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.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Kephallonia | Three ability trees basics | Warrior | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Megaris | Adrenaline fuelled abilities mastery | Warrior | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Phokis | Engravings on gear + gear | Hunter or Warrior | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Attika | Build optimization | Hunter | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Lakonia | Min-max | Hunter or Naval captain | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Kephallonia)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 1 to 5 Key Rewards: Spear of Leonidas, the Adrestia, first ability points
What to Do in Kephallonia
- Learn Three ability trees. Forty four skills sit across the Hunter, Warrior and Assassin trees, and you can slot them freely rather than being locked into one. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Warrior as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Daggers or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Three ability trees fundamentals
- Warrior selected and functional
- Kephallonia main content cleared
- Ready for Megaris
Phase 2: Early Game (Megaris)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 5 to 8 Key Rewards: First Conquest Battle, the Monger cultist, early cult clues
What to Do in Megaris
- Work on 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. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Daggers if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Phokis.
- Consider whether Hunter might suit your playstyle better than Warrior.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Adrenaline fuelled abilities integrated into gameplay
- Daggers acquired
- Megaris fully cleared
- Ready for Phokis
Phase 3: Mid Game (Phokis)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 12 to 16 Key Rewards: Cult of Kosmos clues, Daughters of Artemis hunts, ancient steles
What to Do in Phokis
- Master Engravings on gear. Engravings are permanent stat perks applied at a blacksmith, unlocked by dismantling legendary equipment, solving Ainigmata Ostraka tablets and clearing mercenary tiers. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Swords. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Mercenary tiers and bounties for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Engravings on gear mastered
- Swords acquired or in progress
- Phokis fully cleared
- Ready for Attika
Phase 4: Late Game (Attika)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 14 to 19 Key Rewards: Major story quests, multiple cultist targets, high value loot chests
What to Do in Attika
- Finalize your build. You should be running Hunter or Warrior with optimized gear.
- Swords should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Conquest battles and naval warfare optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Lakonia.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Swords upgraded to max
- Attika fully cleared
- Ready for Lakonia
Phase 5: Endgame (Lakonia)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Levels 30 and up Key Rewards: Family storyline resolution, high level forts, legendary chests
What to Do in Lakonia
- Lakonia tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Lakonia, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Naval captain for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Conquest battles and naval warfare mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Lakonia fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
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 Beginner's Guide
- Assassin's Creed Odyssey Tips & Tricks
- 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
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