Best Engravings In AC Odyssey: Legendary, Bow, Combat

A List Of The Best Engravings To Have In AC Odyssey.

In AC Odyssey, there are a lot of engravings ranging from Normal to Legendary with different bonuses and perks. In this guide, we shall give you our top picks when it comes to the Best Engravings in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Engravings are add-ons that can be applied to your equipment (weapons and armor). However, they might not appear very important to new players since they can easily upgrade their equipment.

Engravings play a massive part in improving higher-level builds. When players reach higher levels in the game, the engravings become the only way to amplify the performance of their weapons and armor.

Their ability to provide bonuses to your equipment can often be the difference between performing a perfect stealth kill and picking a fight with a camp full of enemies.

How To Apply Engravings To Your Weapons

Before we get into the best engravings in the game, it is important to know how to apply them to your equipment. For this, you will need to visit a blacksmith. So, talk to a blacksmith in any region to engrave your gear. 

Select the piece of gear you would like to Engrave and browse the available engravings. Hold the assigned button to apply the engravings. You can replace the engraving anytime by talking to a blacksmith again. You should also consider that usually, each weapon has only one slot to apply an engraving except for Adrestia (your ship).

The type of engraving that suits you the best depends on whether you are going for a Warrior, Hunter, or Assassin Build. Engravings can often be specific to a certain type of weapon and armor, or they can be applied to several types. Here is our list of the Best Engravings in AC Odyssey.

Best Legendary Engravings In AC Odyssey

By far, the best engravings in the game are the legendary ones. These are unlocked mainly by getting the specific armor or weapon with the engraving slot on them.

Here are further details of the best Engravings in AC Odyssey:

Engraving NameEngraving TypeHow To AcquireApplicationAdditional Engravings
+10% To All Adrenaline GainedLegendaryCan be acquired from the Sword
Of Demokles by defeating Deimos.
Can be applied to a Melee And A Bow Weapon.None
+30% Armor PenetrationLegendaryCan be acquired from the Atlantean Blade.Can be applied to a Melee And A Bow Weapon.- 50% Increase in Crit Damage.
- 25% Increase in Hunter Damage.
+25% Damage On Elites And BossesLegendaryCan be acquired from the Polyphemos
Cyclops Bludgeon.
Can be applied to a Melee And A Bow Weapon.- 25% Increase in Assassin Damage.
- 30% Damage Increase with heavy weapons
Breathe UnderwaterLegendaryCan be acquired from Poisedon’s Trident.Can be applied to a Melee And A Bow Weapon.None
-1 Adrenaline Cost For Overpowering AbilitiesLegendaryCan be acquired from the Minotaur’s Labrys
which you can get by defeating the Minotaur.
For Overpowering Abilities.- 25% Increase in Warrior Damage.
- 50% Increase in Crit Damage.
-25% Cooldown Duration For All AbilitiesLegendaryCan be acquired by defeating Medusa in
Withering Dead Side Quest to get The
Harpe Of Perseus.
Can be applied to a Melee And A Bow Weapon.None
+40% Damage When Attacking From BehindLegendaryCan be acquired by defeating the Nyx The
Shadow and getting the Dagger Of Kronus.
Can be applied to a Melee and A Bow Weapon.None
+30% Elemental Damage But -30%
Elemental Resistance
LegendaryCan be acquired by purchasing the Hammer
Of Horns from the Helix Store.
Can be applied to a Melee and A Bow Weapon.None
All Arrow Pierce ShieldsBowCan be acquired as a set bonus after defeating
all the Cultists Of The Delian League and
completing the Athenian War Hero Set.

Can be applied to your legs.
None
Basic Arrows Become Fire ArrowsBowKill a particular mercenary with the suffix Of
The Ashen Wake. Hades Bow comes with this
engraving as well as +40% Fire Damage.

