Current Events > Ubisoft adding level scaling to AC Valhalla with no option to disable

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://www.ubisoft.com/en-us/game/assassins-creed/valhalla/news-updates/7adnHZYiIKWGI9U9rhBwfv/assassins-creed-valhalla-title-update-110

Tweaked the NPC power level behaviour.

-NPCs power will now be at a maximum difference of 51 below the player.
-NPCs that are 51 power below the player will be highlighted in green.
-World bosses will match the player's power level when the power exceeds the world bosses base level. (also applies to: Alpha animals, Zealots)
-This change applies to all difficulties.

*sigh*
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that was my favorite part of odyssey
lol jk

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...Why?

I've never played the newer style of AC game, but was there some kind of farming exploit that took advantage of lower level bosses to circumvent a mandatory time-sink?

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isn't this why games have difficulty modes lol

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Is this more than the level scaling that was done in Odyssey? Because it wasn't like you could go back to the early game and just wreck stuff then either.

IDK I haven't played valhalla yet

I used to think it was stupid in Odyssey then I played the game for an hour and realized it wasnt a big deal. Its fine.

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Yall some haters

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I mean.....ummm....why? Like who asked for this?

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ScazarMeltex posted...

I mean.....ummm....why? Like who asked for this?

This is what I mean. I haven't seen a SINGLE PERSON asking for this on here or on Reddit.

Let alone one that you can't even turn off.
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Sounds awesome
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probably to make people buy their cash shop gear for an easier time

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Flockaveli posted...

I used to think it was stupid in Odyssey then I played the game for an hour and realized it wasnt a big deal. Its fine.

This doesn't seem like it'll be a big deal, either, if I'm reading it correctly. 51 power level difference is pretty massive, especially against the AI being the lower level.

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Good change honestly.
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TendoDRM posted...

This doesn't seem like it'll be a big deal, either, if I'm reading it correctly. 51 power level difference is pretty massive, especially against the AI being the lower level.

Power Level doesn't mean as much for you as it does for the enemies.

Like I'm currently like 120 power levels over the area I'm in and I still don't actually feel overpowered. The base level enemies still take like 3 hits to kill and the "elites" are still legitimately dangerous.
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Not a big deal. 51 power difference is still massive. Guess you can't overlevel to make Zealots and beasts easier, but those are supposed to be more challenging anyways.

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Bio1590 posted...

-World bosses will match the player's power level when the power exceeds the world bosses base level. (also applies to: Alpha animals, Zealots)

This is some bullshit. The Zealots are hard enough.

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The_Yahtz09 posted...

Not a big deal. 51 power difference is still massive. Guess you can't overlevel to make Zealots and beasts easier, but those are supposed to be more challenging anyways.

Then there's no point in grinding, then.

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Then don't grind. Grinding sucks. If they are still too hard, lower the difficulty level or get better.

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The_Yahtz09 posted...

Then don't grind. Grinding sucks. If they are still too hard, lower the difficulty level or get better.

The problem with Ubisoft games as of late is that "hard" enemies aren't hard because they are technically challenging. They're hard because they become bullet sponges and you have to waste an hour just jumping around and hacking at them. It's just an unnecessary time sink.

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slo-mo bow ability invalidates 90% of the enemies in the game anyway.

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I am currently playing the game on normal difficulty. Using Hunter bows and the Parry system I have been able to fairly easily beat enemies that were 200 levels above me in combat, including bosses.

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How many fucking levels are in this game that someone is 200 levels above you

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..............No one asked for this garbage, and to not have the option of turning it off is why people complained to all hell about Odyssey.

What compels them to ruining these games with things like this no one asked for and people clearly hated in the game before Valhalla.

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Hexenherz posted...

How many fucking levels are in this game that someone is 200 levels above you

Highest level area is around 350.

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Hexenherz posted...

The problem with Ubisoft games as of late is that "hard" enemies aren't hard because they are technically challenging. They're hard because they become bullet sponges and you have to waste an hour just jumping around and hacking at them. It's just an unnecessary time sink.

