Assassin's Creed Odyssey is here, and it offers up something of a different experience from the previous games in the series. Rather than the stealth-based gameplay of old, Odyssey doubles down on the RPG mechanics, becoming a huge, deep open world game for players to enjoy. In essence, it takes what worked from Assassin's Creed Origins and makes it even better.

The end result is a fantastic take on the Greek myth, albeit one that sometimes struggles a little to bridge the gap between open world RPG and its roots in the larger Assassin's Creed universe. Nonetheless, those changes could leave some players a bit confused as to where to start, and after working through the opening island of Kephallonia things could become a little bit daunting.

Related: Assassin's Creed Odyssey - How To Get The Best Ending

That said, there are some ways to make the most of Assassin's Creed Odyssey from the get go. After all, there's lot to get to grips with before taking on Medusa or hunting after all those legendary armor sets. Instead, here are some tips for how to take up what Assassin's Creed Odyssey has to offer fast.

Choose Exploration Mode

Alexios atop a giant statue overlooking a city at sunset in Assassin's Creed Odyssey.

The most important first choice to make comes before the player even starts the game. When given the option, it's highly recommended to choose Exploration Mode as the method of play. This is the way that Assassin's Creed Odyssey was designed to be played, and for good reason; the additional level of emphasis on discovery is a delight to play, and much more fun than simply following map markers to reach objectives.

Effectively, Exploration Mode works by making the player find their own way through quests. NPCs will give hints towards locations to be discovered when talking about the mission in question, forcing players to use a little of their own intuition. This mode also makes map exploration much more fun, with the player finding random locations as they work their way around the regions hunting down quests.

Exploration Mode also means players will make the most out of eagle companion Ikaros. The eagle is not only able to scout out discovered locations, but also target enemies and notable items within specific locations, such as chests or hostages to release. Finally, remember to seek out Synchronization points to boost the power of Ikaros overall.

Think About Crafting Over Cash

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Assassination

Whether armor or weapons, it's easy to find loot in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. As such, when players notice they have plenty of unused items sitting around in their inventory, it's extremely tempting to drop them all off at a nearby blacksmith and make a bit of drachmae.

That said, it's probably best to hold fire of cashing in. That's because drachmae are not in short supply in the game, and can be picked up from completing quests, in explored locations, or from dead enemies. Instead, consider breaking down weaker weapons and armor into leather, wood, and metal, as these can be useful as crafting for upgrades to the player's ship or even to beef up items at a blacksmith.

It's worth bearing in mind that drachmae are needed in a couple of places in the game, and it's always worth keeping some around in case of having to pay off a bounty to keep mercenaries off the player's trail when it's better to lay low. Nonetheless, put money on the back burner, and instead think about how best to boost the overall power of the misthios.

Choose Your Abilities Wisely

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Spartan Kick

Assassin's Creed Odyssey has a fairly comprehensive skill tree, but there are some abilities that are better to unlock than others. As explained in our guide to the best abilities to unlock first, There are a few essential abilities, with the Sparta Kick being useful from a warrior perspective alongside beef ups to the assassin skill tree such as Shadow Assassin.

Overall, though, Assassin's Creed Odyssey gives players the greatest level of flexibility in how they choose to play that the series has seen so far. It's perhaps best to pick and choose skills based on what works for the player in question, providing they keep enough core skills in each area to make sure they can get out of trouble whatever the situation.

Remember you can always change your choices as well, albeit at a cost. A few drachmae allows the player to reset all of their abilities, so if some skills are found to be less useful than others, it's easy to drop them and rebuild the character from scratch.

Take To The Waters With Style

Assassin's Creed Odyssey Naval Combat

Assassin's Creed Odyssey takes the series back to the high seas, and it's something that is long overdue. With gameplay reminiscent of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, the core way to travel between the different islands is to take to the Adrestia and hop from island to island seeking adventure.

Even though a lot of the gameplay takes place on land, it's truly beneficial to upgrade the ship regularly. This could mean recruiting new lieutenants, which helps both with buffs to the ship's power and when boarding enemy vessels, or improving things like rowing power or damage caused by ranged attacks. It comes at a cost in terms of drachmae and consumables, but it's worth it in the long run.

This is because it's all too easy to get into scraps with pirates, Spartan or Athenian vessels when out at sea. Naval combat is extremely good fun, but when outnumbered it's much better to have more firepower onside, and it's always satisfying to take out those Cult of Kosmos members who happen to captain a ship of their own.

Revel In The Game World

Assassin's Creed Odyssey World

It may feel like an obvious rule to follow, but Assassin's Creed Odyssey is much more fun if taken at the player's own pace. The title's story is a compelling, personal adventure that (generally) ties well into the larger plot of Assassin's Creed, but the game perhaps works best with the player following their own path and doing what's most fun to them.

As such, it's important to stretch your legs in Assassin's Creed Odyssey. Between the Conquest Battles, side quests and other additional smaller elements of the game at large, there's no reason to purely stick to the main quest. This is something the game expects, too - there's no real reason to grind in the game, providing players make good use of the enthralling, extra content available to them.

Perhaps the best examples of this are the game's mercenary system, which leads to some excellent one-on-one fights with fearsome combatants, and hunting down the Cult of Kosmos. Although the cult ties into the larger plot as a whole, hunting down smaller members is a fantastic element of the game, and one that shouldn't be overlooked.

Those are just a few tips to help players make the most of Assassin's Creed Odyssey. However, with a game as expansive as this, players are best suited to decide how best they want to play the game. Regardless of how they choose to enjoy the title, there are bound to be some surprises along the way.

More: Every Assassin's Creed Game Ranked