Assassin's Creed: Odyssey

### Release date

Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4 & Xbox One-October 2, 2018 (Gold editon)-October 5, 2018

Nintendo Switch-October 5, 2018 (JP)

Stadia-November 19, 2019

### Platform(s)

- Microsoft Windows- Playstation 4

- Xbox One

- Nintendo Switch (JP only)

- Stadia

***Assassin's Creed: Odyssey*** is the eleventh main installment in the *Assassin's Creed* series developed by Ubisoft. Chronologically, it is the second game to take place.

## Development

The game was primarily developed by Ubisoft Quebec, which has previously worked on *Assassin's Creed: Syndicate.* The concept of the game emerged in 2015, as the team was wrapping up development on *Syndicate.* In the shift to an RPG-esque game, inspiration was taken from titles such as *The Witcher 3, Fallout,* and *The Elder Scrolls* in regards to player choice. The development team engaged in communication with the team behind *Assassin's Creed: Origins*; it was decided to push quote: "push [the series] forward" with the introduction of RPG elements. The setting of ancient Greece was chosen as it was one of the most requested settings from the fanbase.

*Odyssey* uses a lot of the same graphical technology as *Origins.* Far more color was used in the game; the designers tried to tap into the notion that the ancient Greeks believed that their land was built by the gods, thus the use of vibrant colors. There was pushback against the "ordinary" depictions of ancient Greece, which lean on it being an arid place with an emphasis on white and gold. The end result is intended to be a middle-ground between historical accuracy and vibrancy.

The game was announced on May 31, 2018. It will receive weekly updates post-release.

## Synopsis

### Setting

The game's genetic memory story is set in 431 BCE, recounting the secret history of the Peloponnesian War, fought between the city-states of ancient Greece. The protagonist is a mercenary named either Alexios or Kassandra (selectable) who can choose to fight for either Athens and the Delian League or Sparta and the Peloponnesian League, as well as against the Cult of Kosmos. The modern day segments will again follow Layla Hassan, who was first introduced in *Assassin's Creed: Origins*, and her story will touch on the Isu.

The game is said to deal with the themes of "freedom versus order."

### Plot

As a child, Kassandra was presented with the broken Spear of Leonidas, an Isu weapon, as an heirloom by her mother. Because of her prestigious heritage, great hopes were placed upon her to live up to the strength and valor of Leonidas. Her step-father, Nikolaos, would often train her in hopes that she would follow in his footsteps. In 446 BCE, The Pythia Praxithea at Sanctuary of Delphi prophesized that Kassandra's younger brother, the baby Alexios, would lead to the fall of Sparta in the future. In order to prevent this, Alexios was to be sacrificed at Mount Taygetos, despite Myrrine's plea for Nikolaos to stop it. As a priest was about to drop Alexios, Kassandra attempted to stop the sacrifice, but instead pushed the priest and Alexios to their apparent deaths. Kassandra was condemned as a traitor to Sparta, leading her step-father to execute her by dropping her from the mountain, though it was obvious he was remorseful in doing so.

Kassandra, however, survived the fall, and escaped to the beach with the spear. Refusing to be found by the Spartans, Kassandra fled out to the open seas, with an eagle following her. A storm later turned Kassandra's boat overboard and she woke up on the beaches of Kephallonia. There, she was greeted by Markos, who took her under his wing and tasked her to do errands for him.

Over the years, Kassandra's skills as a warrior developed and she became a mercenary, working with Markos and the little orphan girl Phoibe, but in doing so they also gained the ire of the local warlord, the Cyclops, who runs Kephallonia with an iron fist. Kassandra learns that Markos had borrowed money from the Cyclops and bought a vineyard with it. She is angered by this due to the fact that Markos owed her money. When she confronted him about it, he set her on a few missions in order to get her own debt back. Kassandra would steal the Cyclops' Obsidian Eye from his home so they can eventually sell it to gain some money.

Kassandra also got wind of a group of foreigners who arrived with the Cyclops so she went and killed them all but one. The one man is revealed to be Elpenor. Though he seems unaffected about his men's massacre, he offers Kassandra a deal. She is to collect the Shroud of Penelope from some thieves. Kassandra does this but when she returns, Elpenor tells her that she can keep the shroud and pays her a great amount: Kassandra quickly worked out that it was all a test for her as he offered her more money if she killed a Spartan General, called the Wolf of Sparta, stationed at Megaris. Kassandra agrees to the deal but has no boat to reach Megaris.

She discovers that the Cyclops is vulnerable and confronts him while he is torturing a ship captain, Barnabas. Kassandra mocks the Cyclops and then reveals that she has his eye, he demanded it back, but she instead stuck it up a goat's rectum and released it. Obviously angered by this, the Cyclops attacks Kassandra but she manages to slay him and his men, then frees Barnabas. Grateful for this, he offers her a place on his ship, the *Adrestia*, as its Commander. Kassandra agrees and plans to leave, saying her farewells to Phoibe and Markos. On their way to Megaris, Barnabas asked why they were going there to which Kassandra answered that there was a price on the head of the Wolf of Sparta. Barnabas then reveals to Kassandra that the Wolf of Sparta is in fact her step-father, Nikolaos.

