Assassins Creed Origins Deluxe Edition Wiki - Complete Guide

Quick Facts

Assassin's Creed Origins Deluxe Edition is the premium retail version of the tenth major installment in the legendary Assassin's Creed franchise. Developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft, this edition elevates the base game by bundling in a curated selection of digital extras designed to enhance the player's immersion in ancient Egypt. The game represents a massive paradigm shift for the franchise, pivoting away from the stealth-action tropes of previous entries and fully embracing the action-RPG genre. It is available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (via backward compatibility), Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC (Windows).

Upon its initial release in October 2017, the Deluxe Edition served as the middle tier between the standard base game and the sprawling Gold Edition. While it does not include the massive "The Hidden Ones" and "The Curse of the Pharaohs" story expansions (which are reserved for the Gold and Ultimate editions), it provides a wealth of cosmetic and practical bonuses. These include the exclusive "Secrets of the First Pyramids" mission, the Desert Cobra pack (featuring a mount, outfit, and weapons), and a digital soundtrack. The game itself carries an 'M' for Mature rating from the ESRB due to its intense violence, partial nudity, and strong language.

What Makes It Special

The Deluxe Edition of Assassin's Creed Origins is special not just because of what it adds to the package, but because of the foundational masterpiece it grants access to. Origins is widely regarded by the gaming community as the savior of the Assassin's Creed franchise. After years of declining sales and player fatigue with the annual release cycle, Ubisoft took a year off to completely retool the series. The result was a game that felt breathtakingly fresh.

A Living, Breathing Egypt

What truly sets Origins apart is its staggering recreation of Ancient Egypt during the Ptolemaic period (49–43 BC). The map is a massive, uninterrupted open world that features no loading screens once you are in the game. You can ride your horse from the sun-drenched, chaotic streets of Alexandria, through the lush, swampy banks of the Nile Delta, across the unforgiving, sand-swept deserts of Siwa, and into the towering, majestic ruins of Giza. The game world operates on a fully simulated day-and-night cycle and dynamic weather system. You will see hippos bathing in the rivers, ibises taking flight as you approach, and sandstorms rolling in to drastically reduce visibility.

The Birth of the Brotherhood

Lore-wise, this game is the most important entry in the entire franchise. It answers the question fans had been asking for a decade: "Where did the Assassins come from?" Origins shows the gritty, tragic, and spontaneous formation of the "Hidden Ones," the precursor organization to the Assassin Brotherhood. It strips away the romanticized notion of ancient assassins and replaces it with a story of desperate people fighting against overwhelming, systemic tyranny.

The Deluxe Edition Exclusives

The specific draw of the Deluxe Edition lies in its curated bonuses. The Desert Cobra Pack allows players to outfit Bayek in a striking snake-themed armor set, wield a venomous fang-like sickle sword, and ride a majestic cobra-scaled camel. The Secrets of the First Pyramids mission grants access to a hidden tomb beneath the Great Pyramid of Giza, rewarding players with a unique cosmetic shield. Furthermore, the edition grants players the Ship (a traditional felucca sailing vessel) and an exclusive Mount, ensuring you travel the Mediterranean and the deserts in style from hour one.

How to Play

Assassin's Creed Origins completely overhauled the classic Assassin's Creed control scheme. If you are coming from older games like Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag or Assassin's Creed Unity, you will need to relearn how to move, fight, and sneak.

Combat System

Gone are the days of waiting for enemies to attack so you can press a single button to counter and kill them. Combat in Origins is a heavy, methodical, hitbox-based system heavily inspired by games like Dark Souls or Monster Hunter. You have a light attack, a heavy attack (which breaks enemy guards), and a dodge roll. Positioning is everything. If you swing your sword and an enemy sidesteps, you will hit empty air. You must unlock a shield to block incoming attacks, time your dodges to avoid heavy blunt weapons, and use your environment to your advantage. Sickle swords are fast but lack range; swords are balanced; spears have massive reach but are slow; and heavy blunt weapons deal staggering damage at the cost of speed.

