There are new resources, glory, and loot on offer for those who’re brave enough to take it, with a fancy set of Saint George-themed equipment to add to your armoury. We’ll run you through everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s River Raids, before you set sail.
How to start River Raids in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
Before you can embark on your river raiding adventure, you must complete the introductory quest from new character, Vagn. He’s a wandering warrior who has come with his clan to join up with Ravensthorpe.
While they’re a mighty force on their own, he and his buddies need a place to plan their attacks from, as well as some friends to share in their success with. Meet Vagn to the southeast of Ravensthorpe, along the river, where he’s talking to Sunniva.
Agree to climb aboard Vagn’s longship for a test raid and you’ll be shown the ropes. On the completion of this quest, you’ll be asked to craft an extra barracks to house your river raiding crew. Then you’re all set to embark once again.
How do River Raids work in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
From the start of the new activity, you have access to two rivers: the River Exe and the River Severn. You set sail with a crew of 8 Vikings, and attack settlements along each riverbank. As you clear them out and take their resources, the destruction in your wake will alert those downriver to your shenanigans, meaning there will be more resistance there.
There are three types of settlements to raid:
Civilian Locations Military Locations Monastery Locations
Civilian Locations aren’t very well guarded, but are still a vital part of the River Raids activity. Here you’ll find rations in large chests which your fellow raiders can use to heal themselves from damage. If one of your crew takes too much punishment, and you don’t revive them with one your own rations, they’ll return to Ravensthorpe to rest and be unavailable for the rest of the current raid.
You can also find precious crafting materials at Civilian Locations. Military Locations are a more difficult proposition, but boast much greater rewards. As well as crafting materials, you can find rare Foreign Supplies. These are used to trade for River Raid cosmetics, or upgrade the different crew members you bring along and the buildings that house them.
But really, the main reason you’re here is the promise of new armor sets - and Military Locations are where you’ll find weapons and gear.
Finally, at Monastery Locations you can find new Books of Knowledge, River Map Clues, as well as Foreign Supplies and other resources.
River Map Clues
As mentioned above, Monastery Locations have a couple of main draws, but the one that’s exclusive to river raids is River Map Clues. Contrary to what you might have thought, these aren’t pickups which reveal more of the current map you’re on, but come together to unlock a whole new location. There are two find, one on the Exe, and one on the Severn. Once you’ve snagged them both, you can travel to the River Dee and complete your Saint George set of equipment. River Exe River Map Clue The River Map Clue on the River Exe is found at the Escanceaster Monastery, in the eastern part of the map.
Smash the stained-glass windows to get into the chapel where it’s held.
River Severn River Map Clue To find the River Map Clue on the River Severn, make your way to the Northern Monastery in the northeast of the map.
Use your Odin’s vision outside the larger church and you’ll be able to see a white blur in a side room.
Smash the stained-glass windows to get inside the church, then shoot an arrow through the grate to open the side-chamber.
Inside, grab the clue then take them both back to Vagn to unlock the River Dee.
How to find River Raid Keys
At certain locations throughout your raid, some loot chests will be locked.
Unlike in the main game where there’s a white key icon when you use Odin’s Vision, you have to hunt a bit harder for River Raid Keys. To search them out, still use Odin’s Vision, but look for a white blur in the environment, similar to the gold one which indicates a chest.
This is where you’ll find and collect River Raid Keys.
What to do when your longboat storage is full
In your first raid and for a while after, your longboat storage for Foreign Supplies is very limited. When you hit the 200 supply cap, it’s advised that you return to Ravensthorpe, even if there are more Locations to hit.
This is because it seems like you can’t grab any more of the extra loot - like armor pieces - because you can’t access the chest which holds them because your boat is full. You’ll be able to upgrade your storage by talking to Vagn later. For more information on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, check out our hub of story and systems guides, here.
