Assassin's Creed Valhalla details bird companion, hoods, hair colour changes

Another day, another set of new Assassin's Creed Valhalla details - this time on hair dying, hoods and your loyal bird companion.

For the first time in the Assassin's Creed series, you'll be able to change your main character's hair colour. That detail was one of several announced last night in an hour-long Washington Post livestream chat with Valhalla creative director Ashraf Ismail. A number of different hair styles (and beard styles, if you're playing as male Eivor) will be available.

Just as in Origins, you'll be able to whip your stealthy Assassin hood up or down - although in Valhalla this won't require you delve into the game's menu to do so. And, as previously announced, you'll also be able to customise your Eivor with tattoos and war paint.

Your new crow companion, meanwhile, is named Synin - pronounced "Sue-nin". Writing on Twitter last night, Ismail said the name is meant to resemble the word "insight" in Old Norse.

Speaking to Eurogamer ahead of the game's announcement, lead producer Julien Laferrière told me your raven would have new abilities compared with those of the eagles in Origins and Odyssey - enough to allow the game to remove more of its UI to let players explore Valhalla's world more organically. But you can also still use it to attack enemies, and distract them while you sneak up close.

Yesterday, we got word on the return of Assassin's Creed's social stealth and instakill hidden blade, as well as our first in-game glimpse at Valhalla's English settlement hub which will reshape the flow of Assassin's Creed Valhalla.