And that’s just the free stuff. Two full-fledged expansions – with each of them being split into three episodes – were also part of Ubisoft’s roadmap. And while the first expansion – Legacy of the First Blade – turned out to be a bit of a disappointment in some regards, expectations from The Fate of Atlantis were still high. Blessedly, it lives up to those expectations, and serves as a fittingly excellent conclusion to a game that truly lives up to its name in every respect.

"The Fate of Atlantis lives up to expectations, and serves as a fittingly excellent conclusion to a game that truly lives up to its name in every respect. "

The thing that surprised me the most about Fate of Atlantis was just how content-rich it is. Being a $25 purchase, you’d expect it to be a meaty experience, but even so it surpasses expectations. Every episode is easily 8-10 hours long each, and if you stick around to do everything each of them has to offer, you can get roughly 15 hours from each of them. Collectively, you’re looking at at least 30 hours of gameplay- a few years ago when Assassin’s Creed games were notoriously known for their bloated runtimes, this could just as easily have been a full-fledged sequel to Odyssey rather than an expansion.

That runtime not only makes sure that there’s plenty for you to do and see, it also helps with the aforementioned issues with bloat that Odyssey suffered from immensely. Each episode takes you to a new location, and while these are all still, of course, open world locations, they’re all the perfect amount of “large”. Rather than being littered with meaningless markers and a barrage of side activities, this compact size helps each location be densely packed with meaningful content that you can thoroughly enjoy. Whether you’re just beelining through the critical path, or occasionally taking a break to tackle some of the side-quests, or just flat out making it a point to sync with every single synchronization points and clear out every enemy fort and encampment, Fate of Atlantis never feels too big for its own good.

That density and richness of content would mean very little, however, if it were marred by repetition or a lack of quality- thankfully, The Fate of Atlantis succeeds emphatically in both those areas. There’s a lot of stuff in here that you’ll be doing that harkens back to the base game itself – which is to be expected in a DLC. But what’s surprising is just how much new stuff the expansion adds on top of all the returning gameplay loops and mechanics.

"Collectively, you’re looking at at least 30 hours of gameplay- a few years ago when Assassin’s Creed games were notoriously known for their bloated runtimes, this could just as easily have been a full-fledged sequel to Odyssey rather than an expansion"

There’s new enemy types that change combat encounters significantly, there’s new upgrades and ability improvements to unlock and master, there’s new weapons, armour and gear to loot and spec yourself with. Beyond all of that stuff, which are more expected improvements, there are new boss battles against some truly formidable foes (which is all I can say about them without veering into spoiler territory), while the sheer verticality of each of the three new areas also opens up some interesting new traversal methods.

Each episode of the expansion also makes sure to keep mixing things up as far as quest design is concerned, and there’s a good mixture of platforming, combat, exploration, and stealth-based stuff throughout its meaty runtime. It also helps that you’ll be making some pretty tough choices every now and then- especially in the final chapter, Judgment of Atlantis, which presents some proper moral quandaries for you to mull over.

The only complaint I have with the main quests is with the second episode- Torment of Hades. Though the overall quality of quests and side-quests (the latter, especially) is solid in the expansion’s second chapter, one particular main quest – which makes up for a significant portion of the episode – sees you tracking down four different characters across the Underworld and convincing them to do something that will help you in your own goals. But rather than taking this opportunity to introduce and flesh out these four characters, the entire affair devolves into something very rote and fundamental, with these characters barely even getting any dialogue or background to help you get invested. In the absence of any narrative context, it feels like there’s a disconnect between what’s going on in the story and what you’re doing in the game.

"Each episode of the expansion also makes sure to keep mixing things up as far as quest design is concerned, and there’s a good mixture of platforming, combat, exploration, and stealth-based stuff throughout its meaty runtime."

But this expansions biggest strength by a mile is the locations it takes you to. Elysium in the first episode, Hades’ Underworld in the second one, and the eponymous lost city of Atlantis itself in the final chapter- they’re all excellent locations that are immensely different from each other. Elysium is a beautiful paradise with large, rolling fields covered in vibrant and colourful flowers, the Underworld is an imposing hellhole (literally) being choked in fire and poisonous fumes with ominous spires and pillars of smoke towering over the landscape, while Atlantis is a wondrous mixture of ancient and futuristic, with lovely water canals running through a city of pure white marble with sharp and angular architecture. Visual design and artistic flair has always been a strength for this series, but each location in The Fate of Atlantis – especially Atlantis itself – represents this series at the peak of its powers. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call these some of the best settings we’ve ever witnessed in an Assassin’s Creed game.

