Assassin's Creed Origins - The Save Game Vault

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a 2017 action role-playing video game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. Serving as the tenth major installment in the franchise, Origins represents one of the most significant turning points in the series’ history. Following the commercial underperformance of Syndicate in 2015, Ubisoft broke its annualized release cycle, taking an extra year to completely reimagine the core mechanics. The result was a massive pivot from a traditional action-adventure stealth game into a sprawling, open-world action-RPG.

Set in the twilight of Ptolemaic Egypt (49–43 BC), the game tells the foundational origin story of the Assassin Brotherhood. Players control Bayek of Siwa, one of the last Medjay (an ancient order of protectors). After his young son is tragically murdered by a shadowy cabal known as the Order of the Ancients, Bayek and his wife Aya embark on a relentless quest for vengeance across the scorching sands and bustling cities of Egypt. Their crusade inevitably entwines them in a massive civil war and historical power struggles involving Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Ptolemy XIII. Realizing that the Order’s grasp on the world requires a permanent, organized resistance, Bayek and Aya ultimately found “The Hidden Ones”—the precursors to the modern Assassins.

Gameplay

Origins completely abandoned the engine mechanics of the previous games, rebuilding combat, traversal, and progression from the ground up to align with modern open-world RPG standards, drawing heavy inspiration from games like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.

Key gameplay mechanics include:

Hitbox-Based Combat: The old system of paired animations and one-hit counter-kills was entirely scrapped. Origins utilizes a hitbox-driven combat system where players must actively manage their spacing, use light and heavy attacks, block with a shield, and dodge. Weapons have different weights, ranges, and attack speeds, dramatically changing how combat flows.
RPG Progression and Loot: Bayek earns experience points to level up, unlocking nodes on a massive skill tree divided into three paths: Hunter (archery), Warrior (melee), and Seer (tools and stealth). The game also introduces a color-coded loot system, where players find or buy weapons with varying rarities (Common, Rare, Legendary) and specific stat bonuses.
Eagle Companion: The traditional “Eagle Vision” radar is replaced by a literal eagle named Senu. Players can take control of Senu to fly high above the landscape, scouting enemy forts, tagging guards, and locating hidden treasure before Bayek moves in.
A Massive Country: Instead of a single city, the open world encompasses a massive, scaled-down version of the entire country of Egypt. Players seamlessly explore the Nile delta, the Library of Alexandria, the sprawling desert dunes, and the interiors of the Great Pyramids without loading screens.
Overhauled Stealth: While stealth is still a viable option, it is no longer guaranteed. The Hidden Blade is tied to an RPG stat; if an enemy’s level is significantly higher than Bayek’s, a stealth attack may only critically wound them rather than resulting in an instant assassination.

Development and Legacy

Developed by the same core team at Ubisoft Montreal that created the acclaimed Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag (led by director Ashraf Ismail), Origins was a massive, ambitious undertaking. The team spent years researching ancient Egypt, working closely with historians and Egyptologists to recreate the era with stunning authenticity. This dedication to historical accuracy was so profound that Ubisoft later released the “Discovery Tour” mode, a combat-free educational tool that allows players to take guided museum-style tours of the game’s world.

The modern-day storyline also received a soft reboot. Origins introduced a new playable protagonist, Layla Hassan, a brilliant Abstergo researcher who builds her own portable Animus and goes rogue to experience Bayek’s memories.

Upon its release in October 2017, Assassin’s Creed Origins was widely celebrated as a triumphant return to form for the franchise. Critics and fans praised the jaw-droppingly beautiful open world, the deep and engaging new combat system, and especially the incredibly emotional, nuanced voice performance by Abubakar Salim as Bayek. The game was a massive commercial success, validating Ubisoft’s decision to take a year off and successfully laying the RPG foundation that would carry the franchise into its next era with Odyssey (2018) and Valhalla (2020).

Key Features:

The Birth of the Brotherhood — Experience the tragic and epic origin story of how the Assassin Order was first created by the Medjay, Bayek of Siwa.
RPG Reinvention — Dive into deep progression systems, managing skill trees, crafting upgrades, and hunting for legendary loot.
Dynamic Hitbox Combat — Master a challenging, highly tactical combat system utilizing shields, heavy weapons, dual swords, and a variety of specialized bows.
Explore Ancient Egypt — Journey across an awe-inspiring, seamless map featuring the Giza plateau, the lush oases of the Fayyum, and the bustling streets of Alexandria.
Senu’s Vision — Scout massive enemy fortresses from the sky using your faithful eagle companion to plan your attack.