Assassin’s Creed Origins Guide#

Assassin’s Creed Origins is an open-world action RPG from Ubisoft, set in Egypt during the final years of the Ptolemaic dynasty. It launched on October 27, 2017. You play Bayek, a Medjay from Siwa, whose journey of revenge gradually leads to the founding of the Hidden Ones — the predecessor of the Assassin Brotherhood.

This guide was produced by the Chinese player community and covers all of the game’s core systems, the quest flow, collectibles, and DLC content.

Game Overview#

Setting: the year is 49 BC, Egypt at the twilight of the Ptolemaic dynasty. The game shows off pharaonic Egypt in full splendor — from the bustling port of Alexandria to the pyramid fields of Giza, from the Nile Delta wetlands to the endless dunes of the Western Desert.

Key Features#

1. A rebuilt combat system. Origins overhauled the series’ traditional combat with a hitbox-based real-time system. You control attack direction, timing, and distance precisely instead of mashing one-button combos. Light and heavy attack chains, shield blocking, dodge rolls, and adrenaline bursts define the new experience.

2. Open-world RPG systems. Levels, XP, skill trees, and gear rarity are now part of the formula. The world is zoned by level, and challenging high-level enemies in a low-level region is extremely difficult. Three skill trees (Hunter/Warrior/Seer) let you customize your combat style.

3. The Senu scouting system. The classic eagle vision is replaced by a controllable companion — Senu, a short-toed eagle. You can freely pilot Senu to survey an area from the air, marking enemies and items and feeding you critical intel for stealth and combat.

4. A vast ancient Egypt. The map covers nearly the entire northern reaches of ancient Egypt, including real historical locations such as Alexandria, Memphis, Giza, Faiyum, and the Western Desert. Each region has its own ecology, culture, and enemy types.

5. Rich collectibles and exploration. Tomb exploration, papyrus puzzles, stone circle deciphers, war elephant hunts, arena challenges, and more. Hundreds of collectibles are scattered across the map — plenty for completionists.

6. Discovery Tour. A unique combat-free educational mode that lets you freely explore ancient Egypt and learn real history, culture, and architecture through 75 guided tours. It has been adopted by a number of educational institutions.

Guide Directory#

This guide is split into 20 topic pages, each covering one core aspect of the game:

• Beginner’s Guide — for first-time players: build-choice thinking, early-game advice, and a quick tour of the core systems
• Story Walkthrough — the complete main story, from Siwa to Alexandria, from the founding of the Hidden Ones to the birth of the Brotherhood
• Combat System — detailed combat mechanics: every attack type, defense techniques, and tool usage
• Stealth Assassination — a full stealth guide: Senu scouting, grass stealth, chain assassinations, and more
• Weapon Compendium — detailed stats for every weapon type, best-in-class picks, and how to get legendary weapons
• Equipment System — shields, outfits, and amulets in full, plus legendary set bonuses
• Skill Trees — every skill in all three branches, with recommended build orders
• World Map — detailed notes on every region, including key locations and fast travel points
• Quests — a complete main-quest walkthrough list plus guides to the important side quests
• Bosses and Phylakes — every boss fight, including the Trials of the Gods and the Phylakes enforcers
• Wildlife — a full animal bestiary, hunting techniques, and what materials are used for
• Tombs and Ruins — every tomb location, how to get in, and the puzzles inside
• Papyrus Puzzles — the location and solution of every papyrus puzzle
• Collectibles — a full collectible location guide: feathers, stone circles, pottery shards, and treasure
• Mounts — every mount type, how to acquire them, and the legendary mounts
• Naval Combat — how sea battles work and how to upgrade your ship
• Photo Mode — the best photo spots and recommended tour routes
• DLC Guide — complete walkthroughs for the two major DLCs
• New Game Plus — what NG+ changes and what carries over
• Achievements — unlock conditions and methods for every achievement

Editions and DLC#

Standard edition includes the base game.

Deluxe edition adds the Deluxe Pack (the “Desert Cobra” outfit set, a weapon, shield, mount, and more) plus the game’s soundtrack.

Gold edition includes the base game and the Season Pass (both DLCs).

Free updates:

• Trials of the Gods: timed boss challenges against Egyptian deities
• New Game Plus: restart with your gear and levels carried over
• Nightmare mode: a higher difficulty tier
• Animus Control Panel: customizable game parameters
• Discovery Tour: the educational mode

Getting-Started Tips#

1. Explore first: don’t rush the main story early on — explore Siwa and its surroundings to bank XP and resources.
2. Scout with Senu: in every new area, send Senu up high first to mark enemy positions and chests.
3. Manage level gaps: watch each quest’s recommended level and avoid enemies more than 5 levels above you.
4. Collect crafting materials: materials from hunting animals and dismantling gear are used to upgrade your gear slots.
5. Balance your skill points: early on, prioritize the Warrior tree for survivability and pair it with Hunter for ranged power.
6. Do side quests: they give large amounts of XP and equipment, and are the main way to level up.
7. Exploit weaknesses: hit enemy weaknesses with the matching weapon type for bonus damage.
8. Upgrade gear regularly: visit a blacksmith to upgrade weapons and equipment so your power keeps pace with your level.

