At some point, every Greek hero worth his salt is expected to kill at least one terrifying legendary beast. Over the course of 100+ hours in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey, you’ll be working overtime as you take on not one, but four of the scariest monsters in Greek lore.
The minotaur is arguably the hardest of them, and he’ll wipe his labyrinthine floor with you if you aren’t careful. Fear not, though—you may be mortal, but so is he. In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through gaining access to the labyrinth and felling the mighty minotaur that dwells within. While there aren’t any difficult AC: O choices in this quest, it’s a bit of a long process, so take a bathroom break before we get started.
Basic Preparation
Before you even think about trying to track down the minotaur, you should know that it’s one of those fights that isn’t too bad if you go in well-prepared, but if you don’t, you’ll struggle unnecessarily.
We recommend doing the following things before starting this quest chain:
- Be at least level 40, although 50+ is ideal if you aren’t using any of the optional enemy scaling settings that make combat easier. It’s possible to take on the minotaur as early as level 29, but we don’t recommend doing that unless you’re really good at the game (or unless you’re something of a masochist).
- Make sure you’re fully outfitted with gear that you’re comfortable using and that is as powerful as you can make it, relative to your level. If there’s a particular weapon or armor set that you love, but that you outleveled a long time ago, it may be worth investing the resources to have a blacksmith bring it up to your current level. We recommend prioritizing speed and attack power over defense for this quest, because the minotaur has a lot of health and hits so hard that your armor defense value may not even matter. Dodging his attacks entirely is a much safer bet.
- Stock up on special arrows—especially poison arrows, if you don’t have any other way to inflict that status. If you’re specced heavily into the Hunter tree, bring all the explosive and death arrows you can carry, too.
Step 1: Finding the Labyrinth
Once you’re (preferably) at least level 40, sail to the Minos’s Legacy region of Messara, in the far southeastern corner of the map. Roughly in the center of the region is a small ruined city with a layout similar to that of Odysseus’s Palace.
The only living thing around is a young boy named Ardos; he usually hangs out near a small campsite in the middle of the ruins, but he might be wandering around the outskirts, so do a lap if he’s not at his camp.
Ardos has a story to tell, and quite frankly, it seems hard to believe. He claims that his dad (who’s been missing for some time now) found a way into the legendary minotaur’s labyrinth, which is conveniently right beneath your feet as he’s telling you this. Tell him to show you what he’s talking about and he’ll lead you down into the ruins. It looks like he was telling the truth—there’s definitely some weird architecture down there.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, though. The entrance to the labyrinth is locked, and you’ll have to do a fair bit of work to get in. Ardos will tell you that his father’s old adventuring buddies might know more about how to open the door. Ask him for more information on each of them and you’ll be given three new quests.
Technically, the only one you have to do is “Full Circle,” but the other two provide some additional backstory, extra loot and experience, and an opportunity to hunt down a cultist, so we think they’re worth doing. If you’d rather not do them, skip to the “Questioning the Caretaker” section.
Step 2: Tracking Down Swordfish
This one is the longest of the three quests, so let’s get it out of the way first, shall we? Head to Octopus Bay in Messara and you’ll find a total of three side quests there: “Catch and Release,” “The Lost Arkalochori Axe,” and “Blood in the Water.”
The last one is available right away, but canonically can’t be completed until you finish the other two. (Once again, you don’t technically have to do any of this if you don’t mind some light cheating. Skip the next two paragraphs if you just want to find Swordfish as quickly as possible.)
Find a distressed woman on the docks in Octopus Bay to unlock “Catch and Release.” She’ll tell you that her husband is missing and is likely in trouble with some pirates. Sail to the west coast of Anaphi and kill the pirates attacking the missing husband to complete the quest and learn something useful about Swordfish.
Back in Messara, there’s a priestess outside the Temple of Poseidon who asks you to recover a stolen ceremonial axe. She offers to tell you what she knows about Swordfish if you return it to her. The missing axe can be found in a cave near Heraklion. Head there, then travel due east and look for a big tree. If you find a cave close to it, you’re in the right place. Kill the bandits inside, retrieve the axe, and return it to the priestess.
“Blood in the Water” should now become active again. To advance it, head to an old lighthouse on the coast northeast of Fisherman’s Beachhead. Call Ikaros and search in the water near the shore to find the entrance to Swordfish’s hideout. There are several sharks down there; you can either snipe them from above or quickly swim past them (or fight them underwater, if you really want to. We wouldn’t).
Once you’ve dealt with or avoided the sharks, find the underwater entrance to the hideout. There’s no need to sneak around because Swordfish will automatically detect you and start a conversation when you get close enough. Choose whichever dialogue options you wish; none of them reveal substantially different information.
After Swordfish gets tired of talking, he will attack and you’ll have no choice but to kill him. He can use the same Overpower attack that you have access to, and it hurts if it connects, so stay on your toes. He can also use smoke bombs to vanish. Dodge constantly when he does that to avoid a nasty backstab. Avoid those two attacks, time your counterattacks well, and you should put him down fairly quickly.
Whew. The longest pre-labyrinth quest chain is now done!
Step 3: Finding the Collector
The Collector, another of Ardos’s dad’s old friends, can be found in Gortyn, west of the ruins where the boy has taken up residence. Ask him about the minotaur and he’ll tell you that the legendary Armor of Theseus is required if you want to have the faintest hope of surviving a battle with the beast. (That isn’t true at all, but let’s humor him.)
The Collector used to have the armor, but he sold it to the commander of Fort Daidalos, which is nearby. You can kick down the door of the fort and murder everyone if you prefer, don’t let us stop you. But if you prefer a stealthier approach, climb the fort’s eastern wall where it meets the hillside and follow the alleyway to the right. It’ll take you straight to the armory.
