backward. If the kicked enemy runs into obstacles, the ability deals more damage.
- Upgrade: Kicked enemies will remain down and at your mercy.
- Location: In Threaded Pass, and in Ulkerthorpe Fort, Snotinghamscire.
- Feign Dead: Play dead to fool your enemies.
- Upgrade: Trigger a surprise assassination.
- Location: in the Leah Villa Garrison, Oxenefordscire, and in Aelfwood, Glowecestrescire.
- Poison Strike: Applies a poisonous concoction to your right-hand melee weapon.
- Upgrade: Area Poison Strike.
- Location: Defeat five and nine members of the Order of the Ancients, and bring the medallions to Hytham.
- Rush and Bash: Hold the ability button to rush and grab the enemy. Then throw them. The enemy that hits a wall will be stunned.
- Upgrade: Finish off the enemy that is stunned by the wall.
- Location: Eastern shores of East Anglia, in Dunwic, and in Ravensburg, Grantebridgescire.
- Blinding Rush: Use stamina to move undetected. Ends upon enemy contact.
- Upgrade: Successful Assassination doesn’t interrupt the ability.
- Location: Beneath the Ruined Tower in East Anglia, and in Chertsey Abbey Ruins, Suthsexe.
- Fire Strike: Applies a fire to your right-hand melee weapon.
- Upgrade: Area Fire Strike.
- Location Defeat members of the Order of the Ancients, and bring the medallions to Hytham.
My recommended melee abilities are Rage of Helheim, Harpoon Impalement, Kick of Tyr, and Blinding Rush. Rage of Helheim is a good go-to ability, its book is relatively easy to find and it has good damage.
Harpoon Impalement is crazy good for burst damage. Kick of Tyr, a good ability to disengage from an enemy, or you can use this to kick the enemy away on top of buildings. Blinding Rush is good for moving undetected and assassinating enemies.
As for the ranged ability, go for Mark of Death, Piercing Shot, Man’s Best Friend, and Incendiary Powder Trap. Mark of Death is to inflict good damage to multiple enemies. Piercing Shot is for finishing lined-up enemies.
Use Man’s Best Friend to become a part-time beastmaster, plus it’s fun to have a wolf fighting by your side. Then, Incendiary Powder Trap, this one is good when you are about to engage multiple enemies on a narrow passage.
Oh, you got your AC Valhalla skills and abilities sorted out already? Now get some Legendary Weapons. Or check this one out if you want to know some Side Quest and how to go to Asgard. Peace Out.