Can be applied to a Bow.
None
+40% Damage With Bows When Above TargetBow
Obtained by the legendary weapon known as
The Herakles Mace.

Can be applied to a Bow and Other Weapons as well.
30% Increase in adrenaline per hit.
+250% All Damage But Can Not Use AbilitiesCombat
Can be acquired after buying the Blade Of
Yuminess from the blacksmith.

Can be applied to any weapon.
None
+10% Damage Per Enemy Engaged (Up to 50%)Combat
Can be acquired by the Cursed Spear Of
Achilles.

Can be applied to A Melee and A Bow Weapon.
None
Convert Weapon Damage To Fire DamageCombat
Reach level 44 and fight a mercenary with the
suffix The Smoldering and get Mallet Of
Everlasting Flames.

Can be applied to A Melee Weapon.
- 25% Increase in Warrior Damage.
- 40% Increase in Fire Damag
Convert Weapon Damage To Poison DamageCombat
Reach Level 46 and fight a mercenary with the
suffix The Stinger and get Arachne’s Stinger.

Can be applied to A Melee Weapon
None

+10% To All Adrenaline Gained

In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the Adrenaline bar allows you to use your abilities such as Poison/Fire weapon abilities, Spartan Kick, and Health regeneration. So, you can’t just spam your abilities mid-combat and not expect your adrenaline to run out. It is important to keep your adrenaline in check and increase the amount you gain to prevent this from happening.

Therefore, this engraving is beneficial for players focusing on Adrenaline-based builds. You can get this engraving from the Sword of Damokles by defeating/persuading Deimos in the Final Episode. This engraving can be applied to a Melee and Bow weapon.

+30% Armor Penetration

We guess the stat on this engraving makes its function obvious. It gives you an additional 30% percent armor penetration. It is obtained when you receive the Atlantean Blade after you help Phidias collect clues to a series of Puzzles and travel to the Fort to complete the puzzle (ending the Journey’s End quest line).

In addition to this engraving, this weapon will also have +50% CRIT Damage and +25% Hunter Damage which emphasizes the importance of this engraving in Hunter Builds. You can apply this engraving on a Melee and a Bow weapon in AC Odyssey.

+25% Damage On Elites And Bosses

Medusa Boss Fight AC Odyssey
The battle with Medusa requires High damaging weapons and Engravings.

Another self-explanatory engraving on this list is one of AC Odyssey’s best legendary engravings. As expected, this engraving helps boost your performance in boss battles. This engraving is unlocked once you get a legendary heavy weapon called Polyphemos Cyclops Bludgeon.

This weapon comes with two additional default Engravings +25% Assassin Damage and +30% Damage with Heavy Weapons. This suggests that the engraving goes well with heavy Assassin builds against bosses or encounters where stealth is not an option.

You can get the Bludgeon once you defeat Brontes to get the Piece of Eden required to open Atlantis. The acquired engraving can be applied on a Melee and a Bow weapon.

A similar read: Assassins Creed Odyssey Best Build 

Breath Underwater

Underwater Exploration Using Breath Underwater Engaving.
A Shark fight during underwater exploration requires Breath Underwater.

Though this is not as practical as the other engravings on this list, it sure is a unique and impressive ability. Stealth players can often find it handy to breathe underwater. On top of that, there are many underwater locations where you can explore and find treasure.

The main reason to include this on the list is that it can be particularly useful for Assassin and Warrior Builds. This engraving is unlocked when you obtain Poseidon’s Trident, which can be found as loot from the temple of Poseidon located on an Island South of Chios. The acquired engraving can be applied to a Melee and a Bow weapon.

-1 Adrenaline Cost For Overpowering Abilities

Overpowering can often be a very useful skill in many types of combat situations, but due to its high adrenaline cost, it is seldom used by players. Therefore, this engraving is one of the must-have items on this list. Often referred to as one of the best engravings in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, players consume less adrenaline while using the overpowered attacks.

