This is one of those games where I am having trouble distinguishing the real side content from the repeatable or procedurally generated stuff. There's so many quests in my log, some have timers and some don't. Some I just picked up off a board and don't really have a lot of context. Some are just "sink 5 Athenian ships". Hard to know what to work on.
Your quest log should have some useful filters, anything labelled "Bounty" or with a timer can probably be ignored. The 'Odyssey' quests are your main quests, 'Region / Person' or whatever is most of the interesting side stuff.
This is one of those games where I am having trouble distinguishing the real side content from the repeatable or procedurally generated stuff. There's so many quests in my log, some have timers and some don't. Some I just picked up off a board and don't really have a lot of context. Some are just "sink 5 Athenian ships". Hard to know what to work on.
Normal quests are the gold diamonds with an exclamation mark.
There are grey diamonds with an arrow the branches at the top and these are little quests that deal with one of your previous choices in the game.
Diamonds with a timer are repeatable.
Generally I've not bothered with anything that has a timer on it. I've never used the special store that those types of questions give currency for.
Of the bit I played, Hard mode isn’t messing around, huh? I went into a cave on my way to the first quest, saw some level 2 baddies and figured I could take them with my level 1 self... nope. 1 hit and I had my first death.... maybe 10 minutes in.
I’m sure this gets easier as I get gear and remember how to play, but it certainly felt like the game was making a statement on how careless I was not allowed to be (and it wasn’t even the highest difficulty).
My favorite branch quest that was someone lamenting how much their life sucked since their brother had been killed. Telling them I was the one who killed their brother was probably not the way to get the most xp out of it but it was the most satisfying.
This is one of those games where I am having trouble distinguishing the real side content from the repeatable or procedurally generated stuff. There's so many quests in my log, some have timers and some don't. Some I just picked up off a board and don't really have a lot of context. Some are just "sink 5 Athenian ships". Hard to know what to work on.
Normal quests are the gold diamonds with an exclamation mark.
There are grey diamonds with an arrow the branches at the top and these are little quests that deal with one of your previous choices in the game.
Diamonds with a timer are repeatable.
Generally I've not bothered with anything that has a timer on it. I've never used the special store that those types of questions give currency for.
I haven't bothered with the ones off the boards either (diamond with lines in it). Same with the board on the ship.
There's plenty of normal quests for your xp needs. I've not struggled for money, materials or weapons either.
I don't think there's an option to abandon quests which is annoying.
My suggestion is just try to clear your current quests and let the ones on the timer expired once you have a clearer quest log you can focus on the bits you want to do.
For example when I got bored of quests I hunted down mercenaries so I could move to a higher tier with better rewards.
I would then go after cultists, then go clearing points of interest and so on. The game will drag if you just focus on one aspect.
i'm playing syndicate at the moment and this business of slowly converting the entire franchise away from a stealth game into a grindable rpg seems super unimpressive to me
like at some point they realised they were never going to be able to design an actual functioning stealth system and just gave up
Syndicate is a weird bird because they introduced a bunch of stuff that they never iterated on because they took the year break after that
when it comes back as Origins it's even more of an RPG but at least it feels like a competent one
Looks like level scaling will be adjustable starting from this month's update. Hard (they match your level), normal, easy (two levels below), and very easy (four levels below).
Also a new shop where you can buy some engravings, and get others to tier 6/7.
looking for more archers for the weekly quest. Wander up to a camp; as I'm scouting with Ikaros, a bear happens by and gets everyone's attention. While they're dealing with that problem, I sneak in the back and kill the archer; then make my escape.
New patch is out, btw. I haven't tried the new free quest yet, but I did take a spin to the new engraving shop.
Engravings that are maxed out can have two additional tiers purchased for 30k and 60k. Considering how many engravings there are, it's a fair chunk of pocket change to max them all out.
There is now an S1 and S2 Mercenary tier. Didn't have a chance to see if they were not able harder or not.
Kind of cool - where most stuff will say 'dismantle', legendary items have 'hold rmb to equip set'
... which naturally makes me want to create my own sets, so I can more easily switch between my 'running around' gear and my 'boss / conquest battle' gear.
Kind of cool - where most stuff will say 'dismantle', legendary items have 'hold rmb to equip set'
... which naturally makes me want to create my own sets, so I can more easily switch between my 'running around' gear and my 'boss / conquest battle' gear.