The fort commander is probably in here. If he is, kill him or sneak past him, whichever you prefer. Grab the armor from the white pedestal and you’re done here.
Step 4: Questioning the Caretaker
Again, this is the only quest you must do to gain access to the minotaur’s labyrinth. When you’re ready to take it on, go to Ardos’s village in the western part of the Fertile Battlegrounds region. You’ll meet the caretaker there—or will you? If you listened closely to Ardos, he told you that his caretaker was an old man, but this guy can’t be much older than you.
Press the impostor for information and he’ll reveal that Ardos’s actual caretaker is being held prisoner by Kosmos cultists in a nearby village called Phaistos. Send all of them to the afterlife they so long for, then free the caretaker and escort him back to Ardos. The kid will reveal that he had the key to the labyrinth all along! What a punk.
Step 5: Entering the Labyrinth
Ardos will give you the key. Now you can finally unseal the gate to the labyrinth. The boy is still hopeful that his father might be alive in there somewhere; it’s up to you whether to reassure him or to try to prepare him for the very likely event that his father is dead.
Once you hop down the stele into the labyrinth, you can’t backtrack easily, so make sure you’re fully stocked on special arrows and that your favorite gear is upgraded to your current level. We recommend bringing at least one reasonably fast weapon, such as a sword, dagger, or spear. Enter when ready.
If you know your Greek mythology, you’ll recall that Theseus—the hero who killed the fabled minotaur—brought some golden thread into the labyrinth with him to track where he’d already been. You’ll find that thread at the entrance—neat! Follow it to find Nikios, Ardos’s father, who has been dead for quite a while.
Search his body for a memento to return to his son. (This is optional and doesn’t net you any rewards other than a bit of extra dialogue, but come on. Take five extra seconds to bring the poor kid some closure.)
The labyrinth can be slightly confusing, but it isn’t nearly as big or scary as the legends have made it sound. There are a few treasure chests scattered around, but they don’t contain anything amazing. Take it slow as you navigate the labyrinth—the floor has collapsed in some places and it’s easy to sprint right into the abyss if you’re not careful.
If you have trouble finding the minotaur, use the age-old strategy for solving mazes: pick one direction (either left or right) and only make turns in that direction unless doing so is not possible. In other words, imagine your character trailing one hand along the left or right wall and make sure they always maintain that contact. It may take some time, but you’re guaranteed to find the exit eventually with this method.
Step 6: Challenging the Minotaur (Finally!)
When you get close to the labyrinth’s exit, the minotaur will reveal himself and make it clear that he doesn’t intend to let you leave. Unless your damage output is absolutely insane (congratulations if it is), this will be a battle of attrition, so relax and prepare to take it slow and cautious.
All of the minotaur’s attacks either deal AoE damage or have very long reach, so staying well out of range when you see them coming is crucial. You can be wiped out in as few as two hits even if you’re well-geared, so the name of the game is “dodge, dodge, dodge.” The beast’s main attacks are a circular slash with his giant axe, a small AoE energy burst, and a hard-hitting bullrush. (Get it? Cuz he’s part bull?)
We recommend baiting the minotaur into attacking, executing a perfectly timed dodge directly away from him, and then rushing in during the slow-mo opening to land a few hits. Reasonably quick weapons like swords and daggers are ideal, and spears can be effective too because of their long reach.
Slow, heavy weapons make it harder to retreat in time to avoid the minotaur’s next attack, so we advise against using them unless you’re highly confident about the timing.
Whatever you do, don’t get greedy. The minotaur is deceptively fast and recovers from his attacks quickly, so don’t dawdle too long at melee range unless you want to take a 200-pound axe to the skull. Execute one fast combo or use a quick, hard-hitting ability such as Hero Strike, then back away and wait for your next opening. Patience is key; you’re not timed, so focus on your defense and dodge when in doubt.
Alternatively, if you’ve spent a lot of points in the Hunter tree, you can just bombard him with arrows from afar, but if you haven’t invested heavily in those skills, your ranged damage output will likely not be high enough to make this a feasible strategy.
If you do intend to shoot the minotaur to death, don’t assume you’re completely safe just because you’re far away. The monster can close the distance with surprising swiftness, so always be ready to dodge.
If you can, keep the minotaur poisoned at all times. Poison will deal small amounts of damage over time, but more importantly, it will weaken his physical attacks—perhaps enough to allow you to survive one more hit than you would otherwise be able to.
Once you’ve whittled the minotaur down to 50% health, he’ll fly into a rage and destroy big chunks of the floor. You’ll now have less room to dodge and maneuver, so it becomes even more important to watch your footing and carefully time your attacks. The minotaur will move and attack faster, deal more damage, and charge more often. He also gains a ranged shockwave attack that you should dodge by rolling to one side or the other.
During the second half of the fight, you should be even more conservative. If you think you have time for a second combo, you’re almost certainly wrong. Take one or two, maybe three hits at a time, then back off. Stay calm, heal with Second Wind if needed, keep up the slow and steady pressure, and the minotaur will eventually fall.
Basking in the Warm Afterglow of Victory
You did it! That was arguably the toughest fight in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey. You’ve peaked, and it’s all downhill from here.
For dropping the legendary beast, you’ll receive a Piece of Eden, a minotaur figurehead for the Adestria, and the monster’s enormous axe. Return to Ardos at the labyrinth entrance and return his father’s ring to him if you found it. Unfortunately, you can’t do anything more for the boy, but at least you can take some comfort in knowing that the minotaur won’t be creating any more orphans.
Do you need some help with any of the other “Big Four” monster challenges? We’ve got guides to defeating the Sphinx, the Cyclops, and Medusa, so check those out too, or if you need help with some lighter quests, like “Dagger to the Heart.”