Ubisoft Montreal shipped Assassin's Creed Origins on 27 October 2017 and rebuilt the series around hitboxes, weapon classes and a level cap of 40. You play Bayek of Siwa, the last Medjay, hunting the masked Order of the Ancients across Ptolemaic Egypt in 49 BCE while Senu the eagle scouts targets from above. Four separate bow classes, Hunter, Predator, Light and Warrior, each behave like a different weapon; Odyssey collapsed all of that into one bow a year later, which makes Origins the only entry where the bow you pick changes the fight.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Senu is not optional
Senu is not optional. Launching her before every fort marks guards, captains, chests and objectives, and those marks persist after she lands, which turns an assault into a plan rather than a scramble.
2. Keep two bows equipped from different classes
Keep two bows equipped from different classes. A Predator bow for the opening kills and a Warrior bow for the moment a guard closes to melee covers roughly every situation the game creates.
3. Level matters more than skill in Origins
Level matters more than skill in Origins. A level 25 soldier will survive several clean hits from a level 20 Bayek, so if a region feels wrong, check the number under its name on the map and go elsewhere first.
4. Dawn and Dusk from the Seer tree is worth an early skill point purely for stealth
Dawn and Dusk from the Seer tree is worth an early skill point purely for stealth. Most camps put half their guards to bed at night, which halves the number of patrol routes you need to defeat.
5. Reda at the Nomad's Bazaar posts daily bounties that pay in gear above your current level
Reda at the Nomad's Bazaar posts daily bounties that pay in gear above your current level. Doing his quests for a few in game days is faster than farming chests for the same power increase.
6. Dismantle rather than sell duplicate weapons
Dismantle rather than sell duplicate weapons. Bronze, iron, soft leather and hard leather from dismantling feed the blacksmith upgrades that actually raise Bayek's damage, and money is easier to find than materials.
7. Animal hides come from specific species
Animal hides come from specific species. Crocodile and hippo hides upgrade the highest tiers of the Hidden Blade and Breastplate, so plan a hunting trip along the Nile rather than hoping they drop in the desert.
8. Sleep darts turn Phylakes into free kills
Sleep darts turn Phylakes into free kills. Put the Phylake down with darts, walk up, and land a fully charged heavy or an assassination for a chunk of damage no fair fight would give you.
9. Fire is the strongest tool in the game for its cost
Fire is the strongest tool in the game for its cost. Shooting one oil jar inside a barracks kills several soldiers at once and does not scale with Bayek's level the way arrows do.
10. The twelve Stone Circles across Egypt open the Sphinx once all of them are aligned
The twelve Stone Circles across Egypt open the Sphinx once all of them are aligned. It is one of the few collectible chains worth completing, since it leads into an Isu chamber the story never mentions.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Hunter (A-Tier):
- Focus on Four bow classes combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Hunter Bow
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Warrior (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Predator Bow
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Assassin's Creed Origins's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Four bow classes + Senu eagle scouting: Hunter bows fire one heavy aimed shot, Predator bows let you steer a single arrow at sniping distance, Light bows empty five arrows in a fast burst from the hip, and Warrior bows throw five arrows at once in a shotgun spread. Combined with Senu eagle scouting, senu launches at any time and tags guards, captains, treasure chests, animals and quest objectives, which then stay marked when you drop back into bayek.
Adrenaline and Overpower + Hunter Warrior and Seer trees: Landing hits fills an adrenaline bar, and a full bar unlocks an Overpower attack that changes with the weapon class. When paired with Hunter Warrior and Seer trees, skill points feed three trees, hunter in green, warrior in red and seer in blue.