Fate of Atlantis also takes its position as the final piece of major content we’ll be getting for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey very seriously, and serves up a surprisingly satisfying conclusion to the story of Kassandra or Alexios. Not only is the expansion an engaging story in and of itself, it also wraps things up nicely for the misthios- but most importantly, it also weaves in some surprising stuff about the Isu – the First Civilization that has been at the centre of this series’ meta-narrative for so long – that feels like it’s helping the series move forward in a meaningful way like it hasn’t moved for years.

That said, though the in-Animus story told in The Fate of Atlantis is an interesting and satisfying one, in true Assassin’s Creed fashion, the present-day stuff, to put it bluntly, still blows. A lot of that (most of that) is down to Layla, the modern-day protagonist, who has only continued to get progressively more annoying and difficult to root for as we’ve seen more of her. She hasn’t really done much in all the time she’s been around, and yet she never lets go of an opportunity to drop a groan-inducing one-liner. On top of that, she continues to make bad decisions, continues to react to them in the most jarring way possible, and continues to be unbelievably naive and poorly written (an assassin who, in one scene, very heatedly insists that she doesn’t kill people- seriously now?).

"Visual design and artistic flair has always been a strength for this series, but each location in The Fate of Atlantis – especially Atlantis itself – represents this series at the peak of its powers. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call these some of the best settings we’ve ever witnessed in an Assassin’s Creed game. "

At the end of your journey though, the unsurprisingly disappointing present-day storyline will have done very little to sour your overall experience, if anything at all, simply because of how little of it there is in the grand scheme of things, if nothing else. What you’ll remember once you’re done is the amazing new locations you’ll have visited, the art design which shows Ubisoft at the top of their artistic game, and the vast amounts of meaningful and varied content. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has firmly planted itself as one of the best games in this series’ history, and The Fate of Atlantis is a worthy conclusion to it in every way possible.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox One.

Ubisoft has released a preview video showcasing everything that’s coming in Judgment of Atlantis, the third episode of Fate of Atlantis for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Going live tomorrow, it sees Kassandra/Alexios traveling to the gleaming city and working with Poseidon to judge the denizens. Check it out below.

Along with encountering corrupt individuals and partaking in arena fights, players will also hunt for new weapons and armour. There are three special new Isu weapons to unlock, from a mace to a dagger, but you can only have one, so choose carefully. Some new upgrades to existing abilities are also available, including one that summons a clone to Stealth Strike an enemy.

The story for Fate of Atlantis will be wrapping up with this episode, and it will be interesting to see where Ubisoft takes the title going forward. It added a Story Creator mode to the game, which subsequently led to users creating easy XP farming quests. However, Ubisoft is now clamping down on the same.

A new patch is available for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on PS4 and Xbox One with PC to follow later today. Patch 1.4.0 is 6 GB on consoles and 5.6 GB on PC. It essentially adds support for the final episode of the Fate of Atlantis DLC, namely Judgment of Atlantis.

You can check out the patch notes in full here but it mostly contains bug fixes and other improvements. In-game support for more Lost Tales of Greece, the free quests that Ubisoft doles out with each update, has also been added. Interestingly, several improvements have been made to the Story Creator like a fix for camera twitches when hitting “next” during dialogue.

Mercenaries have also been removed when playing a Story and the game will auto-save once a Story has been completed. You can check out some of the other fixes below. As for Judgment of Atlantis, the final DLC episode will be out on July 16th for all platforms.

CONTENT

Episode 3 – Judgment of Atlantis – The Fate of Atlantis

Added in-game support for Judgment of Atlantis.

Lost Tales of Greece

Added in-game support for upcoming Lost Tales of Greece.

BUG FIXES

Story Creator Mode

• Addressed an issue where the camera was twitching when pressing “next” during a dialogue.
• Removed mercenaries from the game when playing a Story.
• Added an autosave when completing a Story.
• Players will no longer be rewarded Abraxas after entering a Story Portal.
• Addressed an issue that would display Kassandra lines instead of Alexios (and vice versa) when testing a Story.
• The third tag in the Story info panel is now correctly aligned with the others and not obstructing the Story’s description.
• Allied relations will be removed if players set a kill objective on the same NPC further down the line.

Hell isn’t exactly the most ideal vacation spot, and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey players will learn that the hard way tomorrow. Torment of Hades, the second episode of The Fate of Atlantis DLC, will be out soon, and to illustrate all the threats that await, a new preview video has been released. It starts with Kassandra or Alexios battling Cerberos, the three-headed hell-hound.

