Asgard’s Wrath is built to be a huge singleplayer adventure, but there is a pseudo-multiplayer feature that you might bump into along your journey. Here’s how it works.
Asgard’s Wrath doesn’t have any traditional multiplayer functions, but it is possible to influence and be influenced by your friends (and even strangers) through ‘Spirit Arenas’. Oculus Studios Executive Producer Mike Doran describes it as ‘asynchronous multiplayer’ and explains how it works:
When you die, a marker in an approximation of that location is automatically placed in other players games, even ones you aren’t friends with. In your game, you will see markers representing other players who have fallen in battle. If you choose to interact with one, you’ll see the Oculus ID of the player that died and be presented with a challenge scaled in difficulty based on how strong that player’s character was. Accept the challenge and you’re instantly transported to a spirit arena where you fight ghostly versions of the enemies that took down the other player.
Succeed, and you get Yggdrasil seeds. This is the only reputable way to get this currency. Seeds can buy very powerful consumable items. They can also be used in a quest line at the world tree. You turn them in for faerie blessings. Blessings are global perks that are always on. One perk is a chance for you to not consume a potion when using it. One of them is a chance for your follower relationship to not suffer if they fall in battle, etc. When you redeem another player they get a reward too, the next time they visit the world tree. So if you die, someone does a spirit fight on your behalf, you get a popup saying “you have been avenged by so-and-so. Visit the world tree for a reward.’
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Interested in Asgard’s Wrath? Check out our full review, gameplay overview, and behind-the-scenes deep dive.