Ride to the bleak, frozen north in Assassin's Creed Valhalla and you can't miss Jorvik, an enormous Norse settlement split by two rivers. The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, but in Valhalla—which is set in 873 AD—the Roman empire is no more and the vikings have taken over the joint.Today, in the real world, Jorvik is called York, and the only vikings you see are costumed staff from the local viking museum walking to work. But how closely does the game's 9th Century depiction of Jorvik compare to the modern city that I happen to live near? I took my camera to find out.
Ride to the bleak, frozen north in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and you can’t miss Jorvik, an enormous Norse settlement split by two rivers. The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD, but in Valhalla—which is set in 873 AD—the Roman empire is no more and the vikings have taken over the joint. Today, in the real world, Jorvik is called York, and the only vikings you see are costumed staff from the local viking museum walking to work. But how closely does the game’s 9th Century depiction of Jorvik compare to the modern city that I happen to live near? I took my camera to find out. The city walls (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Ubisoft) York is famous for its historic walls, which have become a popular walking route through the city. The ones that exist there now are ‚only‘ about 700 years old, but Jorvik had its own walls, which are present in the game. (Image credit: Future) (Image credit: Ubisoft) They’re a mix of crumbly stone walls from the Roman days, and newer wooden walls built by its current Scandi rulers. York is layered with history, and Valhalla’s Jorvik is the same, so in that respect it’s an accurate depiction.
