Lunden is a mess. If you've spent more than five minutes parkouring over the muddy rooftops of Ubisoft’s Roman-ruin-meets-Saxon-slum, you know exactly what I mean. It’s crowded. It’s vertical. And frankly, the AC Valhalla Lunden mysteries are some of the weirdest, most glitch-prone encounters in the entire game. You aren't just looking for a simple fight here; you’re solving environmental puzzles that feel like they were designed by someone who really, really likes moving heavy crates.
Most players roll into Lunden around Power Level 90, expecting a quick cleanup. They usually leave frustrated because they can't find a jar of stinking sauce or because a specific NPC won't stop crying long enough to trigger a quest flag. It’s a dense urban zone. That changes the rhythm of the game.
The World Events That Actually Matter
Let’s talk about "The Demon Odor at the Tithe." This is the one everyone remembers for the wrong reasons. You walk into a warehouse, and the smell is so bad Eivor literally chokes. You have to move shelves to get out, but the shelves are blocked by breakable jars. If you break the wrong jar, you might get stuck. It’s a classic physics-engine nightmare. Honestly, the best way to handle this is to move slowly. Don’t just spam the interact button. If the shelves won't budge, try shooting the floor jars from a distance before you even enter the maze.
Then there’s the "Falling Stars" mystery. This one is actually kinda cool but it’s a massive chore if you don't know where the three performers went. You've got Kitt, the lute player, just chilling by the church. Ysane is weeping near the city walls. And Cynewulf? He's locked in a cage because of course he is. You find him at a military camp nearby. Bringing them back together rewards you with a nice bit of lore and some XP, but it’s the legwork that kills people. It’s not just a waypoint marker; you actually have to listen to the dialogue clues.
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Why Lunden Feels Different
In the sprawling fields of Ledecestrescire, mysteries are usually "go here, kill that." In Lunden, everything is a vignette. You’re dealing with the urban decay of a post-Roman city. The "War of the Collectors" mystery perfectly captures this vibe. You have two people arguing over Roman statues. It’s petty. It’s human. It makes the city feel lived in, rather than just a collection of loot chests.
But here is the thing. The verticality of the city means the AC Valhalla Lunden mysteries often hide under your feet or way above your head. If the blue dot is right on top of you and you see nothing, check the sewers. Or look for a hanging pallet you can shoot down to reveal a basement.
The Mystery of the Museum and the Roman Icons
One of the more involved side-gigs involves the Roman artifacts. Now, technically these fall under collectibles, but they are so entwined with the city’s "Mystery" vibe that they might as well be the same thing. Octavian back at your settlement wants this stuff. Lunden is a goldmine for it.
There is a specific mystery involving a woman named Hretha. She’s obsessed with the "old world." Helping these NPCs often feels like you're a high-paid delivery driver, but the narrative payoff is where the game shines. You get to see how the Saxons and Danes viewed the ruins they were living in. They didn't see "history." They saw "magic" or "giants' work."
Avoiding the "Glitch Wall"
If you’ve played enough Valhalla, you know that World Events love to break. Lunden is notorious for this. If an NPC isn't talking, don't just stand there.
- Save your game immediately.
- Fast travel to Norway (it forces a world reset).
- Come back.
It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s faster than waiting for a patch that came out three years ago. The "Falling Stars" quest is particularly bad for this. Sometimes the NPCs just... stop walking. They get distracted by a stray guard or a wall. If that happens, clear the area of enemies first. A single aggroed guard can put the entire mystery on hold indefinitely.
The Hidden Complexity of the Lunden Bureau
While the Hidden Ones' Bureau is technically categorized as a "Wealth" location because of the gear inside, the process of getting in is a mystery in its own right. It’s the Londinium Bureau. To find it, you need to head to the northeast corner of the city. Look for a circular wooden fence.
Most people try to find a key. There is no key. You have to leap from a high point into a pool of water inside the ruins. It’s a classic Assassin's Creed "Leap of Faith" moment that the game doesn't explicitly tell you to do. Once you're inside, you’re playing a game of "the floor is lava" with water and exploding jars. It’s brilliant level design that feels vastly different from the rest of the Lunden experience.
The "Last Flight of the Gyrfalcon"
This one is a bit of a tear-jerker if you actually pay attention to the notes. It involves a woman at the docks who is waiting for a bird. It’s a simple quest—basically just diving into the Thames to retrieve some jewelry—but it highlights a recurring theme in Lunden: loss. The city is a place where things go to be forgotten. The Roman empire, the jewelry, the falcon.
When you’re finishing up the AC Valhalla Lunden mysteries, you start to realize that Lunden isn't a city you conquer. It’s a city you survive. The rewards aren't always massive gold piles. Sometimes it’s just a "thank you" and a bit of silver.
How to optimize your route
Don't do these one by one. That’s how you burn out.
- Start at the High Point (the Cathedral).
- Work your way clockwise around the inner walls.
- Save the docks for last because they are the most platforming-intensive.
- Keep your Odin’s Sight active constantly.
White outlines often reveal the "moveable" objects that are key to 90% of the puzzles in this zone. If you see a glowing orange highlight, it’s a destructible wall. If it’s blue, it’s a mystery objective. Use the bird (Synin) to pinpoint the exact center of the blue search circle; it saves about ten minutes of wandering around aimlessly.
The Actionable Path Forward
To actually clear Lunden without hitting a wall, you need a specific checklist of actions.
First, finish the main Lunden story arc ("The City of War"). Some mysteries and world events are literally locked behind the state of the city. If the city is in "alert" mode because of the main quest, NPCs might hide, and world events won't trigger.
Second, make sure you have the "Incendiary Powder Trap" ability. This is a game-changer for the Roman ruins and some of the warehouse mysteries. Instead of hunting for oil jars like a madman, you can just shoot an explosive arrow at the breakable stone walls. It saves an incredible amount of time.
Third, look for the notes. Lunden is heavy on "Environmental Storytelling." If a mystery feels like it has no solution, there is almost certainly a letter nearby on a table or stuck to a door with a knife. Read it. It usually tells you exactly which bush the missing NPC is hiding in.
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Finally, check your inventory for "Quest Items" that don't have a home. Lunden is a hub for these. Sometimes you'll pick up a "Soggy Note" or a "Strange Charm" while exploring. These often trigger the start of a mystery you haven't even found yet.
Get the Lunden Bureau done early for the Magister’s Mask and the Hidden One's gear. It’s some of the best early-to-mid-game armor, and the puzzle to get it is actually fun. Once you’ve cleared the big stuff, the smaller world events feel less like a chore and more like a victory lap. Stick to the rooftops to avoid the annoying street-level guards, and you'll have the territory at 100% completion in a couple of hours.