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Ever since the series swerved into full-blown RPGs instead of pure stealth-action titles, Assassin's Creed has been able to experiment much more in the realm of boss battles. The two previous titles dipped their toes into more traditional boss battle systems.
Valhalla picks up where the series left off by not only including more boss encounters, but introducing player choice into them as well. And it isn't just choosing whether you want to kill with your sword or axe, either. Rued, for example, is an encounter that you must decide whether to kill or spare after the battle. Despite being a Viking assassin, you should know what the consequences are for each before deciding.
Updated June 10, 2023, by Sean Murray: Rued might be a jerk, but does that mean he should be put to the sword? That's a fair question that Valhalla fans are still asking, so we've updated this guide with better formatting for greater readability.
Should You Kill Or Spare Rued in Assassin's Creed Valhalla?
Rued is a somewhat early-game boss you'll encounter during the mission A Fury From The Sea. You will have to take him and his wolf companion on in battle, but after taking his health down and freeing Oswald, you are given the choice of finishing him off or sparing him.
Oswald will plead with you to spare him in order to put him on trial, but Odin disagrees. In the end, the choice is yours.
Killing Rued
If you disobey Oswald and decide that Rued deserves to die, resulting in a swift swipe of your axe, Oswald will naturally be displeased with you and chew you out a little. Beyond that, however, the choice doesn't impact anything going forward.
Let Rued Live
Siding with Oswald and allowing Rued to live, on the other hand, does have consequences that ripple into future quests. Despite not being very happy about it himself, Rued is taken away alive for trial.
He will then show up in a future quest called Wedding Horns during Oswald's wedding ceremony, just before the bridal race. Rued will challenge Oswald on the spot, which he accepts, though you are given another important choice here.
Let Oswald Fight
If you decide to stand by and let Oswald take on Rued, he will actually manage to win the duel. He won't kill Rued, but will banish him instead.
The one consequence of note is that Finnr will not join your crew.
Fight For Oswald
Decide to fight as Oswald's champion, and you will need to beat Rued once more. Like before, it's not among the most difficult boss fights in the game. And this time there's no saving Rued, and he will be killed.
The upside is that Finnr will be impressed enough to pledge his allegiance to you and join your crew.
Assigning Finnr To Your Raiding Party (Only Possible If He Joined Your Crew)
If you had killed Rued the first time you encountered him, Finnr will automatically be recruited, just as if you chose to fight for Oswald in the Wedding Horns quest. He is by no means essential to have for the plot, but he can join you for raids.
To assign him to your party, talk with the person down by the Ravensthorpe docks — near the Orlog player. Say, "I want to manage my crew," which will take you to the Barracks menu, where you can assign or unassign raiders, including Finnr.
It's more of a cosmetic change than anything else, as your crew members don't vary in effectiveness. Yet, when raiding, it's nice to see a familiar face fighting Saxons or opening chests.