Upon reaching Megaris, they discover that they are cut off by an Athenian blockade. They destroy the ships and continue to the beach. Upon reaching the beach, they notice a battle is taking place between the Spartans and Athenians. Led by Nikolaos and his adopted son Stentor, the Spartans are victorious. Kassandra arrives after the battle but is stopped from seeing Nikolaos by Stentor, who asked why she was there. Kassandra offers to help the Spartans take down the Athenians in Megaris, in exchange for a meeting with the Wolf. After slaying the Athenian Leader, Kassandra returns to Stentor and takes part in the battle for Megaris. With Kassandra on their side, the Spartans win the fight and take Megaris for themselves. Shortly after the victory, Nikolaos sends a message to Kassandra and Stentor, wishing to speak with Kassandra alone. While angered by this, Stentor accepts and allows Kassandra to meet Nikolaos. Nikolaos talks to Kassandra and quickly works out who Kassandra truly is. She confronts Nikolaos about what he did, and reveals to him the price on his head. Consequently, Kassandra has the choice to either spare or kill him. Either way leads to Kassandra discovering that Nikolaos is not her biological father and being told to find her mother, Myrrine. He then warns her about snakes in the grass. Kassandra is taken aback by this discovery and takes Nikolaos' Helmet and Sword. Upon returning to the *Adrestia,* she tells Barnabas about her discovery to which he states that they should meet with the Oracle to discover where her mother is. Kassandra is hesitant to meet her due to the fact that she is the reason why her family was destroyed.

Kassandra goes to see Elpenor and produces Nikolaos' Helmet. Elpenor is impressed and states that he has more targets for her to kill, revealing to Kassandra that he plans to kill the rest of her family. She refuses to be used like this and Elpenor orders his men to kill her, but they fail and are killed as a consequence. Unfortunately, Elpenor manages to escape, so Kassandra meets with Barnabas who introduces her to Herodotos who recognizes the Spear of Leonidas on her back. After, she meets with the Oracle, who reveals that she knows who Kassandra is and mentions the Cult of Kosmos. Upon meeting again with Herodotos, they work out that the Oracle is being controlled by the Cult and has been like that for a long time, meaning that the Cult was behind the destruction of Kassandra's family. Kassandra confronts the Oracle in her own home who reveals information about the Cult and the Elpenor is one of the cultists. Kassandra also discovers that the cultists are based under the Temple of Apollo. Kassandra tracks down Elpenor and kills him to which he reveals that the Cult wanted her dead and that he had convinced them not to kill her as he wanted to use her for their own plans. He dies soon after. Kassandra discovers a cult uniform and a small triangle of Isu origin.

She meets Herodotos at the Temple and enters with her disguise on, where she finds out that the Cult has eyes and ears everywhere in Greece. After being drawn towards the center piece in the Cult room by a strange force, she places the small Isu triangle into the Pyramid, completing it. The Cult is then interrupted when Deimos enters the room with the head of Elpenor, revealing that he knows one of them is a traitor. He has various cultists then touch the central piece and, upon getting Kassandra to touch it, he witnesses her memories and she is shocked to discover that Deimos is her thought to be dead brother, Alexios. Deimos kills the next Cult member covering for Kassandra, in which she steals back the small piece of tech that she put in. Upon leaving the Temple, she is shocked to the core, where she meets Herodotos, and reveals to him the Cult's plan to find and kill her mother and birth father as well as the revelation that Deimos is Alexios.

Herodotos persuades Kassandra to go to Athens in order to warn the man Herodotos is serving, Perikles, about the Cult, but before they head for Athens, Herodotos needs to meet Kassandra at the Lion of Leonidas, at Thermopylai. As soon as Kassandra arrives there, Herodotos reaches for her spear and flashbacks of Leonidas' final moments come through his mind. Leonidas saw his army dying one by one and eventually he perished, but not before killing a Persian officer who delivered a mortal injury to him. Herodotos feels weak for a moment but that's when he remembers that he has seen a cave with strange symbols painted on it on the island of Andros, believing that the spear and that cave are connected to each other and belong to the First Civilization. Kassandra agrees and sets sail for Andros to take a look at the mysterious cave. As soon as she approaches the cave and takes the spear out, some flashbacks of her and her mother, Myrrine come to her mind, where Myrrine hands Kassandra the Spear of Leonidas and explains that their family is chosen to do something great since they share Leonidas' blood and courage. When the flashback ends, the cave door opens and Kassandra heads deeper in the cave, to find a structure that can upgrade her spear.

