Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc bow: How to get the secret Isu weapon

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc Isu bow — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

The Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc bow is one of the best bows in the game, if not the best, though it's sort of expected from an Isu weapon. The question is, how do you get the mythical ranged weapon? There are two methods – one "legit" and one not quite so – for obtaining the Nodens Arc bow in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, both of which are explained below. So what are you waiting for? Here's everything you need to know about how to get the Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc bow.

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Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc bow location

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nordens Arc Isu bow — (Image credit: Ubisoft)

The map above shows the northern part of Eurvicscire, more specifically a small island south-east of the Brunton Turret fast travel point. This is the location of the Nodens Arc bow, but obtaining it isn't as simple as visiting this place and picking it up. Below we have the two methods for getting the bow, whether you want to get it legitimately or use the yet-to-be-patched exploit.

How to get the Nodens Arc bow in Assassin's Creed Valhalla (exploit method)

How do you get the best bow in the game? You'd think the method would be somewhat difficult, with puzzles to solve and metaphorical hoops to jump through, but in fact it's incredibly easy when you know where to go and what to do.

The problem is, when you swing with your weapon at the rock, you can't break it. This seemingly unbreakable rock will sit there, taunting you. Breaking it will reward you with the Nodens Arc bow, so follow the following steps to earn the Isu bow:

Swing with your weapon at the rock as if you were going to break it, and ensure the weapon connects with it
Pause the game then create a new save file after hitting the rock
Load up the save file you just created
Attack the rock again, then create another save file
Load up the second save file
When you load this one up, the rock should be destroyed, and the Nodens Arc bow will enter your inventory

This is obviously not how this was intended to be discovered, but at the time of writing, it's a foolproof method that rewards you with the Nodens Arc Isu bow in Assassin's Creed Valhalla every time. Even if you're a low level in the game, you can mount your horse and ride north to specifically obtain the Isu bow before retreating back to Ravensthorpe and carrying on with the game, but this time with a much more powerful bow.

Credit to JorRaptor on YouTube for the initial discovery of how to get the Nordens' Arc bow.

How to get the Nodens Arc bow in Assassin's Creed Valhalla (legitimate method)

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Nodens Arc bow — (Image credit: JorRaptor / Ubisoft)

A few days after the bow was discovered through the exploit, the intended method of getting it was found. I won't go into too much detail, because the way it was figured out involved translating code from the physical special edition of the game and comparing the lake the bow is found in to the country of Singapore. If you're curious about the full explanation, check out this video from Access the Animus.

As for the legitimate method to get the bow, you need to first obtain the Excalibur sword, which we have explained in our Assassin's Creed Valhalla Treasures of Britain guide. When you've got it, do the following steps:

Go to the island with the rock on
Wait until the exact moment the sun sets
Swing at the rock with Excalibur

That's all there is to it. If you time it correctly at sunset, the rock should break and you'll be rewarded with the Nodens Arc bow. It seems like this is the final mystery Valhalla has for us right now, but time will tell if DLC brings anything new to the table.