Fans translate Assassin's Creed Valhalla's Mohawk language sequences

As with previous games in the series, Assassin's Creed Valhalla contains some detailed and faithful historical elements that are left for fans to puzzle out. One example of this in Valhalla comes when you discover the area of Vinland, populated by people from the Mohawk who speak to your character in untranslated dialogue. Now the Assassin's Creed fan group Access the Animus has, with no little help from Montreal's Kanien'kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center, translated all of this Mohawk dialogue (thanks, Eurogamer).

The Vinland portion of the game features a more chilled-out vibe than the rest of Valhalla, as you wander around the encampment and hear snippets of incidental conversation. The major translated element here is a campfire story, a Mohawk creation myth, which has previously been told from the Oneida tribe's perspective in Assassin's Creed Rogue (the video goes into the differences between the two tellings).

Much of the dialogue makes contextual sense: it's no surprise to find out that the Mohawk woman whom you can fish with says something along the lines of "would you like to fish with me." It's perhaps more surprising that, once you've done some fishing, she tells (in this case) Eivor that "you're not in great shape, white woman, but you fish well." Talk about a backhanded compliment.

This is the second major Valhalla project from Access the Animus, after it previously translated the in-game Isu language (with a little help from some of the game's creators), a video of which can be seen above.

Valhalla is absolutely rammed with easter eggs and other hidden content (perhaps too much so), and has just received its first major expansion, Wrath of the Druids, in which you set about the minor task of reuniting 9th-century Ireland. PCG's Steven Messner reckoned it's "everything I loved about Valhalla—the political intrigue, stunning scenery, and absorbing list of side activities—all present with Irish twists."

Rich Stanton

Rich is a games journalist with 15 years' experience, beginning his career on Edge magazine before working for a wide range of outlets, including Ars Technica, Eurogamer, GamesRadar+, Gamespot, the Guardian, IGN, the New Statesman, Polygon, and Vice. He was the editor of Kotaku UK, the UK arm of Kotaku, for three years before joining PC Gamer. He is the author of a Brief History of Video Games, a full history of the medium, which the Midwest Book Review described as "[a] must-read for serious minded game historians and curious video game connoisseurs alike."

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