You’re riding through the dust of Keos, probably looking for Xenia or just trying to clear out some pirate dens, and then you see it. A side quest marker. It’s called Smoke Signal, and honestly, it looks like a standard "go here, kill that" objective. But for a lot of players—including those who've sunk 200 hours into Assassin's Creed Odyssey—this little mission in the Pirate Islands has a habit of being weirder than it needs to be. It isn't a world-ending epic like the Atlantis DLC, yet it captures that specific brand of Ubisoft quest design that either works perfectly or leaves you wandering around a warehouse wondering if you broke the game.
The quest itself is part of the "We’re Not Thieves" questline. You meet a woman named Obia. She’s stressed. Her brother is in trouble, there’s a missing treasure map, and everything is basically a mess. If you've played Odyssey for more than ten minutes, you know the drill: Kassandra (or Alexios) sighs, agrees to help for some drachmae, and heads off to solve someone else's family drama.
Tracking Down the Smoke Signal in AC Odyssey
So, here is the thing about smoke signal ac odyssey players usually miss. The quest sends you to the Apollo Stockhouse. It’s a restricted area, obviously. You get there, and the game tells you to find the "evidence." This is where the frustration starts. Most missions in Odyssey have a clear gold waypoint or Ikaros can just pinpoint the objective from three miles up. Here? The game gets a little shy. You’re looking for a specific set of clues that prove the cultists or the local thugs are up to no good.
You have to find a letter. Then another clue. Then another. It’s a three-part investigation inside a tiny, cramped building filled with guards who have surprisingly good peripheral vision. If you’re playing on Nightmare difficulty, this "simple" side quest turns into a frantic dance of Hero Strikes and frantic parrying because the environment is so tight.
Why the Warehouse Investigation Feels Different
In most of Odyssey, you have the luxury of space. You can snipe from a ridge or use the Ghost Arrows of Artemis to thin the ranks through a wall. But the Smoke Signal AC Odyssey mission forces you into a specific, cluttered interior. The clues aren't just lying on a table in the middle of the room. One is tucked away in a corner near some crates, and if you don’t have your "Reveal" pulse (the Animus Pulse) bound to a key you use often, you’ll spend ten minutes walking over the same patch of dirt.
It’s a bit of a throwback to the older Assassin's Creed games where "investigation areas" were more about manual searching than following a HUD marker. Honestly, it's kind of refreshing, even if it's annoying when you just want to get back to your ship. You find out the brother didn't just wander off; he's being held because of a stolen item. The "smoke" in the title? It’s metaphorical. It’s about the trail left behind.
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Dealing with the Ambush
Once you’ve gathered the clues, the game pulls a classic move. You think you’re done. You think you can just fast travel back to the docks. Nope. You get ambushed. As soon as you step out or finish the final clue, the "owners" of the warehouse show up, and they aren't interested in a peaceful resolution.
This fight can be a gear check. If you’ve been neglecting your armor stats or you’re carrying a level 12 sword while you’re level 18, these guys will punish you. There’s a specific Captain involved who loves to use the "unblockable" red-glint attacks. If you’re playing as Kassandra, this is a great time to use the Bull Rush or the Spartan Kick just to get some breathing room. The space outside the stockhouse is still relatively narrow, making it easy to get cornered against a stone wall.
The Problem With Obia’s Brother
After the fight, you follow the trail to find the brother. He’s located in a nearby cave—the Cave of Ares. This is a recurring theme in the Pirate Islands. Everything is hidden in a cave or a hole in the ground. When you find him, you realize the quest isn't just about a "smoke signal" or a theft. It's about the fact that Keos is a lawless wasteland where everyone is trying to screw everyone else over.
You have choices here. You can be the "good" mercenary or the "I just want my money" mercenary. Odyssey is famous for its branching dialogue, but smoke signal ac odyssey choices are mostly flavor. They don't fundamentally change the ending of the game, but they do change how the NPCs in the Pirate Islands treat you later. If you're mean to them, don't expect a warm welcome when you're trying to upgrade the Adrestia later.
Is It Glitched or Just Vague?
Search for this quest on any forum and you’ll see people complaining that the clues won't spawn. This has been a "thing" since the game launched in 2018. Usually, it’s not a bug. It’s just that the interaction prompts in Odyssey can be finicky. You have to be standing at the exact right angle to see the "Investigate" magnifying glass icon.
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- Check the small desk near the back wall first.
- Look for the pile of scrolls on the floor near the entrance.
- Don't forget the letter on the upper level if you’re struggling.
If you really think it's glitched, the old "save and reload" trick usually resets the object prompts. It's a pain, but it's better than restarting the whole island's progress.
The Gear You Get
Is the reward worth it? Sorta. You get some XP—which is the real currency in Odyssey given how much of a grind the mid-game can be—and some rare (blue) or epic (purple) gear. By the time you’re halfway through the Keos storyline, you probably already have a decent set of Athenian or Spartan gear, so this might just end up being dismantled for olive wood and iron nuggets. But hey, you need those materials if you want to make your ship look like a floating fortress.
The real "reward" is the lore. This quest ties into the larger narrative of how the Cult of Kosmos (and general Greek greed) is eroding the islands. It’s small-scale storytelling. It’s the "smoke" that leads to the larger fire of the Peloponnesian War.
How to Optimize Your Run
If you want to clear smoke signal ac odyssey without losing your mind, don't go in swords swinging. Use Ikaros to tag every single guard in the Apollo Stockhouse before you set foot inside. There are usually 4 to 6 guards depending on your level scaling.
- Assassinate the guard on the roof first. He has the best vantage point and will ruin your day with fire arrows if you start a brawl in the courtyard.
- Whistle from the tall grass. The AI in Odyssey is many things, but "smart" isn't always one of them. You can thin out half the garrison just by whistling from a bush.
- Use the Animus Pulse constantly. Hold the Up D-pad or the V key. The clues will glow with a white pillar of light. If you don't see the light, you haven't cleared the "combat state" yet. The game won't let you investigate while the music is still thumping.
Wait for the music to settle. That’s the signal that the game has switched from "combat mode" to "investigation mode." Only then will the prompts appear.
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The Bigger Picture
This quest is a microcosm of why Assassin's Creed Odyssey is so polarizing. For some, it’s a boring fetch quest. For others, it’s a chance to exist in Ancient Greece and solve a localized mystery. It’s not as flashy as fighting a Minotaur or a Medusa, but it builds the world. It shows that even in a world of demigods and Isu artifacts, people are still worried about stolen maps and missing siblings.
When you finally finish and talk to Obia, there’s a sense of closure that feels earned. You’ve navigated the "smoke" and found the truth. It's a reminder that Kassandra isn't just a killing machine; she's a "Misthios"—a mercenary with a job to do.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
To make sure you don't get stuck on this quest or similar "investigation" missions in the future, keep these habits in mind.
First, always upgrade your Revelation ability in the Assassin tree. It increases the radius of your pulse, making it way easier to find clues through walls and floors. Second, pay attention to the dialogue. Obia gives you hints about where her brother was last seen that don't always appear as a waypoint immediately.
Finally, if you’re trying to 100% the game, do this quest before you finish the main Xenia questline. Sometimes the world state changes on the islands can make certain NPCs move or change their dialogue, and it's always cleaner to finish the local "support" quests before the "main" island quest. It keeps the narrative flow feeling natural rather than jumping back and forth across the map. Clean out the stockhouse, find the brother, collect your drachmae, and move on to the next mystery. The Greek world is huge, and you’ve got a lot more than just smoke signals to worry about.