Combat

There are two modes of melee attack—light attacks are fast but weak, while heavy attacks are slow but strong. Players can also dodge hostile attacks, or parry them. The player character can use different types of melee weapons such as spears, heavy blunt weapons, daggers, swords, and bows and arrows to defeat enemies. The player may also need to equip armor. boots, helmets, and gloves. The game features a weapon and gear system in which each weapon and piece of armor the player wears has different statistics and provides a range of advantages. These can be equipped and upgraded individually, with additional gameplay benefits imbued into the weapons through engraving. The strength and power of these weapons depend on their level as well as their rarity. The rarer the weapon, the more powerful it is, though the cost of upgrading it is also more expensive. The player character also commandeers a warship named Adrestia to explore the Aegean Sea. Players can launch arrows and javelins against hostile ships, cleave opponent ships directly, and command the crew to brace when they are attacked. When the health of enemy ship is nearly depleted, the player character can initiate naval boarding. Successful boarding provides the player with additional resources and restores the health of the Adrestia. The ship is upgradable; the player can improve the strength of the hull and boost the stamina of the rowers. While the player is exploring the sea, they may encounter Alpha ships, which are essentially enemy bosses that the players can defeat.

Stealth and open combat are equally viable choices for completing objectives. The player can use Leonidas' spear to silently assassinate enemies, or knock them out in order to recruit them to join the player's crew. The bodies of incapacitated enemies can be hidden to avoid alerting other enemies. The player can also call Ikaros, a golden eagle companion, to scout an area by highlighting enemies and objects. The player character also has the ability to draw an enemy's attention by whistling. As with other Assassin's Creed games, the player character is an expert in free running and can climb nearly all structures. As the player completes quests, they earn additional experience points (XP), which allows the player to unlock new skills and abilities. The three skill trees are "hunter," which focuses on ranged attacks through the use of a bow & arrow, "warrior," which focuses on weapons -based combat, and "assassin," which focuses on stealth and silent take-downs. Examples of the skills the player can unlock include "Spartan Kick", which can knock an enemy back, and "Rush Assassination", which allows the mercenary to throw Leonidas' spear from afar against enemies. Some skills have a cooldown time, and others can only be used when the player's adrenaline bar fills up. This can be achieved by inflicting damage or dodging attacks.