[Guide] Assassin's Creed: Odyssey: Best Starting Skills

Choosing the best starting skills in Assassin's Creed Odyssey will be essential to get the game off to the best start. There are three skill trees to choose from: Hunter, Warrior and, of course, Assassin. Some skills are very useful regardless of the path you want to take, while others depend on the style of play you want to play. To help you choose, here's our guide to Assassin's Creed Odyssey starting skills.

Best Starting Skills for Assassin - AC: Odyssey

• Shadow Assassin: A really useful skill, considering that invisible assassinations are always the best option when possible. Increase Assassin and Knockout damage by up to 40% (30% at base level), automatically loot the target and increase CRIT damage by up to 50%. On top of that, you get an extra adrenaline bonus for Assassinations, which is always useful.
• Poison Attacks: Your standard melee weapons and arrows inflict poison damage for 15 seconds at the base level. When the Poison Meter fills up, enemies begin to suffer damage over time; in addition, their damage and armor weakens. This ability does not use Adrenaline.
• Vanish: absolutely essential if you want to lean on stealth. Stuns nearby enemies for six seconds at the base level. This allows you to go back in the shadows and try the stealth approach again. Remember that when you attack enemies stunned, the stun ends.
• Rush Assassination: We highly recommend unlocking this skill. It allows you to make an assassination combo and inflict a truly incredible amount of damage. At the highest level, you can deal 150% Assassin damage at close range on three additional enemies. That means you can practically slaughter four people in seconds. It also allows you to get close to an enemy that's within range instantly, so you don't have to sneak up on them and waste time. At the lowest level, you get 100% Assassin Damage, although you can only make the attack once, but it can still come in handy.
• Critical Assassination: A truly brutal skill you absolutely need. It increases your assassin's damage by up to 300% at the highest level, virtually guaranteeing you'll bring down almost every villain you encounter with a single blow. You need to be within range, and not in combat to take him out, but it's worth it. Even at the lowest level it's useful, as it does 200% damage.

Best Starting Skills for Warrior - AC: Odyssey

• Sparta Kick: This skill is incredibly important at first. First of all, it allows you to knock out enemies and animals, and in turn allows you to recruit / tame them. Second, it stops enemy attacks, making it a very valuable tool when you see an enemy finish their red attack. Third, the Sparta kick allows you to launch people from cliffs, buildings and boats, making boarding ships much easier. Fourth, it's simply fun to launch an enemy from a ledge on the jagged rocks below. It also inflicts 160% Warrior damage.
• Shield Breaker: At the base level, breaks small shields and inflicts 150% Warrior damage. Further upgrades increase the damage and the range of shields you can break. This is extremely useful in combat, especially when you reach Megaris where more and more enemies start wearing shields. This ability allows you to get around enemies or wait for the right time to attack, saving you a lot of headaches.
• Second Wind: Second Wind's ability allows you to heal yourself. Depending on how many upgrades you make, you can heal by 25%, 35%, 50%. At the highest level, it also removes any poison or fire effects that may have been inflicted on you. So, yes, it's quite useful, especially if you find yourself locked in combat with a boss.
• Weapons Master: This skill, like all the ones we'll mention here, is incredibly useful, no matter what skill tree you decide to develop the most. It increases your Warrior's damage by up to 40% (20% at the base level), and also increases your chance of CRIT; combined finishers deal more damage if you make both light and heavy attacks during the combo.
• Master of Armor: Similar to Master of Weapons, but for Armor; really useful, any skill tree you want to develop. It can increase your Armor by up to 90%, reduces the ranged damage you're dealt, and even adds a small chance of an enemy attacking you stumbles. At the base level, it increases your armor by 30%.

Best Starting Skills for Hunter - AC: Odyssey

• Sixth Sense: Extremely useful skills to stay unnoticed. At the base level, slow down time for up to five seconds when enemies spot you. Targeted arrows lock onto target's trunk and inflict 150% Hunter damage. In other words, you can quickly fire an arrow and kill the enemy quickly before the alarm sounds, allowing you to stay hidden and keep moving stealthily.
• Arrow Master: This skill is quite essential, especially if you don't have Sparta Kick. It allows you to create paralyzing arrows. This allows you to eliminate targets from distance, both people and animals. This way, you have plenty of time to recruit people / tame animals from a safe distance if you prefer not to tiptoe.
• Devastating Strike: Allows you to release an incredibly powerful arrow, which can inflict up to 400% hunter damage, depending on how much you've upgraded it (290% on the first level); double the damage if you fully load the arrow, making you a monster from a distance. Also increase the elemental arrow buildup with poison and fire to 200% (150% on the first level) and you can use special arrows with this skill.
• Archery Master: This is a wonderful addition to your arsenal, allowing you to be a beast from afar. At the base level, increase your Hunter damage by 20% and don't use standard arrows when using Hunter skills. Next, increase your Hunter's damage by up to 40% and give the same boost to your head shots. A segment of adrenaline will fill up again outside of combat and, on top of that, slow down your time while aiming with a bow when you're in mid-air; but only at higher levels.

Other Assassin's Creed Odyssey starting skills to consider

• Spread Shot: You can consider this skill because it allows you to shoot three arrows at the same time, and each one inflicts 100% damage. It's not the most useful skill in the lot, but it might come in handy.
• Poison Mastery: a logical extension of poisonous attacks. At the basic level, it increases poison accumulation by 25% and improves according to upgrades made. So if you plan to use the Poison skill a lot, you might want to consider this skill.