Honestly, by the time the second major expansion for Ubisoft’s Viking epic rolled around, a lot of people were just tired. Valhalla was huge. Too huge. But if you skipped out on Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris, you actually missed the moment the game finally remembered it was supposed to be an Assassin’s Creed game.
It’s gritty.
While the base game spent hundreds of hours wandering through the sunny rolling hills of England, this DLC drops Eivor into a muddy, rat-infested, and politically claustrophobic version of Francia. It’s set in 885 AD. Charles the Fat is losing his mind. Odo, the Count of Paris, is trying to hold a crumbling city together. And you? You're just trying to make sure the Frankish Empire doesn't decide to invade England next. It feels different. The atmosphere is heavy. It's basically the "Black Veil" version of the Viking fantasy we’d been playing for a year.
Why the Black Box Missions Changed Everything
If you’ve played the older games—specifically Unity or Syndicate—you know about "Black Box" missions. Ubisoft calls them Infiltration Missions here. They were gone for a long time. In the base Valhalla experience, most assassinations were just... hitting a guy with an axe until his health bar hit zero.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris brought back the nuance.
Instead of just kicking down the front door, the game gives you a sandbox. You get an objective: kill a high-ranking member of the "Bellatores Dei" (the Frankish version of the Order of Ancients). But how? You might find a secret tunnel. You might steal a servant's uniform. You might wait for a specific ritual to start so you can strike from the shadows.
It's rewarding.
I remember specifically hunting "The Little Mother." You can just fight her, sure. But it is so much more satisfying to steal the sacrificial knife, blend in with the cultists, and trigger a unique cinematic kill that feels earned rather than forced. This is the "Social Stealth" fans had been begging for since 2017. It’s not perfect—the AI can still be a bit brain-dead—but the intent is there. It feels like a genuine apology to the old-school fanbase.
The Rats Are Actually a Nightmare
Let's talk about the rats. Everyone remembers the rats from A Plague Tale, but Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris uses them as a genuine environmental puzzle. They aren't just there for decoration. These swarms are invincible. You can’t kill them with your sword. You have to swing your weapon to push them back into sewers or grates and then cover those grates with objects.
It’s stressful.
Sometimes it feels a little clunky, especially when the physics engine decides a wooden crate doesn't want to stay over a hole. But it adds a layer of "dungeon crawling" that the series usually lacks. You aren't the apex predator in a sewer; you're just a person trying not to get eaten alive while looking for a key. It changes the pace. It forces you to look at the floor instead of just the rooftops.
Understanding Charles the Fat and the Historical Stakes
Ubisoft always plays fast and loose with history, but their portrayal of Charles the Fat is surprisingly grounded in the chronicles of the time. History remembers him as a ruler who struggled with physical and mental health, eventually failing to stop the Northmen through force and instead paying them off (the Danegeld).
In the game, he's a tragic, flickering flame of a man.
He’s paranoid. He’s obsessed with his lineage. He isn't a "villain" in the way a cartoon character is; he’s a man way out of his depth. The political tension between Charles, his wife Richardis, and Count Odo creates a triangle of loyalty that Eivor has to navigate. It isn't just about raiding; it’s about diplomacy. You’re trying to prevent a war that would wipe your clan off the map.
Is Francia Better Than England?
The map is smaller. That’s a good thing.
The Francia map in Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris is dense. You’ve got the city of Paris itself, which is divided into districts like the Île de la Cité, and then the surrounding countryside of Melunois and Evresin. Because it's smaller, the developers could put more detail into the ruins and the "hidden" feeling of the world.
The color palette is muted. Greys, deep greens, and muddy browns. It lacks the vibrant autumn oranges of Mercia, but it gains a sense of dread. The "Hidden Ones" bureaus here are some of the best in the entire game. They feel ancient and forgotten, buried under layers of Frankish history. Searching for the Scythe weapons—a new gear type introduced here—actually feels like an adventure because the world isn't so bloated that you lose interest between points of interest.
The Scythe: A Gameplay Game-Changer
Speaking of Scythes, they are arguably the best heavy weapons in the game. They have a massive sweep. If you’re dealing with the new "Heavy Cavalry" enemies—who are absolute tanks and will ruin your day if you stay on the ground—the Scythe’s reach is a lifesaver.
- They have a unique "finisher" animation that is incredibly brutal.
- The light-to-heavy combo chain covers a 360-degree radius.
- They pair weirdly well with a light shield if you’re playing on a higher difficulty.
Most players stuck with the Dual Spears (Gungnir and the Spear of Leonidas) because they were "meta," but the Scythes in Paris offered a rhythmic, slower combat style that felt more "Grim Reaper" and less "Sonic the Hedgehog."
The Elephant in the Room: The Ending Choices
Without spoiling the specific cinematics, the way Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris handles its conclusion is polarizing. You have to make a choice regarding Charles. This choice doesn't just change a line of dialogue; it changes the political future of the region.
Some people hated it.
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They felt Eivor didn't have enough "skin in the game" to be the kingmaker of Francia. But if you look at it from the perspective of Eivor’s growth, it makes sense. She's no longer just a raider looking for glory. She’s a leader looking for stability. The DLC forces you to decide if you believe in redemption or if some people are just too far gone to save. It’s a bit more "Witcher 3" in its moral ambiguity than the base game usually allowed.
What You Should Do Right Now
If you're jumping back into the game or picking up the "Complete Edition," don't wait until the very end of the main story to visit Francia.
- Check your Power Level: You should be around 200, though the game scales.
- Get the Paladin Set: It’s one of the best armor sets in the game for stamina management, found entirely within the Francia map.
- Focus on the Rebel Missions: Talk to Pierre. These missions are short, but they unlock upgrades for your NPC squad that make the actual "Siege" mission feel like a massive war rather than a solo mission.
- Look for the Hidden Ones Bureau: It's located in Paris, and the reward is the Joyeuse sword—the legendary blade of Charlemagne. It's fast, it inflicts fire damage, and it looks incredible.
The real value of Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Siege of Paris isn't in its length. It’s in its focus. It took the sprawling, sometimes aimless energy of Valhalla and funneled it into a tight, dark, and tactical experience. It’s the closest the RPG-era of Assassin's Creed ever got to the classic "hooded killer in a crowded city" vibe, and for that alone, it’s worth the 15 hours of your time.
Go find the "Hidden Ones" symbols on the walls of Paris. Read the notes left behind by the assassins who came before you. It reminds you that even in a world of Vikings and Kings, the Creed is still operating in the dark.
Start by traveling to your settlement in Ravensthorpe and looking for the visitors from Francia near the longhouse. That's your way in. Don't overthink it—just get to Paris. It’s messy, it’s muddy, and it’s exactly what the game needed.