Leveling and XP#

The game uses a typical RPG level system. Each level grants 1 skill point, and the base-game cap is level 40. Defeating enemies, completing quests, and exploring locations all grant XP.

XP sources by efficiency:

1. Main quests (500-2000 XP) — the most efficient
2. Side quests (200-800 XP) — plentiful and steady
3. Region events (50-200 XP) — done in passing
4. Synchronizing viewpoints (50-100 XP) — done in passing
5. Killing enemies (10-50 XP) — low yield but constant

Recommended leveling path: main quests first, side quests whenever you fall behind on levels, sync viewpoints along the way, then clear enemy camps as you pass them.

The Three Skill Trees#

• Hunter — precise shots, piercing arrows, slow-time effects, fire arrows, shield piercing, and more. Best for players who like to pick enemies apart from range with a bow.
• Warrior — overpower strikes, charged rushes, combo damage boosts, battle cries, and more. Best for players who like to fight in the open.
• Seer — chain assassinations, smoke bombs, sleep darts, poison darts, shadow strikes, beast taming, and more. Best for stealth players.

All skills can be unlocked by around level 40-42. Early on, it is recommended to max one tree before spreading out.

Gear Rarity and Crafting#

Gear rarity is color-coded:

• White (Common) — base stats, no bonus effects
• Blue (Rare) — standard stats, possibly 1 bonus effect
• Purple (Epic) — strong stats, 1-2 bonus effects
• Gold (Legendary) — the best stats, 2 bonus effects, unique appearance

Why legendary gear matters: every legendary weapon has its own name, look, and fixed set of bonus attributes. Some legendaries also carry exclusive visual effects such as special glows or particle effects.

At the blacksmith you can spend materials to upgrade your gear slots:

Where materials come from:

• Soft metal / hard metal: dismantle weapons and gear
• Wood: dismantle bows
• Hides: hunt animals
• Carbon: collected at fixed spots around the world (25 in total)
• Silica: found inside tombs (50 in total)

Platform Notes#

PS5

• Runs through backward compatibility
• Resolution raised to native 4K
• Frame rate raised to 60 fps (via the 2022 update)
• Load times significantly shorter

Historical Accuracy and Discovery Tour#

Assassin’s Creed Origins received professional support from Egyptologists and university research teams on historical fidelity. Many locations, buildings, and cultural details in the game are based on real archaeological findings.

Faithfully recreated:

• The appearance of the Lighthouse of Alexandria (reconstructed from ancient accounts)
• The relative positions and look of the Giza pyramid complex
• The original appearance of the Sphinx (including the missing nose)
• The agricultural irrigation systems of the Faiyum region
• Egypt’s multicultural blend of the era (Egyptian, Greek, and Roman)

Changed for gameplay:

• The map scale is reduced (the real Egypt is far larger)
• Some building interiors are artistic invention
• The diversity and density of NPCs

Discovery Tour: a combat-free educational mode with 75 tours guided by historians and narrators, covering ancient Egyptian daily life, architecture, religion, military affairs, and more. It has been used for history teaching by a number of educational institutions.

Community Resources#

• Official Reddit community for the game
• Guide sites: IGN Wiki and Fextralife
• Interactive maps: online map tools that mark every collectible location
• Speedrun community: check Speedrun.com for records
• Photo community: share Photo Mode shots
• Mod community (PC): Nexus Mods hosts several useful mods

Version History#

Closing Thoughts#

Assassin’s Creed Origins is not just the tenth mainline entry in the series — it is a bold rebirth. Ubisoft stepped off the annual-release treadmill, took an extra year of polish, overhauled the combat system, added RPG systems, and built a breathtaking ancient Egypt.

For new players, this is an open-world action RPG you can sink dozens or even hundreds of hours into. For series veterans, it keeps the core Assassin’s Creed spirit — free-running, assassinations, historical travel — while delivering a fresh combat and progression experience.

Whether you chase the main story of revenge, hunt for hidden tombs deep in the desert, or capture magnificent vistas in Photo Mode, Origins has plenty waiting to be discovered. May Senu guide your path, and may the creed of the Hidden Ones light your way.

Guide version 2.0, last updated August 2024. Covers the base game plus The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharaohs.

Related Games#

• The Witcher 3 — a story-driven open-world RPG with a huge quest-rich map
• Elden Ring — a challenging open-world action RPG built around exploration
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — a vast period open world full of regional flavor and side activities
• Skyrim — the open-world RPG classic about exploring a whole land at your own pace
• Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon — a dark-fantasy open-world action RPG in a similar mold

Related Rankings#

Best RPGs · Best Open World Games · Open World Size Comparison

Full Guides#

In-depth sub-guides — beginner basics, the story walkthrough, combat, stealth assassination, weapons, equipment, skill trees, the world map, quests, bosses and the Phylakes, wildlife, tombs, papyrus puzzles, collectibles, mounts, naval combat, photo mode, DLC, New Game Plus, and achievements — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Assassin’s Creed Origins section.