This page details a guide for the Heavy Is the Head main quest, part of The Kingmaker’s Saga story arc in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.

Heavy Is the Head - Ivarr Dialogue Choices¶

This quest begins immediately after Tilting the Balance. Walk with Ivarr, sit with him, and listen to what he has to say. You’ll be presented with a dialogue option here, but it has no lasting impact. After the brief chat a few cutscenes will play, and you’ll wake up with a mighty hangover.

When you wake from the night of heavy drinking with Ivarr, you’ll find yourself just south of Tamworth Fortress. Head to the longhouse in the northwestern section of the fortress to at tend the ceremony. This is only a few hundred metres north, so you have plenty of time. Once you enter the longhouse, a cutscene will begin. Watch the events unfold until a warrior enters the longhouse, alerting you to Mercian attack on Repton, led by Leofrith. The new king Ceolwulf is certain that his son, Ceolbert, is also in Repton. It is now your task to save him from Leofrith and defeat the last of King Burgred’s loyal forces in the process.

The journey to Repton is quite a ride, around 1400m from Tamworth Fortress. By now you should have activated at least two fast travel options to Repton; either the synchronization point within the town, or the harbor point to the northeast. Use either of these to travel to Repton instantly. When you reach the walls, you’ll find that the Mercians have breached them. No matter which side of the town you approach from, you’ll encounter Ivarr nearby. After a brief exchange of words regarding the location of Ceolbert, you should enter the town in search of him.

After fighting your way into the town, head to the main church in the southeast of the town. After attempting to enter the church, Eivor will speak with a nearby warrior, informing him that Leofrith was last seen taking someone by boat. Eivor concludes that this must be Ceolbert, prompting you to head to the nearby island, Isle of Waifs, to the northwest (shown as Woden’s Eye on your map). At this point you should ignore the fighting and make your way to the island. Head directly north until you hear Leofrith and Ceolbert arguing, then follow the voices to the ruined docks. Approaching Leofrith and Ceolbert will trigger a cutscene, beginning a boss fight against Leofrith.

Boss Fight: Leofrith¶

Leofrith is known for his prowess in battle, and it certainly shows in this fight. However, there is one skill which will make this fight much easier: Brush With Death. This skill will allow time to slow for a few brief moments each time you dodge an attack. If you get the timing right with this, you can bring Leofrith down slowly but surely by retaliating with a few swift light attacks each time you dodge one of his attacks. The main thing you will need to look out for is the reach of his longsword. Try to get a feel for the timing of when you should dodge an attack by practicing a few times at the beginning of the fight before you go in for the attack.

Although Leofrith will spam a basic attack that can easily be parried, he will often follow this up with one or two more swift attacks. Keep an eye out for the yellow animation, indicating an incoming attack, and be ready to dodge them consecutively if necessary. If you’d rather take Leofrith down as quickly as possible, you can risk a few shots at his weak points. These are located on his right ankle and left forearm. Create some distance between Eivor and Leofrith before you try shooting these weak points, lest you be exposed to powerful melee blows. However, keep in mind that when you create enough distance, Leofrith will sometimes charge a special attack, which results in him charging you with a heavy attack that can’t be parried.

The most effective way to overcome this is by performing a roll. A quick dodge will not be enough to avoid the full swing of Leofrith’s sword. Another one of his special abilities is indicated by a blue flash of light, followed by him assuming a battle stance in which he holds his sword with the tip facing the ground. If you attempt to charge him while he’s holding this stance, Leofrith will easily parry your attack and retaliate with one of his own. Instead, try to shoot Leofrith in his weak points to expose him to a stun attack. This special attack will land successfully every time, and will inflict massive damage.

Follow the above steps, either by targeting Leofrith’s weak points and instigating stun attacks, or dodging his spam attacks and retaliating with your own, to bring him down without putting yourself in too much danger.

Kill or Spare Leofrith?¶

When the fight with Leofrith is won, a vision with Odin will ensue. During this vision Odin will attempt to convince you to kill Leofrith, securing him a glorious death. However, Eivor suggests that allowing him to live will ensure that he can learn the truth about Burgred. We recommend that you follow Eivor’s instincts and allow Leofrith to live, to get the most out of the story.

If you choose to spare Leofrith, he will inform you of a scroll located in Venonis, a scroll with your name on it. If the zealots find this scroll, they will hunt you down relentlessly. It is therefore imperative that you find the scroll and burn it as soon as possible. You have one day (in game) from the end of this quest to burn the parchment.

Return to Repton¶

When the fight with Leofrith is won, return to Repton with Ceolbert. Be sure to walk with him to the town for some extra dialogue with Eivor, rather than take a fast travel point. When you reach Repton you will have an audience with Ubba, Sigurd, Ivarr, and Ceolwulf. The one dialogue option available to you here has no real consequence, so choose as you with to complete the quest.