We’ve all been waiting for news on Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s naval warfare. For my money, Black Flag remains the best AC game, due in no small part to its phenomenal sea battles. One of my favorite moments in AC Origins occurred when I first boarded a trireme as Aya. The pounding of the drum and the bellowing of orders brought me back to my Black Flag days. Thankfully, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will bring war back to the high seas with new and original gameplay.

In an interview with IGN, Game Director Scott Phillips discussed the retooled naval system and showed off 11 minutes of gameplay. He pointed out that this will resemble what players loved about Black Flag while still providing fresh gameplay.

“We felt like it was a good time to bring back something that fans were really happy with in past Assassin’s Creeds. Origins touched on it a little bit, and then we sort of redesigned it – had to build all new tech in order to support the seamless open-world nature… We knew that it’s very different from 17th century pirate ships, so we had to approach it from a different way.”

Regardless of whether you play as Alexios or Kassandra, you’ll take the helm of the Adrestia, Named for the Greek Goddess of Revenge, your ship contains a multitude of weapons to wreak havoc on your enemies. However, unlike in Black Flag, you won’t have to purchase any specific types of ammo. Instead, you gain stronger weapons (like flaming arrows or javelins) as you do damage. This mirrors the hand-to-hand combat of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and its Adrenaline system. The better your captaining, the cooler your weapons. It’s a cool twist on naval combat that should provide plenty of nifty combos.

You’ll have to decide exactly how you want to take out enemies, though. Boarding ships earns you more treasure, but ramming weak spots regains ship health and creates obstacles for enemies. This will likely depend on each battle scenario, though I imagine my typical gaming greed may win out most of the time.

Players will also choose who they want aboard the Adrestia. You will need to recruit lieutenants through dialogue or fisticuffs, each of whom will provide perks to your crew. You must decide whether to raise your ships health or increase your damage output based on your captaining style. Either way, you’ll never be sailing the seas solo. Oh, and shanties are back. Rejoice and be glad!

Given the number of Greek Islands that exist, I expect to be sailing around for the majority of my time playing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I could listen to sea shanties and watching dolphins tail my boat for hours on end… and I likely will.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey launches for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on October 5.

Are you excited for the return of naval combat? That was rhetorical, of course you’re excited! Share your zeal in the comments below, on Twitter, and on Facebook!