From there, you’ll need to work with Hades and traverse the Underworld, performing tasks for the locals and hunting down criminals from Tartaros. The Colossi and Isu soldiers are also threats and can now prevent you from using abilities if you step into their field of influence. You also need to find four champions based on Greek Mythology heroes, including Heracles and Achilles.

New skills and abilities also await, including the ability to transform the Devastating Shot into arrows that act as traps for foes. New armour, weapons, and much more also await players. The Fate of Atlantis DLC is part of the Season Pass for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at $39.99, but can be acquired standalone at $24.99.

Ubisoft has some pretty significant content coming to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey this month with The Fate of Atlantis DLC. Episode 1 will be out on April 23rd, but before that, the development team has offered a closer look at what can be expected for the entire month. Check it out below (beware of spoilers for the main campaign).

One thing that’s immediately noticeable is the Staff of Hermes. The relationship that Kassandra/Alexios has with the staff will be deepened in The Fate of Atlantis, presenting new abilities (including a powered up form). Of course, the development team also discusses the new enemies, NPCs, and levels that players will be exploring as well.

New gear will also be coming to the cosmetic shop, but for those expecting free quests, The Lost Tales of Greece will return as well. This time, however, it’s a quest that helps set up The Fate of Atlantis. You’ll need to complete it and the critical path of the campaign to access Episode 1 of the DLC. However, a temporary save file will be provided to players if they wish to hop into the DLC immediately.

The second DLC pack for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is out next week, and this time, Kassandra/Alexios are going to Atlantis. The Fate of Atlantis has three different forces vying for control over, well, Atlantis, but some mystical force seems to be hidden in the city. Check out the trailer for Episode One below, which also features some new enemies and a new Mystical Creature.

The Fate of Atlantis also seems to boast some new levels to explore, which should be a decent change of pace for fans. New weapons, armour, and abilities also seem to be on the cards, but expect more information on those closer to release. Episode One will release on April 23rd for Xbox One, PS4, and PC.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey has received a number of other updates in the past few weeks, including an increased level cap and New Game Plus. Free quests in The Lost Tales of Greece series have also been added along with new cosmetics. There’s also the first paid DLC expansion, Legacy of the First Blade, which you can check out GamingBolt’s review for here.

Following the conclusion of Legacy of the First Blade, the start of the next expansion for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is coming this month. The Fate of Atlantis: Episode 1 – Fields of Elysium will release on April 23^rd. The latest update 1.2.0 goes live today on all platforms and adds in-game support for the same.

Support for more Lost Tales of Greece content is also coming, along with these quests being highlighted in the Quest Log. Custom Gear Loadouts are also in-bound, allowing you to create and switch to separate loadouts when the situation demands it. Other changes with this update include Prometheus’ Sika now having a warrior engraving.

Various issues with New Game Plus are also being ironed out. Any Orichalcum nodes that haven’t been collected will be present in the New Game Plus. Furthermore, a Legendary Upgrade in the mode will no longer create an item with a higher level than the player’s. Check out the patch notes below for more information.

Patch Sizes:

• Xbox One: 4.1GB
• PS4: 4.4GB
• PC: 3.9GB

CONTENT

Episode 1 – Fields of Elysium – The Fate of Atlantis

• Added in-game support for Fields of Elysium.
• Note: The first episode of The Fate of Atlantis will be released on April 23.

Lost Tales of Greece

Added in-game support for upcoming Lost Tales of Greece.

FEATURES & IMPROVEMENTS

• New! Lost Tales of Greece are now highlighted in the Quests log.
• New! Added Custom Gear Loadouts feature.

Balancing

• The Legendary sword, Prometheus’ Sika, now has a warrior engraving as intended.
• Addressed an issue that prevented Primary attributes from upgrading.
• Players will now take damage when the oxygen bar is depleted.

Miscellaneous

• Players can now change the resolution modifier by increments of 10%.
• The newly added Viewpoints with TU1.1.4 will now be automatically completed when the region was discovered already.
• [PC] Added support for MSI Mystic Light.

BUG FIXES

DLC – Legacy of the First Blade

• Addressed a visual issue with the reward for looting the three letters in The Last Magi.
• Addressed an issue in Smoke and Fury where a Persian NPC wouldn’t participate in combat.

Lost Tales of Greece

• Addressed an issue in Daughters of Lalaia where Thyia could sometimes be MIA in the cinematic when interacting with the Magistrate in Phokis.
• Untracked Lost Tales of Greece quests will now appear blue instead of white.

