Coming out on October 5th 2018, the Assassin’s Creed franchise is expanding with their newest game, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Set in ancient Greek, you play as either Alexios or Kassandra, a spurned grandchild of famed king, Lenoidas. You may remember him from history or from the less-than-accurate movie 300. Playing as a Spartan sword for hire, you will get to learn all sorts of things about ancient Greek and what went on in the Peloponnesian war between Sparta and Athens.

Much has been released about the game already at E3, although some things were revealed ahead of time when a picture leaked of a keychain with a Spartan helmet. Because of the leak, we have been granted more information about the game; to be honest, it looks amazing.

The Assassin’s Creed franchise has been going on since 2007, spanning ten games and multiple spin-offs. Whether you liked it or not, there is also one major motion picture. The lore is deep and well-established. The trailers for the game shows an experience we’re not used to, and it’s drawing attention. Ubisoft took good aspects of a role playing game that worked in Origins and is now expanding on them. Think of it as Assassin’s Creed married to Mass Effect. The team has been working on the game for 3 years, so here’s to hoping it will live up to the hype it’s creating, because let me tell you, it’s creating quite a bit of a buzz. Here’s some things we know and have theorized about it!

25 Love Is In The Air

via; theverge.com

Staying true to its new role Playing game ideals, Odyssey takes after BioWare’s Mass Effect series and gives the player dialogue options that have bearing on the ending. How you choose to play, be it sassy, cruel or indifferent to the main quest will affect what others think of you and how they interact with you. Like any BioWare game, it’s important to think before you act because romance options are available. Any character can be romanced by either protagonist, so keep an eye on that tongue if you’re looking to woo one character in particular!

24 A Dose Of Morality

via: gamereactor.com

Actions speak louder than words, and it’s implemented in full force in Odyssey. Just like certain dialogue options will affect your fame, so will how many people you decide to finish off. Now, we know that this is an Assassin’s Creed game, so there’s bound to be some blood. But certain endings will require you keep your sword cleaner than usual. Your reputation plays a part of other game play mechanics, so think before you act. Or don’t. You’re free to choose.

23 This. Is. SPARTA!

via: the verge.com

Since the game is set during the Peloponnesian war, you’re going to see some battles. While past games have shied away from battle royale modes, Odyssey will have something similar when the Spartans and Athenians go to war with you in the middle. Reports have said that it will be 150 on each side with you right in the middle. You’re going to need all of your skills not to end up on the wrong side of a spear. Good Luck!

22 Things Out Of Bad Dreams

via: assassinscreed.wikia.com

Because the game is steeped in ancient Greek culture, famous monsters like the Minotaur and Medusa have been included. How they’ll play a role or if they’ll be a downloadable content has not yet been revealed.

The Minotaur and Medusa won't be chumps, that's for sure.

Assassin’s Creed games have always prided themselves in being grounded in solid history; it’s interesting to think that monsters such as Poseidon’s ex-lover and a half bull half man are included. It begs the question what other references to the myths will be included.

21 Ways To Play

via: nerdreactor.com

One of the biggest role playing elements to video games these days is a skill tree. They can be large, confusing and useless like the one in Final Fantasy 10 or they can be incredibly useful and straightforward. The three skill trees you can choose from are assassin, warrior or hunter. The skill tree you choose will aid your play style greatly. Selecting your playstyle is important at the very beginning of the game, as every choice you make will affect how your reputation.

20 Forget The Rules, I Have Money!

via: syfy.com

Similar to the ever popular Skyrim, when you do something against the law, a bounty is placed on your head. Also similarly to the Nordic adventure game, there are two ways to deal with a bounty on your head.

But how many bounties will you rack up?

You can either end the person who put the bounty on your head or simply pay the bill. It will be interesting to see how the bounties play into your reputation. You’d better remember not to litter next time. The authorities will always find you.

19 What Will You Choose?

via: usgamer.net

One of the overarching themes of the game according to the creators is freedom versus order. It is a fitting theme, as that is the main struggle between the Assassins and the Templars. The main question is whether it is better to give up some of our freedoms for order, or let the wind go where it will go.

Freedom and order are both important aspects to civilization.

Socrates is one of the characters who will guide you along the way, and that is a large idea that he spoke about in ancient Greece.

18 New Tech, Who Dis?

via: youtube.com (Dark Strider)

The developers have stated that Layla, the modern day protagonist, will be an important part of the story. While many fans have been split between liking the modern day sections and those who dread them, it will be interesting to see how she fits in, as the animus she uses to look back into the past is a little different. It is modified to allow her to view memories of someone who is not her ancestor. Neither Alexios nor Kassandra are an exact match, but they are close. It gives a good reason behind choosing your character’s gender.

17 How To Make Friends

via: ign.com

Remember how we kept saying that your reputation was important? Sea battles are one big factor of it. How you are viewed by people changes if or when you can enlist them to join your band of misfits. As a total, you can recruit 4 lieutenants for your ship who can change the tide of battle. They offer buffs and perks to allow you to fight better with your crew. It won’t be easy to get them to your side depending on your play through. You’ll have to either persuade them or fight.