Wait, shit is that new or have I totally been switching legendary set pieces manually like a chump all this time?!
That Athena armor, though. Also, the next free DLC story is set in Lalaïa, which is the insanely beautiful little village in north Phokis with the burbling stream running right through it and the blooming wisteria trees all around.
The difficulty scaling settings and new merc tiers sound cool.
The post-launch support for Odyssey has been pretty great. It feels weird, thinking nice things about Ubi.
Kind of cool - where most stuff will say 'dismantle', legendary items have 'hold rmb to equip set'
... which naturally makes me want to create my own sets, so I can more easily switch between my 'running around' gear and my 'boss / conquest battle' gear.
Wait, shit is that new or have I totally been switching legendary set pieces manually like a chump all this time?!
it's definitely new, or at least newish. I can't prove it but I think it popped up with this patch.
after completing the majority of the content pre-dlc, I picked up a handful of abilities*. With a crit, I can one-shot mercenaries.
Which is both hilarious and cathartic.
after the patch introduced the new ranks, I've spent some time clearing forts, killing leaders, and generally making a visible nuisance of myself. Last night one of the new mercenaries showed up.
They don't seem to be any harder. I didn't get a crit (despite, you know, a 62% chance), which was a little sad; but he went away without much trouble.
* shadow assassin: 3/3, crit assassin: 3/3, death veil; and I maxed the masteries for crit chance and crit chance at full health. So now that 62 should be 67.
I haven't played the DLC, but some players are mad that it forces a straight romance. The whole thing feels very odd given how Ubisoft allowed people to play Kassandra in the story in the main game and then have DLC that railroads the player regardless of however they have been playing Kassandra before. This isn't like Origins where Bayek was pretty set in that way from the start to the end of the story and it was an important part of the story throughout the game. The way the animus works in the story was even made so they don't need to be concerned about the main character having children like in the early games.
I expected something like that when I saw the patch notes refer to "Neema / Natakas"
The way the animus works in the story was even made so they don't need to be concerned about the main character having children like in the early games.
I would suggest that perhaps Darius's line needs to continue; and specifically needs ... er, a contribution, from Kassandra's Precursor heritage.
I haven't played the DLC, but some players are mad that it forces a straight romance. The whole thing feels very odd given how Ubisoft allowed people to play Kassandra in the story in the main game and then have DLC that railroads the player regardless of however they have been playing Kassandra before. This isn't like Origins where Bayek was pretty set in that way from the start to the end of the story and it was an important part of the story throughout the game. The way the animus works in the story was even made so they don't need to be concerned about the main character having children like in the early games.
Erm, how did they get rid of the logical "necessity" of having every character you can play as be a direct ancestor of someone?
Also is this not the only woman lead the franchise has ever had? I missed a few in the middle there...
Nah, Evie was a lead in Syndicate and Aveline was in Liberation
And Odyssey explicitly has the DNA used for the animus be recovered off of Leonidas' spear and the animus no longer requires the user to be a descendant
I expected something like that when I saw the patch notes refer to "Neema / Natakas"
The way the animus works in the story was even made so they don't need to be concerned about the main character having children like in the early games.
I would suggest that perhaps Darius's line needs to continue; and specifically needs ... er, a contribution, from Kassandra's Precursor heritage.
This sucks and suddenly I don't care about assassin's creed ever again.
Yeah, done with AC unless Ubi admits their stupidity and patches that shit out. It's egregiously disrespectful to gay players, shits all over the agency of all players, and doesn't even make sense in terms of the story/ongoing gameplay.
Like... there so many better ways they could have written things and they went with... that.
Erm, how did they get rid of the logical "necessity" of having every character you can play as be a direct ancestor of someone?
Also is this not the only woman lead the franchise has ever had? I missed a few in the middle there...
Nah, Evie was a lead in Syndicate and Aveline was in Liberation
And Odyssey explicitly has the DNA used for the animus be recovered off of Leonidas' spear and the animus no longer requires the user to be a descendant
I can see how they thought this was okay, given the lack of choice in any other Assassin's Creed game, and given how they generally handle their stories. It is fucked that nobody spent even three seconds thinking about the implications of this story. Full stop. At the very least, they need to issue an apology for fucking this up. I have no idea if or how they fix it in-game.
