Now that there have been several quests covering it, the actual hippodrome races may as well be discussed. It’s one way to earn money, although it can’t really be called an efficient way, given that you can get 100+ Drachmas just by smacking the right soldier off his mount. Still, you can indulge in tournaments to win money - and potentially unique mounts - depending on how you perform.
There are four tournaments available, the “Nike’s Winged Victory” tournament being the first you can enter. As you win, you’ll be able to enter progressively more challenging races. Each tournament consists of several independent races, and your placement in each race earns you points - the higher you place, the more points you earn. Whoever has the most points at the end of the tourament wins.
When racing, hold down the [R2] or [RT] buttons to spurs your horses on, while holding down [X] or [A] will make them go faster still, at the expense of your stamina (the white bar above your health bar). You’ll go faster if you stay near the middle of the track, although staying to the right as much as possible will result in somewhat shorter laps, so there’s a balance to be struck. When you’re behind another chariot, your stamina will regenerate faster. You can shave even more time off your speed by performing drifts (press [Square] or [X] while turning corners).
Of course, chariot races were known for their brutality, and it’s taken… perhaps a bit overboard here, as when you’re behind an opponent you can press [Circle] or [B] to trample them. Ramming them (press [Circle] or [B] beside them) and hitting obstacles can also damage their chariots - and yours as well. Deplete their chariot’s health during the race and it’ll fail spectacularly.
Note that weather conditions, time of day, and the actual layout of the course will change depending on which tournament you’re racing in, and perhaps between races in said tournaments. Expect more obstacles in higher races, at the very least.
Those, then, are the basics you need to race in the hippodrome. As far as trophies and achievements go, you mercifully only need to clear the first tournament to earn the trophy/achievement “ Ben-Hur “. At some point during a race, devote yourself to trying to destroy an enemy chariot - winning the race itself doesn’t actually matter for this, but if you do, you’ll earn the trophy/achievement “ Road Rage “.
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