Stealth and The Hidden Blade

Interestingly, the iconic Hidden Blade is not a permanent fixture on Bayek’s wrist in this game. Because the Brotherhood hasn't been formed yet, the Hidden Blade is a physical object that Bayek must equip in his weapon wheel, taking up a valuable slot. Stealth relies heavily on hiding in tall grass, bushes, or on rooftops. You can whistle to attract guards, shoot birds to create distractions, and use Senu (your eagle companion) to tag enemies and highlight their patrol routes before you strike.

The RPG Mechanics

Progression is entirely level-gated. Enemies have specific levels, and if a foe is even two or three levels higher than you, they will act as a damage sponge and can easily kill you in one or two hits. You gain experience points by completing quests, discovering locations, and clearing out enemy camps. Leveling up grants you a single ability point, and you also find Ability Points inside hidden tombs across the map.

Senu: The Eagle Drone

Controlling Senu is essentially operating a biological drone. By pressing a button, the camera shifts to Senu's perspective. You can fly over encampments to mark the locations of loot chests, identify the level of the captain leading the camp, and spot hidden objectives. The longer you hover in one spot, the more detailed the tagging becomes, eventually revealing the structural weaknesses of the environment.

World & Lore

The historical setting of Assassin's Creed Origins is arguably the most compelling character in the game. Set during the final days of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, the world is a melting pot of cultures, religions, and political tensions.

A Fractured Egypt

The Egypt of 49 BC is not ruled by Egyptians; it is ruled by the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty, personified by the young, manipulative Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII and his influential advisor, the real-life historical figure Ptolemaic General. The traditional Egyptian priesthood has been sidelined, and the common people are heavily taxed and oppressed by a corrupt local police force known as the Phylakitai. This systemic oppression is the powder keg that sets the game's events in motion.

Factions and Politics

The player will navigate a complex web of factions. You will interact with the newly arrived Roman military forces under the command of Julius Caesar, who arrives in Egypt to resolve a civil war between Ptolemy XIII and his sister, Cleopatra. You will deal with the Order of the Ancients, a shadowy cabal of powerful individuals manipulating world events from behind the scenes (the precursors to the Templar Order). You will also align with various rebel groups, bedouin tribes, and smugglers who are all trying to survive in a fractured society.

Locations of Interest

• Siwa: Bayek's homeland, a remote oasis village characterized by its lush palm groves and the massive Oracle of Amun temple. It serves as the game's emotional anchor.
• Alexandria: The intellectual capital of the ancient world. Here you will find the Great Library, the Pharos lighthouse, and a stark contrast of Greek and Egyptian architecture.
• Giza: Home to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. This area is a massive playground for secrets, hidden tombs, and astronomical puzzles.
• Faiyum: A vast, flooded oasis region teeming with crocodiles, hippos, and dangerous swamp terrain, featuring some of the hardest enemy outposts in the game.

Bayek of Siwa

You play as Bayek, a Medjay. Historically, the Medjay were an elite paramilitary police force in ancient Egypt, but by the time of the Ptolemies, the title is mostly ceremonial. Bayek, however, takes the ethos of the Medjay—the protection of the innocent and the maintenance of justice—seriously. He is a far more emotional, grounded, and tragic protagonist than previous Assassins. He is driven not by a grand political conspiracy initially, but by a deeply personal quest for vengeance after a terrible tragedy shatters his family. His journey from a grieving father to the founder of a global assassin network is the emotional core of the experience.

Getting Started Guide

Jumping into an open-world RPG of this magnitude can be overwhelming. If you are booting up the Deluxe Edition for the first time, follow these foundational steps to ensure a smooth start.

1. Claim Your Deluxe Items Immediately

Before you even finish the prologue in Siwa, pause the game, navigate to the "Inventory" menu, and go to the "Ubisoft Club" or "Rewards" section. Here, you can redeem the Desert Cobra pack. Equip the outfit and the sickle sword. While the stats on these items will quickly be outleveled by gear you find in the world, they look fantastic, and having them early gives you a stylish aesthetic for your first few hours.

2. Master the Art of Dodging

During the prologue, the game will teach you the basics of combat. Pay close attention to the dodge mechanic. Do not rely on your shield to block everything; heavy blunt weapons (wielded by brutes) will break your guard and stagger you. Instead, keep your distance, wait for an enemy to wind up a red-highlighted heavy attack, and dodge into or away from the strike to create an opening for a counter-attack.

