Do you need to watch Vikings to understand Vikings: Valhalla?

As we approach the third and final season of Vikings: Valhalla, you may be looking to catch up. There are two seasons already on Netflix that you may have skipped over at first.

I get it. It’s hard to get into a series when you expect it to be canceled. Netflix has a very bad habit of cancelling great shows. Just look at The Society, which was originally canceled and then unrenewed during the pandemic.

However, Vikings: Valhalla has been allowed to end on its own terms, and now is the time to catch up to get ready for the final 10 episodes. As you get ready for it, you’ll realize that it is a spin-off of Vikings. Do you need to watch all six seasons of that show first?

Vikings: Valhalla is set 100 years after Vikings

You don’t necessarily need to watch Vikings first. Vikings: Valhalla is set 100 years after the events of the sixth season of the original series. There are minimal characters from that original series that show up in the sequel.

The only character who does is The Seer, who is actually dead by the end of the sixth season. You don’t lose too much by not knowing his significance in Vikings, but it is good to catch up on who he is to understand his importance in the spin-off series.

Other that that, characters are simply mentioned. Lagertha is one of those mentioned a lot, as she became a shieldmaiden for all women to look up to. After all, she did end up as the Queen of Kattegat at one point. She led by example both in Kattegat and when she went to England.

Everything you need to know is explained

You don’t need to know who Lagertha is when she is mentioned. Think about it as if you’re watching Game of Thrones or even Outlander. There have been mentions of characters from pre-show periods. We didn’t get to know who they were on the screen. They were just mentioned, and we got to know about them through the other characters.

That’s the case with Vikings: Valhalla. Everything that is needed to know from Vikings is explained. The focus is on the individuals in the series. We follow our three protagonists throughout the story, and nothing connects back to Ragnar and his sons or anyone else in Kattegat before Freydis and others.

It is great to immerse yourself into the world of the Vikings, though. All six seasons are on Netflix, so it could be worth heading over to check out the full story.