As soon as Kassandra gets out of the cave, she meets with Deimos. Despite Deimos being so rude to her, Kassandra holds the optimistic position, by offering Deimos to join her in the quest of finding Myrrine, but as it seems, Deimos has no interest in joining her and reveals the Cult's plan to kill Perikles and disappears, whereas Kassandra heads back to Herodotos. She informs him of the Cult's plan and what was inside the cave. Herodotos suggests that the head to Pnyx to find Perikles and so they do. Kassandra talks to Perikles, who promises to invite her to his symposium, to gain information about her mother, if she helps his friends. Kassandra helps every single one of Perikles' friends and then attends the symposium, where she finds Phoibe, who helps her change into a more party-like outfit to seek intel about her mother. Herodotos introduces Kassandra to several famous people attending the symposium and then leaves to talk to Perikles about Deimos and the Cult. Kassandra finds a lot of information just from engaging in conversation with different party attenders until she meets with Aspasia who tells her to meet a friend of her in Keos named Xenia amongst Hippokrates and Anthousa. Then after finishing the conversation with Aspasia, Kassandra heads upstairs to send Perikles down to meet his guests. Then, she leaves Perikles' house, in search for clues of her mother.

Firstly, Kassandra meets with Hippokrates, who remembers that once, a Spartan woman with a baby came to him, but he was young then and couldn't help her, so he sent the woman to the Sanctuary of Asklepios, so Kassandra heads there to talk to the elder priest. She discovers that Alexios was pronounced dead to Myrrine and raised by a priest called Chrysis, who was working for the Cult and that can be found at the Altar of Apollo Maleatas. Kassandra heads there and hears a child crying, so she heads inside the temple to find Chrysis and a little child crying at the altar. Chrysis tells Kassandra that she has tortured Alexios as a child to grow him stronger and as soon as Kassandra makes a move to kill her, Chrysis lights the temple on fire. Kassandra saves the baby and Chrysis flees. Kassandra hands the baby to her mother, telling herself that that was the right thing to do. Later on a villager ambushes Kassandra to help her as her husband is dead, but Chrysis shows up there and Kassandra kills her as well as her Cult guards.

Kassandra then heads to Keos to meet with Aspasia's friend, Xenia, who, for a price, tells her the information Kassandra needs for her mother. Xenia mentions that her name was Phoenix and she was part of Xenia's pirate crew.

The then heads to Korinthia to meet Anthousa. Kassandra helps her girls to get rid of the Monger's men. In one of the missions done for Anthousa, Kassandra heads to the Monger's warehouse to destroy the supplies and meets with a Spartan named Brasidas, who tells Kassandra to kill the Monger quietly, whereas Anthousa wants to kill him in public, so the population of Korinthia can look at his face for the last time as he bleeds out. Kassandra kills the Monger and Anthousa is pleased. Anthousa gives Kassandra all the information she has, that Myrrine left quickly with a ship called *Syren Song.*

Kassandra returns to Athens to meet with Aspasia for more information about her mother, but she only finds a city damned by the plague and lots of people dying in the streets. Kassandra heads to Aspasia who informs her that Perikles is dying and if she helps Perikles by giving his drugs she will find time to talk about her mother. Kassandra heads upstairs and gives Perikles the drugs and they both head to the balcony and speak about going to his Parthenon, while Aspasia doesn't want that. Then Perikles heads inside and Kassandra returns to Aspasia who looks really troubled about Phoibe not coming back for a long time so Kassandra goes out to find Phoibe, but at the house Aspasia told her she only finds dead bodies and blood. She searches the house for more clues, until she hears Phoibe screaming, but it's too late as the guards have already murdered Phoibe. Soon after, Hippokrates and Sokrates show up telling her that they need to find Perikles since he is missing, but Kassandra wants to speak to Aspasia first, but Hippokrates tells her that she should be at the Parthenon looking for Perikles so Kassandra heads there only to find Deimos killing Perikles while he was praying and then he leaves. The four of them get outside the Parthenon and head to the *Adrestia* while some guards, sent by Kleon, with orders to not let them leave and bring Aspasia to him, but Kassandra manages to kill the guards. She and Aspasia get on the ship, while Hippokrates and Sokrates agree to give Phoibe a proper burial and help the people of Athens overcome the plague.

As they sail away from Athens, Kassandra gives Aspasia the clues she has for her mother and Aspasia comes up with a location, Naxos. As Kassandra heads to the leader's house in Naxos, she finds Myrrine there discussing political matters with the others and waits outside until the meeting is over. Myrrine heads outside and Kassandra sneaks in from the back showing her the Spear of Leonidas and tells her that Alexios is alive, but is the Cult's weapon now. As they try to catch up with each other, some soldiers from Paros land on Naxos, so Myrrine and Kassandra fight and kill them. They continue their questions they had for each other. Myrrine promises Kassandra they will hunt the Cult down together, find Alexios, and reunite their family but first, they need to deal with Paros and keep Naxos safe. Kassandra helps Myrrine secure Naxos and they conquer Paros as well as sink the Paros leader's ship. After that, Kassandra returns to Myrrine to Naxos, who tells her daughter to meet in Sparta, since she has a little bit more work to do in Naxos while Kassandra needs to meet her real father before they bring the Cult down together.

