Given the sheer volume of rumors surrounding the existence of Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok, it would be a genuine surprise if the confirmed AC game of 2020 didn’t take players to the viking era. There have been plenty of details such as the protagonist (which is typical of an Assassin’s Creed leak), new gameplay features, and high profile corroborations that point toward its existence, and while the title itself has not been confirmed, Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok is not only befitting the viking era but it’s befitting the modern-days story line as well.
However, there’s a piece of the puzzle that could tie into this apocalyptic sequel that many followers of the games may have missed: the Koh-i-Noor. It, combined with the ending of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s Fate of Atlantis DLC could spell potential disaster, thereby justifying the subtitle associated with the rumored game.
Piece of Eden: The Koh-i-Noor
The last time disaster struck Earth in the franchise was Assassin’s Creed 3 when Desmond Miles stopped the massive solar flare but freed Juno. She briefly appears in a flashback of sorts during Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, but fans may have missed the fact that Juno has been defeated, by Desmond’s son Elijah, no less. This happened in the Uprising comic book series, though it’s worth mentioning Elijah’s existence and the Koh-i-Noor itself have been hinted at in a few of the games like Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.
Elijah, despite being a Sage as well, betrays Juno in the end and takes the Koh-i-Noor. He hasn’t been seen since, but this Piece of Eden is as mysterious as Elijah himself. It has the potential to be the most powerful Piece of Eden in known existence as not only can it project a shield, expel blasts of energy, harbor the consciousness of the Isu Durga, and create holograms, but it can actually track where other Pieces of Eden are and bind their fates together, which itself sounds foreboding.
It is so powerful, in fact, that it is said only a God or a woman can control its power; with Elijah being neither, it spells a dark fate for the character that, in many ways, mimics the modern-day protagonist’s Layla. It’s clear she’s being corrupted by the Staff of Hermes, and with these two important characters wielding such powerful artifacts, the results could certainly be devastating. It is unclear if Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok would bring back Elijah and the Koh-i-Noor, but Ubisoft has expressed interesting in the Koh-i-Noor future role before.
Putting the Ragnarok in Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok
Still, that begs the question as to why Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok would be the ideal title to see its return, and it’s all in the name. Assassin’s Creed subtitles have a tendency to reflect certain details of both the past and present. For example, Rogue sees Patrick Shay Cormac turn from Assassin to Templar as well as the modern-day character, Origins sees the formation of the Hidden Ones who would become the Assassins as well as giving players the origins of Layla’s role as an Assassin, and Odyssey is an epic journey through time where not only does Alexios or Kassandra learn who they are but so too does Layla: the Heir of Memories.
As such, a Ragnarok subtitle would imply apocalyptic events set in the past and the present, a system not altogether different from Assassin’s Creed 3. As Layla falls to the corruption, the past could be seeking answers while the present is attempting to stop this new disaster. Introduce the Koh-i-Noor perhaps binding several Apples, Swords, and other Pieces of Eden to the Staff of Hermes, which is perhaps second only to the Koh-i-Noor in power, and there’s a whole story there using the past and present, the Isu and the modern, to tell a story about the end of the world.
It’s worth reiterating that this is mere speculation at this time, and Ubisoft has done little outside confirming an Assassin’s Creed title will release later this year. And this idea relies heavily on the fact that Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok is the title, which is, at this time, just rumored. Nonetheless, all signs from rumors to in-game events like Otso Berg’s defeat at Layla’s hands all point toward a story that is based on Vikings, will deal with the corruption of the staff, and ergo, certain powerful Pieces of Eden.
This could suggest that Elijah and the Koh-i-Noor are one of those, as they are still active in the modern-day storyline even if they have yet to officially grace a video game. It remains to be seen, but if Ubisoft is looking to tell a tale of epic proportions befitting the idea of Ragnarok, its official lore has everything it would need.
Assassin’s Creed Ragnarok is rumored to be in development.
