Assassin's Creed Valhalla New Game+ update 1.8.0: what's new
Assassin's Creed Valhalla New Game+ is live with Title Update 1.8.0: Mithril, Rune Forge changes, a Stash and upgraded PSSR on PS5 Pro. Here is everything.
- Title Update 1.8.0 went live on November 5, 2026 at 14:00 UTC on all platforms.
- New Game+ unlocks after the Holy Day quest in Hamtunscire.
- Divine gear's maximum upgrade level rises from 13 to 27 and uses the new Mithril resource.
- More than 300 engravable runes and a new superior rune tier were added.
- PS5 Pro gets upgraded PSSR targeting 4K image quality and a 60 FPS Quality mode.
- Patch size ranges from 5.26 GB on PS5 to 15.02 GB on Xbox Series X|S.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla Title Update 1.8.0 is live, and it adds the feature fans have asked about for years: New Game+. Ubisoft released "The Most Requested Update" on November 5, 2026 at 14:00 UTC (9:00 AM ET, 6:00 AM PT) on all platforms, free of charge, together with a reworked Rune Forge, a new Stash and upgraded PSSR support on PS5 Pro.
What the update adds
New Game+ lets you start Eivor's Viking quest over after completing the main story, keeping much of your progression. It unlocks after the Holy Day quest, the last quest of the Hamtunscire region, which sits slightly before the true ending. Each New Game+ iteration is progressively harder. According to the official patch notes on Steam, the option only appears on the main menu after you save a completed game on 1.8.0, so players who already passed Holy Day must load that save and save again.
Lead game designer David Larouche told Xbox Wire that "the New Game+ feature was definitely the most requested feature from fans."
Mithril, Platinum and Divine gear
New Game+ introduces Mithril, a new resource. In New Game+, receiving a piece of gear or interacting with a book of knowledge you already own rewards Mithril instead, and it is also sold in the Niflheim, Mastery and River Raid shops. Looting Carbon, Nickel or Tungsten from a Wealth Chest now gives Platinum, an ingot that used to be exclusive to the Dawn of Ragnarok DLC. As a result, upgrading gear to Divine quality no longer requires that expansion.
To keep pace, the maximum upgrade level of Divine gear rises from 13 to 27, and each upgrade costs Mithril. Our New Game+ guide explains how to unlock the mode and spend these resources.
Rune Forge, Stash and progression
- Rune upgrades. A new menu tab upgrades runes for silver, from lesser to normal to greater, and then to superior, a new tier that costs Mithril.
- 300+ engravable runes. Perks added since launch, including DLC and Helix Store items, can be engraved from owned weapons and armor sets for 450 silver.
- Stash. A new storage in Ravensthorpe holds any gear piece and any rune.
- Extended Progression Mode. An optional mode where gear upgrades and runes add 1 Power each and Masteries add Power every 5 skill points.
- New outfit and achievements. A Naoe-inspired Master Assassin outfit arrives, plus the achievements Ivaldi's Heir and Circle of Renewal.
PS5 Pro gets upgraded PSSR
PlayStation 5 Pro owners also get upgraded PSSR support. The PlayStation Blog says the technique targets 4K image quality and a Quality mode at 60 FPS, and Ubisoft describes it as more efficient and easier to implement than the game's existing Temporal Upscaler, with a crisper, more visually stable picture. No assets were overhauled; the change lives in the engine and rendering pipeline. Ubisoft says the same upgraded PSSR was already used in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced and Assassin's Creed Shadows. Engineering Studio Manager Priscilla Nguyen summed up the work as "integrating the upgraded PSSR into the game, to have better graphics when upscaling at a better framerate."
Patch sizes and balance changes
Download sizes differ by platform: 12.27 GB on Ubisoft Connect, 7.8 GB on Steam, 15.02 GB on Xbox Series X|S, 5.26 GB on PlayStation 5, 13.42 GB on PlayStation 4 and 13.8 GB on Xbox One. The notes also list many small balancing changes meant to make dual wielding feel better and to tune stat runes and skill masteries, including new per-level bonuses for the Raven, Bear and Wolf Masteries.
The base game launched on November 10, 2020. As reported on Wikipedia, Ubisoft announced in October 2026 that Valhalla had passed 40 million players, and the Steam announcement says the milestone is the reason for this update.
For more about the game, visit our Assassin's Creed Valhalla hub and the latest stories on the news page. Ubisoft's own Xbox Wire post contains the developer interview and the full feature list.
FAQ
When did Assassin's Creed Valhalla New Game+ release?
Title Update 1.8.0 went live on November 5, 2026 at 14:00 UTC on all platforms.
Is the Valhalla New Game+ update free?
Yes. Ubisoft's announcements describe it as a free update for existing owners.
How do I unlock New Game+ in Valhalla?
Complete the Holy Day quest, then save a completed game on 1.8.0 or later and return to the main menu.
Does the update improve PS5 Pro graphics?
Yes. It adds upgraded PSSR for PS5 Pro, targeting 4K image quality and a Quality mode at 60 FPS.
How we got here
- Nov 5, 2026Title Update 1.8.0 releases on all platforms at 14:00 UTC.
- Oct 2026Ubisoft announces 40 million players and confirms New Game+ for November 5.
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