The Assassin’s Creed franchise returns with Assassin’s Creed® Odyssey. Set in ancient Greece, in a world of myths and legends, you will be able to explore a civilization during the peak of Greece’s Golden Age. But before you embark on your epic journey, heed the advice of the Prima Games official guide author, Kenny Sims, as he shares some of his top tips to help you survive the many encounters you will face.
Gathering Resources
Crafting plays a significant role in keeping your character equipped with specialty arrows, upgrading your gear, and upgrading the Adrestia. Collect resources from the environment, from containers, by dismantling your unwanted gear, and by sinking enemy ships. Gear of a higher tier grants more resources when dismantled. Sinking ships grants a large quantity of resources.
Visit the Blacksmith
There is a blacksmith in every large town where you can buy, sell, upgrade, and engrave your items. The items available for purchase are always within one to two levels of your current level. Keep in mind you cannot equip items that are above your level. The blacksmith sells a variety of items of various quality. You can also purchase different mounts and crafting materials. When you select the “Sell” option, there is a choice to “Sell All Trade Goods.” These items are only valuable for earning drachmae, the in-game currency. Unless you are really hurting for money, you should never sell gear but should instead dismantle it.
Upgrading your gear at the blacksmith requires not only drachmae but also large amounts of crafting materials. However, if you have specific gear that you really like using, this is the only way to keep that gear relevant as you progress on your journey.
Each item has only one slot available for engraving, regardless of its quality or level. The blacksmith will put an engraving that you have unlocked onto a piece of gear for a small amount of resources and drachmae. You should always engrave each piece of gear you have, and it should be tailored to take advantage of your current gear and abilities. Engravings become more powerful as you unlock them by completing challenges.
Captaining the Adrestia
Your journey takes you to many different islands, so it’s necessary to have a ship. Once you leave your home island of Kephallonia, you have access to a ship, the Adrestia. Head to the upper deck, where you can take command of your ship, steering it to your destination. You can either use the rowers, which is slower and useful for exploring locations and for combat, or you can bring in the oars and open up the sails to trigger travel speed. Travel speed is much faster and is useful for traveling long distances. When you approach major ports or harbors, you can have the ship automatically dock, allowing for easy transition to the mainland. If you are ever at any port that your ship is not docked at, you can summon your ship to that port. While on board, you can access ship-based missions from the message board located at the base of the main mast. Use these missions to gain valuable resources, experience, and money.
Using Ikaros
Your eagle, Ikaros, is an extremely valuable companion. You can take control of Ikaros to recon the surrounding areas and find quest objectives, treasure chests, and more. When flying as Ikaros, hold down the left trigger to pause and look around the immediate area. When an enemy or special item is close to the center viewing reticle, a white circle appears (or gold circle if you’re near the current quest objective). Move so that it shrinks toward the center reticle. Once you do, the enemy or item is tagged. This is extremely useful for tagging hidden treasures underground, indoors, or underwater, as when you are no longer in the open you cannot summon Ikaros.
While you are tagging enemies a white half circle near the reticle will appear, pointing you toward other nearby points of interest. If none appear then there are no more points of interest in the area. The precision of Ikaros’s sight improves as you find and s,ynchronize with more viewpoints in the world.
Ikaros not only is useful for tagging but also provides combat support by harassing and attacking enemies that you’re focused on. This can provide an invaluable distraction when facing tougher foes. In addition, Ikaros can scout out recruits for your ship’s crew. Hover over an enemy in stationary mode to see what abilities they can provide to the Adrestia.
Ainigmata Ostraka
Ainigmata Ostraka are obscure writings found on stone tablets in various Locations. They can be found in easy to access places like simple dwellings, difficult to reach areas like underwater points of interest, or extremely dangerous areas such as Forts and Fortresses.
When you come across an Ainigmata Ostraka, you can Interact with it. Doing so displays the text which is a clue to finding the necessary point of interest to solve the riddle and find the Engraving. Engravings can be used to boost the power of your equipment at Blacksmiths.
Tomb Raiding
Across Greece you have the chance to explore 22 Tombs. Each Tomb contains an Ancient Stele. Every Stele you discover and read grants you an extra Ability Point to spend, boosting your combat prowess. While discovering the Ancient Stele is a Tomb’s main prize, they also always contain at least one Epic Chest, and often times more, so they are well worth your time to explore.
Specializing your Playstyle
Spend your ability points in the way which best reflects your playstyle to become the ultimate Hunter, Warrior, Assassin, or a hybrid of any of the three:
Hunter abilities almost exclusively boost your bow attacks, and grant you active abilities. The Hunter abilities, Sixth Sense and Beast Master are useful to any class archetype. Focusing most of your ability points in this ability tree not only make you deadly at ranged combat, but also grants you the knowledge of how to craft powerful arrows and even tame local predators.
Warrior abilities almost exclusively boost your melee attacks, and grant you active abilities. The Warrior abilities, Second Wind, Gear Master, Flaming Attacks, and Fire Mastery are useful to any class archetype. Focusing most of your ability points in this ability tree make you a formidable enemy in melee combat and nearly impervious to all but the most powerful foes.
Assassin abilities almost exclusively boost your attacks when made from stealth, and grant you active abilities. Many abilities in this tree boost other abilities in the ranged and melee combat and affect your environment in unique ways. Focusing most of your ability points in this ability tree allows you to reveal secrets in the world, and makes your assassination attacks so strong that all but the most powerful of enemies die in a single attack.
Stealth (You are an Assassin, after all)
Stealth has always been a key (and fun!) component of Assassin’s Creed. Use stealth whenever possible to increase your chance of success in any encounter.
Certain areas provide great hiding spots: tall grass, shrubs, dark alcoves, and more. When you are taking cover in these spots, an eye with a slash through it appears in the middle of your health bar to let you know you’re successfully hidden, and your body is shrouded in a white halo. From stealth, you can perform assassinations or use a ranged weapon on unsuspecting foes, as well as hide from enemy pursuit (as long as they don’t see you enter your hiding spot, that is).
Climbing the Mercenary Ladder
Throughout Greece, many fighters make their living by hiring out their skills. These mercenaries gain great renown and you can face them in battle to increase your own reputation among this group of hardy professionals.
Mercenaries are ranked in tiers, nine being the lowest ranking, and one being the highest. Defeating each mercenary above you in your tier, or the next highest tier, moves you up one spot in your current tier until you’ve fought your way through them all and you advance to the next tier. As you advance in tiers, the enemies become more difficult, but the rewards, usually unique equipment, grow to match. You will never run out of Mercenaries no matter how many you kill, as there are always others willing to take their place.
Clearing the Message Boards
Most cities have a message board near the town center, usually at the base of a statue, from which you can pick up side quests. These can range from collecting a bounty on a mercenary’s head, helping people, or fighting for the Spartans or Athenians. While on board the Adrestia, you can access ship-based missions from the message board located at the base of the main mast. Use these missions to gain valuable resources, experience, and money.