Kassandra heads to the island of Thera, or at least the ruins of the island, and finds a chest containing a note saying that in order to open the door to the Isu temple, the mirrors need to be aligned so that sunlight can light the triangle at the top of the door. After Kassandra manages to align the mirrors in the proper way she heads to the door and opens it with the spear. After passing through water and lava, Kassandra finally finds her real father, Pythagoras, at the Gateway to the Lost City of Atlantis, who explains that the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus has helped him leave for such a long time, to protect the secret of Atlantis from the outer world, but the knowledge that he seeks for doing that, lies behind some mechanisms, who open with some artifacts, which are missing. Pythagoras sends Kassandra in a quest to find the missing artifacts and return them to Atlantis.

Kassandra heads to Knossos Palace in Messara, to find the first artifact, but she only finds a little guy, waiting for his father to come out of the Minotaur's Labyrinth. Kassandra promised to kill the Minotaur and find his father, so Ardos escorted her to the labyrinth, but unfortunately he doesn't know how to open the door. Also, Ardos tells her the names of the other ones who went inside with his father, since they know how to open the door; the Swordfish, the Collector and the boy's caretaker after his father died. Kassandra kills the Swordfish, who appears to be another Cult of Kosmos member, and has gone mad and he grants her with no information at all. Then, she talks to the Collector who advises her to use the armor of Theseus if she wants to kill the Minotaur, but unfortunately he has none of the pieces of the set, so Kassandra finds them. Lastly, she heads to the boy's caretaker house to only find another person acting as the caretaker. Kassandra threatens him and he gives her the location of the caretaker so she saves him. The caretaker tells her that after they left the place, he took the opening key, but Ardos stole it from him. Kassandra heads to Ardos who gives her the key and takes her to the stele. Kassandra puts the key in the stele door and the labyrinth opens. She finds her way to a gate, where the Minotaur lives and kills him. After killing him, Kassandra takes his horn which transforms into the artifact needed to seal Atlantis, an Apple of Eden. As she leaves, she stumbles upon Ardos and gives him his father's ring a gift to remember him by. Outside, the caretaker is waiting and both he and the child run away, leaving Kassandra to head towards the other quests Pythagoras gave her.

She then heads for Boeotia at the ruins of the Sphinx Lair, to find another artifact. There she finds a civilian, Gorgias, who is familiar with the Sphinx medallion Kassandra has, and had sent a student of his to retrieve it, but he never came back. Kassandra offers to help him find the student at the Tomb of Menoikeus, but she only finds his dead body and a white lion so she kills the lion and retrieves the medallion and returns to Gorgias, but he is dead and the Sphinx statue is lost. Kassandra waits until the night comes and approaches the ruins when suddenly a light shows up where the statue used to be and the Sphinx shows up. Kassandra asks the Sphinx to give her the artifact but firstly the Sphinx has to make sure she answers her questions correctly. After answering correctly, the Sphinx asks Kassandra to push the buttons accordingly to the riddles answers and the Sphinx dies, while Kassandra takes one feather from her body, which turns into an artifact.

After that, Kassandra heads to Kythera Island and helps a man calling himself a god, by first freeing him and then returning a medallion to him that was stolen. Empedokles offers Kassandra to meet his brothers and sisters and she agrees, so she heads to the Cave of the Forgotten Isle to find the so-called god, standing in front of a giant door, where is brothers and sisters are located. A giant creature had killed them all and when Kassandra opens the door, Empedokles enters the chamber and is immediately killed by the Cyclops. Kassandra manages to kill the Cyclops and takes its eye which turns into the third artifact.

Kassandra travels to Lesbos to find the last artifact. There, she meets a citizen named Bryce who claims that a mythical creature has taken her lover so she offers to help her. Bryce escorts her to the lair of the Writhing Dread, where they stumble upon lots and lots of people turned into stone, when suddenly they hear a woman scream, so they both head to the Petrified Temple, but find that the door is closed. Bryce tells her that there is a mercenary who claims to have killed Medusa, so she finds him at the Temple of Poseidon and kills him to take his spear. Also she heads to the Petrified Islands to find a relic that could open the gate to Medusa's lair. She then returns to Bryce, puts the key in the stele, and opens the door. Bryce takes off to find her lover and discovers that Ligeia has turned into the Writhing Dread, who turns Bryce to stone. Kassandra kills the creature and takes one of her snakes which turns into the artifact.

With all four artifacts, Kassandra heads back to the island of Thera to put the artifact in their steles, so they can seal Atlantis. As she puts all the artifacts in their structures, the voice of Aletheia starts playing, who firstly addresses Kassandra, by saying that his was her destiny and then tells Pythagoras he needs to stop now, since has gotten further than any human has in the entire human history and that is amazing and terrifying at the same time. Now, the Staff of Hermes is Kassandra's responsibility. Pythagoras reveals that the Staff is the key to sealing Atlantis, but he's not ready to seal it since there's more knowledge that he could ever imagine, but Kassandra makes him see reason so Pythagoras hands her the Staff and dies. Kassandra takes the Staff and seals Atlantis.

