Assassin's Creed Valhalla Forgotten Saga - Tips, Tricks, Best Equipment, and All Rewards

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Forgotten Saga is a DLC adventure that was added to the game for free via update 1.060, which released on the 2nd August, 2022. It continues Valhalla's mythological storyline, as Odin attempts to raid the realm of Hel — his estranged daughter. Players are tasked with fighting their way through four unique, sprawling environments, each with their own enemies and bosses.

In this Assassin's Creed Valhalla guide, we're going to cover everything that you need to know about The Forgotten Saga, which can be quite a difficult DLC to complete. Below, you'll find information on rewards and recommended equipment, as well as numerous tips and tricks that should help you survive.

What Is Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Forgotten Saga?

As mentioned, The Forgotten Saga is a free DLC that was added to Assassin's Creed Valhalla via update 1.060. You only need to own the base game in order to play it, and it's available regardless of Eivor's level. To access The Forgotten Saga, you need to have reached your settlement in England, and built the Seer's Hut.

Once update 1.060 (or later) is installed, you should find a quest marker in your settlement that directs you to a new character named Everold. Talk with him, and you'll unlock Everold's Workshop — a building in which Eivor can drink a new potion that makes him or her revisit another of Odin's memories.

The Forgotten Saga is a rogue-lite in structure. This means that it's designed for multiple playthroughs (usually referred to as 'runs'), and dying resets most of your progress. Dying also reveals more of the The Forgotten Saga's story; characters like Thor and Freya will comment on your adventure so far when Odin returns to his basecamp.

Because of its rogue-lite design, your equipment from the main game does not carry over to The Forgotten Saga. Instead, you'll start out with a randomised weapon and basic gear, and you'll need to loot better weapons, runes, and abilities as you progress. All of these aspects are randomised, so that no two runs are the same.

It's also worth noting that your difficulty settings do not have an effect on The Forgotten Saga, and they cannot be changed during the DLC.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Forgotten Saga Rewards

So, what's the point of playing through The Forgotten Saga? Well, outside of seeing more of Odin's story, there are rewards that can only be acquired by progressing in the DLC. When playing The Forgotten Saga, you collect a new currency called 'Dreams'. These ethereal shards can be exchanged for a new armour set, new weapons, and numerous cosmetic items by speaking with Everold.

Everything that you buy from Everold can be used in the main game and its expansions. However, everything else that you acquire within The Forgotten Saga cannot be taken back to the real world.

In order to purchase everything from Everold, you'll need a grand total of 595 Dreams. Obviously, the more progress you make in a single run, the more Dreams you'll acquire. But roughly speaking, it'll probably take most players ten or so runs to gather enough Dreams for everything (assuming that you make a decent amount of progress each time).

Anyway, here are all of the rewards that you can purchase from Everold:

Death Jarl Armor Set

The Death Jarl Armor Set, like almost every other armor set in the game, is made up of four pieces that must be bought individually. These pieces are:

• Death Jarl Leg Armor - 50 Dreams
• Death Jarl Helm - 50 Dreams
• Death Jarl Cloak - 50 Dreams
• Death Jarl Bracers - 50 Dreams

Overall, the Death Jarl set is one of the better sets in all of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It provides a boost to evasion — which regularly reduces incoming damage by a large amount — and when you're low on health, incoming damage is reduced by a whopping 50%, while the damage that you deal is increased by a meaty 40%. If you can find a way to maintain relatively low health, this set makes Eivor very powerful indeed.

For much, much more information on all of the armor sets in the game, check out our massive Assassin's Creed Valhalla: All Armor Sets and Where to Find Them guide.

Spita (Atgeir)

The Spita is an Atgeir with perks that focus on defence — which is something of a rarity when it comes to weapons in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. It's a solid choice.

Costs 50 Dreams.

Bora (Light Bow)

The Bora is a Light Bow that has defensive perks, which is, again, a real rarity. Having these perks on a bow isn't as helpful as having them on a melee weapon, but you can never go wrong with straightforward damage reduction.

Costs 50 Dreams.

Hel-Bone Shield (Light Shield)

The Hel-Bone Shield is a really, really good shield. Simply having it equipped reduces incoming damage to begin with, and then blocking or parrying reduces incoming damage even further. For a more defensive, considered playstyle, it's a great option to have.

Costs 50 Dreams.

Balulfr (Mount)

Balulfr is a fiery wolf that Hel may unleash upon Odin in one of The Forgotten Saga's boss fights. Purchasing the creature as a mount lets you ride around the main game in style.

Costs 95 Dreams.

Muninn's Hue (Raven Skin)

Muninn was one of Odin's prized ravens, and with this skin, you can make Eivor's own raven look like the mythical beast itself.

Costs 70 Dreams.

