What We Know About Assassin’s Creed Origins After its E3 2017 Trailers

Combat Overhaul

With the series having taken a year off in 2016, many fans were wondering exactly what Ubisoft would be doing in order to improve the formula that had grown a little stale. One particular aspect that felt dated was Assassin’s Creed’s combat, which, by the looks of the gameplay walkthrough we received today, seems to have been given a pretty big overhaul. Towards the end of the gameplay walkthrough, we got a proper look at the new assassin Bayek engaging in some hand-to-hand combat.

Origins’ combat still definitely has its roots firmly placed in the series’ past, but there’s a level of fluidity in that helps to add an added layer of strategy to proceedings. Watching Bayek quickly duck and weave his way around the enemy before unleashing a wave of slashes with his sword looks way more fun than the monotonous rolling, blocking, and parrying animations we saw in the past.

As we’ve seen in previous Assassin’s Creed games, Bayek also had access to a bow in order to take down his enemies from distance. If the combat had put you off the series in the past, Origins looks like it might do enough to bring you back in.

Eagle

Eagles have always been a big deal in the Assassin’s Creed series. Whether it was the fact that the majestic bird was always around one of the leaps of faith, or the handy eagle vision that allowed you to pinpoint enemies or places of interest, they always seemed to show up. However, Origins looks set to put them right in the spotlight of the gameplay.

During the gameplay walkthrough, we saw Bayek using his eagle companion, Senu, to scout the area ahead. This revealed enemy details such as their levels, as well as giving players the option to set markers to scout out on foot at a later date.

According to a post that’s gone up on UbiBlog, Senu can also be upgraded with extra abilities, such as being able to distract enemies by lunging down from the sky. A skill that’ll come in handy for those who need the heat taken off them during particularly intense quests.

Equipment System

While our past assassins have had equipment at their disposal in the past, Assassin’s Creed Origins is set to bring it to a whole new level. Rather than the basic and often pointless system we’ve seen in the past, Origins adds an RPG element to the series in the form of an enhanced system. In the trailer, we get a quick look at the equipment screen which shows the ability to dismantle items, a number of buffs being associated to some, and an inventory which contains the crafting materials which can be used to craft other handy items.

According to the same preview post over on UbiBlog, players will be able to use these crafting materials to create items such as “firebombs, poison clouds, traps, and more.”

Level System

An entirely new system in Assassin’s Creed Origins, and one which certainly makes it feel more like an RPG is a new level system. As you can see in the top right-hand corner of the image above, Bayek has an EXP bar that fills as he performs a number of different actions. When the bar is filled, Bayek will level up, earning points which can be used to unlock abilities.

It’s not just Bayek that has a level, though. At a number of different times during the gameplay walkthrough, a shield with a number inside can be seen appearing above the heads of enemies that Bayek sees directly, or with the assistance of his eagle Senu. As such, there’s a good chance that players may have to return to heavily guarded areas at a later date once they’ve leveled up more.

While the full extent of the level up system remains to be seen, it’s also worth noting that weapons have their own level system. Rather than leveling up through actions, though, this is done through the aforementioned crafting system which increases the stats of the gear and its appearance.

Underwater Exploration

Water has rarely been something properly explored in an Assassin’s Creed title. Sure, we got to go fishing a bit in Black Flag and do some basic swimming, but fully exploring underwater has been out of the question. Assassin’s Creed Origins aims to change that and we got a quick look at it in its gameplay trailer.

Though it wasn’t for too long, Bayek could be seen being chased by a crocodile before slashing it across the face with his sword. The UbiBlog post also dives into this feature a little more, too. Players will be able to “freely dive wrecks and underwater ruins in search of loot.” However, they’ll need to watch out for the hippos and crocodiles that inhabit the waters, as they’re far from friendly… unless you’ve tamed them, that is.

Animal Taming

While you’ll have the ability to use a number of handy items such as firebombs and traps to uncover the origins of the Brotherhood, Bayek will also have animals at his disposal to take down any enemies that stand in your way. While not actually shown in the trailers, the UbiBlog post that has recently gone up talks about how players will be able to tame animals that can then be brought into battle.

You’ll have to use the sleep darts in the process, and the post suggests it could be quite a lengthy process, but come on, it’d be totally worth it to bring a hippo into battle!

Emphasis on Monsters and Mythology?

At the very end of Assassin’s Creed Origins’ gameplay trailer, we got our first ever look at what seems to be monsters and mythology making really coming into its own in the series. Bayek, in a darkened tomb, comes face to face with what looks like some kind of mythological snake.

In previous entries, players have never had much variation in the enemies they’re taking down, at least nothing that’d come close to being as badass as a giant snake. While it remains to be seen if this is the only monster we’ll be taking on in Origins, there’s plenty of awesome creatures in ancient Egyptian mythology that’d certainly make for epic boss battles.