Don't know how many FG'ers have the game, but I figured one of these threads might still be helpful to some people. Sure, youtube and google covers pretty much everything, but there's always something that's left out and then there's also the dangers of spoilers when looking something up. So for my tips I will try to keep them spoiler free or at least add a warning when there is one. If you play AC Valhalla and have some useful tips to share, don't hesitate, post them up!
Here's what I've found so far:
1. Synin the raven. This avian companion of yours is actually really useful. He's a bit clunky to use but he also has some pretty good sides. If you are in an area you haven't synchronized and want to know if there is anything to explore or any dangers around, simply summon Synin and take a look around. He will give you a very nice view of the surrounding area and can fly pretty far from your location to seek things out. You can also mark locations with him which will make it easier for you to get there. The other good thing with Synin is during certain instances you'll have to seach an area for an ally, location or enemy but the game doesn't tell you where that is. Summon Synin and fly around and it will show you a big blue circle. That's where you want to go!
2. Flyting. I thought this would be just another pointless minigame like the drinking contests, but it actually gives you more charisma which at times will help you out with dialogue options. So they are actually worth doing.
3. You can steal money back. If you have to pay an npc for anything, you can steal your money back off them if you are standing behind them. You might get caught, but if you spent a tidy sum and need the silver for other things it might be a risk worth taking. (Haven't checked if it works with shopkeepers)
4. Treasure hunts. Those golden dots on your map and compass? They're worth getting. I think I spent 90% of my first night playing this just hunting treasure. Some are easy to get to, others more complicated and I'll happily admit I had to youtube a couple of them, but down the line I'm glad I did. These treasures can be anything from suppleis for your settlement, materials to upgrade gear or just gear and are all worth taking the time to get.
5. Gear. There seems to be no "oh this piece of gear is so much better than this piece of gear" mentality in AC Valhalla. They all have their strengths and depending on playing style and what skills you pick you can run whatever set of weapons and armour that you want. Look on the bonuses the gear gives you and what bonuses the skills you pick gives you and find what suits you. I quite like this because it means you can use just about anything as long as it suits how you play.
6. Skills. You can reset your skills at any given time! This is actually quite huge. There's no complicated thing to get in order to do a full reset and no feeling of "Shit, I messed this up and should have picked something else". As I said about the gear, pick what suits your playing style, or what aligns the best with the gear you have equipped to maximize your stats if you want, got a new piece of gear that has a different bonus and needs you to reskill from light armour into heavy? Not a problem at all. Just reset!
8. Power levels. Grind, grind and grind some more. Just about anything gives you xp in AC Valhalla, and you'll need it. Getting your power levels up takes a bit of time and I've been to areas I really shouldn't have been in to get high level gear early on, which while worth it to me also took me hours because I was way in over my head against pretty much every enemy. So grind up power levels either by completing quests, exploring, fighting or treasure hunting. It'll make it a hell of a lot easier for you to explore the map early on.
That's about the only things I can think of just now, but when I stumble upon something else I'll jot it down! Hopefully this helps someone out π