Playing as Alexios or Kassandra in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will eventually take you to the Greek capital of Athens. After joining forces with Herodotus, the historian will suggest a stop in Athens to meet with Perikles, who has a Symposium that may have information about your mother’s whereabouts.
The politician will give you three missions to complete before earning his trust, one of which includes the takedown of a formidable snake dealer. The Poisoner is a hard match but follow these steps to make your battle a little easier.
A Venomous Encounter
In order to face The Poisoner, you have to follow the A Venomous Encounter mission. This is marked on the map in the South West of Greater Athens with a recommended level 17. The nearest Fast Travel Point is at the Statue of Athena near the center of Greater Athens. Your first objective will be to go to Metiochos’ Estate, approximately 320m South West of the Fast Travel Point.
Where to Find Metiochos
When you arrive at the stone estate climb on top of the roof directly above a set of pillars. From there you will be able to drop down into the center of the estate. The door you need to enter will be to your left, but be wary of charging in as there is a snake sitting close to the entrance.
After taking out the snake directly in front of you – which is best accomplished with arrows – you will see Metiochos in the left corner of the room surrounded by three more snakes. Shoot the snakes and proceed to untie Metiochos which will activate a cutscene. Don’t forget to loot the snakes.
Where to Find Metiochos’ Attackers
Metiochos will tell you that his attackers dwell in a nearby Fishing District, approximately 130m North West of Metiochos’ Estate. Follow the yellow marker to the Fishing District within the Poor Market and enter into an investigation area surrounding a wooden house.
One clue is located within a small porch at the back of the house, but three snakes must be killed to activate the clue. A second clue is located at the top of the house where a letter is sitting on a wooden table. The third and final clue is on the opposite side of the house on ground level where you’ll find a dead body with snake bites.
Finding the last clue will trigger another cutscene which will introduce you to Pratinos and a group of thugs. He will tell you that they were working for a snake dealer who has a camp just outside the walls. Before heading out, you will be given the choice of killing the thugs or letting them go.
Where to Find The Poisoner
Follow the yellow marker 180m North West to the snake dealer’s camp, located within the outskirts of the Poor Market.
On approach, use Ikaros to scout the area where you will see two white tents, the snake dealer called The Poisoner, and a handful of cobras dotted around the area to watch out for.
How to Kill The Poisoner
The Poisoner is a fast foe with his Hunting Knife and poison attacks, the latter of which depletes your health quite rapidly. One approach to killing him is to meditate until nightfall and use Ikaros to take out the snakes that hide in the grass. The Poisoner will be sleeping in one of the tents where there will also be two oil jars that can be broken and set alight to weaken him before combat. After he emerges from the tent, dodge his poison attacks as much as possible and use hero strikes repeatedly.
A second strategy is to use a stealth attack to wound him severely, and then hide until his suspicion goes away. Use another sneak attack and hide again, repeating this method until he is dead. It will take about three or four stealth attacks to kill him.
Both of these methods are a little time consuming, as The Poisoner is one of the hardest mercenary’s of the game so far. However, you should also use Ikaros’ cobra hunting skills to your advantage in both scenarios.
Once The Poisoner is dead, return to Metiochos’ Estate and talk to him to complete the mission.