This is precisely my gripe. They're not "hard". They're just time consuming with little payoff.

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Hexenherz posted...

How many fucking levels are in this game that someone is 200 levels above you

it's not quite like normal RPG leveling. you get two skill points per level, some things give you 1 without leveling, and each point you use contributes to your overall "power" level, which balances things out behind the scenes to slowly match you with enemies

it's... not interesting, frankly. i can't think of even one thing in this game that odyssey didn't do better

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Awesker002 posted...

I am currently playing the game on normal difficulty. Using Hunter bows and the Parry system I have been able to fairly easily beat enemies that were 200 levels above me in combat, including bosses.

Bows are OP as hell in this game.

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I would also like to point out there is an option in the game to make assassinations guaranteed kills. So if you are good at stealth you could wipe out an entire level 350 compound at level 1.

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Hexenherz posted...

How many fucking levels are in this game that someone is 200 levels above you

The leveling system in this game honestly makes zero sense, don't worry. Leveling up doesn't even necessarily increase your stats.
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Hexenherz posted...

How many fucking levels are in this game that someone is 200 levels above you

400 is the max level and then you can master after that.

Cobra1010 posted...

probably to make people buy their cash shop gear for an easier time

I have a feeling this is the reason. I've finished the game and in one hand I have Excalibur which you can get around power lvl 320 or so depending on how much you have been exploring tombs, and in the other hand I have Mjolnir which can only be gotten at the end of the main story.

I've had 0 incentive to buy any outfits or gear because after lvl 320 there's nothing really left that is challenging. Theres one Daughter of Leoric fight that is difficult as she is lvl 320 I think but yeah after that the game is no longer challenging.

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the loot system is a problem in general. sooooo many things just aren't good, and there are like... 6 armor sets in the whole damn game. randomized stuff with a chance of being good was worlds better than unique stuff that's garbage, AND you could change how things looked in Odyssey...

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viewmaster_pi posted...

the loot system is a problem in general. sooooo many things just aren't good, and there are like... 6 armor sets in the whole damn game. randomized stuff with a chance of being good was worlds better than unique stuff that's garbage, AND you could change how things looked in Odyssey...

Honestly you can just go to the 6 bureau's and get the best armor in the game shortly after starting it. You can also sneak through the higher level areas and steal the high quantity loot to power level the armor and weapons pretty early.

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It's funny how the community is actually pretty split on whether the loot/gear system in this game is better or worse than it was in Odyssey lol.

I mean for me I've literally worn the armour you get at the beginning of the game the entire time (the Raven Clan set) and also the shield. I only stopped using Eivor's dad's axe when I realized it was Bear-alignment and same with the bow I was using.

I also still have no idea how the stat system actually works.
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viewmaster_pi posted...

the loot system is a problem in general. sooooo many things just aren't good, and there are like... 6 armor sets in the whole damn game. randomized stuff with a chance of being good was worlds better than unique stuff that's garbage, AND you could change how things looked in Odyssey...

Eh. It's better than constantly having to break down worthless items that clutter your inventory.

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everything just seems pointless. odyssey had so much variety, you were always getting things, the weapon types were diverse, and distinct, the weapons and armor were numerous and varied

besides the one in reda's shop, i have found ONE flail at the beginning of the game, and that's it...

and i will never stop questioning what the fuck they were thinking when they added shields and dual wielding, but removed swords... you know... the one fucking weapon you think of when you see a shield? and no, greatsword and shield ain't it

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SquirtleSkwad posted...

Eh. It's better than constantly having to break down worthless items that clutter your inventory.

not even, they were an important source of resources and money.

now i seem to never have enough iron to upgrade and try different weapons, and no money because i'm using it to buy iron

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viewmaster_pi posted...

not even, they were an important source of resources and money.

now i seem to never have enough iron to upgrade and try different weapons, and no money because i'm using it to buy iron

Resources were a bit too easy to get in Odyssey, imo.

