The Game System of Assassin's Creed® Odyssey

Assassin's Creed® Odyssey has now been out for a few weeks, and we're super happy to hear that you're loving the game.

To make sure your odyssey is a fun and unforgettable one, the team has built a variety of systems that we'd like to tell you about in this article.

Warning: this article contains spoilers.

Let's take a look at them!

FACTION WAR:

Set in 431 BCE, Assassin's Creed Odyssey puts you in the middle of the Peloponnesian War, a time when the two superpowers, Sparta and Athens, are fighting each other for rule of the Greek world.

As a mercenary, you can take part in this conflict and fight for the faction you want, depending on what you think benefits you the most.

When looking at the world map you'll see that each region of Greece is controlled by a nation, its power being represented by a Nation Power gauge.

By completing in-game actions such as killing soldiers, burning war supplies, stealing the national treasure, or killing the nation leader, you'll decrease the gauge and reduce the influence of the leading faction in the region.

Once the nation power is weakened, a conquest battle will become available for you to join. That's when you'll choose your side: Athens or Sparta.

Make sure you equip yourself with your best weapons and armor before joining any battle!

At the end of each battle, the winning nation will control the region – but because the world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey is constantly moving, you can always change your mind and overthrow the winner.

Who will you fight for?

MERCENARIES

You'll live your epic odyssey as a mercenary, but you won't be the only one living this dangerous life. With Greece at war, many mercenaries emerged, making the world of Assassin's Creed Odyssey one of competition.

When you start the game, you'll discover that many mercenaries are roaming Greece, and most of them are way more powerful than you are. A simple look at the Mercenaries menu will give you an idea of your ranking.

The mercenaries are divided into nine tiers. To climb the ladder and reach tier 1, you'll have to defeat your competitors, either by killing them or recruiting them for your ship, the Adestria. If you choose to recruit them, not only will they boost your ship's perks, they'll also assist you during boardings if you assign them as lieutenants.

Each tier completed will give you a special bonus, such as getting discounts for blacksmiths or increasing your chances of getting better loot. These bonuses might be really useful during your journey.

At first, most mercenaries will be unknown. To discover their true identity, you can either collect clues by defeating other mercenaries or run into them when exploring the world. The choice is up to you. Any discovered mercenary will become trackable and will also reveal their background and loot, as well as their strengths and weaknesses in combat.

We highly recommend using Ikaros's sharp eye to identify any nearby roaming mercenaries!

Dedicate yourself to climbing this ladder and you might end up at the top of the food chain as the most feared warrior in Greece.

But be careful: all your actions have consequences.

Bounty System

Any illegal actions you take, such as destroying ships or killing and stealing in front of civilians, will increase your bounty, and mercenaries from all over the world will come after you. You won't be the hunter anymore, but rather the hunted, and nothing will stop the mercenaries in their mission to stop you – not even the sea!

You can use this system to your advantage and attract bigger mercenaries to reach tier 1 faster – if you think you're up to the challenge.

When your bounty is too high, you have a few options to reduce it and become anonymous again: use the Pay all bounties option on the world map, pay each Sponsor, kill each Sponsor, or simply keep a low profile for a while.

Sharpen your blades, for many enemies will stand in your way as you climb to tier 1!

CULTISTS

Among the threats you'll encounter during your odyssey, the Cult of Kosmos is probably the most dangerous. Organized into seven branches, this mysterious organization has an influence on all of Greek society and represents a real threat to the world – a threat you'll have to remove.

But bringing down the cult will not be an easy task. Its members are hiding behind spooky masks, so first you'll need to investigate to discover their true identity.

Explore all of Greece and find clues to who they are. Clues can be found at blacksmiths or by killing mercenaries, completing side quests, sinking ships, exploring caves, and many other activities.

By collecting enough clues for each cultist, you'll unveil their true identity and location, allowing you to go directly after them. For each cultist killed, you'll get a sweet new item to equip and an artefact that will allow you to upgrade your spear.

But that's not it. Once all the branches are destroyed, you will unveil the Ghost of Kosmos and discover who was behind this conspiracy. Who knows what might happen next?

Let the hunt begin!

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In case you missed it, make sure to take a look at our previous article about how Ubisoft is taking the lead in bringing accessibility to gaming.