Ireland is green. Like, really green. If you've played the base game of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, you’re probably used to the rolling hills of England, the snowy peaks of Norway, and maybe even the ethereal glow of Asgard. But Wrath of the Druids, the first major expansion for the game, hits differently. It’s dense. It’s foggy. It feels older than the rest of the game, even though it’s set right in the middle of Eivor's timeline.
Honestly, I think a lot of people skipped this one because they were burnt out on the 100-hour slog of the main campaign. That was a mistake. Ubisoft Bordeaux, the studio that handled this DLC, managed to capture a vibe that the main game sometimes lost in its sheer scale. They traded the sprawling politics of Wessex for something weirder, darker, and much more intimate. You’re not just building an army; you’re navigating the messy birth of a nation while being hunted by a cult that uses hallucinogenic fog as a tactical advantage.
It's cool. It's creepy. And it’s probably the most focused the Valhalla engine ever felt.
Dublin, Trade, and the Great King
The story kicks off when Eivor receives a letter from their cousin, Barid. Turns out, Barid is the King of Dublin. But he’s not exactly sitting pretty. He’s a Norse-Gael, a mix of Viking and Irish culture, trying to prove his loyalty to Flann Sinna, the High King of Ireland. This setup is brilliant because it grounds the expansion in actual 9th-century history. Flann Sinna was a real person. He really did try to unite the various warring tuatha (kingdoms) under one banner.
You’re basically playing the role of a political fixer.
One of the best mechanics introduced here is the Trade Post system. You find these ruined sites across the four provinces—Meath, Connacht, Ulster, and Leinster—and you rebuild them to generate resources like clothing, texts, delicacies, and luxuries. It sounds like busywork. It isn’t. Unlike the settlement building in Ravensthorpe, which felt a bit static once you hit level 6, the Irish trade network feels like a living economy. You’re shipping goods across the Mediterranean to get cool armor sets, like the Iberian or Egyptian gear. It gives you a reason to actually explore every corner of the map that isn't just "go here, kill this guy."
The Children of Danu: Not Your Average Templars
The real meat of Wrath of the Druids is the Children of Danu. They’re the "evil cult" of this expansion, similar to the Order of the Ancients, but with a supernatural twist that the game explains through—wait for it—science. Sorta.
They use a specific type of pollen to induce hallucinations.
When you wander into a fog-filled forest and suddenly a werewolf (a Puca) jumps out at you, your brain screams "fantasy RPG!" But within the logic of the game, Eivor is just tripping. It’s a clever way to include Irish mythology without breaking the "grounded" (as grounded as Assassin's Creed gets) reality of the Animus. These druids are brutal. They use fire, poison, and illusions. Fighting them feels much more dangerous than fighting a standard Saxon soldier because their movement patterns are erratic. You have to hunt them down by finding clues scattered across Ireland, and some of the reveals are actually quite tragic. You’ll find yourself killing people who think they’re saving their culture from an "invading" religion, which adds a layer of moral ambiguity that the main game's "Vikings are the good guys" narrative sometimes lacked.
The Environment is the Main Character
I have to talk about the visuals. Ireland in this game is a masterclass in lighting. The way the sun breaks through the mist in the Giant's Causeway is stunning.
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Ubisoft Bordeaux clearly loved the source material.
You’ve got these massive, ancient stone tombs like Newgrange (called Rathcroghan in some contexts in-game) that feel heavy with history. The scale is smaller than England, which is actually a blessing. You can ride from one side of the map to the other without feeling like you’ve wasted half an hour of your life. Every hill seems to hide a cursed symbol or a legendary animal. It feels "haunted" in a way that the rest of Valhalla doesn't.
Why the Combat Feels Different
While the core mechanics remain the same—swinging axes, parrying, using stamina—the enemy variety in Ireland forces you to switch up your build. The druids have these "fog zones" where your vision is obscured.
- You can't just spam light attacks.
- Fire damage is a massive problem because of the overgrown vegetation.
