Assassin's Creed Odyssey is a single-player action RPG that updates like an MMO, and this month Ubisoft's wheeling over a wagon's worth of community-requested features to the game. You'll get the biggest kick out of the changes and new content if you're already a decent way into your quest, but new players will be able to enjoy them in time as well. Here are the six biggest Assassin's Creed Odyssey updates rolling in throughout January.
Scale your challenges and rewards
By default, Assassin's Creed Odyssey scales quests and enemies so even errands you started 20 hours ago will still feel challenging and yield relevant rewards. Sometimes you just want to plow through legions of underpowered bad guys, and the latest title update adds the option to tweak Odyssey's built-in level scaling. The scaling selection goes from "Heavy" which will keep all enemies at your level at all times down to "Very Light," which will set challenges to around four levels beneath you. If you aren't interested in this level of granular control, you can always leave scaling on "Default" and adjust your overall experience with the difficulty setting as usual.
Battle through new mercenary tiers
If you're the type of player who can't get enough of slaughtering and/or recruiting procedurally generated rivals, this one's for you. Two additional tiers have been added to the top of the Mercenary Ladder, giving you new superiors (in rank anyway) to overcome and additional rewards to unlock. Better clear out some room on your ship for all the new crewmates.
The Legacy of the First Blade continues on Jan. 15
The second episode of the Legacy of the First Blade series, which follows Hidden Blade pioneer Darius, will be available starting on January 15 as part of the season pass (or purchasable on its own). Ready to steal some Templar toys and break through a naval blockade with the force of your mighty vessel? You bet you are! Assuming you've finished the first Legacy of the First Blade episode, completed the Naxos questline in Chapter 7, and are level 28 or higher, I mean.
Hephaistos' Workshop opens for all your engraving needs
The next title update for Assassin's Creed Odyssey will introduce a mythological new vendor: Hephaistos. He's a very helpful fellow, with the ability to show you all the gear-upgrading Engravings you currently have access to and let you purchase more with Drachmae. He'll also allow you to upgrade your Engravings to Tier 6 and 7, not to mention engraving your gear himself. You'll find Hephaistos' Workshop in the Myson Cave in the Malis region once he's added to the game.
Kill a cyclops and take his hammer
A new cyclops to kill (or be smushed by) is coming in January. His name is Arges, and he hefts a legendary weapon called the Hammer of Hephaistos - something tells me Hephaistos is none too pleased about it. You can find Arges on a volcanic island in the Angry Caldera of Arges. You'll probably want to be at least level 50 before you face him, but hey, you're the hero. Do what you do.
Expand your Hellenic haute couture
You can get dressy with two new Character Packs coming throughout January: the Dionysos' Character Pack which lets you get positively bacchanal with a gear set, legendary dagger, and your very own golden-horned bull; and the Athena pack, which is coming later in the month and is styled after the goddess of wisdom and warfare.
Check out our Assassin's Creed Odyssey tips to make sure you're getting the most from your Grecian adventures.
