You're deep in the Oxenefordscire arc, Eivor is looking like a total badass, and suddenly, everything just... stops. No quest marker. No clear instructions. Just a vague sense that you need to weaken Eadwyn’s hold on the region. This is AC Valhalla Chipping Away, and honestly, it’s one of the most frustratingly open-ended segments in the entire game. It’s not exactly a bug, though it feels like one if you’re used to the game holding your hand with a bright teal icon every five seconds.
The problem is that the game expects you to be a Viking. Not a checklist-completer, but a raider.
Most players hit a wall here because they're looking for a specific boss to kill or a single camp to clear. It doesn't work like that. You basically have to cause enough chaos to force Eadwyn’s hand, and if you don't do it "right," the quest bar won't nudge. Let's get into what’s actually happening under the hood of this mission and how you can get past it without losing your mind.
What Actually Counts Toward Progress?
In "Chipping Away," your goal is to weaken the Lady of the Mercian’s grip. Geadric tells you to go help his Thegns and destroy Eadwyn’s supplies. Simple, right? Except the map doesn't always show you where those supplies are.
First off, look for the carts. Those big, red-canopied supply wagons are your primary target. You’ll find them scattered around the region, often at small outposts or traveling along the main roads. If you see one, blow it up. Use a torch, an incendiary arrow, or just whack it until it catches fire. Each one you destroy chips away at that invisible progress bar.
Then there are the "Fiery Ambush" and "Let Them Eat Ashes" sub-quests. These are technically part of the broader Chipping Away objective. If you haven't talked to the NPCs associated with these, your progress will feel stagnant. Go find the Thegns. They’re usually marked on your map with the standard quest icon, but sometimes they only appear when you're within a certain radius of their hideouts.
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The Common "Glitch" That Isn't Actually a Glitch
A lot of people think their game is broken because they’ve killed everyone in sight and the quest hasn't completed. Here is the thing: killing random soldiers doesn't count for much. You need to focus on the strategic assets.
If you’ve cleared the camps and the quest is still hanging, check your quest log. Are "Fiery Ambush" and "Let Them Eat Ashes" still active? You have to finish those specific narrative beats. In one, you're literally burning farmhouses and grain. It feels a bit mean, even for a Viking, but it’s necessary to starve out Eadwyn’s reinforcements.
I’ve seen players spend hours roaming the forests of Oxenefordscire hoping a cutscene will trigger. It won't. You have to be proactive. If you’ve done the sub-quests and the bar is still not full, head to the Thaereburg Garrison. It’s a major fort in the southern part of the region. Taking down the banners there and destroying the crates inside usually provides the final push needed to trigger the next phase of the Saga.
Tips for Efficiency (And Sanity)
Don't waste time on every single red dot on the map. Focus on the icons that look like a little explosion or a crate.
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- Use Sunin: Your raven is actually useful here. Fly high and look for the yellow highlights on the ground. These usually indicate supply crates or explosive jars that count toward the objective.
- The Bridge Fight: There’s a specific scripted event near a bridge where you can ambush a supply convoy. If you missed the prompt from the Thegn, just ride along the main river-adjacent roads. You’ll eventually run into a group of soldiers escorting a wagon.
- Don't Fast Travel Too Much: This quest relies on "world events" to fill the meter. If you're constantly teleporting from one side of the map to the other, you might hop right over the wandering supply patrols that are meant to be your primary targets.
The tone of this quest is meant to reflect the slow, grinding nature of a siege. You’re systematically dismantling a power structure. It's supposed to feel like work, but it shouldn't feel impossible.
Dealing With Genuine Progression Blocks
Now, if you’ve destroyed every cart in Oxenefordscire, helped both Thegns, and the quest "Chipping Away" is still sitting there staring at you, you might actually have a script hang. This happened more frequently at launch, but even in 2026, the Ubisoft Animus engine can be a bit... temperamental.
If you're stuck, try the "Viking Reset." Save your game manually. Completely close the application. Don't just go to the main menu; kill the app. When you reload, sometimes the game re-evaluates the quest flags and realizes you've already met the criteria.
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Another trick is to travel to a different region entirely—say, back to Ravensthorpe—and then come back. This forces the game to reload the Oxenefordscire assets. I’ve seen this kickstart the "Saga Update" notification when nothing else worked.
Moving Toward the Siege of Cyne Belle
Once you finally fill that bar, the quest doesn't just end. It flows directly into the preparation for the assault on Cyne Belle Castle. This is where the story actually picks back up. You’ll meet with Sigurd and Basim, and the game returns to its more linear, cinematic roots.
The "Chipping Away" phase is basically a gatekeeper. It ensures you’ve explored the region and weakened the enemy enough that a siege actually makes sense from a narrative standpoint. It’s a bit of "busy work" that Ubisoft added to pad out the alliance map, but it does add a layer of realism to the conquest. You can't just walk up to a castle and expect to win without cutting off the food and arrows first.
Actionable Next Steps to Clear the Quest
- Check your quest log for "Fiery Ambush" and "Let Them Eat Ashes." These must be finished for the main meter to move significantly.
- Locate and destroy at least three supply wagons. Look for the red tents/canopies; they are most common near the Eatun Barn area.
- Head to the Thaereburg Garrison. If your bar is at 90%, clearing this specific fort almost always triggers the completion.
- Confirm the Thegn missions. If you haven't spoken to the NPCs marked on your map in the woods, the world-spawned wagons might not even show up.
- Manual Save and Restart. If the bar is full but the quest won't "complete," a hard reboot of the game client is the most reliable fix for Ubisoft's flagging system.
Once you’ve cleared these hurdles, you'll be ready to take on Eadwyn directly. Make sure your rations are upgraded before the siege, as the fight at Cyne Belle is a long one with multiple stages.