There are two kinds of people that say, "The death animations are getting boring in Assassin's Creed Valhalla." The first group is composed of the pros that have killed every pikeman, skullcrusher, and arbalist thousands of times over. The next group is filled with amateurs that aren't talking about the enemy death sequences but their own.

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After watching Eivor essentially getting farmed by Saxons for a dozen or so hours, some players might be inclined to put the game down or lower the difficulty. In reality, the only difference between the groups is a handful of tips and secrets that the pros know they can do.

10 Track Down Eight Books Of Knowledge

Assassins Creed Valhalla Underground Book Of Knowledge
Assassins Creed Valhalla Underground Book Of Knowledge

You might find yourself trying to find members of a scattered army for a quest and getting killed by every Englishman in the countryside. Pro players don't start the game off questing, they start off reading.

That sounds a bit more boring than it actually is. What they are actually doing is tracking down Books of Knowledge, which gives Eivor new abilities to be used all game. They are mostly available, though sometimes in high-level areas, right off the bat. Look up the abilities you want online and head straight for these locations.

9 Stop Fast Traveling

Assassins Creed Valhalla Hunting Legendary Animal In Snow
Assassins Creed Valhalla Hunting Legendary Animal In Snow

Fast traveling is a super convenient way to get around the map. It's also a super-easy way to be underlevelled for the entire game. There is a quest in which Eivor is Hunted, but abusing fast travel too often will feel like you are being hunted with or without this hit out on you.

Instead of being hunted, do some hunting yourself. Shooting a lowly bird always grants three experience points at any level and yields items to craft with and sell. Factor in the secrets along the way in between points and it will quickly reveal that fast traveling might save time but the cost is prohibitive.

8 Find The Perfect Set Of Gear

Assassins Creed Valhalla Armor Sets Side By Side
Assassins Creed Valhalla Armor Sets Side By Side

Amazon Prime customers got the ability to equip their raven, Synin, with a hilarious "gear" set that turns it into a pigeon. For Eivor, one part of the gear is cosmetic. Completionists will easily spend over 100 hours in the game, so looking good is important when gamers will be looking at Eivor's backside for that duration.

Whether for statistical or cosmetic purposes, players are going to find a gear set that they love. Whatever this set may be, it is best to find it early. Otherwise, you'll be burying upgrade materials into pieces of armor that will eventually be replaced.

7 Avoiding Combat

Assassins Creed Valhalla Promotional Wallpaper Eivor Running
Assassins Creed Valhalla Promotional Wallpaper Eivor Running

Why would the pros tell you to avoid combat after telling you to shoot every bird, deer, and wolf on sight? Simply, it's that shooting animals is easy and battling enemies is hard, especially in this early phase when you are finding Books of Knowledge and gear-specific pieces in areas that are too strong.

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Pro players don't go fighting in red skull zones, they fight in green and white zones. Level the easy way until the game forces you to fight enemies. It's might not feel like a pro to be sniping herons for the first few hours (sorry Animal lovers, there are other aspects of this game for you), but pillaging green level monasteries and one-shotting enemies later on more than makes up for it.

6 Cancel Animations

Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Duel Both With Dual Axes
Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Duel Both With Dual Axes

Most casual gamers should learn most of the tips and tricks by the end of the game, but only true professionals know what it means to cancel an animation. This is a new introduction to Assassin's Creed Valhalla and knowing how to do it will turn Eivor from a peon into a beast immediately.

Those who use heavier gear and weapons will absolutely require this knowledge to be successful because of how much it slows down their swing. After the blow lands, instead of waiting for Eivor to follow through, dodge or block to get out of harm's way and land another attack.

5 Find And Use Ballistas

Assassins Creed Valhalla Unmanned Ballista
Assassins Creed Valhalla Unmanned Ballista

The temptation when role-playing as a Viking is to, well, play like a Viking. Leading the charge onto foreign shores, smashing pots, setting huts on fire, and shrugging off blows; these are fantasy experiences that some players might be able to achieve in the game.

However, don't forget to be crafty as well. Storming a giant castle or a large cathedral is no simple task, and many players need help for missions like A Cruel Destiny. Don't feel the need to kill everything on foot, the ballistas can be used against the enemies that built them, swing them around, and enjoy some easy one-hit kills!

4 Stunlock With Arrows

Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Aiming Arrow At Redwalla
Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Aiming Arrow At Redwalla

While some players will go for a full-on archery build, others will aim for more of a sword-and-board style of fighting; however, even the latter will need the help of a well-placed arrow for some of the game's toughest boss fights. You don't get to decide what to do with Rued until you can defeat Rued.

Even with no skill points invested into the wolf tree, firing off a quick arrow is the only way to stun and stagger some of these bosses. Headshots are great, but even a hit directly to the shield is enough to mess up most of them. By shooting, then swinging, then shooting, then swinging perpetually, you can keep even the toughest zealots locked down for the entire battle.

3 Directional Dodging

Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Dodging Goneril
Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Dodging Goneril

Another new addition to the franchise this year, dodging a blow does not necessarily mean avoiding the blow. Those who got addicted to the backward dodge from Assassin's Creed Odyssey will still find themselves gored by pikemen even when the dodge move is timed correctly.

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Dodging back, left, and right will entirely depend on how the enemy swings. But you also should not be afraid to dodge toward the attacker. There's a skill that improves this direction, but even without it, it usually gets Eivor in close for a few free swings.

2 Hang Back

Assassins Creed Valhalla Promotional Wallpaper Eivor Leading Raid
Assassins Creed Valhalla Promotional Wallpaper Eivor Leading Raid

Those who watch the pros live streaming might be disappointed to see the raiding experience isn't as action-oriented as they thought. They're involved in the fights, but they aren't in the thick of things. That's intentional.

Going headlong into combat is setting yourself up for a combo ripped right out of Mortal Kombat. Remember that almost any hit staggers Eivor and enemies are no longer "taking turns" on their attacks. Stay back and shoot arrows or get into some side squabbles, let the crew tackle the frontlines.

1 Duck

Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Ducking Behind A Corner
Assassins Creed Valhalla Eivor Ducking Behind A Corner

The instinct of an Assassin's Creed series veteran is to duck when getting into some heavy reeds or thick underbrush. In Assassin's Creed Valhalla, ducking on rooftops and bridges can be just as effective.

Ducking can render Eivor too small for enemies to see, even if they are not in some kind of designated invisibility zone. Try ducking out in the open after putting some distance and you'll be surprised at how effective it is. Remember that even going invisible for a second allows the new-and-improved assassination attack to refresh.

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