Phylakes bounty hunters scaling: Ten Phylakes patrol Egypt as named elite hunters who track Bayek by region once his notoriety climbs. Each is locked to a fixed level, the lowest sitting around level 20 near Alexandria, and each drops legendary gear, so they double as the fastest route to good weapons if you can outlevel them.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Hunter Bow | Hunting hides for crafting upgrades and taking a single unaware target from cover. | The standard aimed bow, firing one heavy shot with a slow draw and good damage. |
| Predator Bow | Clearing fort archers and captains before entering, and any objective where an alarm brazier must not be lit. | The sniper of the four classes. |
| Light Bow | Close quarters panic fire, finishing wounded enemies, and fights inside tombs where aiming is awkward. | An automatic bow that empties around five arrows in one burst from the hip without aiming down sights. |
| Warrior Bow | Emergency close range defence and duels against Phylakes who close the distance. | Fires five arrows at once in a spread. |
| Sickle Sword | Arena bouts and any fight that turns into a prolonged melee rather than a burst kill. | A fast melee class with quick combos and short reach, based on the curved khopesh. |
Location Efficiency
Siwa (Levels 1 to 5): The prologue oasis and Bayek's home, where the hunt for the Order of the Ancients begins at the Temple of Amun. It is deliberately small and low pressure, and it teaches Senu, tombs and the hidden blade before the map opens.
Alexandria (Levels 9 to 14): The Greek capital, dense with rooftops, libraries and Ptolemaic soldiers, and the first place the Order feels organised. It is also where the papyrus puzzle treasure hunts start paying out properly.
Giza (Levels 19 to 24): The pyramid plateau, with the Great Pyramid of Khufu open as a full tomb and the Sphinx sitting on top of one of the game's better secrets. Sand dunes make Senu scouting essential because sightlines on foot are terrible.
Memphis (Levels 23 to 28): The old Egyptian capital, built around the Temple of Ptah and a staged curse that turns out to be a political weapon. Enemy density is high and the city fights are the first that punish sloppy stealth.
Green Mountains (Levels 36 to 40): The Cyrenaican highlands in the far west, green and Greek rather than Egyptian, and the last region the main story reaches. Everything here is at or near the level 40 cap, including the arena in Cyrene.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Treating this like the older Assassin's Creed games, where guards died to any assassination. Origins gates hidden blade kills on level difference, so a target three levels above Bayek survives the strike.
- Sticking with the starting bow for twenty hours instead of testing all four classes, which hides the fact that Predator and Warrior bows solve completely different problems.
- Spending every skill point in the Warrior tree first, when Chain Assassination and Dawn and Dusk save far more time across a full playthrough.
- Selling gear for drachmas rather than dismantling it, then running out of the leather and bronze needed for the next Hidden Blade and Breastplate upgrade.
- Charging into Phylakes on sight, since they are level locked and often ten levels above you, and they hit hard enough to end a run of side quests instantly.
Pro Quick Tips
- Senu is not optional. Launching her before every fort marks guards, captains, chests and objectives, and those marks persist after she lands, which turns an assault into a plan rather than a scramble.
- Keep two bows equipped from different classes. A Predator bow for the opening kills and a Warrior bow for the moment a guard closes to melee covers roughly every situation the game creates.
- Level matters more than skill in Origins. A level 25 soldier will survive several clean hits from a level 20 Bayek, so if a region feels wrong, check the number under its name on the map and go elsewhere first.
- Start with Warrior, switch to Hunter when ready
- Invest in Hunter Bow above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Siwa → Alexandria → Giza → Memphis → Green Mountains. See our maps guide
- Four bow classes + Senu eagle scouting together are stronger than either alone
More Assassin's Creed Origins Guides
- Assassin's Creed Origins Assassin's Creed Origins Overview
- Assassin's Creed Origins Best Builds
- Assassin's Creed Origins Tier List
- Assassin's Creed Origins Walkthrough
- Assassin's Creed Origins Beginner's Guide
- Assassin's Creed Origins Weapons Guide
- Assassin's Creed Origins Combat Guide
- Assassin's Creed Origins Boss Guide
- Assassin's Creed Origins Maps & Locations
- Assassin's Creed Origins Crafting Guide
- Assassin's Creed Origins Classes & Characters
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