I upgraded my Bone-Biter Dane axe to "mythical" level to see what kind of final appearance it would have, and then I noticed that almost every time I strike an enemy with it, there's this magical-sounding "shwing" sound instead of a more realistic-sounding, bone-crushing sound. I can't stand this new sound for mythical weapons. Would it be possible, through an update, to deactivate this sound--or, at least, to be able to have weapons appear as their lower-tier forms (such as "flawless")?

While we're at it, a full-blown transbog feature for all weapons and armor would be really useful. I'd like to have certain armor pieces appear as lower-tier versions as well if I don't like higher-tier appearances.

I hope someone from the dev team hears this.

@jcar4327 Yep. Nailed it. I don't want to feel like I "must" "log in" to a game, lest I miss some kind of content. I want an offline single-player game that will ALWAYS be there whenever I'm ready to play it.

Also, I'm simply not interested in multiplayer content, period. I play games as a solitary activity, and I don't want to play with other people. The problem is, if AC starts bringing in more co-op multiplayer content, I worry that us solo gamers will be left out or forgotten about. Soon, there will be quests that can be played ONLY through co-op (and, thus, rewards that can be attained ONLY through playing co-op content).

If this is where AC is heading, that might be the point where I finally quit the series. And that sucks, because I've been a loyal player of the AC series since day one, way back in 2007.

Keep Assassin's Creed a story-driven single-player open-world action/adventure series, and I'll keep happily coming back.

Agreed.

I was just asked to provide a video of that flaming red-rune flash that appears whenever enemies and animals do unblockable attacks. My only request is to have an Interface option to turn that effect OFF.

Like . . . really? It's there for anyone to see. Just get into a fight, and eventually an enemy will do an unblockable attack, and that fiery red rune thing will flash on them. Have they not seen this or something?

*sigh*

Not excited about this. I don't like the idea of "live-service" games, and the other question I have is this: will Assassin's Creed now turn into some kind of online multiplayer fest? A major reason why I stick with the AC games is because they have always been self-contained story- and character-driven single-player open-world experiences that don't depend on some multiplayer nonsense.

I'm not interested in (and don't get the appeal of) games like Fortnite, and I've never been into GTA Online (but I love GTA 5, the single-player game).

So I'm immediately not getting a good vibe from this direction.

I ran across a Screen Rant article about a potential ditching of the open-world design for the next AC game (https://screenrant.com/assassins-creed-richard-open-world-ditched-third-crusade/) in favor of a more semi-linear design that characterized, say, the first AC game.

And I'd just like to voice some very clear opposition to this idea. I am not one of those players who would like Ubisoft to move away from open-world structure in Assassin's Creed. One of the only reasons I continue playing games today is to immerse myself in vast, expansive, and beautiful open worlds that I can explore and be lost in for months if I want.

My absolute favorite games are big open-world action/adventure games or action-RPGs, including Horizon: Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Days Gone, Red Dead Redemption 2, Grand Theft Auto 5, some of the Far Cry games, the Watch Dogs series, and the recent Assassin's Creed games (especially Origins, my personal favorite of the RPG-style ones). These are the games that keep me coming back to my PS4 after the work day is over and during my free time.

I grew up in an era where games were still oppressively linear and restrictive in their design, and as open-world games blossomed, I gladly welcomed that shift in design. More freedom, more places to go on my own time, more lived-in environments, fewer or no loading screens. These are all GOOD things.

Some people complained that the world of AC: Odyssey was "too big." Look, I legitimately don't understand claims like that and probably never will. I WANT open-world games to be expansive AND detailed. The huge open-world Classical Greece of Odyssey is a strength of the game, a credit to the development team's designers and artists, something I really adored about Odyssey. My only real criticism of Odyssey would have to do with the weirdly tanky, damage-spongey enemies and the frustrating, unrealistic, cartoony combat (it should NOT take 16 hits of my sword just to make an enemy twitch). Now, that doesn't mean that there shouldn't be meaningful things to do and see within these open worlds, of course. Some people complained about the wide, empty deserts in Origins' recreation of Egypt. I LOVE that stuff. Things like these lend a sense of legitimacy and a sense of immersion I seek in video games. I love finding myself in a huge sea of sand and traversing it at will, trudging through the dunes and climbing atop a hill to seeing a city off in the hazy distance.

These are the experiences I want in my games. This is what I crave. And Assassin's Creed helps to fulfill that for me.

If the game world is too big for you, my goodness, just use the dang fast-travel options and skip over everything that makes an open world great. But some of us like to get lost in these worlds--seamlessly, with nothing hidden behind loading screens. Some of us want to take in their sights, observe their macro and micro details, walk or ride through miles of terrain, explore every far-off location, climb every mountain, visit every town or settlement, see what the locals are up to all to feel like we're existing in a convincing place and adventuring at our own pace, on our own time.

