How The Hidden Ones Tie Into Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Briefly seen in a recent story trailer for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, the Hidden Ones haven't been mentioned very often ahead of the game's release. The group was founded in Assassin's Creed Origins, acting as the precursors to the Assassin Brotherhood. I caught up with Assassin's Creed Valhalla game director Eric Baptizat and narrative director Darby McDevitt to ask how the group ties into Eivor's quest.

"[The Hidden Ones] actually sail with you to England and they set up a Bureau with your permission in the settlement because they tell you they've got this big task ahead of themselves," McDevitt said. The Hidden Ones are trying to get the Order of Ancients (the precursors to the Templar Order) out of England, and since the Order is causing problems for Eivor, the Hidden Ones and Eivor's Viking clan decide to team up to take them out.

"Rest assured, there's actually quite a large list of targets to take down," McDevitt said. Baptizat added that killing these targets allows you to loot their medallions, which when taken back to the Hidden Ones Bureau, allows you to unlock new Assassin-based skills and tidbits of lore.

However, even if you don't want to fully commit to rooting the Order out of England, the Hidden Ones still fulfill a rather important purpose in Valhalla: catching new players up to speed. Even if it takes place prior to most of the games, Valhalla is still the twelfth mainline title in a decade-long franchise. There's a lot of lore to catch up on going into Valhalla, specifically all the ground that both Assassin's Creed Origins and Assassin's Creed Odyssey have covered. "Thankfully, the Bureau is there to actually provide some of that backstory," McDevitt said.

In this regard, expect to hear some familiar names in Valhalla. McDevitt mentioned that the Hidden One Bureau will talk about notable Assassins, such as Bayek and Aya. It's not just names from the past either. As I saw in my six-hour hands-on with Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Rebecca Crane--an ally of the original present-day protagonist, Desmond Miles, who hasn't been featured in Assassin's Creed since Syndicate--shows up to help the current present-day protagonist, Layla Hassan. Baptizat teased that there would be more, but wouldn't confirm names. But if Rebecca is around, there's a good chance that Shaun Hastings isn't too far behind.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla is scheduled to launch for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Google Stadia on November 10. It will also be released for PS5 on November 12.