The Forgotten Saga Cosmetics

Everold sells four Settlement Cosmetics and four Tattoo Cosmetics, all of which cost 10 Dreams each.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Forgotten Saga Best Equipment

As you play through The Forgotten Saga, you come across chests that contain a random assortment of equipment. Randomised runes can also be found by looting powerful enemies, or activating shrines.

In this part of the guide, we're going to list some of the best equipment that we found during our runs. Naturally, we highly recommend picking these weapons and runes up whenever you see them. Although our style of play will obviously differ from your own, we think the bonuses that these items grant are worth considering regardless of how you play through The Forgotten Saga.

Weapons

Blodbladh (Great Sword)

Perk: Gain 1 to 5 extra Adrenaline on successive hits

More adrenaline means more ability spam, and using abilities can save your life when you're in a tight spot. Of course, you'll need a selection of good abilities to begin with, but the extra adrenaline points provided by this weapon can make your life a lot easier.

Dafnsverdh (Short Sword)

Perk: Increase Critical Chance after dodging

A very straightforward and solid weapon. Critical damage is almost always the way to go when you want to play aggressive in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, and this perk lets you maximise your chances of scoring critical hits. Just keep an eye on your stamina!

Ox-Draugrs (Bearded Axe)

Perk: Temporarily increase Attack after each hit

Another straightforward but effective weapon. Having bonus damage stack up after each hit gives your standard combos a noticeable edge.

Mjolnir (Hammer)

Perk: Every hit has a chance to inflict a blast of Shock damage

One of The Forgotten Saga's Legendary weapons, Mjolnir is well worth picking up. Its shock damage activates a lot, and the shockwave itself can hit multiple opponents. Extremely destructive.

Runes

Runes are equipped automatically, and there's no limit as to how many you can find. Successful runs can hinge heavily on how many Runes you have, as their effects tend to be quite powerful — especially when you add all of them together.

Deadly Instinct

Effect: Briefly increase Critical Chance after each hit

A simple but super effective Rune. Just like in the main game, critical hits are the best way to deal big damage, so increasing your chances of getting them is never a bad idea.

Aegis

Effect: + 10.0 Elite Resistance

Elite enemies are almost always going to be the biggest threat during a Forgotten Saga run (outside of bosses, at least). Reducing the damage that they deal is a no-brainer.

Remembrance

Effect: Earn 20% more Memories

Definitely worth picking up if you see it early in a run, as long as there aren't more important Runes vying for your attention. 20% more Memories (a currency that you use to purchase permanent skills back at Odin's camp) is a lot more Memories over the course of a run.

Bane of Champions

Effect: + 10.0 Elite Damage

Again, Elite enemies are a key threat during runs, so makes sure you're able to deal with them as quickly as possible.

Runic Vigor

Effect: Increase Max Health for every Rune in your inventory.

One of the best Runes you can find, but only as long as you have plenty of other Runes already equipped. You get 5 points of health for every Rune you own, and that total can rack up very quickly near the end of a run. Having a large health pool is generally a very good idea since survival is paramount in The Forgotten Saga.

Haste

Effect: + 8.0 Speed

This is as straightforward as Runes get. More speed never hurts!

Crowd Cover

Effect: Deploy a Smoke Bomb on Kill when outnumbered

The effect of this Rune is obviously situational (it's useless against bosses, for example), but fighting against large groups of enemies can be especially difficult later on. The automatic smoke bomb lets you reposition or regain your stamina while your opponents are blind. A potential lifesaver in tricky situations.

Adder's Bite

Effect: Critical Hits temporarily Poison your weapon

A fantastic Rune against normal enemies and bosses alike. Although the poison coating can only activate every ten seconds, it's still an extremely effective tool to have in your arsenal. Poison damage over time can make beefy opponents seem far less daunting.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: The Forgotten Saga - Tips, Tricks, and Advice

And finally, let's go over some tips and tricks that should improve your chances of survival in The Forgotten Saga. Like we said before, this DLC isn't easy — at least not to begin with. There are a couple of specific boss battles that are probably going to end most runs, and so the name of the game is to try and learn about your opponents and their attack patterns as you play. As long as you understand why you were defeated, you're going to perform better next time.

Unlock Brush With Death as Soon as Possible

This is the single most important piece of advice we can give you: unlock the Brush With Death skill as soon as you possibly can. Now, you may already have this skill in the main game, but Eivor's skills don't carry over to The Forgotten Saga. Instead, you'll have to purchase skills with Memories — a currency that you collect during your runs. Fortunately, you get a good amount of Memories for completing encounters and beating bosses, and skills aren't very expensive.

What's more, skills are permanent unlocks, so you don't have to worry about losing them should you fall in battle. You can start unlocking them once you return to Odin's camp after your first death.

Anyway, Brush With Death is the skill to prioritise. You can find it at the northernmost point of the skill tree, right in the middle. It makes time slow down when you perform a dodge just as an enemy attacks — but the timing is actually very generous. The time slowing effect lets you get additional attacks in or simply reposition yourself. It makes fighting both normal enemy groups and bosses much easier.

