Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is an action-adventure role-playing video game that invites players into a fictional story set in the years 872-878 AD. The game is the series’ twelfth main entry and a sequel to 2018’s Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

Story

In the time of the Vikings, England is a territory divided among several small lordships and warring kingdoms. Under all that mayhem is a land of untold riches, just waiting to be conquered.
Eivor Varinsdottir, a Viking raider trained from childhood to be a courageous warrior, decides to guide his tribe as they migrate from Norway’s frozen wastes to the fertile fields of ninth-century England to find a safe haven, conquer this thorn-in-conflicts land and earn his way to Valhalla (the hall of the slain). On his way, Eivor gets entangled in the strife between two factions – the Assassins and the Templar Order. The plot that follows his adventures is broken up into separate chapters, and each of them focuses on a certain area of the map.The main story has two very different endings, which are affected by the player’s decisions during the game.

Gameplay

The gameplay is structured around several main storylines and multiple side quests (called “World Events”) that players may choose to complete or ignore.

You play as Eivor Varinsdottir and your role is to lead your people against the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. The character can participate in a wide range of activities, like combat, hunting, fishing, brawling with other Vikings, drinking competitions, and more.

Eivor can be played as a female or a male character, or the player can choose to have the game automatically switch between the two genders at specific parts of the story.

There are options for customizing the character’s hair, beard, clothes, armor, and tattoos for a more unique look. As he advances in the game, the player can select from a variety of skills to adjust the character’s playstyle.

Eivor is accompanied by a raven who may be used to distract enemies and explore specific locations from afar, just as previous bird companions have done in Assassin’s Creed Origins and Odyssey.

A new take on the iconic Eagle Vision mechanic from the series has been introduced with the “Odin Sight” feature which allows players to scan the environment for foes, hidden treasures, and more.

Stealth also plays a major role in the gameplay. The “social stealth” mechanic from previous Assassin’s Creed games is back, allowing Eivor to use different static objects from the environment to hide, as well as pull down his hood and blend with certain crowds. The character also has the ability to fake their own death.

Combat

Combat allows for dual-wielding (the use of two weapons, one in each hand) of practically any weapon, which makes for an exciting fighting experience.

The Conquest Battles, first seen in Odyssey, make a return in Valhalla as “Assaults” in which the player commands armies to conquer enemy strongholds.

There are also short-duration fights called “Raids” in which the player commands a raiding group who attacks enemies in search of supplies and resources for their own settlement.

The arsenal of weapons that are available in Valhalla has been expanded, compared to that in previous games, and now players can play with greatswords and flails.

Ships have made a return from previous installments, but in AC: Valhalla, they are mainly used as means of transportation for raiding and escaping after a land battle. They are rarely used for naval combat.

Aside from entering a battle, there are dialogue options that allow the player to address some conflicts diplomatically. The decisions he makes have an effect on the other non-playable characters and their political affiliations.

Enemies

To keep the player on their toes, the developing team has included a greater variety of enemy archetypes, compared to those seen in earlier releases.

As the player gains new skills, the enemies also get progressively more challenging. For instance, they can use certain objects to their advantage. In addition, some foes might learn from the player’s tactics and develop countermeasures.

With the exception of the game’s bosses, however, most of the enemies can be killed with a single attack using a well-planned move and a smartly selected weapon.

Game design

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be praised for its voice acting, its visuals, and its soundtrack, which immerse players in the narrative and create an impactful atmosphere.

Players can find a lot of historically accurate elements that give the game a credible and authentic portrayal of England during the Viking invasion.

They can also enjoy beautiful landscapes that have been recreated with impressive visual fidelity. The soundtrack is a blend of both traditional Viking music and modern gaming tunes.

Conclusion

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is a Viking adventure that has something for everyone thanks to its compelling mix of warfare, open-world exploration, and colony management elements. The game is massive and can give you hundreds of hours of fun and challenges, as you dive into the brutal life of a conqueror.

Can you play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac?

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be played on Mac. However, there is no official MacOS version of the game, for this reason, we will go through the workarounds that fans will need to use in order to play the game on their Mac machine.

If you are into cloud gaming, you can use GeForce Now to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla in your browser. This method is the fastest one because it does not require you to download and install the game and it also saves you disk space. To stream the game, however, you need to have an account and a subscription to the cloud gaming service.