As Kassandra comes out of the Gateway to the Lost City, she meets with Barnabas and Herodotos, arguing if Atlantis does exist or not and she confirms it does, but this has to be kept a secret. Herodotos wants to share this knowledge with other people, so they can tell the most amazing tale of humankind, but Kassandra convinces him to not do that and the three of them head back to the *Adrestia* to continue their journey.

Kassandra heads to the Village of Gytheion, in Lakonia to meet her mother and they head to the training fields of Sparta to relive the moment when Myrrine gave Kassandra the spear for the first time. In the middle of their conversation, Kassandra spots a group of Spartan soldiers being attack by a pack of wolves and Myrrine advises her not to interfere as this is their training. When they arrive at their old house, Brasidas welcomes them and informs them that their house has been taken from them by the Spartan Kings and in order to get it back, Kassandra has to earn the Kings' thanks. Kassandra heads to the throne room to meet Brasidas and they both get inside to speak to the kings, who firstly keep a negative stand, but after some time, each king gives Kassandra a task; Archidamos tasks her to help Sparta win the war in Boeotia and Pausanias tasks her to help Sparta win the Olympics. After the meeting, Myrrine informs Kassandra that she has got a message to head to Arkadia to find more clues about the Spartan King who is a member of the Cult and Brasidas offers to accompany her as his duty takes place in Arkadia as well.

Kassandra heads to Boeotia to meet the *polemarch*, Stentor, who punches Kassandra in the face for thinking that she had killed Nikolaos back in Megaris. As they talk things through, Stentor gives Kassandra four Boeotian champion names to be killed in order for the war to be won, hoping that any of those could get Kassandra killed. Kassandra manages to kill three of them and as she is headed to the last one, she finds him being killed by Nikolaos, who claimed that after their last encounter, nothing has been the same and that now he needs to help Stentor win the war, so at least he can help one of his children. Kassandra heads back to Stentor who looks disappointed to see her again, but this is the best moment for Sparta to attack to win the war, so they both head into the war and come out victorious. As the battle is won, Stentor challenges Kassandra to a fight, until Nikolaos shows up to stop them from fighting and advises Stentor to take the commander role seriously. He asks Kassandra about Myrrine and heads to the Spartan camp.

Kassandra travels to Messenia to talk to Testikles, the Spartan Olympic champion and convinces him to set sail since he was insecure about winning the Olympics. As they board to Elis, Testikles gets eaten by a shark and Alkibiades suggests that Kassandra take his place. After fighting with all sorts of fighters and the reigning champion, she manages to help Sparta win the Olympics, so she heads to Arkadia to meet with her mother and Brasidas as she promised. As Kassandra passes by the Statue of Artemis in the Cedar, she meets with a mercenary, Sosipatros, paid by Brasidas to find Kassandra and tell her which way they went, but the problem is Brasidas didn't pay him enough, so Kassandra is forced to fight him. In the end, the mercenary gives up and tells Kassandra who is paying him for her head and also where Brasidas and Myrrine are, so she heads there to find him. She actually finds them arguing about about the fate of one of the cultist members as Brasidas wants him to be spared, but Myrrine wants him dead. Kassandra finds her mother's plan better and heads to Fort Samikon and kills him.

Kassandra heads to the throne room in Sparta to meet her mother and also regain their house. As they enter, Kassandra first tells them the good news and blames King Pausanias for being a member of the Cult of Kosmos, but the lack of proof makes soldiers take Kassandra out as Pausanias approaches her to let her know that he is a cultist. Myrrine meets Kassandra outside and tells her that Pausanias has to be dealt with and after that she will be waiting for her at the Tomb of Leonidas behind their house. After killing Pausanias, Kassandra returns to the throne room to meet with King Archidamos to let him know that Pausanias is dead and gives him a letter signed by Pausanias himself revealing the Cult's plans for Sparta. Archidamos promises to her that if this is true then he will announce her a Spartan citizen and will give her family their house. Kassandra heads outside to meet her mother at the Tomb of Leonidas and tells her to take out the spear to show how Leonidas knew that the Cult controlled the Pythia back then. After that, Myrrine and Kassandra head back to their home where they meet Brasidas, who informs Kassandra that Deimos is in Pylos and is hunting down Spartan soldiers and that they should head ack there. Kassandra agrees to meet Brasidas at the Bay of Hades in Messenia, while Kassandra promises to her mother to bring Alexios back.

When Kassandra arrives at the bay, she finds the Spartans and the Athenians fighting and helps the Spartans win the battle, but suddenly Deimos shows up. Brasidas tries to kill him but gets injured and Kassandra starts fighting with Deimos. When Deimos charges his attack upon Kassandra, a burning tree falls upon him and Kassandra tries to save him, but gets hit by another burning tree and when she wakes up she finds herself in a prison, with Deimos behind the bars wanting to know the truth and Kassandra tells him that the Cult is using him to kill the whole family. Shortly after, Kleon shows up telling him that this was not an action she should have taken, but Deimos responds at he is not Kleon's puppet and that he isn't his master and then leaves Kleon and Kassandra alone. Kleon justifies all his doings with the reason that he is doing them for Athens and puts two guards inside the prison since he has some revolts to take care of. Kassandra beats up the guards, while Barnabas and Sokrates show up. After giving her equipment back, Sokrates and Barnabas wait for her at Perikles' Residence to talk things through. Kassandra arrives at Perikles' Residence to find Aristophanes, Sokrates, Barnabas, Alkibiades, Hippokrates and Herodotos gathered around a table with a plan to take down Kleon, but firstly they need to lower his reputation in Athens. Sokrates tells Kassandra that Kleon has been meeting in secrecy with other people at the western section of the Akropolis Sanctuary and Kassandra thinks that she will find some proof to bring Kleon down.

