Animals and Weapons
Within the Vinland quest line of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, players explore new and unique weapons, armor, and animals. Entering the new lands, Eivor comes without any of their pre-existing weapons and must find new ones or fight with her fists among the native tribes through trading leather, iron ores, and copper ores, which can be collected across the map by riding Viking encampments, hunting animals, or destroying ore containing rocks. There are traders in both villages for Eivor to trade with, at which she can collect a new set of armor of the same design as the native’s dress, as well as a club, spear, and bow and arrow.
The few weapons in Vinland follow the sagas, as the battles continuously describe the natives using bows and catapults while also turning from the axes wielded by Vikings.
Being on a new continent, there are new animals to encounter and fight against. World events triggered by the player roaming the map involve fighting bears and mountain lions to help the other Vikings in Vinland. Throughout past Assassin's Creed games, legendary and alpha animals have been present, especially in Odyssey, the ancient Greek installment, having players fight against the Kalydonian boar, Nemian Lion, Kretan bull, and others. Valhalla is no different, with Vinland being home to the powerful and painful O' Yan Do Ne Bug, which moose players have to face with only their recently collected weapons. O' Yan Do Ne Bug is interestingly an actual figure in Iroquois mythology, being a moose personification of the east wind.
All the animals mentioned within the Sagas are present in the game, except for a brief section that describes a member of their exploration crew successfully killing a uniped, which is sadly not a type of unicorn but a man with only one leg. Within the saga, this man comes from a nearby tribe of similar individuals. The legend of the uniped is wide-reaching and present in numerous cultures under different names, including monopods in European medieval mythology.