New Game+

• Addressed an issue in New Game+ where players sometimes could become stuck in the Forge.
• Uncollected Orichalcum nodes are now present in the world in New Game+.
• Addressed an issue where players could lose their items in New Game+ upon looting the same item with a higher level.
• Legendary Upgrade in New Game+ will no longer make the item higher level than the player.
• Addressed an issue where A Friend Worth Dying For couldn’t be started in New Game+.

Main Game

Quest

• Addressed an issue that prevented Myrrine from reaching her destination.
• Addressed various quest progression issues upon killing and confirming the kill of various NPCs.
• Addressed an issue where snakes wouldn’t be inside the bathhouse in Enough Is Enough. Enough Hiss Enough.
• Addressed an issue in Moving On where the quest would be completed when the requirements weren’t met.
• Addressed an issue where players couldn’t upgrade their spear at the forge.
• Addressed an issue in Paint It Red where the quest markers would sometimes disappear before reaching the destination.
• Addressed an issue where The City That Cried Wolf couldn’t be completed as the wolves wouldn’t spawn. Where-wolf?
• Addressed an issue in Bare It All where players couldn’t loot the Amulet.
• Addressed an issue where players were missing the sub-quest Speak No Evil.
• Addressed an issue in The Doctor Will See You Now where players couldn’t process with the quest after getting the forceps.
• Addressed an issue where Nikolaos will have a different hairstyle after the conquest battle in The Last Fight of Aristaeus.
• Addressed an issue where players were missing all main story quests after a loaded game save.
• Addressed an issue in Throw the Dice where the quest items could sometimes be missing at the intended locations.
• Addressed an issue where players couldn’t interact with the Sphinx or complete the quest Lore of the Sphinx.
• Addressed several issues where NPCs could sometimes die after a cut scene. A bit too dramatic don’t you think?
• Addressed an issue where the Eagle Bearer in Would the Real Eagle Bearer Please Stand Up can be killed by the player before speaking with him. Say that again but slowly?
• Addressed an issue in Ashes to Ashes that prevented players from completing the quest.
• Herodotos will no longer slide right after the dialogue is finished in Regrets.

Character and AI

Addressed several behavior issues with Lieutenants once they have been assigned to the Adrestia.

Adrestia and Naval

• Addressed an issue where enemy ships could exceed Level 99.
• Addressed an issue that caused Athena/Octopus’ bows to be missing.

Graphics, Animations, and Audio

• Addressed some graphical issues that occurred in various regions.
• Addressed various lighting issues.
• Addressed various gear texture issues.
• Improved an animation when activating Rapid Fire while crouched.
• Addressed an animation issue with the Fury of the Bloodline ability when attacked by another NPC.
• [PC] Addressed an issue where the game looked washed out with FreeSync 2 enabled on HDR monitors.

Abilities, Perks, and Engravings

• Increased the invulnerability window at the end of Fury of the Bloodline.
• Addressed an issue where players couldn’t use combat and melee special abilities under certain circumstances.
• Elemental resistance now works as intended and provides bonuses to the player based on the total value.
• Hephaistos’ Workshop Tier S2 20% discount is now applied properly.
• Addressed an issue that caused the Crit Chance at full health perk to not work as intended with overpower attacks.

User Interface, Menu, and Subtitles

• Addressed various localization issues.
• Addressed various UI/HUD display issues.
• Addressed various lip sync issues.
• Addressed an issue with the Transmog System where the hidden item slot wasn’t working as intended under certain circumstances.
• Addressed an issue with the Sceptre of Samothrace where its visual wouldn’t be available as a Transmog option.
• Addressed an issue where Aya’s lieutenant would be missing a legendary perk after Title Update 1.1.4.
• Addressed an issue that could cause a double fade when accessing the Engraving section of a blacksmith.
• Addressed an issue where fast travel was grayed out.
• Addressed an issue that caused the Level 99 pop-up to display a wrong message.
• Addressed an issue where the Olouros Fortress location is not marked as completed.
• Addressed an issue where Tomb locations wouldn’t be marked as completed upon activating the Stele.
• The Pond of Tainaros is now marked as a Historical Point of Interest.
• Addressed an issue where unused ability points could be missing after Title Update 1.1.4.
• Addressed an issue that could occur when scrolling rapidly between Mercenary tiers.
• [PS4] Addressed an issue where PlayStation®Vita system controls overlap with the ability menu.
• [PC] Addressed an issue where the Skip button during cut scenes has Controller feedback while using M&K.
• [PC] Addressed an issue with the Benchmark tool where the Adaptive Quality option didn’t function.
• [PC] Addressed an issue with the HDR option that would be displayed as off while activating after changing graphics settings.