The new wave of Assassin's Creed games has managed to reinvigorate the series as a whole. Whether players prefer the old formula or the new, it's undeniable that the change-up in gameplay has helped to keep the series relevant. Of course, it also helps that these new Assassin's Creed titles have had very compelling protagonists.
In particular, Assassin's Creed Odyssey's protagonist, Kassandra, is a very interesting character, both from a personality standpoint and how her story unfolds over the course of the game and its DLC. With the new Assassin's Creed crossover DLC, Those Who Are Treasured and A Fated Encounter, bringing Kassandra and Eivor (the protagonist of Assassin's Creed Valhalla) together, there's never been a better time for a quick refresher course on Kassandra's truly epic tale.
Kassandra's Early Life
Kassandra's story begins in 458 BCE, in Sparta. Kassandra's mother is Myrrine, the daughter of the infamous King Leonidas, and her father is the Spartan General Nikolaos. Kassandra also has a younger brother named Alexios. Due to her monumental lineage, Kassandra is taught to fight from a very young age, with high expectations being placed on her by her Spartan peers. One day while training, Myrrine gifts Kassandra Leonidas' broken spear, which she immediately treasures and holds dear.
Upon Kassandra's seventh birthday, a prophecy was given by the Pythia (a high priestess) that claimed that Alexios would bring about the destruction of Sparta. It is quickly decided that Alexios is to be sacrificed, but Kassandra attempts to save her brother from being thrown from the cliff, inadvertently throwing both the infant child and the priest holding him over the edge. Kassandra herself is then thrown from the cliff by her father as punishment for her treachery.
Kassandra survives the fall, however, and flees Sparta on a small row boat. Following a storm, Kassandra washes up on the beaches of Kephallonia, where a merchant named Markos discovers her.
The game then cuts forward about twenty years, and the player sees that Kassandra has been "working" for Markos the entire time. As Markos is a notorious con man and swindler, Kassandra essentially acts as his muscle, beating up anyone who hasn't paid or is looking for money. After a few run-ins with a gang led by a man named "The Cyclops," Kassandra is approached by a man named Elpenor, who wishes to hire Kassandra to kill a Spartan General simply known as "The Wolf."
The Cult of Kosmos, and Other Adventures
After accepting Elpenor's offer, Kassandra travels to Megaris, where she discovers that the man she is hunting, The Wolf, is actually her father Nikolaos. She meets with his adoptive son, Stentor, who hires Kassandra as a mercenary to fit the Athenians. After the battle, Kassandra confronts Nikolaos but decides not to kill him as he has seemingly repented for his actions and regrets throwing her from the cliff twenty years ago. Upon sparing him, Nikolaos reveals that he is not Kassandra's biological father.
Kassandra then returns to Elpenor, who ambushes her with guards and flees the scene. Following this, Kassandra decides to find the Pythia who had given the prophecy all those years ago, in order to question her about her heritage. The Pythia reveals that she is being controlled by a sinister and secretive group known as The Cult of Kosmos, and that they are responsible for her earlier prophecy regarding Alexios. Kassandra discovers that Elpenor is a member of this Cult, and after finding his lair and killing him, Kassandra uses his Cult mask and robe to infiltrate a meeting.
At the meeting, it is revealed that the Cult have infiltrated every key aspect of Greece's societal infrastructure, and subsequently now holds all the power. It's also revealed, via an Isu (First Civilization) artifact, that a Cult member named Deimos is actually Kassandra's brother Alexios, who also survived his fall from the cliff.
Kassandra sets her main goal to find her mother Myrrine, and after quite a few detours along the way (having to work for the Athenian leader Perikles, taking down a few Cult members, and finally seeing the murder of Perikles by Deimos' hands), Kassandra finds her mother on Naxos, where after some more Cult fighting, she is told that her biological father is residing on Thera, and that Kassandra should seek him out.
Once on the volcanic island of Thera, Kassandra makes her way into some underground ruins, finally reaching the remains of a gigantic Isu underwater city, being guarded by her true father, Pythagoras. Pythagoras reveals to Kassandra that this ruined city is Atlantis, and that her ancestral destiny is to guard it. Kassandra accepts, and is sent off to locate four ancient artifacts that will seal the doorway to Atlantis.
After a few more wacky detours, including escorting a man named Testikles and winning an Olympic games, Kassandra kills a few more Cult leaders, and decides to aid the Spartan forces in their war against Athens. She meets up once again with Stentor, who believes that Kassandra killed Nikolaos, and threatens her with a duel. Before the fight can start, Nikolaos appears, revealing that he's been helping the war effort from the shadows.
In another battle between the Spartan and Athenian forces, Kassandra comes face-to-face with her brother Deimos, and is captured by the Athenian army. While captured, a soldier named Kleon reveals that he is the Sage of the Delian League, a branch of the Cult of Kosmos. In another battle at a later time, during a rematch between the siblings, Kleon accidentally shoots Deimos in the back and is killed by Kassandra. A note on Kleon's body confirmed that the Ghost of Kosmos, the leader of the entire group, was behind Perikles' assassination and many other horrific events across Ancient Greece.
Upon returning to the battlefield, Kassandra notices that Deimos' body is not there. Believing he must be alive, Kassandra and her mother head to the same cliff that the children were thrown off all that time ago. Deimos is there, and explains to the two that he can't amend his heinous past actions as a member of the Cult, but he also can't be the man they want him to be. As Kassandra goes to leave, frustrated with her inability to help, Deimos makes a move to stab Myrrine, but is stopped by Kassandra's blade, killing him.
After killing every remaining member of the Cult, collecting every Isu artifact, fighting some genetically mutated men that turned into Cyclopses and Minotaurs, killing Medusa, and arriving back in Atlantis, Kassandra takes the burden of holding the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus away from Pythagoras, instantly killing him due to his advanced age.
Kassandra then goes to the Sanctuary of Kosmos, intending to confront the Ghost, finally ending the war. Upon arriving, she touches the Isu Pyramid, giving her a vision about future Assassins and Templars, with her late father Pythagoras claiming that a group will rise up to restore balance to the chaos she has caused. Aspasia, Perkiles' old lover and an advisor to Kassandra throughout the game, appears and reveals herself to be the Ghost. Aspasia claims that she never intended for this war and that she lost control of the Cult. Kassandra lets her leave the Sanctuary with her life, but destroys the Pyramid.
The game ends with Kassandra in present day, still protecting Atlantis. She passes the Staff to modern day Assassin Layla, and dies in the process. However, players can find out what happens in between those events in the Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Valhalla crossover missions, which are available now.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