Kassandra heads to the Sanctuary and finds the proof and meets with Sokrates at the Pnyx to present the proof to the people of Athens so they can call another vote to remove Kleon. Then she meets with Aristophanes for his part of the plan, but he is missing the his leading actor, Thespis, so Kassandra finds him drunk and takes him to his home. Then she heads to the Theater of Dionysos, to report back to Aristophanes. Kassandra heads back to Sokrates at Perikles' Residence to talk about the final part of the plan. Suddenly, a civilian shows up telling Kassandra that Brasidas is well and is preparing for battle against Kleon's army in Makedonia so she heads there. She meets up with Brasidas and escorts him to the battlefield to fight the Athenians. During the battle, Deimos arrives and kills Brasidas, but Kleon shoots him with an arrow and escapes. Kassandra gives chase and kills him.

Kassandra then heads to Sparta to inform her mother about Brasidas, Kleon and Alexios. She heads to Mount Taygetos, where it all began, and there she finds Alexios and Myrrine. Kassandra and Myrrine try to convince Alexios that he is being used by the Cult, but he does not change his mind. That is until Kassandra takes out the spear and gives it to him. That makes Deimos understand that he was fighting for the wrong cause and the three of them hug as a reunited family. At the evening, the family is having the first dinner since their separation, but this time with a new member, Stentor, who challenges Alexios in a wrestling game as Kassandra pours some more win for Nikolaos and Myrrine.

After killing every member of the Cult, Kassandra heads back to their lair and touches the pyramid, triggering a vision of Pythagoras telling her to take the Staff of Hermes to keep the balance on the world, between chaos and order. As the vision ends, Aspasia shows up, revealing that she was the leader of the Cult, but took a detour, since she says the future with all people united for the greater good and for the pyramid to be destroyed. Kassandra decides to spare Aspasia and destroys the pyramid.

### Modern day

In the modern era, Layla Hassan, discovered through the writings of Herodotos of Kassandra's exploits with the Isu artifacts, tracked down the burial site of the Spear of Leonidas, and used it to relive the memories of Kassandra. She awoke later on from the Animus, disoriented, and is advised by her friend, Doctor Victoria Bibeau, to take it easy. She contacted her other teammates Kiyoshi Takakura and Alannah Ryan before she returned to the Animus.

After Layla explores Kassandra's memories further, she discovers the location of Atlantis and, along with her team, she boards the *Altaïr II* and travels to the island of Santorini. There, Layla is shocked to find Kassandra herself, kept alive for over two hundred millennia by the Staff of Hermes. Kassandra warns Layla that the world needs a balance between order and chaos, the Templar Order and the Assassins respectively, and either side prevailing over the other will result in the world's doom. Kassandra explains that Layla is the prophesized one who will bring balance to order and chaos and gives her the Staff of Hermes, sacrificing her life in the process. Layla holds her in her last moments as she recites an Ancient Greek lullaby.

After this meeting, Layla returns to the Animus to further explore Kassandra's memories in case she missed something.

### Cast

* Melissanthi Mahut as Kassandra
	+ Maria Syrgiannis as young Kassandra
* Michael Antonakos as Deimos/Alexios
	+ Leonidas Castrounis as young Alexios (non-canon)
* Elias Toufexis as Leonidas, Nikolaos
* Andreas Apergis as Barnabas
* Tyrone Savage as Alkibiades
* Damon Papadopoulos as Markos
* Adam Wilson as Hippokrates
* Tara Nicoderno as Victoria Bibeau
* Artin John as Leander
* Elana Dunkelman as Alannah Ryan, Pythia, servant *helot*
* Daniel Matmor as Sokrates
* Marvin Kaye as The Cyclops of Kephallonia
* Sean Browning as Dienekes
* Chantel Riley as Layla Hassan
* Harry Standjofski as Phidias, additional voices
* Marianthi Evans as Aspasia, Bryce, additional voices
* Alkis Kritkos as Artaxerxes, additional voices
* Anastasia Kokolakis as Kallipateira, Astra, additional voices
* Cara Ricketts as Xenia, additional voices
* Katerina Taxia as Otonia, additional voices
* Yorgos Pirpassopoulos as Kleon, additional voices
* Angela Christofilou as Sphinx, additional voices
* George Nicholas K. as Leiandros the Fake Minotaur
* Chris Pavlo as Perikles, additional voices
* Dai Tabuchi as Kiyoshi Takakura
* Daphne Alexander as Anthousa, additional voices
* Fanos Xenofós as Empedokles, Charon, priest, additional voices
* Alexandra Metaxa as Kyra, additional voices
* Olivia Lebedeva-Alexopoulou as Phoibe, additional voices
* Anthony Skordi as Pythagoras
* Peter Polycarpou as Herodotos, additional voices
* Stewart Scudamore as Brasidas, Demosthenes, Sargon
* Vangelis Christodoulou as Thaletas, additional voices
* Martha Tompoulidou as Chrysis, additional voices
* Michael Benyaer as Darius
* Kate Drummond as Persephone, additional voices
* Khalid Klein as Natakas
	+ Lara Sawalha as Neema (non-canon)