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Level scaling encounters are gross.

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i think if soldiers dropped iron in this one, it'd be a lot better. there are tons of animals just bursting with leather (even... raven leather?) and yet your only option for iron collection is in those rocks where like two spawn on a cliff somewhere in the middle of nowhere

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Dudes over on the Reddit sub literally clapping over this because they've reached the end of the game and are bored.

Smh.

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I honestly never understood why developers do this. One of the funnest parts of any RPG I've enjoyed was over leveling and demolishing enemies.


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viewmaster_pi posted...

i think if soldiers dropped iron in this one, it'd be a lot better. there are tons of animals just bursting with leather (even... raven leather?) and yet your only option for iron collection is in those rocks where like two spawn on a cliff somewhere in the middle of nowhere

I crack those things open every time I see them for this reason lol. They add up, though. A lot of chests give you substantial amounts, as well.

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Does valhalla have the x2 exp and $ boost mtx that odyssey has? That drove me nuts knowing i had to do twice the work bc of a paywall

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one nice thing about scaling to me is that it makes what basic builds you can put together more apparent when the enemies aren't dying in one hit and rendering every single perk pointless. the game just seems to struggle finding an identity to me. "real fans" don't like the RPG elements, so they tone them down, now you have these half-baked mechanics that don't synergize or add any diversity to the gameplay.

then you get weapon perks that are like "gain ranged resistance when blocking ranged attacks" ...what? if you blocked the ranged attack, which are few and far between as it is, you're not taking damage anyway... completely pointless

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The world bosses matching your level is total bullshit considering they're just cheap bullet sponges already, and especially so if they've got a shield that's unbreakable unlike every other shielded enemy in the game. Encounters with them boil down to dodge-taptaptap-repeat forever. The only challenge comes from the encounters being so long that even a 90% success rate on your dodges could screw you.

Not to mention that this is an AC game and you can't even start the encounter with a sneak attack. I don't know what the hell they were thinking there. A series about assassin's, and I can't do a sneak attack on someone even though they don't see me!?

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ooh, a personal fave of mine is "heavy attacks on enemies on the ground poison them"

soooo... if the enemy's on the ground, you probably knocked him on his ass and he's already hurt. why would you go for the poison when the next attack will just kill him outright? better yet, why not stomp him? it's faster and absurdly strong. i hate to gas on and be annoying, but shit like this that makes no sense gets to me. you need talent and creativity to make perks, abilities and combat work together in a meaningful way, not a corporate focus group going over analytics...

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viewmaster_pi posted...

ooh, a personal fave of mine is "heavy attacks on enemies on the ground poison them"

soooo... if the enemy's on the ground, you probably knocked him on his ass and he's already hurt. why would you go for the poison when the next attack will just kill him outright? better yet, why not stomp him? it's faster and absurdly strong. i hate to gas on and be annoying, but shit like this that makes no sense gets to me. you need talent and creativity to make perks, abilities and combat work together in a meaningful way, not a corporate focus group going over analytics...

Isn't there an ability you unlock that makes poisoned enemies create a poison cloud around them when they die?
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Bio1590 posted...

Isn't there an ability you unlock that makes poisoned enemies create a poison cloud around them when they die?

yes, that's nice, and a fire one, but there's an ability you can use to apply poison or fire whenever you want if you want to go that route. i can't think of a single practical use for the perk i described. i also don't know why the dopplehander greatsword does it. it's really like they picked ideas out of a hat without even thinking

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now that i think about it, i can't even really recall a time where enough enemies are together and close enough that a stationary poison cloud even helps

and again, this is a game where most enemies die in a few hits, you don't even need crowd control stuff. by design, the combat just isn't intense or involved enough to get use out of these things when you could just be pressing RB or R1 or whatever and get faster results

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Yeah the only time I've found fire and poison to actually be useful was against bosses, again because they're complete bullet sponges compared to regular enemies that go down in a couple of hits.

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