Assassin's Creed Odyssey: A Mercenary's Greece

The game opens long before its main story, on this narrow pass in 480 BC. You play as King Leonidas, holding the pass of Thermopylae with his Spartans against the Persian army of Xerxes — the famous last stand the whole game keeps looking back to, since Alexios and Kassandra are Leonidas's grandchildren. Several monuments stand around the battlefield today, one a statue of King Leonidas himself, portrayed bearing spear and shield.

Visitor guidance: The Leonidas monument stands on the old battlefield; the statue with spear and shield is the centrepiece.

Disguised in Elpenor's mask and robes, your mercenary slips into a secret meeting of the Cult of Kosmos here in Delphi, and learns your lost sibling survived to become their weapon, Deimos. The real Delphi was the seat of the Pythia, the oracle consulted on important decisions across the ancient world. The Temple of Apollo whose ruins you climb today dates from the fourth century BC, and the whole precinct is now an extensive archaeological site.

Visitor guidance: Buy site tickets in advance in high season; the Temple of Apollo is the centrepiece.

The main story plays out against the Peloponnesian War of 431 to 422 BC, and Athens is its beating heart. You can meet Socrates, Aristophanes and other historical figures, and cross the Agora the game recreates below the Acropolis. The Acropolis holds the remains of several great ancient buildings, most famously the Parthenon, and most of the major temples were rebuilt by order of Pericles.

Visitor guidance: Go early to beat the crowds; the Parthenon rewards a slow circuit.

The game rebuilds Olympia's sanctuary with its statue of Zeus, one of its showpiece recreations alongside the Agora of Athens. The real sanctuary was a major religious centre where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four years through classical antiquity. The seated Zeus stood about 12.4 metres tall, and it was counted one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Modern Olympia is still famous for the nearby archaeological site of the same name.

Visitor guidance: Allow half a day for the archaeological site of the same name.

Your hero is a Spartan mercenary who fights on both sides of the war while hunting for their lost family. The trail leads to Myrinne, who persuades her eldest child to convince the Spartan regime to reinstate their citizenship and ancestral estate. Sparta itself led the Peloponnesian League against the Athenian Empire, and its most atmospheric survival is the Sanctuary of Artemis Orthia, one of the most important religious sites of the city.

Visitor guidance: Combine this stop with the modern town; the sanctuary remains are an easy visit on foot.

Every Spartan childhood in the game is shadowed by this mountain. As a child, your hero was exiled after trying to stop an elder throwing their infant sibling from Mount Taygetos, and the story ends where it began: the Eagle Bearer returns with Myrinne to confront Deimos on the slopes. Taygetus still overlooks Sparta and Kalamata, dominating their skyline, and its chasm of Ceadas recalls harsher Sparta, where criminals were thrown. Its highest point, Profitis Ilias, is a popular hiking destination.

Location precision: The game doesn't fix the spot on the range; the pin marks the Taygetus massif above Sparta.

Visitor guidance: Profitis Ilias is a serious mountain hike; start early.