3. Sync Every Viewpoint

As you leave Siwa and enter the broader world, your first instinct might be to follow the main quest marker. Resist this urge. Take your time to climb the towering同步点 (viewpoints) in each sub-region. Syncing a viewpoint reveals the map, but more importantly, it allows Senu to automatically scan the surrounding area for points of interest, treasure, and side quests.

4. Do Side Quests to Avoid Level Gating

The main story in Origins scales aggressively. If you only do main quests, you will quickly find yourself underleveled, facing enemies that take dozens of hits to kill while they can dispatch you in a single swing. To avoid this frustration, adopt a "clear the map" mentality. If you are Level 10 and the next main quest requires Level 13, stop what you are doing and complete side quests, clear outposts, and investigate question marks until you are properly leveled.

5. Unlock the Ability Tree Strategically

The ability tree is divided into three branches: Hunter (Ranged), Warrior (Melee), and Seer (Tools and Stealth). Early on, prioritize the Seer branch. Unlocking abilities like "Sleep Darts" and "Chain Assassination" will make clearing outposts significantly easier and safer. In the Warrior tree, "Shield Bash" is an essential early unlock as it opens up enemy defenses. Leave the deep Hunter upgrades for later in the game when you have access to legendary bows.

6. Dismantle Gear for Crafting

You will constantly be picking up new weapons and shields. Do not sell standard (white) or rare (blue) gear to merchants. Instead, dismantle them in your inventory screen. This breaks them down into crafting materials like Soft Leather, Wood, and Iron. You need massive amounts of these materials to upgrade your quiver capacity, your tool pouch, and your hidden blade damage at any blacksmith.

7. Play the "Secrets of the First Pyramids" Mission

As a Deluxe Edition owner, you have access to this exclusive mission. It becomes available early in the game when you reach the Giza region. Do not put this off until the end of the game. The mission involves a fascinating puzzle inside the Great Pyramid and rewards you with a high-level shield early on. Plus, the lore implications of what you find down there tie directly into the broader Assassin's Creed universe mythology.

Common Questions

Does the Deluxe Edition include the DLC story expansions?

No. The Deluxe Edition includes the base game and digital exclusive content (the Desert Cobra pack, the Secrets of the First Pyramids mission, the soundtrack, and credits). It does not include "The Hidden Ones" or "The Curse of the Pharaohs" expansions. If you want those, you need to purchase the Gold Edition or the Season Pass separately.

Is the Deluxe Edition content worth it over the Standard Edition?

If you find the Deluxe Edition on sale for just a few dollars more than the Standard Edition, it is absolutely worth picking up. The Desert Cobra armor set is one of the coolest cosmetic items in the game, and the Secrets of the First Pyramids mission is a fun, unique puzzle experience. However, at full price, the difference is minimal, and you might be better off saving that money toward the Gold Edition if you care about post-game content.

Can I transfer my Deluxe Edition progress to the PS5 or Xbox Series X/S?

Yes. Because Assassin's Creed Origins does not have a dedicated next-gen upgrade patch, the PS4 and Xbox One versions run on next-gen consoles via backward compatibility. Your saves will transfer over perfectly. The game actually runs remarkably well on newer hardware, often maintaining a locked 60 frames per second on the Xbox Series X, making the experience feel incredibly smooth.

Is this game too different from older Assassin's Creed titles?

It depends on what you loved about the older games. If you loved the fast-paced, counter-heavy combat of the Ezio or Kenway eras, Origins will feel very slow and clunky to you at first. If you loved tailing missions and linear stealth sequences, you might be disappointed by the RPG structure. However, if you appreciate deep lore, incredible historical tourism, and the satisfaction of leveling up and customizing a character, Origins is a massive upgrade over its predecessors.

How long does it take to beat the base game?

If you rush straight through the main story missions, doing only the bare minimum of side content required to keep your level up, the game will take roughly 30 to 40 hours. However, if you engage with the world like most players do—clearing outposts, completing side quests, hunting down the Order of the Ancients members, and exploring the hidden tombs—you are looking at a 60 to 80-hour experience. If you are a completionist who wants to 100% the map, expect to spend well over 100 hours in Ancient Egypt.