Installing Windows on your Mac with the help of Parallels or Boot Camp Assistant is another convenient option that may give you an adequate gaming experience. Once you have a Windows OS running on your Mac, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be downloaded and played on the Mac from Steam.

Below you will find detailed instructions on how to use each of these programs before attempting to run the Windows PC version of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on a Mac.

If you’re trying to select between Parallels and Apple’s Boot Camp Assistant, bear in mind that Parallels works with both Intel-based and M1 Based Macs, whereas Boot Camp Assistant is only compatible with Macs that have an Intel CPU.

How to download Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac?

If you’re using a Mac and want to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, you’ll need to create a Windows virtual machine first (VM). If you have a Windows virtualization tool like Parallels or Boot Camp Assistant, you can run games that aren’t officially supported on a Mac and still have an adequate experience by creating a virtual machine (VM) and installing the game inside of it.

Once a Windows OS virtual machine has been created with any of the programs above, Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be downloaded from Steam and installed on it in the usual way you normally install Windows games.

How to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac?

To play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla you need to first get the game:

After that, you need to select a method to play:

MethodsWho is it for?
Cloud Gaming
(Geforce Now)
For those who want smooth performance with the ability to casually play all games with the highest visual quality in a matter of minutes.
BootCampFor those who don’t mind sacrificing visual fidelity and performance to get a native experience.

Parallels Virtual MachineFor those willing to let their mac run hot in order to get adequate performance in a native experience

How to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac M1?

Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla can be played on a Mac M1. The game can be downloaded from Steam, but first, you’ll need to set up a Windows virtual machine using Parallels.

Keep in mind that Parallels is simply a temporary solution and will not provide the same gaming experience as a native Windows installation. However, even if the version of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Steam isn’t officially supported on Mac, you can still play the game with a satisfying gaming quality by using a virtual machine.

Another way to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla is by streaming it via GeForce Now. This method is quick and can save you time, as well as the need to install the game or any additional software. However, in order to have a smooth gaming experience, you need to have a fast and stable internet connection and a subscription to the service.

Play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac with GeForce Now

  • First, you need to go to GeForceNow.com and get registered there.
  • Next, you need to download and install the GeForce Now app for Mac.
  • After that, launch the app, log in, and search for the game in the search field.
  • Select the game, then select a game store and click on the Play button > Continue. Please note that to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla with GeForce Now, you need to have either Ubisoft Connect or Epic Games Store account.
  • Wait for the game to load, and enter your selected game store’s login details to start playing.

Click here for our detailed GeForce Now guide.

Play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla using Parallels

  • If you want to play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac, what you need is to go to the Parallels website and download the installation file of Parallels virtualization software on your Mac.
  • Once you do that, run the installation file and complete the steps to install the Parallels virtualization software.
  • Next, start Parallels and select the “Install Windows” button. This will start the Windows installation process.
  • Next, you will need a Parallels profile to sign in to the newly created Windows virtual machine. Simply create one or sign up using any of the methods shown on the screen.
  • Once the Windows virtual machine is all set up and running on your Mac, go to Steam, purchase the game and install it on your Windows VM in the same way that you would install a Windows game.

This Full Parallels Guide can give you more detailed instructions on Parallels, in case you some more assistance in setting up the program and Windows.

Play Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla on Mac using Boot Camp Assistant

  • Boot Camp Assistant is Apple’s built-in app for Macs with an Intel CPU. The program can help you create a separate Windows partition on your Mac OS. However, you need to first download the Windows 64-bit ISO file from the official Microsoft website and save it on your Mac.
  • Once the ISO file is saved, go to your Mac and navigate to Applications > Utilities to start Boot Camp Assistant.
  • Next, in the program, select the Continue button and import the ISO file that you saved.
  • After that, you need to create disk partitions for your Mac and Windows operating systems. Ensure that there is enough space for both of them and click Install.
  • Your Mac should restart and the Windows 10 installation should start automatically, just have a little patience.
  • Next, you will see on-screen instructions that you need to follow to complete the installation of the Windows OS.
  • You can use Boot Camp Assistant to install any drivers that may be needed.
  • After Windows OS is installed, go to Steam and download the game on your Windows partition.
  • Next, install the game from Steam in the same way you would install games on Windows and enjoy.

If you need more help, please check our Complete Boot Camp Assistant guide for detailed instructions.