Ubisoft Quebec released Assassin's Creed Odyssey on 5 October 2018, dropping the series into 431 BCE and the Peloponnesian War. You choose Alexios or Kassandra, a Spartan mercenary carrying the broken spear of Leonidas, and later patches pushed the level cap to 99. Forty two members of the Cult of Kosmos have to be unmasked before the Ghost of Kosmos will meet you face to face.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Dismantle legendary gear you will never wear instead of selling it
Dismantle legendary gear you will never wear instead of selling it. Dismantling is a main source of engravings, and an engraving unlocked once can be applied to any future weapon at a blacksmith.
2. Pick one damage type and stack it everywhere
Pick one damage type and stack it everywhere. Spreading engravings across Assassin, Warrior and Hunter damage produces a character that is mediocre in all three, while stacking one tree turns level appropriate enemies into single hit kills.
3. Knock ship captains unconscious rather than killing them
Knock ship captains unconscious rather than killing them. An unconscious captain can be recruited as a lieutenant for the Adrestia, and hull upgrades eventually let you carry four of them at once.
4. Visit every ancient stele you pass
Visit every ancient stele you pass. Each one hands over a skill point without any combat, which adds up to a meaningful number of extra abilities across a 27 region map.
5. Clear your bounty before starting a hard quest
Clear your bounty before starting a hard quest. Mercenaries from all nine tiers hunt you while the bounty is up, and having a tier 3 rival wander into a stealth infiltration ruins the run.
6. Solve Ainigmata Ostraka tablets as you find them
Solve Ainigmata Ostraka tablets as you find them. Each one leads to a location that hands over an engraving, and the riddles get harder to backtrack to once you have left the region.
7. Drain Nation Power before a Conquest Battle rather than joining one cold
Drain Nation Power before a Conquest Battle rather than joining one cold. Burning war supplies, looting the treasury and killing the leader all weaken the defending side, so the battle itself becomes far shorter.
8. Turn off level scaling only if you enjoy walking over content
Turn off level scaling only if you enjoy walking over content. The option exists in the settings, and with it disabled a level 60 character trivialises regions the story intends you to reach at level 20.
9. Save the Cult of Kosmos leader for last on purpose
Save the Cult of Kosmos leader for last on purpose. Forty one cultists have to fall before the Ghost of Kosmos is revealed, and each kill also hands over an artifact fragment that upgrades the Spear of Leonidas.
10. Start New Game Plus only after the level 99 patch content
Start New Game Plus only after the level 99 patch content. Patch 1.14 added New Game Plus alongside the raised cap and extra ship upgrades, so a fresh run carries a genuinely different character rather than a repeat.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Hunter (A-Tier):
- Focus on Three ability trees combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Swords
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Warrior (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Daggers
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Assassin's Creed Odyssey's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Three ability trees + Adrenaline fuelled abilities: Forty four skills sit across the Hunter, Warrior and Assassin trees, and you can slot them freely rather than being locked into one. Combined with Adrenaline fuelled abilities, abilities burn adrenaline segments that fill as you fight, so damage output is a resource you generate rather than a cooldown you wait out.
Engravings on gear + Mercenary tiers and bounties: Engravings are permanent stat perks applied at a blacksmith, unlocked by dismantling legendary equipment, solving Ainigmata Ostraka tablets and clearing mercenary tiers. When paired with Mercenary tiers and bounties, nine tiers of rival mercenaries hunt you when your bounty rises, and you climb from tier 9 toward tier 1 by killing them.
Conquest battles and naval warfare scaling: Every region has a Nation Power gauge that you drain by burning war supplies, looting treasury and killing the leader, which opens a Conquest Battle. At sea the Adrestia fights with arrows, javelins and ramming, and hull upgrades add lieutenant slots up to a maximum of four.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Swords | General purpose play and hybrid builds that use two trees at once | The balanced middle of the seven weapon families, with reach and speed both acceptable and nothing outstanding. |
| Daggers | Stealth builds, Hero Strike chains and critical damage stacking | The fastest weapons in the game and the natural pairing with an Assassin build, since assassination damage multiplies with speed and critical rate. |
| Spears | Hunter and hybrid builds that want to poke and reposition | Longer reach than swords with a lighter hit, which keeps you outside the swing arc of most soldiers. |
| Heavy Bladed | Overpower attacks and Warrior ability builds | Slow, wide and heavy, built for Warrior builds that trade hits rather than avoid them. |
| Bows | Clearing forts from range and softening bosses before closing | The Hunter tree's whole reason to exist, powering Predator Shot, Devastating Shot and Rain of Destruction. |
Location Efficiency
Kephallonia (Levels 1 to 5): The starting island where you work for Markos, learn the systems and recover the Spear of Leonidas. It is small and low stakes by design, and the Cyclops questline is the closest it gets to a challenge.
Megaris (Levels 5 to 8): The first mainland region and the first place the war is visible, with Spartan and Athenian forces actively fighting over it. It introduces the Nation Power gauge and Conquest Battles properly.
Phokis (Levels 12 to 16): Home to Delphi and the Pythia, and the region where the Cult of Kosmos investigation actually begins. The Daughters of Artemis questline for legendary animals also starts here.
Attika (Levels 14 to 19): Athens and its surroundings, plague ridden and politically poisonous, where Perikles, Sokrates and Aspasia all appear. Several major story threads and cultist trails converge here.
Lakonia (Levels 30 and up): Sparta itself, which the story keeps you away from until well past the halfway point. The family story reaches its turning point here, and the region is heavily garrisoned to match.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Spreading engravings across all three trees. A build that boosts everything equally kills nothing quickly, especially past level 50.
- Selling legendary gear. Dismantling it unlocks engravings permanently, while selling gives you drachmae you probably do not need.
- Killing every ship captain. Each one killed is a lieutenant the Adrestia will never have, and lieutenants matter more than any single naval upgrade.
- Ignoring the mercenary system until the bounty is severe. Several tier 1 and tier 2 mercenaries arriving at once during a fort assault will end a mid level character.
- Rushing the main story past regions. Odyssey is level gated in practice, and skipping side content leaves you underlevelled for Lakonia and the late cultist hunts.
Pro Quick Tips
- Dismantle legendary gear you will never wear instead of selling it. Dismantling is a main source of engravings, and an engraving unlocked once can be applied to any future weapon at a blacksmith.
- Pick one damage type and stack it everywhere. Spreading engravings across Assassin, Warrior and Hunter damage produces a character that is mediocre in all three, while stacking one tree turns level appropriate enemies into single hit kills.
- Knock ship captains unconscious rather than killing them. An unconscious captain can be recruited as a lieutenant for the Adrestia, and hull upgrades eventually let you carry four of them at once.
- Start with Warrior, switch to Hunter when ready
- Invest in Swords above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Kephallonia → Megaris → Phokis → Attika → Lakonia. See our maps guide
- Three ability trees + Adrenaline fuelled abilities together are stronger than either alone
More Assassin's Creed Odyssey Guides
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Assassin's Creed Odyssey Overview
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Best Builds
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Tier List
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Walkthrough
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Beginner's Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Weapons Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Combat Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Boss Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Maps & Locations
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Crafting Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Classes & Characters
Similar Games
If you enjoy Assassin's Creed Odyssey, check out these related guides:
- Elden Ring Tips & Tricks: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Baldur's Gate 3 Tips & Tricks: rpg game with similar mechanics
- Cyberpunk 2077 Tips & Tricks: rpg game with similar mechanics
