Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Helix Item Lore Explained

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Helix-purchasable items allude to a plethora of Norse myths and tales you may not be aware of. The game will provide you with 300 free Helix credits to spend; keep reading to learn how to spend them more wisely.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Helix Item Lore Explained

Like the past two Assassin’s Creed games, Valhalla has a paid-purchase “Animus Store.” The currency here is known as “Helix credits,” of which you’ll get 300 by playing the game for a while. It will be just enough to earn you a ship or settlement decoration pack, but if you’d like a bit more information on which set you should spend your precious helix credits on, here is a rundown of a few of the overarching styles. Let’s get into the lore of these Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Helix store items.

Gothic

Each kind of purchasable set or item usually belongs to a handful of historical and mythical designations. For instance, there are “Gothic” decoration sets, ship skins and props, and companions. As expected, each item retains the theme of its “Gothic” namesake. The focus of this particular theme is placed largely upon the ferryman of death, a tale you may have heard in other mythologies, such as Greek and Roman. The ferryman is featured as both a figurehead for your ship and a statue for Ravensthorpe.

Gothic figurehead

Gothic figurehead

I’m a big fan of the figurehead’s brooding look; undeniably, the figurehead, which will adorn your ship as you ferry your way down various rivers, is more fitting than the statue. As far as I can tell, the ferryman idea is specific to Greek then Roman mythology. It might have come as a surprise that such non-Norse lore would be included in Valhalla, but there’s actually a surprising emphasis on Roman history and artifacts throughout the game.

Hearthweru

Similarly, Hearthweru (Saxon name for “health guards”) features a figurehead and statue modeled after King Alfred, ruler of your Saxon enemies. Additionally, if you purchase the decoration set, you’ll get a unique Saxon cross to display, a big contrast to Odin and the Norse gods. Sigurd certainly doesn’t understand the Christian symbol.

I assume the point of this set is not to appeal to your enemies but to symbolize the welcoming, blended nature of your settlement. As with the Gothic, the Hearthweru set includes another cultural piece: a statue of an ancient Roman soldier. Undoubtedly, this statue would look best next to Octavion’s collection of Roman artifacts.

Berserker

For a statue of Odin himself, you’ll want to purchase the Berserker decoration set. Originally, I had some idea what the word “berserker” implied, but I wanted to know for sure. As I guessed it, Berserkers were scarily furious warriors, and as such, Valhalla’s corresponding decoration set includes an “Arsenal” ornament of what one such warrior would utilize.

Berserker set with bear totem

Berserker set with bear totem

With the bear as their implied symbol, the Berserkers’ set will grant you a bear totem (the armor set also comes with a bear-skin hood), as well as that statue of Odin, the robe-wearing All-Father and member of the forerunner Isu pantheon specific to Assassin’s Creed. 

Huldufolk

In my opinion, this next theme is the most peculiar. The Huldufolk are hidden elves, most commonly represented by garden gnomes. The decoration set even comes with one, plus several banners depicting the sun, as the Huldufolk are spokespeople of the beauty and importance of nature.

Huldufolk set with garden gnome

Huldufolk set with garden gnome

Their decorations definitely have a more positive, brighter vibe than some others on this list. The blue and yellow primary colors are even sky-like, again conjuring a tie to the natural world. Personally, the modernization of the garden gnome made the set less than ideal for me, as I was in the market mainly for an impressive statue.

Niflheim

Easy enough to surmise, Niflheim, the land of the cold, dark, and dead, more realistically symbolizes winter. So you can expect wintry items, like a figurehead of an icy axe-wielder. I would very much have liked a golden version of said figurehead, but the icy blue is understandably more appropriate. Don’t worry about me, though; I eventually found the golden statue I wanted.

Icy axe-wielder figurehead

Icy axe-wielder figurehead

The word “Niflheim” might remind you of the game Valheim. Out of curiosity’s sake, you might therefore be interested to know that “Niflheim” means “Home of mist,” while “Valheim” most likely means “Home of the fallen/slain.”

Blood Eagle

Now, what is the Blood Eagle? I was a bit shocked to discover that the “Blood Eagle” was a torturous execution method. So, if you want to appear intensely brutal, go ahead and adorn your gameplay with items alluding to the gory event, like the special Eagle skin for your raven companion.

The Blood Eagle!

The Blood Eagle!

I don’t want to get into the nauseating details of what the ritual execution entailed, but its objective was to spread certain bones to give the sacrificial human a pair of bloody, skeletal wings. Fairly disgusting, something Ivarr the Boneless has surely done before.

Valkyrie

I myself spent my own 300 Helix credits on the Valkyrie decoration set, which came with a golden statue of one of those armored angels. Valkyries are supernatural beings who decide which warriors are worthy enough for the honorable afterlife of Valhalla. Additionally, I got a golden cat statue, honoring the favorite animal of the goddess Freyja and myself. This statue was the icing on top of the cake after I discovered I could have Eivor pick up and pet big fluffy cats around England. 

My Asgardian cat statue

My Asgardian cat statue

As for the goddess herself, the owner of a cat-drawn chariot would take the soldiers who were not retrieved by the Valkyries to Folkvang, an equal but alternative honor.

Draugr

Lastly, we have the insanely cool looking Draugr cosmetics, skeletal items that glow with green fire. If you’ve played Skyrim, like me, then you might already have guessed that Draugr are undead skeleton warriors. I endeavored to find the reason for their being related heavily to a green glow, but I can only assume it was an artistic addition.

Draugr decorations

Draugr decorations

Though I found them a bit too creepy and unrealistic for my desired settlement, I can’t help but believe these are the coolest, edgiest of the store’s items, even creepier and more ominous than the Gothic and Niflheim sets.

There you have it! A brief lore explanation of the items you can purchase with your 300 Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Helix credits. Hopefully, you now know enough mythology to make the perfect purchase for your tastes.

1 Comment

  1. Avatar photo

    Unfortunately you did not mention the Hel’s Damnation items here. ;(

    Reply

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