Despite the Assassin’s Creed name, Origins does a lot of things differently from previous games in this franchise. That doesn’t mean fans are likely to feel lost, but it does mean that you have some new systems and approaches to figure out. We spent a lot of time exploring Ubisoft’s open-world take on ancient Egypt (read our review), and pulled out 10 helpful pointers that should get you going on your journey with the right foot forward.
What to sell and what to keep
Sorting through your gear can be intimidating, especially since Assassin’s Creed Origins borrows heavily from RPG inventory design. Thankfully, your approach to item management should be pretty straightforward. At any merchant, you have the option to sell all “unnecessary” goods. You should do that all the time and without reservation. What remains will be a combination of weapons and crafting materials. Keep the crafting materials, because you’ll need a lot of them. As for weapons, blue ones aren’t anything special, so you can dispose of them by selling (if you need money) or dismantling (if you need materials). Purple and gold weapons you should take on a case-by-case basis; they are usually pretty good, so their worth to you depends on what weapons you like to use and what you currently have equipped.
Loot, but don’t obsess
Holding the up arrow on the D-pad sends out a pulse that highlights objects in the environment you can loot. This is certainly a feature you should use, especially in investigation areas where it calls out the important areas to look at. However, you don’t need to constantly scan the environment and empty every nook and cranny of valuables. The typical vases and boxes you find just have a little money in them, and while that certainly can add up over time, the edge it gives you isn’t worth the constant hassle. Scan for treasure when you think of it, but don’t kick yourself if you forget.
Buy Chain Assassination
For the most part, Origins is a “play how you want to” experience. Many abilities in Bayek’s skill tree have obvious benefits for certain playstyles; if you plan to use your bow a lot, you should invest early in the ability that gives you bonus XP for headshots. However, automatically killing another nearby enemy following a successful assassination is great no matter how you like to approach encounters. That’s what Chain Assassination does, and you should buy it.
Go trampling, not hunting
To upgrade things like health and ammo capacity, you need to collect various materials including metal, wood, and animal pelts. When it comes to getting the hides, your first instinct might be to approach your target silently from afar, creeping close before letting loose with a well-placed arrow. That technically works, but don’t forget about your horse. Sometimes it’s more efficient to ride into a herd like a marauding fiend, swinging your blade wildly as you circle and trample your hapless prey.
Finish location objectives
When you are just passing through locations on your way from one point to another, it pays to check out that location’s objectives. They are usually just a handful of simple tasks, like finding papyrus puzzles, looting chests, or killing specific guards. Completing a location’s goals results in bonus XP, and that bump is usually worth the minor detour. That doesn’t mean you should systematically scour the world and do them all (that would be boring), but doing them when convenient can really add up.
Do daily quests
The Nomad's Bazaar is a merchant who shows up on the world map as a blue camel icon (start watching the map for him after you’ve completed the opening Siwa sequence). He offers daily quests that, while not especially interesting, usually come with good XP and high-quality gear rewards. These missions are definitely worth the small amount of time it takes to complete them, so be sure to check back regularly.
Sleeping is good
One of the status effects Bayek can inflict on his foes is sleep, either through the Sleep Darts ability or weapons imbued with the sleep trait. This is especially useful for stealth, but can also be used mid-combat for quick hidden-blade assassinations (which most sleeping foes can’t resist). You can also turn other tools like poison and fire to your devious ends, but sleep is our favorite affliction.
Don’t go crazy with upgrades
You have the ability to upgrade weapons as you progress, making them level-appropriate. This means that you never have to worry about outgrowing a particularly cool sword, but it also comes at a heavy monetary cost – especially for rare and legendary weapons. Don’t worry about keeping all of your equipment current. If you want to keep using the same gear, wait until it starts feeling a little weak before investing in it again.
Find the stone circles
Bayek has plenty of things to collect, and rewards to reap for the effort. However, if you want more background on him as a character, hunt down the stone circles. The “align the stars” minigame may not be anything special, but these locations also feature conversations between Bayek and his son, and the scenes help establish the bond between the two characters. Plus, they are super-easy to find if you follow our guide!
Focus on the story, not sidequests
The main story of Assassin’s Creed Origins is gated off based on your level progression. If the next story mission requires level 25 and you are only level 20, you should to do some sidequests to gain extra XP before attempting to move ahead. Here’s the trick: Only do enough to reach the bar for the next story mission. Don’t get obsessive and start doing more than necessary; some of the sidequests have interesting stories, but the objectives are repetitive, especially when doing several back-to-back. The main missions have a more designed, deliberate feel, and that’s where the game is at its best. Plus, some important game elements (like the hidden blade) don’t open up until you complete certain story missions, so it’s worth completing those central tasks early.