Assassin's Creed Valhalla - Nodens' Arc location: How to find the secret Isu Bow
How to glitch your way to an easy legendary weapon, no matter your level - or earn it legitimately.
Several months after release, Assassin's Creed Valhalla is hiding secrets players are still uncovering.
One of these is a secret Isu Bow, named Nodens' Arc, which was discovered by JorRaptor on YouTube in January 2020 through a glitch, which at the time of writing, is still accessible.
Later in the month, the official method for accessing the Isu Bow was discovered by Access the Animus on YouTube - a mystery which involves uncovering clues outside of the game itself to work out the bow's location and method of retrieval.
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Nodens' Arc is one of several end-game Isu weapons to be found in Assassin's Creed Valhalla - with others out there including Thor's Hammer and Excalibur.
How to get the secret Isu Bow, Nodens' Arc, in Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Nodens' Arc is an unusual find - a powerful Isu Bow which, at the time of writing, can be obtained through a glitch if you prefer not to go through the more elaborate legitimate method.
To get via the glitch, you must head to the very north of the map of England, where you'll find a lake in the region of Eurvicshire.
This area has a suggested power of 190, but as that warning says, it's just a suggestion - as even if you are low level you can safely make your way there.
If you've yet to venture this far, we recommend taking your boat up the many waterways so you're at the junction just south of the lake, and from there, going north on foot or by horse.
You'll soon come to the lake - which is smaller than it appears on the map.
From here, you want to go to the island in the lake on the south side. In-game, it's actually connected a little by land, making it even easier to access.
Once on the island, next to some bushes is a glowing set of rocks. Unlike others elsewhere in the game, this cannot be destroyed with your weapons to get some resources. Instead, it's home to our Isu Bow - but cannot be broken through conventional means.
To get Nodens' Arc, you must perform the following glitch:
- Mash your melee attack and strike the rock several times, then enter the menu.
- Create a manual save (to do this, from the menu press left on the D-Pad to reach the 'Main' menu).
- Now immediately load that save file.
You'll appear back on the island. Repeat this - striking, saving, then loading that save - until the rock disappears and you have the Nodens' Arc in your inventory.
Though JorRaptor on YouTube - who first reported the method - says it appears after two or three save and loads, for us, it appeared after the first save. JorRaptor also suggested it can take more saves and loads than this - so keep trying until it unlocks.
From there, the bow is yours. At any level, it's a very useful find - coming with a perk which increases the damage of attacks using the bow the further you are from your target.
Before you go - assuming this is your first visit to this part of the world, there is a viewpoint in a structure just to the north, which is worth unlocking to save you a journey this way later.
The new DLC is here - and we explain how to start The Siege of Paris, as well as new romance options and Treasure Hoard locations. If you're after end game activities in the full game, we can explain how to get Nodens' Arc, Excalibur, Thor gear and other Valhalla armour sets, Power Level and how to get XP fast, Order of the Ancients locations and all Assassin's Creed Valhalla story choices. If you're looking for things to collect and upgrade, we have lists on best skills and Book of Knowledge locations.
How to legitimately unlock Nodens' Arc in Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Several days after the glitch uncovered Nodens' Arc in the first place, Access the Animus on YouTube uncovered the official method for finding the Isu Bow.
The following video goes through the clues players needed to discover it, which we'll leave them to explain in full to retain the mystery for those who wish to do it themselves:
Assassin's Creed Valhalla - We Cracked the Mystery and Found the Real Way to Unlock the Noden's Arc!
If you don't fancy embarking on the hunt yourself, then getting the Nodens' Arc through official means requires the following steps:
- Having access to Excalibur
- Venturing to the north-most lake in Eurvicshire, and finding the glowing rock on the island to the south
- Striking the rock with Excalibur during sunset
Chances are, Ubisoft will patch out the glitch method which was discovered first - leading to this being the only way to get the Isu Bow. For end-game players with Excalibur, you're just one step away - otherwise, until a possible patch, the glitch is a quick and useful way to get a powerful bow at any point in the game.