Don't get me wrong--in these recent RPG-heavy games, I REALLY wish we could move away from this obsession with damage numbers, stats, lifebars over enemies' heads, etc. If I strike someone with an axe, they should just look like they just got struck with an axe. If I shoot an arrow right into someone's face, they should just look and act like they just got shot with an arrow to the face instead of barely flinching and continuing to attack me like nothing happened. If I set someone on fire, they should look and act like they've been set on fire. At the very least, keep giving us many options to disable artificial HUD nonsense so we can have a more immersive visual and gameplay experience as well as difficulty options that lower enemy health and increase damage we deal and so on.

So please, Ubisoft, keep the open-world design and structure. Keep giving open-world haters the option to fast travel to their next quest objective, but let the rest of us continue immersing ourselves in your legitimately huge, gorgeous worlds. I don't want to lose that in this series.

I'm seriously hoping a forthcoming update will go a long way toward fixing a glut of glaring clipping issues in AC: Valhalla. There are blades and handles clipping right through cloaks and other fabrics seemingly all the time, especially when walking, jogging, running, or riding on horeseback. Sometimes straps and tunics will clip through when cloaks and hoods are pulled over and you're moving around. It's pretty terrible at times. I know it isn't exactly easy to handle this, but I'm hoping some minor adjustments can address all this.

Long-time Assassin's Creed fan here, and I think this needs more attention. I was loving this game, but especially after the latest update (December 15), it's reeeally making it harder for me to enjoy and immerse myself in the experience because of the visual noise that I can't turn off on my screen.

In descending order of importance, here are the specific HUD/Interface elements that the devs should REALLY let us turn off in the settings:

Those flashy red "rune" symbols on enemies performing an unblockable attack

Before the December 15 patch, I had this thing off! I believe it was disabled by turning off the "Enemy Info" setting (which usually displays enemy health and stamina bars), and I was blissfully playing for almost 200 hours without EVER seeing that ghastly, cartoony red rune flash on enemies. Now, after the patch, I am forced to see it every time an enemy does a heavy attack. There are now wolves, wild boars, and chickens flying at me like they're on fire. In bareknuckle fist fights, my opponents look like they're on fire when they're about to grab me. This is so distracting, unimmersive, etc. It kills any sense of believability or realism I may have had while playing this game and engaging in combat.

Simply give us the option to turn this thing off. That's it! That's all I'm asking. There's even already a sound effect that plays when an enemy is doing an unblockable attack. I don't need to see this thing!

Mid-screen messages that say, "Ammo is full," "Rations are full," "Adrenaline is full," "This door is barred from the other side," "Find the key for this door," etc.

These mid-screen messages are obnoxious and unnecessary, and they take up a big chunk of my screen. I can tell the door is barred from the other side: there's a red glow on it, it makes a "locked door" sound when I try to open it, and Eivor literally vocalizes the fact by stating, "Hmm. Must be barred from the other side." As for arrows, rations, and adrenaline? I got it! I can figure that out on my own without the constant textual reminder in the middle of my screen, even during hectic combat! Just give us the option to turn these off in the Interface settings. That's all I'm asking!

Colorful weapon trails

Every time I swing my axe with a heavy attack, there's this unsightly, cartoony orange-ish trail left behind my weapon. For similar immersion-killing reasons, I am requested that we get an option in the Interface settings to turn these weapon trails OFF. Again, people who like seeing these things can leave them on for as long as they want. But those of us who want a more immersive, more believable, less-cluttered experience should just have the option to disable them.

Those white sparkly explosions whenever I loot something/someone

Every time I hit the "loot" button to collect something anywhere, there's a small explosion of white sparkles that fly around it. There are irritating, and I would very much appreciate--once again--the option to turn them off in the Interface settings.

Allow us the OPTION of having a more immersive, more realistic visual experience with AC: Valhalla. If you do, I will keep playing this game for months to come. But right now, it's harder for me to appreciate and enjoy it.

Earnest request. Some of us would prefer not to have enemies, bosses, etc., automatically be scaled up to be more difficult. The whole point of my leveling up, upgrading my weapons, upgrading my armor, and so on, is so that I can walk around the world ready to dominate anyone I come across. I get that some people would prefer to have lower-level enemies scale up to some extent, but why not just make this a purely optional thing that I can toggle off in the settings? That way, all of us are satisfied. Why force all of us into it?

I know, I'm becoming a broken record on this, and I've posted about this stuff before.

The December 15th patch forced me to have to see the flaming red rune flash every time an enemy or animal does an unblockable attack. Before that, it could be totally disabled as part of the "Enemy Info" option in the Interface settings. Now, enemies--as well as boars, chickens, and wolves--look like they're ON FIRE when they're attacking me. I can't stand this, it's dumb, it's irritating, it's immersion-killing, and it has basically killed my desire to play Valhalla--after around 200 hours already put into it.

For the next patch, please allow us the option to disable this HUD effect--along with other HUD things too! I want to see options to turn off those obnoxious mid-screen text messages about locked doors, missing keys, full ammo, full adrenaline, "Place on the ground to complete the objective," etc., etc.

I want to turn off the aiming reticle that appears every time I crouch. Why is this even here?

I want to turn off those tacky weapon trails. Every time I swing my axe, I don't want this ugly orange-ish trail following behind it.