## Gameplay

*Odyssey* uses a lot of the gameplay and interface mechanics of *Origins,* including the radial compass, and the return of a bird that can survey the landscape, spot treasure, and highlight and harass enemies.

The game features RPG elements, including dialogue options, branching quests, multiple possible endings, romance options, and the ability to select between a male or female protagonist. Reportedly, the game is a "full RPG," and will push the franchise into his genre. Both Alexios and Kassandra follow the same story. Romance options remain the same regardless of the character chosen. Interactions with NPCs can have consequences, either short or long term, in regards to the story. Choices are said to "add up." Relationships with NPCs don't always change, and there is no binary divide in regards to interaction - lying to an NPC isn't necessarily a "bad" choice, and vice versa. By extension, there is no "right" way to play the game in regards to character choice.

Gear can be selected, and is classified by rarity. Each piece of gear can be enhanced with engravings. Players also have access to a skill tree, and can follow a 'branch' to better suit their playstyle. Compared to *Origins,* the skill tree is more clear cut in *Odyssey,* and players can unlock high tier version of pre-existing skills. In combat, the hitbox system for enemies is used again.

Trade Goods can also be collected or sold. These items range in value depending on rarity, such as legendary items.

The game world has been described as the "biggest one yet" for the franchise; specifically, the game map is 100 square miles, split evenly between land and sea. Environments range from forests, to mountains, to beaches. "Legendary animals" can be hunted on land. The world is divided into a number of zones divided by level (similar to an MMO), but level scaling features to a point. For instance, if a player starts a level 2 zone, then returns after having reached level 20, the enemies there will be scaled up to be 2-3 below the player's character.

The game features a dynamic weather system.

The Sparta-Athens divide is represented in-game with a red or blue border along each region to indicate which of the city-states has control. 28 city-states feature in the game, each of which is allied with either Sparta or Athens. Each city-state has a "nation power" level. If one city-state leader is weakened (e.g. by assassinating their leader), other faction leaders will invade their state. If the invading army is defeated, the nation power is reset. The army will invade regardless of the player's actions, but they can involve themselves in the battle.

Players will no longer de-synchronize if they kill innocents in the game. Some civilians will fight back if attacked.

### Naval combat

Players will have access to a boat, used to sail the Aegean Sea in a similar manner as the ships in *Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag* and *Assassin's Creed: Rogue.* Crew can be recruited, and in a sense, it serves as a mobile hub. Sharks can be found in the seas which will attack the player as well as their enemies. The *Adrestia* can be customized with options such as crew cosmetics, ram/hull upgrades, and new sails and figureheads.

In terms of combat, the *Adrestia* opens up more combat options as players increase their overall damage against an adversary, such as the options of fire arrows and fire javelins. Focus-firing on specific points causes increasing damage and opens up to an attack by the ship's ram. Ramming helps refill a portion of the *Adrestia's* health. Additionally, in relation to past naval combat in the series, the *Adrestia* has the ability to slow down and turn very quickly depending on how rowers are used. Compared to previous games, the naval combat in *Odyssey* is more focused on close-quarters rather than long ranged attacks. Ramming and sideswiping are two such tactics, along with being able to turn quickly and drift. Players can temporarily 'boost' their ship (measured in a meter) to give their ship a speed increase.

Enemy ships are divided into sections. If players focus their attacks on one particular section, the ship will burst into flames, leaving it stunned. 'Epic ships' sail in the outer reaches of the game map, which grant the player exclusive cosmetics if taken down.

Players can recruit 'Lieutenants' throughout the world through simple conversation or combat. Each Lieutenant comes with their own perk, and there are different types of recruits that range from archers to brawlers.

### Mercenary System

*Odyssey* also introduces a Mercenary System, whereby players may become the focus of a bounty through their gameplay decisions, such as committing crimes. With this system, there are more than 50 potential mercenaries they can encounter, with some having animal companions. There are multiple ways to deal with them, including killing, paying them off, or even recruiting them. Even if the player kills or recruits them, however, mercenaries will continue to pursue the bounty. The Mercenary System has rankings, and at higher rankings, players will be able to unlock certain perks, such as discounts. Some of the mercenaries are hand-crafted, equipped with backstories and unique legendary items. Others are generated from the pool.

