If you've completed Assassin's Creed Odyssey and have been yearning for more ancient bad guys to use as a sheath for your sword, you're in luck, as the Legacy of the First Blade DLC has kicked off with Episode 1, otherwise known as Hunted. We've been kneedeep in the expansion to see what's new this time around, so dust off your sword and spear and join us as we walk you through what's what.
This DLC opens with a village on fire as you encounter some masked warriors looking for the Eagle Bearer, that's right you're wanted. They're not up for a chat though, and before long you meet Natakas as well, becoming embroiled in a much larger conflict. Basically, you go up against the Order of the Ancient, and it is only with Natakas' help that you can stop them from causing chaos.
We won't go into too many more details for risk of spoilers, but in the three-and-a-half hours we used to complete the DLC, we met mysterious allies and enemies that offered their own unique flavour, especially when it came to combat (the final boss is a particular pain). It's a tough ride too, and you'll need to deploy all the skills you've learned to face the many enemies knocking at your door.
Interestingly we got our morality questioned in this episode a lot, which provided a bit more depth to our own character. We were asked multiple times about how much blood we had spilt, and for a franchise that's historically about connecting blades with necks, it's nice to see that thread pulled a little harder. There are a few tricky decisions too, which may see you blame an innocent person while the guilty go free.
You won't get a new area with this DLC but you will get to see a bit more of Makedonia, the northern region that was a little underserved in the main game. Here is where all of the missions lie, from helping out a village suffering from a mysterious plague to stalking the Order's secret meetings, and it was great to see all of this put to good use at last.
We even get some more backstory for those who love the franchise and its timelines, extending all the way back to the Persian kings Xerxes and Artaxerxes. As you might have guessed, the story is about the assassins that we've come to know and love, and more detail on Persia complements what we've seen already in Egypt and Greece nicely.
There's not a whole load different when compared to the base game, but the first episode of Legacy of the First Blade does a good job at introducing new elements - like gear and the Persian threat - while also building on the same foundations already laid out. It's a promising start from a narrative perspective, as we're already intrigued as to what other webs we get tangled in with the Order of the Ancients, and we're sure that more challenges will emerge as the story goes on.