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Assassin's Creed: Valhalla

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Of Blood and Bonds

By
Scott Peers
&
Seren Morgan-Roberts

This quest begins immediately after Honor’s Hubris. Now that the Picts have been defeated and Ricsige exposed as a traitor, it’s time to return to the Royal Hall at Jorvik to see Halfdan become king.

Speak with Moira at the Royal Hall

When you arrive at the Royal Hall in Jorvik, you’ll find Moira by the entrance inside. Speak with her to learn of where Halfdan is, and she’ll tell you that he’s outside speaking with Faravid. You’ll find them both on the walls to the northeast of the Royal Hall. Go there and speak with Halfdan, then follow him back into the Royal Hall. Once there, speak with Halfdan at the throne to begin the ceremony.

Ceremony - Side with Halfdan or Faravid?

When the ceremony begins a cutscene will initiate, during which Halfdan will begin to cough violently. Eivor will ask Moira whether the cup is made of lead, and she will confirm that it is. This is one of the cups that Faravid had given to Halfdan, seemingly while knowing that the lead would slowly poison him. Although this is not made clear, you will have to make a decision between the following options:

  1. “You are insane, Halfdan.”
  2. “Stand down or fight me, Faravid.”

Although it’s not made entirely clear whether Faravid knowingly poisoned Halfdan, if you want to secure an alliance with Halfdan and by extension, with Eurvicscire, you will need to choose the second option, “Stand down or fight me, Faravid.”. This will lead to a boss fight with Faravid, after which he will be executed by Halfdan. If you choose option one, Faravid will go free, but you won’t be able to secure an alliance with Halfdan. However, the benefits of the alliance with Halfdan may not be worth the death of Faravid to you. If you’re willing to indulge in spoilers, see below for the detail of this.

What happens if you fight Faravid?Show Spoiler

If you side with Halfdan and fight Faravid, the alliance with Halfdan and Eurvicscire won’t necessarily result in any tangible benefits. For reasons unknown to us, but possibly because Halfdan is dead at the time, Halfdan won’t show up at the final battle with Aelfred. This renders his alliance essentially useless, outside of the gesture.

Boss Fight: Faravid

This fight can be particularly tough if you’re not ready for the speed at which Faravid will relentless attack Eivor. The first thing to note is that whenever Faravid strikes, he will quickly follow this up with multiple swift strikes, even if you’re far away. This means that dodging or rolling won’t necessarily be the most effective way to avoid being hit by Faravid, as you will need to be a great distance away from him to avoid the subsequent attacks. Instead, try to focus on parrying or blocking Faravid’s regular attacks, but those marked by yellow or orange auras, and those which are initiated without a specific color.

Aside from his basic attacks, Faravid will throw in red rune aura attacks, which you won’t be able to parry or block. These come in a variety of forms, from a dive similar to the Dive of the Valkyries ability, to a wide sweeping cut followed by an overhead blow. In addition to these, you’ll have to look out for when Faravid has a sparkling fire in his hands, indicating an incoming smoke bomb. This will also be marked by a red indicator like the ones you see when a ranged attack is imminent. As soon as you see this, run to the other side of the room to avoid the smoke bomb if you can.

(1 of 5) You’ll find weak points on Faravid’s head and right foot.

You will find weak points on Faravid’s head, and on his right foot. Be sure to hit these as soon as possible so that you can weaken Faravid’s defences and open him up for a powerful stun attack. You will find it easier to hit the weak points if you have the Brush with Death skill, which will slow time for a brief period each time you perform a successful dodge. Another useful skill that you should aim to always have during boss fights is the Grit skill, which allows you to regain whatever health you’ve just lost if you hit Faravid soon after. If you don’t have this, you can also take the food from the surrounding tables for a quick heal.

As you bring Faravid down to around a quarter of his health, he will begin to heal himself frequently. This will come in the form of him taking a drink for a few brief moments, which you will need to interrupt as soon as you see it the white rune aura above his head. Faravid may do this randomly and suddenly, but it will also sometimes be preceded by him creating a ring of fire around himself. When he does this, you’ll need to shoot at him to interrupt the heal, lest you be engulfed by flames. Maintain the pressure by combining abilities with light attacks and heavy attacks, and Faravid will soon fall.

After the fight with Faravid, a cutscene will ensue and the quest will end.

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Guide Information
  • Publisher
    Ubisoft
  • Platforms,
    PC, PS4, PS5, XB One, XB X|S
  • Genre
    Action RPG
  • Guide Release
    10 November 2020
  • Last Updated
    11 November 2023
    Version History
  • Guide Author

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