But there are several other story strands you’ll find yourself beginning to explore as you progress - hunting the Cult of Kosmos, defeating mythical creatures, romancing most of the Greek world - which see you trekking further off the beaten track.
And beyond that, there are entire islands apparently unconnected to anything else going on filled with weapons, armour, engravings and legendary loot.
These areas of Odyssey’s vast Aegean map are simply there to be discovered, with sidequests aplenty to keep that XP ticking up.
To make sure you don’t miss anything, we’ve collected a list of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey side quests you won’t want to sail past. These missions were chosen not just because they variously award you with unique items and XP (although many do), or because they offer up a unique piece of story or lore. They’re simply our favourites from the game - and all are well worth your time.
Whether you choose to walk away or take a more hands on approach to solving this quest will determine your final reward - and whether you get payment altogether. Sometimes, it’s best to just give people what they want.
This mission should be available as soon as you enter the region, which is available early in the game after you leave Kephallonia.
The outcomes here vary entirely on your actions throughout the quest to date, which make the eventual revelation even more of a surprise. When we played this through, Supideo was left being sick over himself at the outcome. Sorry, Supideo.
You’ll need to be a little further into the game for this one - head to the easily spottable red lake area (it’s the only one in the game) and you’ll find this mission’s quest icon along the coast.
Originally a pre-order bonus, this quest can now be claimed via the Ubisoft Club menu. Head there from Odyssey’s title menu and redeem your Club Points (you’ll have gained enough just by playing Odyssey for a few hours and finishing its first few story chapters).
You’ll find a number of fun Minotaur-themed quests here, most of which have pun names. If you’re new to the region, start with Minotaur de Force, found just north of the appropriately-named Minotaur Hills.
On the one hand, Greek warriors always wish to die with honour in battle. But on the other, are you really going to slay your new BFF just to walk away with a shiny piece of armour as a prize? As ever, your choices throughout this mission play into the chain’s final outcome - and whether tragedy can be avoided.
As you return the pelts of legendary creatures to the Daughters of Artemis, you rise through their ranks and grow closer to their leader - and closer a big final decision on what to do when all is said and done.
The Show Must Go On is one of the game’s free DLC sidequests added post-launch, so make sure your game is up to date and you’ll be ready to go.
Looking for more help? Our main Assassin’s Creed Odyssey guide and tips hub gives you an overview of our pages, while we also have all fifty-plus Ainigmata Ostraka puzzle locations and solutions, plus more on how to get the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey best ending, a list of all
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey tomb solutions, the
best weapons, armour, engravings, and legendary armour and weapons listed, the Kalydonian Boar strategy and location, Orichalcum locations and even help with Assassin’s Creed Odyssey romance options. Elsewhere we can help with how to earn money and Drachmae fast in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, how to earn XP and level up fast in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and our picks for the best side quests in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.
The quest marker for this one can be found when you reach Kos, hovering over a local fort. That’s right, you will find Markos locked up in a cell - and you have to escort him safely out before he can rope you in to his latest plans.
The rebel group’s two leaders, Kyra and Thaletas, are already a couple - but both grow close to you as you help their cause and uncover more about their connection to the leader you’re helping overthrow.
This is as good as Odyssey gets to creating a unique, standalone cast of characters and a set of sprawling side missions with tough narrative decisions that all come together in a final set of scenes which vary wildly based on your choices.
All done with these, the main story, and looking for more things to do? We suggest hunting down Orichalcum locations in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey - there’s plenty out there to find!
