Assassin’s Creed: 10 Improvements Mirage Needs To Make From Valhalla

Assassin’s Creed fans have waited years for a new release and were delighted when the Basim-led spin-off was confirmed. Assassin’s Creed Mirage will take a look at Basim’s time before his appearance in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which was well-received but carried quite a few flaws that need to be improved upon.

Valhalla suffered from faults such as the excessive map, failings in stealth mechanics, and over-the-top boss fights, among others. It’s worth examining what Valhalla didn’t excel in as a way of analyzing what improvements need to be made for Assassin’s Creed Mirage to truly shine as a valid new entry in the long-running series.

No More Padding Of The Map

Easily the most frustrating aspect of gameplay in Valhalla was the excessive nature of the map. Not only were a majority of areas unnecessary, but players were required to travel great distances on foot just to get to a specific location. This padding of the map needs to go in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

Mirage should feature a map that has significant depth rather than filler material. It’s better to have a smaller map with lots to do than an environment where players are bored. More importantly, Mirage needs to do away with vast stretches of unneeded land that Valhalla carried in abundance.

Reduction In Weapons To Accommodate Only Useful Ones

There are a lot of weapons featured in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, although the majority aren’t important in terms of the story. This meant that quite a few players just didn’t bother with accessing the armaments, leaving them ignored and inconsequential to many.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage should have a smaller amount of weaponry for the protagonist in order to heighten their importance. This can be along the same lines of earlier Assassin’s Creed titles where new weapons were handed out to show the main character’s progression. Mirage’s weaponry can be memorable should they be highlighted as such instead of being thrown all in at once.

Return Of Tradition Eagle Vision Mechanics

By now, the literal eagle vision mechanic that started with Assassin’s Creed Origins has been played. This is doubly so because of the relatively useless eagle vision in Valhalla, where players had to pinpoint with extreme accuracy where Eivor was supposed to go – it made the mechanic a chore to use.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage should return to the traditional style of eagle vision from earlier installments that highlighted the important aspects that the protagonist needs to access. It’s much more accessible since the feature can be used without having to navigate an eagle in the sky, and points of interest will be easier to spot.

Separate Control System For Stealth

One of the most interesting facts about the Assassin’s Creed series is that Valhalla is the most commercially successful, which is a bit surprising given that it didn’t receive the greatest acclaim. The sales numbers were mainly due to the series’ goodwill, with fans expecting stealth-based features from earlier titles.

Valhalla disappointed in this regard because stealth was barely present and had no separate feature within gameplay. Mirage can do better by having a separate control system for stealth – this entails unique mechanics to initiate stealth sequences that will enable gameplay to feel vastly different between combat and stealth.

Missions Dedicated Toward Stealth-Based Activities

While some players could try to use stealth during Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it wasn’t an absolute requirement. Indeed, the easier strategy was to go guns blazing since it covered a lot more ground. However, Assassin’s Creed Mirage needs to bring missions where stealth is the only option.

Not only will this harken fans back to the franchise’s roots, but it will also provide Mirage with a multifaceted quality. Since Basim is supposed to be an initiate of the Hidden Ones, stealth-based missions will tie into his role, and they will exemplify how the Order conducts its activities.

The Presence Of Only One Canonical Ending

The RPG elements in Valhalla were taken to extreme lengths, to the point where multiple endings were possible. The issue here is that each ending lost importance since fans were unaware which one was supposed to be the real one. Mirage has the task of carrying one definite story to the end.

The story needs to be dedicated to the protagonist from start to finish, ending at a place where all fans who have spent time with Mirage know what the conclusion is supposed to be. It’s the reason why games in the Desmond Miles Saga had more impact, as fans will know for sure where the story is headed.

Boss Fights That Are In Line With The Tone Of The Series

What fans generally want to see are things like how the Assassin Order has changed over the years, which is why Valhalla’s Norse mythological scenario wasn’t so memorable. Moreover, the presence of boss fights that required hack and slash mechanics was something of a God of War ripoff that didn’t align with the series’ tone.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage should do away with monstrous enemies and overpowered foes to focus on bosses that have the same skill set. It will justify the fight training players engage in throughout the game instead of throwing them into a boss battle they’re unprepared for. Such boss fights will also fit the Hidden Ones’ goal of working from the shadows.

Consistent Supporting Characters Throughout The Story

Some of the best Assassin’s Creed games to date are the ones where there’s been a solid story to follow. This is mainly possible when fans can connect with the characters, which wasn’t possible in Valhalla. It was due to the fact that supporting characters disappeared after one arc to be replaced by new ones.

Mirage should feature a permanent cast of allies and enemies around Basim that form part of the overall storyline. It’s far more engaging to follow well-rounded characters that fans care about over new ones that don’t have much screentime. Mirage’s overall quality will be boosted should the characters end up being memorable.

Synchronization Points Need To Be Relevant

Synchronization points are basically added attractions in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla instead of being essential to unlocking the map. The open world didn’t have much to offer in the game, making synchronization less important. Mirage should do the opposite by having synchronization as a vital aspect.

The game should close off sections of the map until players complete synchronization, which will make the effort relevant. Synchronization points need to be necessary for Mirage to progress further since the point of the function was originally for players to find missions to complete.

Skill Tree Should Be Drastically Reduced Or Revamped

The skill tree has been there in some shape or form throughout the series, although Origins introduced a literal one where players upgrade the protagonist’s abilities. Valhalla brought the most complicated one yet, with a skill tree so large that it takes dozens just to significantly upgrade Eivor to a point where the change is apparent.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage should have a simpler skill tree that doesn’t require constant upgrades or is revamped with an easier-to-understand interface. The skill tree needs to be simple to navigate, with just the improvements made to the protagonist highlighted rather than abilities that barely anyone actually uses.