Recently, Assassin's Creed 2 has received some new attention. It would appear that Origins and Odyssey were first teased in Assassin's Creed 2, while the game also teased other locations like China and a potential return to Rome. Whether those pan out or not remain to be seen, but the Assassin's Creed Odyssey teaser came in first as a bit of a Red Herring.
Namely, Darius from Assassin's Creed Odyssey's Legacy of the First Blade DLC first appeared in Assassin's Creed 2. This easily overlooked fact has implications for the other teases, but even stands alone as a prominent characteristic.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey: Legacy of the First Blade - Darius
Assassin's Creed Odyssey players first meet Darius during the Legacy of the First Blade DLC, where he initially serves as a boss fight before becoming an ally to Alexios or Kassandra. In fact, they quickly become family as either figure will settle down and have a child, Elpidios, with Darius' son or daughter (depending on which character is chosen at the beginning of the game). Obviously, because of the character freedom in the main game, having these characters "settle down" in a hetero-monogamous relationship wasn't a popular choice, but it did make sense.
Alexios or Kassandra's "Tainted One" bloodline had to carry on, with the figures becoming ancestors of Aya in Assassin's Creed Origins. Players joined Darius in defending their family from Amorges and the Order of the Dominion, but ultimately, players had to let Elipidios go. Realizing that they would never stop being hunted due to their blood, Alexios or Kassandra allowed Darius to take and raise Elpidios, making him a prominent figure in the Assassin's Creed Odyssey storyline and one that further connects the game to Assassin's Creed Origins.
There were plenty of "Assassins" before the founding of the Hidden Ones, such as the posthumously honored Wei Yu or Iltani who assassinated Alexander the Great, but Darius is historically the first to use the Hidden Blade. This iconic weapon began with him before eventually finding its way to Bayek and Aya through Cleopatra and becoming the Hidden Ones'/Brotherhood's signature weapon.
Darius First Appeared in Assassin's Creed 2
However, Assassin's Creed 2 is where players first hear of Darius. He had been posthumously honored as an Assassin for his acts in Persia, which at the time, foresight would've suggested a Persian game could've been teased (although Prince of Persia may have made it seem less likely at the time). Nonetheless, this was a small Red Herring since he travels to Greece afterward, but his actions in Persia led to his tomb dedication in Italy. Ezio Auditore comes here, and after acquiring several Assassin's seals, unlocks Altair's armor.
Darius plays a big role in the foundation of the brotherhood, so this appearance is highly notable. It goes so far as to even maintain the text entry of the statue, highlighting that Darius was the first to wield the Hidden Blade. Thus, Darius connects Assassin's Creed Odyssey as well as Origins to the events of Assassin's Creed 2. It remains to be seen if and how any of this comes into play for Assassin's Creed Valhalla, but fans may want to keep their eyes open for any secrets like this.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla releases November 17 for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X versions to follow.