16 Lemme Take A Selfie

via; dsogaming.com

Origins gave us something wonderful to use around their painstakingly recreated city of Alexandria: the photo mode. The fun continues in Odyssey. There are tons of things to check out! Between all of the Greek architecture and statues to animals that live nearby (including bears, oh my!), you won’t be bored of exploring the great wide map. The Mediterranean is your oyster, and it’s up to you when or if you get around to sightseeing. We would recommend it though, after how detailed the Origins game was. Odyssey is bound to be just as good.

15 No More Arrows To The Knee!

via: techpowerup.com

You know how most of the time non-playable characters (NPCs) just stand around and spout the same few lines over and over and serve only for world building? This time, you can change that.

You'll sail the seas with all kinds of people.

Depending on how you play and your reputation, pretty much any person in the world can be hired to join your boat crew. In order to get everything to sound right, the creation team got the sound design from an actual Spanish Galleon. Talk about authenticity!

14 A Novel Hero

via: tumblr.com

Interestingly enough, even though you have two characters to choose from to play, there is a cannon character, and it’s not who you’d think. When asked, creative director for Ubisoft Johnathan Dumont stated that Kassandra will be the main character canonically. They are creating a novel as a companion to the game, and she is the focus of the journey. That doesn’t change anything if you want to play as Alexios, as their storylines are close enough to not make a difference.

13 Worth The Price?

via: destructoid.com

For a full priced game, you’re going to get quite the adventure to live through besides countless hours of sea battles and side quests; you’re looking at about 30 hours of gameplay. Much like other triple A titles, the main storyline is a lengthy campaign, giving you your money’s worth of adventure and then some. The replayablity of the game should double that, as it merits at the very least one more as the opposite gender. Then you have all of the multiple endings. Either way, you’ll be playing for a while.

12 History Being Made

via: usgamer.com

Just like the real Greece, there are lots of different climates to adventure through. Between icy mountains and sandy beaches, there is a little something for everyone. The game hosts 27 regions between Sparta and Athens, and while you’re technically a Spartan mercenary, you are free to go wherever you like.

And really, the world will be your oyster.

You also get to decide which city-state you’re going to side with in the war. Depending on your choice, paths and quests will open and close, so keep an eye out and make your decisions wisely.

11 Bird Is The Word

via: superfans.website

Fans of Origins’ Senu will be happy to note that you will get another bird to befriend and utilize. You have a pair of literal eyes in the skies thanks to your bird. Once again, it can mark enemies and scout terrain for you, as well as be generally adorable. You will have a leg up if you use the bird according to your playstyle. It will also come in handy for the inevitable pacifist run people are sure to make when the game does come out.

10 Mount Olympus Isn't Too Far

via: vg247.com

You can’t have a game based in ancient Greece and not have some semblance of the Greek pantheon. The religion is so entrenched in Greek culture that it wouldn’t be doing justice not to include them heavily. In an interview, creators at Ubisoft were not at liberty to speak about how the gods will be included, which tells me we’re in for a pretty good story twist with them involved. Chances are though, if the gods are not a part of your journey directly, we might see them in DLC like Origins.

9 The Real Beginning

via: thecodex.com

As anyone who knows the series knows, the Templars don’t mess around. They have been the series’ main antagonists, and the interactions between ancient Assassins and Templars creates some real drama. It was hinted that the origins of the Templars would be discussed, but not in the way you’d think. Most of the first-civilization stuff (the Assassins verses Templars conflict) will be revealed during the modern day sections with Layla. Those who like the deeper lore will be pleasantly surprised at how deep the creators are promising.

8 Magical McGuffin

via: thecodex.network

One of the biggest plot points for the modern day sections is going to be Layla learning about the artifacts that started the Assassins and Templar conflict. One of which is the Book of Herodotus, the logbook of one of the first historians.

You can learn a lot from books, and this one is no different.

In this book contains the story of a particular Spartan mercenary who changed the tide of battle between Sparta and Athens. That’s how she learns about both the artifacts (like a specific broken spear) and the memories of our protagonists.

7 Decisions, Decisions

via: twitter.com

Before the Templars had their name, they were known as the Order of the Ancients. Besides them, there is another group called the Cult of Kosmos, who may be trying to spread chaos. According to the theory, the proto-Templars were trying to stop the Cult of Kosmos to keep order, and thus became the Templars, with your hero at the helm of the group, depending on your play through. It ties up nicely with the theme of order and chaos, and is a great addition to the role playing game elements that have been added. See the theory here.

6 A Templar Template

via: geekassassin.com

Similar to the last theory, this one also discusses how Odyssey is an origin story for the Templars. This theory (found here) also mentions what other ways the games are connected, as this is an Assassin’s Creed game with no assassins. One of the interesting strains of this theory is that you are either going to play as the founders of the Templars, or as Aya’s ancestor, which makes a lot of sense because of Layla's lineage.