Of all the tools at Eivor’s disposal in the vast world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, none are more critical to survival and dominance than a well-honed set of combat abilities. While raw skill and powerful gear form the foundation, abilities are the game-changers—the spectacular, often brutal techniques that can turn the tide of a desperate battle against a zealot or a legendary animal in an instant. With a sprawling skill tree and numerous Books of Knowledge scattered across England, Norway, and beyond, knowing which abilities to prioritize can be daunting. This guide will break down the absolute best combat ability upgrades, categorized for different playstyles, to ensure your Viking raider becomes a legend worthy of Valhalla.
Understanding the Types: Melee, Ranged, and Adrenaline
Before diving into the specifics, it's crucial to understand the three categories of active abilities:
- Melee Abilities: Require a full Adrenaline segment and are triggered by pressing R1/RB and R2/RT simultaneously (R1+R2 on PlayStation). These are typically close-range, high-damage attacks.
- Ranged Abilities: Also require a full Adrenaline segment and are activated by pressing L1/LB and L2/LT simultaneously while aiming your bow. These are precision shots with powerful effects.
- Adrenaline Abilities: Passive skills found in the skill tree that enhance your Adrenaline management, such as gaining Adrenaline on parries or kills.
Prioritizing upgrades that boost your Adrenaline gain is essential for using these powerful skills more frequently.
S-Tier: The Must-Have Abilities
These are the non-negotiable, incredibly powerful abilities that are useful in virtually every combat scenario, from clearing out raids to dueling bosses.
1. Brush with Death (Skill Tree Upgrade)
- Why It’s Top-Tier: This isn't a flashy active ability, but it is arguably the most powerful defensive tool in the game. Found in the Wolf tree, it dramatically slows time for a few seconds after a successful dodge. This creates massive windows for counter-attacks, allows you to reposition, heal, or line up a perfect headshot, and makes avoiding damaging combos trivial. It is the ultimate "get out of jail free" card and a cornerstone of high-skill play.
2. Throwing Axe Fury (Melee)
- How to Get: Book of Knowledge in Jotunheim (requires Asgard story arc access).
- Why It’s Top-Tier: Eivor unleashes a furious volley of magical axes that seek out nearby enemies. This is the premier crowd-control ability. It instantly deletes weaker enemies, heavily damages stronger ones, and interrupts their attacks. It’s invaluable when surrounded during a raid or an outpost assault. The damage output is immense, and it efficiently clears the battlefield, allowing you to focus on the remaining elite foes.
3. Rage of Helheim (Melee)
- How to Get: Defeat the Leech of Ledecestrescire (one of the three Daughters of Lerion).
- Why It’s Top-Tier: This ability sees Eivor slam the ground, sending a wave of icy energy that damages and freezes enemies in front of them. Frozen enemies take significantly more damage from subsequent attacks. This is a phenomenal opener against tough enemies like Drengr or Lost Drengr. Freezing a target and then wailing on them with light or heavy attacks will melt their health bar. Its area-of-effect also makes it useful for small groups.
4. Focus of the Nornir (Ranged)
- How to Get: Book of Knowledge in the north of East Anglia.
- Why It’s Top-Tier: This ability slows time while you are aiming your bow. Its utility cannot be overstated. It allows for effortless precision: you can line up multiple headshots on different enemies, target an enemy’s weak point (like a zealot’s bow or a boss’s weapon), or simply take a breath during a chaotic fight to assess the situation. Upgrading it extends the duration, making it even more potent.
A-Tier: Highly Situational but Devastating
These abilities are incredibly powerful but may cater to a specific playstyle or excel in particular situations.
1. Harpoon Impalement (Melee)
- How to Get: Defeat the second sister, The Whisper of Hordafylke in East Anglia.
- Why It’s Great: Eivor throws a harpoon, impaling an enemy and allowing you to drag them into obstacles, off cliffs, or into other enemies for massive damage. This ability is pure, unadulterated Viking fun. It’s exceptionally useful against shielded enemies, as it bypasses their block. Dragging a heavily armored soldier into their comrades is both effective and deeply satisfying.
2. Mark of Death (Ranged)
- How to Get: Book of Knowledge in Sciropescire.
- Why It’s Great: When activated, you fire a special arrow that marks an enemy. The longer you hold the shot, the more arrows will be automatically unleashed on the target when you release. This is a single-target boss melter. Against legendary animals or order members with massive health pools, a fully charged Mark of Death can remove a staggering chunk of their health in one go.
3. Dive of the Valkyries (Melee)
- How to Get: Defeat the final and strongest Daughter of Lerion, The Corpse Feeders of Oxenefordscire.
- Why It’s Great: Eivor leaps into the air and slams down, damaging all surrounding enemies. It has a wide area of effect and excellent damage. It’s a fantastic "oh crap" button when you’re swarmed and need to create space. While Throwing Axe Fury might be better for pure damage, Dive of the Valkyries offers excellent AoE with a defensive repositioning element.
Strategic Adrenaline & Passive Skills
Your active abilities are only as good as your ability to fuel them. Invest in these key passive skills early:
- Adrenaline Fiend (Bear Tree): Gain Adrenaline when taking damage. A lifesaver in tough fights.
- Parry Damage (Raven Tree): Successful parries not only open enemies for attacks but also grant Adrenaline.
- Bow Stun Finisher (Wolf Tree): Stunning an enemy with bow shots grants Adrenaline, rewarding a precise playstyle.
- Battlefield Cremation (Bear Tree): Enemies that burn grant Adrenaline. Perfect for pairing with fire-based weapons or abilities.
Final Tips for Mastery
- Experiment: Find a combination of two melee and two ranged abilities that suit your style. A crowd-control and a single-target ability for each is a balanced approach.
- Upgrade Them: Books of Knowledge can be found a second time to upgrade an ability, making it more powerful and/or cost less Adrenaline. Always prioritize upgrading your S-tier choices.
- Synergize with Gear: If you use Rage of Helheim, consider gear that boosts your damage against frozen enemies. If you use fire abilities, use gear that boosts fire build-up and damage.
Mastering these abilities will transform Eivor from a skilled warrior into an unstoppable force of nature. By focusing on the S-tier essentials and supporting them with strong Adrenaline generation, you will be well-prepared to conquer any foe that stands between you and your glory in England. Skál