I want to turn off those white sparkly explosions every time I loot something.

Let us have a more grounded, more immersive visual experience during gameplay. I don't need to see all those things.

Thanks for your attention.

Agreed. I wish days would last longer in Valhalla, along with sunsets and sunrises.

@UbiStorm Hello again! I got no response here, so I thought I'd check in.

To be clear, I am asking quite simply for an option to toggle off those giant red rune symbols that flash on enemies and animals when they perform unblockable attacks. I was able to turn them off before the December 15, 2020, patch as part of the "Enemy Info" option in the Interface settings.

I'd also LOVE it if we could disable those irritating mid-screen text messages. Give us the option to turn these things off. I'd greatly appreciate it.

@jcar4327 Yep. Nailed it. I don't want to feel like I "must" "log in" to a game, lest I miss some kind of content. I want an offline single-player game that will ALWAYS be there whenever I'm ready to play it.

Also, I'm simply not interested in multiplayer content, period. I play games as a solitary activity, and I don't want to play with other people. The problem is, if AC starts bringing in more co-op multiplayer content, I worry that us solo gamers will be left out or forgotten about. Soon, there will be quests that can be played ONLY through co-op (and, thus, rewards that can be attained ONLY through playing co-op content).

If this is where AC is heading, that might be the point where I finally quit the series. And that sucks, because I've been a loyal player of the AC series since day one, way back in 2007.

Keep Assassin's Creed a story-driven single-player open-world action/adventure series, and I'll keep happily coming back.

*sigh*

Not excited about this. I don't like the idea of "live-service" games, and the other question I have is this: will Assassin's Creed now turn into some kind of online multiplayer fest? A major reason why I stick with the AC games is because they have always been self-contained story- and character-driven single-player open-world experiences that don't depend on some multiplayer nonsense.

I'm not interested in (and don't get the appeal of) games like Fortnite, and I've never been into GTA Online (but I love GTA 5, the single-player game).

So I'm immediately not getting a good vibe from this direction.

Agreed.

I was just asked to provide a video of that flaming red-rune flash that appears whenever enemies and animals do unblockable attacks. My only request is to have an Interface option to turn that effect OFF.

Like . . . really? It's there for anyone to see. Just get into a fight, and eventually an enemy will do an unblockable attack, and that fiery red rune thing will flash on them. Have they not seen this or something?

@ubistorm Thanks for responding. It's nice to finally hear from someone.

Just to be clear, you want me to upload a video of that flaming red-rune flash that appears on enemies and animals when they perform unblockable attacks? I feel like that's something literally anyone can see in regular gameplay anytime. Just get into combat, and eventually an enemy or animal will perform one. It's pretty common--you can't really miss it.

I'm simply asking for an option to turn OFF that effect. I was able to before the December 15, 2020, patch as part of the "Enemy Info" toggle in the Interface settings, I believe. After that patch, that flaming red-rune effect always showed up, no matter what I turned off.

And as for the other things--such as the mid-screen text messages like "Ammo is full," "This door is barred from the other side," "Find the key for this door," etc.--those are common as well. You can easily see those. I'd just like to turn those off too. That's really all I'm asking.

Hello again!

Hopelessly awaiting some kind of response from anyone at Ubisoft about this REALLY SIMPLE THING.

Guess I'll come back . . .

There's literally a sound effect for when an enemy is about to do an unblockable attack. I can hear it and anticipate it. Listen next time a bad guy does one.

Again, this is how I played before the December 15 (2020) patch, before we were forced to see that godawful thing every time.

And lastly, I'll repeat what I feel like I have to say to others way too often: if you want to see that on your screen, good for you. If you need it, then rely on it. But some of us want the option to turn that off to create a more immersive, more grounded, less cluttered visual experience. An option makes all of us happy--you get to keep it on, and I get to turn it off. We're both pleased. Simple.

*sigh* So the latest patch gave us a new option in the Interface menu to disable "World Icons" . . . which is great, but we still haven't gotten something I've been requesting since DECEMBER of last year: the ability to disable those atrocious red-run flashes when enemies perform unblockable attacks.Before the December 15 patch, we were able to turn this off. Now we're FORCED to see it.

If you add new HUD/Interface options that easily, why can't you add one to turn off this ONE THING?

And again (*sigh*), why can't we also turn of those awful mid-screen text messages about ammo being full and whatnot? Why is this so hard? Let us turn these things off.

Hi again! I'm back!

Still nothing? Cool, I'll come back again.

I'm all for great stories, interesting characters, memorable quests, and so on, but I also LOVE giant open worlds. Why can't we have all these things?

I can live with a somewhat smaller open world, sure. For instance, the worlds of Ghost of Tsushima, Horizon: Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Days Gone, and other open-world games I enjoy are smaller, but the massive sizes of the worlds in the latest Assassin's Creed games are part of why I love them and keep coming back to them.

I want to venture out into big worlds with great locations and feel like I'm traveling far and wide to discover new places. World size doesn't need to be compromised, in my estimation.