This can be collected once you get the Minotaur’s Labrys after defeating the Minotaur. This legendary weapon also comes with two more default Engravings +25% Warrior Damage and +50% CRIT Damage which makes this engraving and the weapon an ideal pick for Warrior Builds.

-25% Cooldown Duration For All Abilities

The Iconic Spartan Kick From AC Odyssey
The Reduced Cooldown Engraving allows you to use your favorite abilities like Spartan Kick repeatedly.

Whether it’s the Spartan Kick from the iconic movie 300, the Battle-cry of Ares, or the Death Veil, you can never get bored of using such abilities. They provide a dynamic touch to your play, but this can be annoying if you must wait for the cooldown every time you use your abilities. 

This engraving goes well with the first one on this list or, in general, with abilities-focused builds. Since the engraving reduces the cooldown on your abilities, it allows players to use abilities frequently.  That is why it can go well with the +10% Adrenaline Gain Engraving.

You can get this engraving once you defeat Medusa in the Withering Dead Side Quest and get the Harpe of Perseus. The engraving can be applied to a Melee and a bow weapon.

+40% Damage When Attacking From Behind

Attacking from behind uning increased damage Engraving.
This Engraving allows you to inflict more damage during Sneak attacks.

This is another engraving that favors the Assassin/Warrior build. Since it is quite convenient for assassins to sneak up on someone and attack them from behind, this engraving increases the amount of damage the opponents take when they are attacked from behind.

To get this engraving, you will need the Dagger of Kronus obtained by eliminating the Nyx the Shadow. This can be applied to your Melee and Bow.

+30% Elemental Damage But -30% Elemental Resistance

Although this engraving brings your elemental resistance stat down, if paired with the right HP engravings and the correct ability-centered build, this can be quite useful in dealing elemental damage if that’s more your style.

The main reason why this Engraving is so down the list is that you will need to purchase the Hammer of Horns from the Helix Store to get this Engraving. This can be applied to Melee Weapons and Bow.

You Might Find This Interesting: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Best Abilities

Best Bow Engravings In AC Odyssey

Here is the list of all bow-based engravings in the game that you should have. 

All Arrows Pierce Shields

Attacking Shielded enemies with Shield Piercing Engraving AC Odyssey.
The Damage Inflicted during Conquest Battles significantly increases when all your arrows can pierce shields.

This might be the best engraving in AC Odyssey for all the Bow and Arrow weapon lovers out there. Shields can be annoying if you like taking long shots from your bow in combat. This engraving can save you from this annoyance by making all arrows pierce shields. It becomes handy while fighting shielded enemies from a distance.

You can get this engraving as a set bonus once you defeat all cultists of the Delian League and complete the Athenian War Hero Set. This engraving can only be applied to your legs.

Basic Arrows Become Fire Arrows

Use of Fire Arrows Engraving For higher damage in AC Odyssey
The Fire Arrows engraving allows you to damage your opponents with just one arrow.

All basic arrows become fire arrows resulting in Fire damage. This Engraving, paired with the +30% Elemental damage, can prove to be an absolute beast once you start raining fire arrows at your enemies. Apart from this, you may unlock this engraving once you kill a mercenary with the suffix “Of the Ashen Wake”.

This mercenary will shoot fire arrows at you once you reach level 40 and raise your bounty to a maximum. When you eliminate and loot him, you will get the Hades Bow. This has an additional +40% fire damage in addition to the above-mentioned Engraving.

This is what makes this weapon and engraving a good choice for builds with a prime focus on fire damage. This can only be applied to bows

+40% Damage With Bows When Above Target

This might not be the best engraving in AC Odyssey, but it sure is the most picked one for bow and arrow users. Bows are a very fun weapon to play with, and even more when they give higher damage. Mostly when you engage with enemies, you would prefer to have a high-ground advantage to improve your vantage point. This engraving makes it even better by increasing the amount of damage done to your enemy if you have the higher ground.