It wouldn't bother me as much, though I can see why it is a huge letdown to some players, but the romance character is so fuckinf dull. Kassandra is this badass mercenary and the guy is nice but he's just so boring and looks like a damn kid. He doesn't feel like kassandras equal.
Not sure how the female character is, but yeah it's bullshit. Even if the heteronormative thing wasn't so egregious, it just doesn't feel like it works at all for her character, no matter what your choices have been throughout the game
Ubisoft responded to Kotaku's inquiry on the backlash
“We strive to give players choice whenever possible in Odyssey and apologize to those surprised by the events in this episode,” the statement said. “Without spoiling it, you will engage in an important relationship as part of a set story. The motivation behind this relationship is yours to explore in game and will be reflected in your character’s story arc. There is one episode left in Legacy of the First Blade which will tie your character’s actions together.”
Hrmmmm nnnnnope
Saying you strive to give players a choice when the option is literally forced and then going WAIT NO THERE'S ANOTHER EPISODE YOU NEED TO PLAY THAT TO GET THE FULL CONTEXT is a real shitty response, apology or no
Honestly it's a well done ending, just not for Kassandra, like it feels like something that would have been nice for the end of Bayeks story. And it would work if she was a restricted character, but it is a major choice that doesn't even really feel in keeping with the way any playthrough of her is done. It's well done and works if it was self contained, but it's super odd as part of the eagle bearer storyline
Ubisoft responded to Kotaku's inquiry on the backlash
“We strive to give players choice whenever possible in Odyssey and apologize to those surprised by the events in this episode,” the statement said. “Without spoiling it, you will engage in an important relationship as part of a set story. The motivation behind this relationship is yours to explore in game and will be reflected in your character’s story arc. There is one episode left in Legacy of the First Blade which will tie your character’s actions together.”
Hrmmmm nnnnnope
Saying you strive to give players a choice when the option is literally forced and then going WAIT NO THERE'S ANOTHER EPISODE YOU NEED TO PLAY THAT TO GET THE FULL CONTEXT is a real shitty response, apology or no
How can a player not be surprised? Is there any point in the main story where the protagonist says they want to start a family and raise kids?
Also, the name of the achievement for having a child with a sexual partner you quite possibly explicitly rejected is, I shit you not... "Growing Up". In UbiLand, no one's an adult until they have at least one kid with a partner they don't love.
The only real mitigating factor to all this stupid is that that particular DLC episode wasn't created by the Ubi's Montreal studio, which created the main story. In fact, Mel MacCoubrey, the AC Odyssey narrative lead (who is super cool), is refusing to comment or answer questions about it on Twitter. I'm guessing the original writers must be pretty appalled.
“Reading through player responses [to] our new DLC for Legacy of the First Blade, Shadow Heritage, we want to extend an apology to players disappointed by a relationship your character partakes in,” Odyssey creative director Jonathan Dumont said in a post on the game’s forums. “The intention of this story was to explain how your character’s bloodline has a lasting impact on the Assassins, but looking through your responses it is clear that we missed the mark.”
He went on to say that players will not have to continue the romantic relationship in the next installment of the game’s DLC, saying the developers wanted players to have the option of deciding that their character choice to procreate was a utilitarian decision rather than a romantic one.
OK, but that bloodline stuff was also really creepy and unneeded.
The weird eugenics stuff was never great in Assassin's Creed and they should have ditched it as soon as possible.
Posts
Normal quests are the gold diamonds with an exclamation mark.
There are grey diamonds with an arrow the branches at the top and these are little quests that deal with one of your previous choices in the game.
Diamonds with a timer are repeatable.
Generally I've not bothered with anything that has a timer on it. I've never used the special store that those types of questions give currency for.
I’m sure this gets easier as I get gear and remember how to play, but it certainly felt like the game was making a statement on how careless I was not allowed to be (and it wasn’t even the highest difficulty).
I haven't bothered with the ones off the boards either (diamond with lines in it). Same with the board on the ship.
There's plenty of normal quests for your xp needs. I've not struggled for money, materials or weapons either.
I don't think there's an option to abandon quests which is annoying.
My suggestion is just try to clear your current quests and let the ones on the timer expired once you have a clearer quest log you can focus on the bits you want to do.
For example when I got bored of quests I hunted down mercenaries so I could move to a higher tier with better rewards.