Players can find themselves as the target of bounties, which can come about from actions such as killing civilians, and they will be hunted on the sea. The player will also take part in mass battles, some of which are story-relevant, while others are optional. The player has a 'penalty level' that escalates if they commit crimes such as killing civilians, stealing, or sinking merchant ships. This system has been likened to the 'wanted level' in the *Grand Theft Auto* series. The higher the bounty, the higher the level of mercenary that comes after the player.

## Controversy

Following the release of the second chapter of the three-part DLC *Legacy of the First Blade,* entitled *Shadow Heritage,* the DLC drew criticism from the LGBT+ community for a developer decision and the corresponding achievement. As first reported on the *Assassin's Creed* board on Reddit, the episode concluded with a cut-scene revealing that the protagonist had entered into a heterosexual relationship and had a child, regardless of whether players had been invested in the romance or not.

Fans took to social media and other boards to express their dissatisfaction at the story development, condemning Ubisoft for promoting a game where player agency could define the protagonist's sexuality - a decision for which the company had received loud acclaim - only to take that control away and force the protagonist to "embrace domesticity, a heterosexual relationship, and [parent]hood," all elements of traditionally hetero-normative society.

In light of the furor, many drew attention to a seemingly contradictory quote by Creative Director Jonathan Dumont in his October 2018 interview with *Entertainment Weekly:*

*"Since the story is choice-driven, we never force players in romantic situations they might not be comfortable with. Players decide if they want to engage with characters romantically. I think this allows everybody to build the relationships they want, which I feel respects everybody's roleplay style and desires."*
―Jonathan Dumont
Further issue was taken over the wording of the achievement unlocked at the cut-scene, titled *Growing Up* and with "Start a family" as its description. The next day, Dumont released a statement on the Ubisoft boards apologizing to players. On January 24, Ubisoft informed players that a patch changing some dialogue and cut-scenes was imminent and being tested to ensure it would be reflected in the DLC's final chapter. On February 15, a full month after *Shadow Heritage'*s release, *AccessTheAnimus* reported that the trophy and its description had since been changed.

## Appearances

### Characters

* Alexios (first appearance)
* Aristophanes (first appearance)
* Aspasia (first appearance)
* Barnabas (first appearance)
* Victoria Bibeau
* Charlotte de la Cruz (mentioned only)
* Demokritos (first appearance)
* Evie Frye (mentioned only)
* Jacob Frye (mentioned only)
* Herodotos (first appearance)
* Hippokrates (first appearance)
* Ikaros (first appearance)
* Iola (first appearance)
* Layla Hassan
* Leonidas (first appearance; appears in flashbacks)
* Kassandra (first appearance)
* Kleon (first appearance)
* Kurush (first appearance; appears in flashbacks)
* Kyra (first appearance)
* Desmond Miles (mentioned only)
* William Miles (mentioned only)
* Markos (first appearance)
* Myrrine (first appearance)
* Nikolaos (first appearance)
* Perikles (first appearance)
* Phoibe (first appearance)
* Podarkes (first appearance)
* Alannah Ryan (first appearance; voice only)
* Sophokles (first appearance)
* Sokrates (first appearance)
* Thaletas (first appearance)
* Kiyoshi Takakura (voice only)
* Galina Voronina (mentioned only)
* Hephaistos (first visual appearance)

### Creatures

* Cyclops (first appearance)
* Gorgon (first appearance)
* Minotaur (first appearance)
* Sphinx

### Events

* Greco-Persian Wars (first appearance)
	+ Battle of Marathon (mentioned only)
	+ Battle of Plataia (mentioned only)
	+ Battle of Salamis (mentioned only)
	+ Battle of Thermopylae (first appearance)

* Plague of Athens (first appearance)
* Peloponnesian War (first appearance)
	+ Battle for the Silver Islands (first appearance)
	+ Battle of Amphioplis (first appearance)
	+ Battle of Megara (first appearance)
	+ Battle of Potidaea (first appearance)
	+ Battle of Pylos (first appearance)
	+ Mytilenean revolt (mentioned only)

### Locations

* Earth
	+ Greece
		- Sparta (first appearance)
		- Athens
		- Mykonos

### Organizations and titles

* Achaemenid Empire
* Assassins
* Athenian military (first appearance)
* Cult of Kosmos (first appearance)
	+ Delian League (first appearance)
	+ Eyes of Kosmos (first appearance)
	+ Gods of the Aegean Sea (first appearance)
	+ Heroes of the Cult (first appearance)
	+ Peloponnesian League (first appearance)
	+ The Silver Vein (first appearance)
	+ Worshippers of the Bloodline (first appearance)

* Order of the Ancients
	+ Order of Dominion (first appearance)
	+ Order of Hunters (first appearance)
	+ Order of the Storm (first appearance)

* Spartan army (first appearance)

### Sapient species

* Human
* Isu
	+ Hybrid

### Vehicles and vessels

* *Adrestia* (first appearance)
* *Altaïr II*

### Weapons and technology

* Animus
* Bow
* Spear
	+ Spear of Leonidas (first appearance)
* Sword

### Miscellanea

* Leap of Faith
* Eagle Vision
* Synchronization

## Trivia

* The game's title is inspired by *The Odyssey*, the second of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer.