Best Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Questlines to Play

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is the kind of game that can eat your month if you let it. It looks like a straightforward Viking RPG, but once you get into England and start building Ravensthorpe, it becomes a sprawl of alliance arcs, myth quests, Order targets, raids, mysteries, and collectibles. Some of it is excellent. A lot of it is just time passing while you wait for the next actually good bit.

If you’re juggling work, kids, or just a backlog that keeps staring at you from the dashboard, you should not play Valhalla like a completionist. I did enough of that to know better. The game has real highs, but it also has long stretches where you are basically doing regional politics for people you will forget an hour later.

So here is the honest version: which questlines are worth your time, which ones drag, and how to get the best version of Valhalla without turning it into a second job.

Why picking the right questlines matters in Valhalla

Valhalla is structured around pledge arcs. You go to Randvi in the longhouse, choose a region on the alliance map, and then play through that area’s storyline. In theory, that sounds clean. In practice, the quality swings a lot from one region to the next.

The problem for busy players is that the main story is not really one straight line. It is a pile of regional stories with a few major character arcs threaded through them, especially Eivor, Sigurd, Basim, and the Hidden Ones side of things. That means you can spend five or six hours on an arc that barely matters, then hit a genuinely great sequence right after it.

You will feel this after a while. The game starts strong. Norway is compact and memorable. Early England has momentum. Then the alliance map opens up and the pacing gets loose. If you want the version of Valhalla people remember fondly, you need to be selective.

The questlines that are actually worth your time

Play the Norway opening and don’t rush through it

The opening in Rygjafylke and the early Norway material are worth doing properly. This is where Valhalla sells the fantasy best: snow, fjords, clan politics, Kjotve, Harald Fairhair, and Eivor’s early identity as a warrior trying to define a future. It is focused, dramatic, and not yet bloated.

It also gives you the context for Sigurd, which matters later more than the game initially lets on. If you’re trying to play efficiently, this is not where you cut corners.

Ledecestrescire is one of the best early alliance arcs

If you want one of the clearest signs of what Valhalla does well, this is it. The conflict around Ivarr, Ubba, and King Burgred has momentum, recognizable stakes, and strong character energy. Ivarr in particular carries a lot of this game whenever he shows up. He’s volatile, funny, exhausting, and memorable in a way many regional NPCs are not.

This arc works because it feels like actual Viking political meddling instead of filler. You’re not just clearing objectives. You’re helping shape a power struggle with people who have personality.

Worth it. Easily.

Grantebridgescire is worth doing early, mostly for pacing

The Soma arc is not the deepest story in the game, but it is compact and satisfying. It gives you a clean local conflict, a decent traitor hunt, and a region that does not overstay its welcome. For busy players, that matters.

It is also one of the better examples of Valhalla’s alliance structure working as intended. You go in, solve a problem, gain an ally, move on. No bloat. No ten-step detour that should have been four.

Lunden is absolutely worth your time if you want the Assassin side of Valhalla

If you came to Valhalla hoping for at least some old-school Assassin’s Creed flavor, play the Lunden arc. This is where the Hidden Ones and Order of the Ancients side of the game feels most at home. Investigating targets in a city, working with Stowe and Erke, and hunting Order members gives the game a sharper identity than a lot of the countryside arcs do.

Lunden is also just a nice change of pace. Cities in Valhalla are smaller than the big urban playgrounds from earlier games, but this area still gives you enough density to make stealth and target hunting more fun than another open-field skirmish.

Not perfect, but definitely worth doing.

Jorvik is another strong pick for players who want intrigue over busywork

Like Lunden, Jorvik leans into conspiracies, target hunting, and local power struggles that feel more grounded than the broader alliance-map churn. It has a colder, moodier vibe, and the investigation angle lands better here than in many of the more generic regional arcs.

If your favorite parts of Assassin’s Creed are stalking specific enemies and untangling political messes, Jorvik is one of the better uses of your time.

Suthsexe matters because the main story finally moves

A lot of Valhalla’s middle hours can feel like the game is delaying the interesting stuff. Suthsexe is where that changes. This arc pushes the Sigurd storyline forward in a meaningful way, pays off a lot of earlier setup, and feels like one of the few times the game fully remembers what its central conflict is.

You should absolutely do this one. It has urgency, stronger emotional stakes, and the sense that your actions are tied to the main narrative instead of another side kingdom’s local drama.

The Asgard and Jotunheim arcs are worth doing, but with one big warning

These mythological questlines are divisive for a reason. They are visually distinct and important if you care about the deeper Isu layer of Valhalla’s story. They also help the ending make more sense, especially if you’re paying attention to Odin, Basim, and Eivor’s internal conflict.

But they drag.

Asgard starts strong because it is weird and different. Jotunheim is more mixed. It has cool ideas and some memorable imagery, but the puzzle-heavy dream logic can become a slog if you’re not in the mood. If you like the lore and want the full picture, do them. If you mostly care about grounded Viking politics and combat, these are only worth doing in shorter sessions.

My advice is simple: play them, but don’t binge them. They feel better as a break from England, not as your main focus for an entire weekend.

The Hidden Ones bureaus and Order hunts are worth prioritizing over random side content

This is not one single questline, but it is one of the best threads in the game if you want purpose. Finding Hidden Ones bureaus, reading the notes, getting the armor pieces, and chipping away at the Order of the Ancients gives Valhalla a structure it sometimes lacks.

The Order board is especially useful because it turns your playtime into a series of concrete goals. You know who you’re hunting, why they matter, and what you get from it. Compared to wandering into another mystery where you help a stranger with a one-note joke, the Order targets are a much better investment.

If you like checking meaningful boxes, this system helps a lot.

What you can skip without missing much

Most world events are disposable

Valhalla replaced traditional side quests with short world events. In theory, this keeps things brisk. In practice, a lot of them are little gags, quick errands, or oddball vignettes that are mildly amusing once and then completely forgettable.

Do them if one is right in front of you and looks interesting. Do not roam the map cleaning them up. That is where your time goes to die.

There are a few charming ones, sure. Overall, they are not the reason to play Valhalla.

River Raids are easy to deprioritize

River Raids sound better than they feel. The first couple are a nice excuse to smash through monasteries with your crew, but the repetition sets in fast. If you love the raiding fantasy and want upgrade materials for Jomsviking-related stuff, fine. Otherwise, this mode gets old quickly.

It is one of the clearest examples of content that looks substantial on paper and feels thin in practice.

Mastery Challenges are not worth the friction for most players

These are for people who want score-chasing combat and stealth trials. If that is you, go ahead. For everyone else, they are fiddly, demanding, and disconnected from the parts of Valhalla that are actually compelling.

You can skip them with zero regret.

Several alliance arcs are just okay, and okay is not good enough in a 100-hour game

This is where being blunt helps. Not every shire deserves your attention beyond what the main path requires. Arcs like Essex, Lincolnscire, and Sciropescire have moments, but they are not essential unless you are already fully bought in. They are fine. Fine is dangerous in a game this long.

Cent and Oxenefordscire matter more because they connect to Sigurd and Basim, so I would keep those on your list. But once you get into the back half of the alliance map, you should feel free to stop treating every region like a must-play event.

If a storyline is not tied to Sigurd, Basim, the Hidden Ones, or a genuinely strong character like Ivarr, lower its priority immediately.

How to play Valhalla efficiently and still get the good stuff

The best way to approach Valhalla is to treat it like a curated road trip, not a checklist. Pick a pledge arc. Finish it. Grab nearby wealth only if it is easy to reach. Ignore most dots on the map unless they directly support your build or your current objective.

Ravensthorpe upgrades are worth doing up to the point where they unlock useful services, especially the Hidden Ones Bureau, the stable, the blacksmith, and the cartographer if you really want help finding things. But do not grind raw materials just to max the settlement early. It is not that exciting, and the payoff is stretched out.

Also, stop chasing every gear piece. Valhalla’s gear system is not loot-driven in the same way Odyssey’s was. You can stick with a weapon set you like for a long time. Find a build that feels good and move on.

Most importantly, alternate your content. If you’ve done two alliance arcs in a row and the game starts to feel samey, switch to a bureau, an Order hunt, or a short Asgard session. That keeps the repetition from flattening everything.

Playing Assassin’s Creed Valhalla on handhelds

Valhalla actually works better on a handheld than I expected, mostly because its structure is already broken into chunks. One alliance objective, one monastery raid, one bureau run, one Order target. That rhythm fits portable play pretty well.

The catch is that Valhalla is also a very long game with a lot of travel time and menu management. On a handheld, that can either feel convenient or weirdly sleepy depending on the arc you’re in. Stronger questlines like Lunden, Jorvik, and Suthsexe hold up well because they have clear momentum. Slower regional politics can feel even slower when you’re playing in shorter bursts.

If you’re using a handheld or streaming setup, I would focus on compact objectives. Clear a city arc step. Knock out a bureau. Do a targeted raid for supplies. Avoid starting mythology segments or long story pushes unless you know you have a bigger block of time.

This is also one of those games where suspend-and-resume helps a lot. Valhalla is easier to enjoy when you can chip away at it without committing to a huge session.

If you only have 20 minutes, do this

If you’ve got a short session, do not start a fresh alliance arc unless you know exactly where it begins and what you need. Valhalla loves turning a simple objective into three conversations, a ride across the map, and a fortress assault.

Better options:

• Hunt one Order of the Ancients target
• Clear a Hidden Ones bureau
• Do a quick monastery raid for settlement supplies
• Finish one step of a city arc in Lunden or Jorvik
• Upgrade gear and set your next pledge so your next session starts clean

If you have closer to an hour, then start a regional arc. Under that, focus on contained tasks with a clear stopping point.

The practical way to get the best version of Valhalla

If I were telling a friend how to play Assassin’s Creed Valhalla without wasting time, I would say this: do the Norway opening, prioritize Ledecestrescire, Grantebridgescire, Lunden, Jorvik, Cent, Oxenefordscire, and Suthsexe, and keep the Sigurd, Basim, Hidden Ones, and Order threads front and center.

Use Asgard and Jotunheim as lore-heavy side trips, not your main meal. Skip most world events. Ignore completionist pressure. Do not let River Raids and challenge content trick you into thinking they matter more than they do.

Valhalla has enough great moments to be worth playing. It just does not have enough great hours to justify seeing everything. The best way to enjoy it is to be a little ruthless.

That sounds harsh, but honestly, the game gets better when you stop trying to love all of it.