I would then go after cultists, then go clearing points of interest and so on. The game will drag if you just focus on one aspect.
like at some point they realised they were never going to be able to design an actual functioning stealth system and just gave up
when it comes back as Origins it's even more of an RPG but at least it feels like a competent one
Also a new shop where you can buy some engravings, and get others to tier 6/7.
looking for more archers for the weekly quest. Wander up to a camp; as I'm scouting with Ikaros, a bear happens by and gets everyone's attention. While they're dealing with that problem, I sneak in the back and kill the archer; then make my escape.
Engravings that are maxed out can have two additional tiers purchased for 30k and 60k. Considering how many engravings there are, it's a fair chunk of pocket change to max them all out.
There is now an S1 and S2 Mercenary tier. Didn't have a chance to see if they were not able harder or not.
... which naturally makes me want to create my own sets, so I can more easily switch between my 'running around' gear and my 'boss / conquest battle' gear.
Wait, shit is that new or have I totally been switching legendary set pieces manually like a chump all this time?!
"Nothing has hated me as much as this boar does."
Amen, brother, and nothing else ever will.
That Athena armor, though. Also, the next free DLC story is set in Lalaïa, which is the insanely beautiful little village in north Phokis with the burbling stream running right through it and the blooming wisteria trees all around.
The difficulty scaling settings and new merc tiers sound cool.
The post-launch support for Odyssey has been pretty great. It feels weird, thinking nice things about Ubi.
it's definitely new, or at least newish. I can't prove it but I think it popped up with this patch.
Which is both hilarious and cathartic.
after the patch introduced the new ranks, I've spent some time clearing forts, killing leaders, and generally making a visible nuisance of myself. Last night one of the new mercenaries showed up.
They don't seem to be any harder. I didn't get a crit (despite, you know, a 62% chance), which was a little sad; but he went away without much trouble.
* shadow assassin: 3/3, crit assassin: 3/3, death veil; and I maxed the masteries for crit chance and crit chance at full health. So now that 62 should be 67.
https://www.reddit.com/r/assassinscreed/comments/ag2ugv/spoiler_the_dlc_ending_rant/
I would suggest that perhaps Darius's line needs to continue; and specifically needs ... er, a contribution, from Kassandra's Precursor heritage.
Like I enjoyed Odyssey and my Kassandra was bi so it wouldn't be erasure in my specific playthrough but the fact rhat it forces
Also is this not the only woman lead the franchise has ever had? I missed a few in the middle there...
And Odyssey explicitly has the DNA used for the animus be recovered off of Leonidas' spear and the animus no longer requires the user to be a descendant
Syndicate had a brother and sister as the two playable characters and the non-mainline title Liberation had a black female protagonist.
Precursor magic is an easy enough explanation.
Yeah, done with AC unless Ubi admits their stupidity and patches that shit out. It's egregiously disrespectful to gay players, shits all over the agency of all players, and doesn't even make sense in terms of the story/ongoing gameplay.
Like... there so many better ways they could have written things and they went with... that.
AC Chronicles China also had Shao Jun.
Not sure how the female character is, but yeah it's bullshit. Even if the heteronormative thing wasn't so egregious, it just doesn't feel like it works at all for her character, no matter what your choices have been throughout the game
Hrmmmm nnnnnope
Saying you strive to give players a choice when the option is literally forced and then going WAIT NO THERE'S ANOTHER EPISODE YOU NEED TO PLAY THAT TO GET THE FULL CONTEXT is a real shitty response, apology or no
Also is there any way to save
How can a player not be surprised? Is there any point in the main story where the protagonist says they want to start a family and raise kids?
Also, the name of the achievement for having a child with a sexual partner you quite possibly explicitly rejected is, I shit you not... "Growing Up". In UbiLand, no one's an adult until they have at least one kid with a partner they don't love.
The only real mitigating factor to all this stupid is that that particular DLC episode wasn't created by the Ubi's Montreal studio, which created the main story. In fact, Mel MacCoubrey, the AC Odyssey narrative lead (who is super cool), is refusing to comment or answer questions about it on Twitter. I'm guessing the original writers must be pretty appalled.
I had just finished the Spartan Kings mission and was doing the Battle of Pylos mission.
The game then kicks me out and says that the game is no longer available.
I suppose the story could end right there!
Yeah. That part was...not good. It felt like they kind of ran out of time and had to rush things toward the end.
Steam: MightyPotatoKing
The weird eugenics stuff was never great in Assassin's Creed and they should have ditched it as soon as possible.