The best thing about Brush With Death, though? Activating the time slowing effect totally restores your stamina. Especially during boss fights where you have to dodge a lot of magical attacks, managing your stamina can be a real pain, because Odin doesn't have much of it. Brush With Death negates this weakness almost completely as long as you're decent at dodging.

Seriously, The Forgotten Saga is so much easier when you've got this skill under your belt.

Spend Your Coins

This tip might sound obvious, but you really should be spending your coins when you can. You get coins every time you complete an encounter or defeat an enemy, and you can find them in chests as well. You can spend coins at the merchant's stall, which you can usually find before each boss battle.

Coins disappear forever when you die, so be sure to use them to boost your chances of success. We'd recommend buying weapon upgrades if you're already happy with your loadout, or spending them on a type of weapon that you're comfortable using. If you're low on health going into a boss, strongly consider buying an elk horn to restore some vitality. It's just not worth saving your coins if you're going to die anyway!

Don't Forget About Stealth

With so many combat-focused encounters, it can be easy to forget that stealth is an option in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Although stealth isn't hugely effective — enemies spot you quite easily, and sometimes, there just isn't enough cover — you can still use it to pick off one or two foes before engaging in direct combat.

In The Forgotten Saga, opting for an initial stealthy approach can save you some trouble. Try to take down trickier enemies, like those bloody druids who throw fireballs, so that you don't have to deal with them. That said, you won't be able to take stronger opponents out in one hit with your hidden blade unless you have a specific, stealth-focused Forgotten Saga outfit equipped. Still, being able to take a huge chunk of their health away before the fight is worth a few seconds of sneaking about.

Slow and Steady

When it comes to boss battles and tougher group fights, it always pays to be patient and pragmatic. If you're in a bad position — maybe with your back to a wall and surrounded by a bunch of spear-wielding draugr — don't try and hack your way out. Time your dodges, make use of parries, and use the subsequent opening to get out of harm's way. Try to deal with opponents one-by-one whenever possible, and be wary of leaving yourself vulnerable through trying to finish combos. Duck and weave!

For bosses, your best bet is to hang back at first and don't overcommit to dealing damage. Study the boss' movement and their attack patterns, and then think about going in for the kill. A lot of boss attacks are unblockable (they glow red for a brief second), so you'll need to rely on dodging. As mentioned above, the Brush With Death skill makes this whole process way easier, but if you don't have it, you'll have to stay calm and focused.

Use Elk Statues Wisely

Elk statues restore your health, and they can be identified by the antler icon on your compass. Generally speaking, elk statues are found in places where you won't be able to return, so you're pretty much locked into using them. However, there are times when you'll be able to bypass an elk statue, saving it for when you've completed a nearby encounter. If your health is already reasonably high, then this is obviously much more efficient than using the statue as soon as you spot it.

Stack Effects Like Fire, Poison, and Shock

One of the best ways to become super powerful in The Forgotten Saga is to go all-in on elemental damage. Now, sometimes, this simply isn't possible — you might not find the weapons or Runes that you need in order to maximise the potential of your build. But effects like fire, poison, and shock can still do a lot of heavy lifting even if you're not totally geared up.

For example, if you manage to find Mjolnir and a Rune that bolsters shock damage, you're already looking at a very effective combination. On top of that, you might want to consider abilities like shock arrow (again, if you find it) to round out your shock-based arsenal.

The bottom line here is that if you're lucky enough to find multiple pieces of equipment that all feed into the same element, you should definitely go for it. The tick damage on stuff like fire and poison alone is absolutely worth the commitment.

Some Weapon Types are a Lot Safer Than Others

Every weapon type in Assassin's Creed Valhalla has a unique feel, and at the end of the day, you should always go with a weapon that you feel comfortable using. However, if you don't have a specific preference, then we would argue that some weapon types are much better suited to The Forgotten Saga than others.

For example, longer-reaching weapons, like spears and great swords, are a safer bet than daggers or flails. The farther you can stand from your enemy, the less chance you've got of getting clipped — and this DLC is all about survival.

Overall, spears are probably the safest weapon type in the game; they're fairly fast and you can poke at your foes from a good distance. Atgeirs and Dane axes have decent range as well, but they can be dangerously slow to wield at times. Great swords, meanwhile, offer a fine balance between range and speed.

And of course, don't forget your bow. You probably won't be able to fully upgrade your main weapons and your bow in one run, but having a few arrows on hand to finish off pesky ranged enemies — or even powerful enemies who have a lot of health — can be a real relief when you're almost dead and desperate for an elk statue.

Have you conquered The Forgotten Saga? Feel free to share your own advice in the comments section below, and be sure to check out our full Assassin's Creed Valhalla guide for much more help with the game.