How to Heal in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with Second Wind

In Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, use the Second Wind ability to restore health during a fight. It costs Adrenaline, so unlock and equip it before combat, then save at least one filled Adrenaline segment for the moment you need it. Between fights, leave combat and your health will refill on its own.

How health recovery works in Odyssey

There is no general-purpose potion button in the standard game. Health does not refill passively as time passes while enemies are actively fighting you. Spending Adrenaline on other combat abilities may return a small amount of health, but that side benefit is modest. Second Wind is the dependable, intentional heal: a Warrior ability activated from your ability wheel.

Ubisoft describes healing as an ability you can use during combat when you have enough Adrenaline and the ability is unlocked. Its support guide also explains how to unlock abilities and assign them to a button or key. The exact control prompt depends on your platform and any remapping you have done.

How to use Second Wind

1. Unlock the skill. Earn Ability Points as you level up, open the Abilities menu, and select the Warrior tab. Choose Second Wind and spend a point to unlock it. If the menu shows an additional requirement, meet that requirement before trying to purchase the skill. Extra ranks strengthen the heal.
2. Assign it to an active slot. Put Second Wind on an available slot in your Warrior/Assassin ability wheel. If the skill is learned but missing from the wheel, revisit the Abilities menu and assign it. On PC, console, and cloud versions the button combination differs, so follow the on-screen control prompt instead of relying on a universal key.
3. Build Adrenaline. Land attacks and use combat actions such as assassinations to fill the yellow Adrenaline segments. Second Wind cannot activate when you have no segment available. If you are nearly out of health and the meter is empty, dodge, parry, or retreat while you build it back up.
4. Trigger the heal during a safe opening. When at least one segment is full, use the assigned Second Wind slot. Rank I restores 25% of your maximum health; investing in higher ranks increases the amount. Use it after a dodge or parry, or when a nearby enemy is briefly staggered, so you are less likely to take a hit during the animation.

What to do when your health is low

If you cannot use Second Wind yet, focus on surviving long enough for the next opening. Dodge away from heavy attacks, parry attacks you can read, and avoid getting surrounded. If the fight is going badly, run beyond the enemies’ search area or use terrain to break contact. Wait until the game exits combat; health recovery resumes once you are out of combat. Do not keep attacking from a bush or rooftop expecting a heal while enemies still have you engaged.

Why Second Wind may not restore enough health

• No filled Adrenaline segment: build one before activating the ability. A partially charged segment may not be enough.
• The skill is not assigned: learning Second Wind and placing it on the ability wheel are separate steps.
• You have only Rank I: the starting version restores 25% of maximum health. Upgrade it if you want more healing per use.
• You have an enhanced version active: in The Fate of Atlantis, the Keeper’s Insight upgrade Ares’ Last Breath replaces Second Wind and works differently. Ubisoft says it grants a short period of invulnerability and returns some damage dealt as health instead of instantly refilling health. If the icon or description has changed, check the active ability’s in-game text before relying on it.

For the current ability controls and point system, see Ubisoft’s abilities and mastery guide. Ubisoft’s combat overview explains that abilities require Adrenaline, and its Fate of Atlantis overview details Ares’ Last Breath.