New Assassin's Creed Odyssey Trailer Is All About Combat

Ubisoft has a new Assassin's Creed Odyssey trailer out with a focus on combat and the many abilities that players will utilize.

Like any Assassin's Creed game, combat is at Odyssey's core, this time taking on the weapons and battle tactics of ancient Greece with players controlling a Spartan warrior. You aren't a true Spartan in the sense of all the Spartan tactics that history buffs will expect, Assassin's Creed Odyssey game director Scott Phillips said, since your character left Sparta early on.

"Your player character is born in Sparta, but you move out of Sparta at an early age, Phillips said in Ubisoft's latest trailer. "So your combat style is not a true Spartan phalanx with the shield and the spear. You're fighting for your own. You're fighting for your money. You're fighting for your life all the time, so your combat is very active, very dynamic."

To help make that combat dynamic, Assassin's Creed Odyssey gives players upwards of 30 abilities to pick from that can be assigned to different inputs. Each can be upgraded as well, but you can only take a few with you at a time.

The core combat system mimics that of Assassin's Creed Origins as well, albeit with some changes. Players are expected to be more aggressive in Odyssey instead of turtling behind a shield, Phillips said, with the game having an emphasis on mobility, dodging, and parrying attacks.

Certain abilities are also locked behind an adrenaline system at times, a feature that allows for the use of powerful moves as you stay in combat. The Spear of Leonidas, a relic that players carry with them, uses this adrenaline to activate the abilities, but you have to stay in combat first for that to happen.

"You have to build up adrenaline, energy, for the spear to use that and unleash these abilities," Phillips continued. "You have to use the base combat to build up the adrenaline, and then you unleash a spear ability."

Though the combat's all-new, players still have the option to go the traditional assassin route and take enemies out stealthily. The trailer shows several assassinations taking place from the bushes and shadows with abilities unlockable to augment those moves as well. Sneaking up on someone with a full Spartan helmet may not seem as immersive, so you can swap it out for the more iconic assassin's hood to make the kills more authentic.

Assassin's Creed Odyssey releases on October 5.