- The Puca and other "beastly" enemies move faster than human NPCs.
I found myself leaning heavily into the Sickle, a new weapon type introduced in this DLC. It’s fast. It’s wicked. If you dual-wield them, Eivor becomes a literal lawnmower of limbs. It fits the "druidic" theme perfectly. Plus, the armor sets you get, like the Celtic set or the Druidic set, actually have perks that reward you for staying in the thick of a fight, which is exactly where the Children of Danu want you.
The Flann Sinna Dilemma
The heart of the politics is the relationship between Eivor, Barid, and Flann Sinna. Flann is an ambitious man. He wants a Christian, united Ireland. But to get it, he needs the help of the Norse pagans he secretly looks down on. It’s a tense, awkward alliance.
There’s a specific mission involving a coronation where everything goes sideways, and it’s one of the few times in Valhalla where I felt like Eivor’s choices—or at least their presence—had a direct impact on the soul of a country. You aren't just a mercenary. You're a witness to the end of an era. The druidic ways are dying out, pushed back by the church and the unification of the crown. It’s melancholy. It’s a bit sad.
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And that’s what makes it better than the main story.
The main game is about conquest and "glory." Wrath of the Druids is about the cost of that conquest. It asks what happens to the people who were there first, and it doesn't always give you a "happy" answer. Even your cousin Barid is caught between two worlds, never truly belonging to either. It’s a much more mature take on the Viking age than the "let's go raid a monastery for some gold" vibe of the early game.
The Trials of Morrigan and Extra Content
If you're a completionist, Ireland is a dream. The Trials of Morrigan are these combat challenges where you have to fight waves of hallucinated enemies. They’re tough. They’re also the best way to test out the endgame gear you’ve likely accumulated.
Then there are the Royal Demands. These are small, bite-sized missions you pick up from pigeon coops. They usually involve clearing out a camp or stealing a specific item. The catch? To get the best rewards, you have to follow "King's Pleas," which are optional objectives like "don't take any damage" or "don't kill anyone." It adds a stealth requirement to a game that often forgets it’s supposed to be about assassins.
It’s not all perfect, though. The "clues" to find the Children of Danu can sometimes be a bit repetitive. "Go to this specific ruined tower to find a note that tells you to go to another ruined tower." We've done this before. But the payoff—the boss fights—usually makes up for the legwork.
Actionable Tips for Playing Wrath of the Druids
If you’re jumping in now, or thinking about a replay, here is how to actually enjoy the experience without getting bogged down:
- Prioritize the Trade Posts immediately. Don't wait. As soon as you unlock the ability to claim them, go around the map and clear them out. They generate resources in real-time while you play. By the time you reach the final act, you’ll have enough "Trade Goods" to buy every exotic weapon and armor piece from Azar’s shop in Dublin without grinding.
- Upgrade the Dublin Renown. This is the "level" of your trade hub. Higher renown unlocks better contracts and cooler gear. It’s the fastest way to get the Champion of Dublin armor, which is arguably one of the best-looking sets in the entire game.
- Use the Sickles. Seriously. The dual-sickle moveset is incredibly satisfying and significantly faster than the bearded axes or hammers you’ve probably been using for the last 60 hours.
- Don't ignore the side "Wealth" markers. In Ireland, many of these are Tungsten ingots. If you’re trying to max out your gear for the later DLCs (like Siege of Paris or Dawn of Ragnarök), Ireland is the most efficient place to farm high-level upgrade materials.
- Listen to the soundtrack. Max Richter-style strings and haunting Gaelic vocals. It’s worth turning the music volume up for this one.
The expansion ends on a note that feels final. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It gives you a beautiful, misty playground, a few dozen hours of solid combat, and a story that actually has some emotional weight. It reminds us that Eivor isn't just a warrior; they are a catalyst for change in a world that is rapidly moving away from the old gods.
If you want to see the best of what Valhalla's engine can do, head to the docks in Ravensthorpe and look for the trader from Ireland. You won't regret it. The fog is waiting.