Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is set to receive a New Game+ mode on November 5, an unusually late but substantial new option for the 2020 open-world adventure. Ubisoft has outlined a package that goes beyond simply replaying the campaign: the update will include an optional progression mode, new runes, achievements, a stash system, and a new crafting material called Mithril that is used to upgrade divine gear.
The timing is the headline. Valhalla launched in November 2020, making this New Game+ arrival six years later. The game has continued to receive attention well beyond its original release window, including bug fixes as recently as January 2025, but New Game+ is a major replay-focused feature rather than a conventional maintenance patch.
What the November 5 update includes
The announced additions are:
- New Game+ mode
- An optional progression mode
- New runes
- New achievements
- A stash system
- Mithril, a crafting material used to upgrade divine gear
Several important details remain unconfirmed. Ubisoft has not yet specified exactly what carries over into a New Game+ save, how its optional progression mode changes advancement, what bonuses the new runes provide, or how the stash will operate. Those distinctions matter because “New Game+” can describe very different replay structures from game to game.
In broad terms, New Game+ typically allows players to begin a fresh playthrough after completing the main game while retaining at least some earned power, equipment, or unlocks. It can turn a second run into a build experiment rather than a total reset. But players should not assume any particular carryover rules for Valhalla until the patch notes establish them.
The same caution applies to difficulty and enemy scaling. The mention of an optional progression mode strongly suggests that Ubisoft is offering players some control over the shape of a repeat playthrough, but it does not confirm whether enemies will be tougher, whether gear progression will be altered, or whether the option affects story progression. The name describes a system category, not its final rules.
Why the stash, runes and Mithril are meaningful
Even without their detailed specifications, the individual additions point toward a mode designed to give returning players more room to manage and develop a long-running character.
A stash system generally refers to storage separate from a character’s immediately carried or displayed inventory. For a game with a great deal of gear and potential collectible equipment, storage can make it easier to keep items without leaving them in the active loadout. Whether Valhalla’s version is strictly storage, supports transfers between New Game+ runs, or has other functions has not been detailed.
Related coverage includes Assassin's Creed Valhalla New Game+ Arrives November 5, Six Years After Launch.
Runes are another potentially significant part of the update. In equipment-driven games, a rune is commonly an item or modifier that changes a weapon or gear piece’s properties. Ubisoft has only confirmed that new runes are coming, not their effects or how they will be earned. Still, their inclusion alongside New Game+ suggests fresh ways to customize equipment may be part of the replay incentive.
Mithril is the clearest newly named progression resource: it will upgrade divine gear. A crafting material is a resource spent to improve or alter equipment, and divine gear is the stated destination for this particular material. Ubisoft has not yet said where Mithril comes from, how much will be needed, or what the upgrade tiers provide. For players with existing endgame gear, those answers will determine whether the system is a modest extension of the equipment chase or a central piece of New Game+ progression.
The newly added achievements likewise offer a separate reason to return. Achievements are platform-facing objectives that track specific accomplishments, but their individual requirements have not been revealed. They may be tied to the new mode, its equipment systems, or other update content; for now, that is unknown.
A replay system arriving long after Valhalla’s debut
Valhalla was already an enormous game at launch, built around a large open world and lengthy progression. New Game+ gives players who have already completed it a formal route back through that journey, potentially with a different approach to gear, upgrades and character development.
That matters because a standard replay of a story-heavy open-world game can be awkward for veterans. A player may want to revisit major narrative moments or re-engage with combat systems, but may not want to recreate every stage of a first-time progression loop from scratch. A well-defined New Game+ structure can address that tension by recognizing prior investment while still preserving enough advancement to make a second campaign feel purposeful.
Whether Valhalla’s implementation accomplishes that will depend on the missing specifics. If carryover is generous, the mode could be especially appealing to players who want to use established gear from the start. If its progression rules impose meaningful limits or introduce distinct goals, it could instead provide a more structured second-run challenge. The optional progression mode is the most intriguing phrase in the announcement precisely because it could affect that balance, yet it is also the element that requires the most explanation.
The delayed rollout also puts the update in a broader context of games receiving support long after their initial launch. Long-tail plans can range from technical fixes and platform additions to entirely new ways to replay a completed release. Ubisoft’s update is notable because it combines both replay features and an apparent new equipment-upgrade layer, rather than treating New Game+ as a simple toggle.
Continued post-launch plans remain an important part of the wider games business, as seen in discussions around how major studios map out lasting support and future releases, including Bungie’s long-range plans for Destiny. Valhalla’s case is different: this is a single-player replay feature for an older game, not a promise of an ongoing live-service roadmap. Still, it demonstrates that a finished campaign can receive a meaningful new entry point years later.
Console update tease remains deliberately vague
New Game+ is not the only future Valhalla news Ubisoft has signaled. The company says full patch notes are forthcoming and has also indicated that it will share news on “current-generation console updates” in the coming days.
There is no confirmed description of what those console updates will include. Valhalla already has versions for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles. Any assumption that the upcoming news means a particular visual, performance or hardware-focused enhancement remains speculation until Ubisoft provides the patch notes or a dedicated announcement.
That ambiguity is worth emphasizing because terms such as upscaling and enhanced can mean different things depending on a platform and implementation. Upscaling is a rendering technique that can present an image at a higher output resolution than the base rendered image, often aiming to balance image quality with performance. It does not automatically establish a specific frame-rate target, resolution, visual preset, or feature set. Likewise, an “enhanced” label does not describe concrete benefits without accompanying technical details.
For now, the confirmed information is simply that console-related news is expected after the New Game+ announcement. Players on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series systems should wait for Ubisoft to identify the platforms affected and the actual changes, rather than treating the tease as confirmation of a graphics overhaul.
What players should watch for in the patch notes
The forthcoming patch notes should answer the practical questions that will decide how valuable the update is for returning players:
- What items, abilities, currencies, and upgrades transfer into New Game+?
- What does the optional progression mode change?
- How are the new runes obtained, and what do they modify?
- How does the stash work, and what can it store?
- Where is Mithril earned, and what improvements does it unlock for divine gear?
- Which activities unlock the new achievements?
- What current-generation console changes are planned, and on which platforms?
Those are not minor footnotes. They will establish whether the November 5 release is primarily a convenience feature for players revisiting Valhalla, a new endgame advancement loop, or a more comprehensive remix of the original campaign’s progression.
At minimum, Ubisoft has confirmed that Valhalla’s post-launch story is not over. Six years after release, players will have a new way to return to its Viking-era world, along with new gear-focused systems to investigate. The next update’s patch notes will need to turn that promising outline into a clear set of rules.
