Update: After some mixed messaging from Ubisoft, achievements are on the way to PC after all. A Ubisoft support spokesperson mentioned in the game forums that the game missing achievements “was unintended”, and that the publisher is “actively working to enable achievements”.
Sorry achievement hunters, looks like you’ll have to find that sense of satisfaction and internet points elsewhere because you’re not grabbing them in Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. Some of you may have already noticed that achievements weren’t in Valhalla, which certainly feels odd given how they’ve become a mainstay of the industry since the Xbox 360 rolled them out. Well, it turns out their absence isn’t a glitch, it’s intentional. Valhalla marks Ubisoft’s first foray into ridding their games of achievements and instead including its own “Challenges system” which is both similar yet different enough to be noteworthy.
Ubisoft confirmed the change in a forum post after many people began enquiring as to the lack of achievements. “Achievements are not available for this title on PC, and this is an intended change. Instead of Achievements for new games on Ubisoft Connect, instead we have expanded the Challenges, which provide XP and other rewards in Ubisoft Connect. We know that this is a big change for a lot of you, and we appreciate your understanding in the matter.”
These challenges are exactly what you think, having more of an effect on the game itself rather than simply acting as a meta-collection of accomplishments. They’ll net you some XP or currency for doing something like stealth killing a certain amount of guards in whatever Ubisoft game we’re talking about. They’ll also change over time, meaning there’ll frequently be new challenges to complete.
I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad change; frankly, I think it’s neither, just a different way of doing things. Yet the internet will no doubt take issue with something that they’ve come to expect being different from how it’s historically been. Ubisoft plans on implementing this system in future games too, so expect something similar in Immortals: Fenyx Rising.
Last Updated: November 17, 2020
Mark Treloar
November 16, 2020 at 18:03
Maybe they should fix flying boats first
Plague Doctor Who
November 16, 2020 at 18:07
This doesn’t seem right
The PC version didn’t ship with achievements due to issues on their backend, and they’ve already said it wasn’t intentional, and that achievements on the PC were going to be added.. so I have no idea where you’re getting your outdated information from…
https://discussions.ubisoft.com/post/450370
truthtellerdealwithit
November 16, 2020 at 19:45
Deleting comments lol. Fake news. https://psnprofiles.com/trophies/11736-assassins-creed-valhalla
Plague Doctor Who
November 17, 2020 at 18:19
(Update: They’ve changed their tune)
Eh?
What mix messaging? They didn’t release a press release saying they were removing achievements on their new rebranding.. you assumed something before doing your due diligence as a game journalist.
Spewed out a article just like every other site.. but as hilarious as it was PcGamer updated their own article long before you even hit publish.
Do yourself a favor and rename the update to something a professional would say.. you messed up, and everything is going forward like it was planned from the beginning by ubisoft.
If ubisoft meant to make such a drastic change to their platform they would have released an official press release before the release of Legion/Valhalla. (but since these games are on multiplatforms and not exclusive to PC.. I doubt we’ll ever see games without achievements at this point.
Plague Doctor Who
November 17, 2020 at 18:19
(Update: They’ve changed their tune)
Eh?
What mix messaging? They didn’t release a press release saying they were removing achievements on their new rebranding.. you assumed something before doing your due diligence as a game journalist.
Spewed out a article just like every other site.. but as hilarious as it was PcGamer updated their own article long before you even hit publish.
Do yourself a favor and rename the update to something a professional would say.. you messed up, and everything is going forward like it was planned from the beginning by ubisoft.
If ubisoft meant to make such a drastic change to their platform they would have released an official press release before the release of Legion/Valhalla. (but since these games are on multiplatforms and not exclusive to PC.. I doubt we’ll ever see games without achievements at this point.