This engraving comes from a legendary weapon called The Herakles’ Mace. It can be obtained by looting a chest in the Tomb of Demeter and Kore in Arkadia. This weapon also has +30% adrenaline per hit that can be used on other weapons if you like.

Best Combat Engravings In AC Odyssey

Here is the list of all combat-based engravings one should have to overpower the character and win fights easily.

+250% All Damage But Cannot Use Abilities

Blade Of Yumminess with the +250 Damage Engraving
Blade of Yumminess with the +250 All Damage Engraving for Pure Damage Builds.

Although we don’t discourage the use of abilities, this engraving is a must-have for players that like pure damage. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey allows you to play the game according to your preferred style and if you’re into a confrontation where you can engage multiple enemies at once, then this engraving will mow down enemies with fewer blows.

The increase in damage provided to your weapon greatly increases its effectiveness in combat. This is why Blade of Yumminess is one of the best engravings in AC Odyssey in terms of pure damage.

On the flip side, this engraving can only be acquired by buying the Blade of Yumminess from the blacksmith. There is no other way to acquire this blade or engraving. So, it will be up to your luck if the blacksmith has that sword available for sale or not.

There are ways where you can repeatedly reload your saved progress to refresh the game data and check whether this engraving is available or not, but we advise you not to go through that hassle and wait for the blade to be available on its own. Just make sure you check with the Black Smith regularly.

+10% Damage Per Enemy Engaged (Up To +50%)

Using Multiple Enemies Engraving During Conquest battlei
Engaging enemies Engraving provides a huge advantage in Conquest Battles.

Speaking of confrontational combat, the combat style in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey mostly involves multiple enemies in a single encounter. If you engage with five enemies at once, this engraving will give you a 50% automatic increase in the overall damage. It gives you the liberty to abandon the traditional stealth route in missions and directly engage in combat.

One downside of this engraving is that it is only available in the Torment of Hades DLC. It is acquired with the Cursed Spear of Achilles once you defeat him in the DLC. This Engraving can be applied to melee and bow weapons.

Convert Weapon Damage To Fire Damage

The Mallet of Everlasting Flames Engraving
The Engraving on the Mallet of Everlasting Flames converts Weapon Damage to Fire Damage

Like the basic arrows becoming fire arrows from the engraving we mentioned above, this engraving converts all of your physical damage into fire. It allows you to set enemies on fire and take damage for extra time. If you pair this engraving with another fire-based one, then it can make your weapons even more effective in the field. This is especially helpful in inflicting damage to multiple enemies at once.

You can get this engraving once you reach level 44 and fight a mercenary that goes by the suffix “The Smoldering.” Once you defeat this enemy, you can loot the Mallet of Everlasting Flames that comes with this engraving. Additionally, the engraving gives +25% Warrior Damage and +40% Fire damage. You can apply this engraving to melee weapons in AC Odyssey only.

Convert Weapon Damage To Poison Damage

Like the previous engraving on this list, this one converts all your weapon’s physical damage to poison. The concept is the same, but the elemental type is different this time around. So, you can go for this engraving if poison is more your style or you are creating a poison-based build in the game.

This engraving is obtained with the Arachne’s Stingers once you reach Level 46 and defeat the mercenary that goes by the suffix “The Stinger.”  This Engraving can be applied on melee weapons only in the game.

Now that concludes our list of the best engravings in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. If you found this guide helpful, then let us know more about it in the comments below.

Next: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Lokris Fort 

Was this article helpful?

Thanks! Do share your feedback with us. ⚡

How could we improve this post? Please Help us. ✍

Rachel Cooper


Rachel is an English lit major from Canada. She enjoys medieval fantasy novels, cats, power metal, and of course, video games. When it comes to video games, she prefers to play RPGs with great stories and characters. Her favorite games are Tales of Symphonia, Persona 5, and Darkest Dungeon.

Related Articles