Fans of the Assassin’s Creed franchise can look at Assassin’s Creed Origins for a first glimpse at the beginnings of the iconic franchise’s story. After all, the story follows Bayek of Siwa and his involvement in the shadow conflict between the Hidden Ones and the Order of the Ancients, two sides that would eventually become today’s Assassin Brotherhood and the Templar Order. And in this particular Assassin’s Creed story, Bayek would have to rely on a variety of weapons, as well as what would become the precursor of the iconic Hidden Blade.
Thankfully for players, Bayek eventually becomes proficient in all manners of weaponry. And in Assassin’s Creed Origins, Bayek gains access to both ordinary and legendary weapons that could turn the tide of combat. However, in the early game, just which are the best weapons in Assassin's Creed Origins?
Updated December 30, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Assassin’s Creed Mirage seeing Basim Ibn Ishaq as he journeys the streets of Baghdad in his transition from lowly thief to full-fledged member of the Assassin Order, fans may be eager to see this title bring the series back to its roots. However, before fans fully transition from action RPG to deeper stealth action, they may want to look back at some of the franchise’s older games set in more ancient times to recall the origins of the eponymous Assassin Order. Prior to Basim’s initiation in Mirage is the journey of Bayek in Ancient Egypt, where he’s indoctrinated not into a Brotherhood, but simply as a guardian of an ancient secret. For players looking into gearing Bayek with the best gear, they may want to consider using a weapon from a weekly Animus challenge, weapons equipped by the deadly Phylakes mercenaries, or even a weapon procured in the Nomad’s Bazaar.
15 Sarissa
At some point in the player’s journey in Assassin’s Creed Origins and its open world, their character Medjay Bayek becomes the target of assassination through the Stranger, a formidable Phylakes mercenary. Defeating him in combat grants players control over the spear Sarissa, a massive spear.
In the possession of Bayek, Sarissa boasts a unique curved design that gives soldiers an advantage in mid-range combat, making it a favored weapon of the Macedonian army and Egyptian soldiers. As a game weapon, Sarissa boasts middling stats but rather remarkable boosts in Critical Hit Damage, as well as bonus Adrenaline upon kills. Its only setback is its Cursed nature, making players lose 33-percent of health with a return of a whopping 200-percent damage increase. At the hands of someone who likes to dodge and evade, the Sarissa can make quick work of most foes.
14 Smoke And Mirrors
When protagonist Bayek started exploring the Ineb-Hedjet Nome of Ancient Egypt, he became the target of the Iron Ram, one of the members of the elite Phylakes military unit. Armed with a bow and the shortsword, Bayek can make quick work of this soldier with his lack of defense. Doing so grants him Smoke and Mirrors, a Legendary Predator Bow that gives Bayek quite the supremacy in ranged combat when used properly enough.
Similar to other Predator Bows, Smoke and Mirrors has remarkable damage bonuses for an Assassin’s Creed Origins bow, with this particular bow granting boosts in Critical Hit Rate as well as Stealth Damage. When combined, Smoke and Mirrors at the hands of Bayek can help make quick work of enemies from afar. Combined with the bow’s On Fire attribute, hitting foes can constantly burn them, dealing much-needed damage over time to eliminate multiple enemies quickly.
13 Humbaba's Fang
While Reda of the Nomad’s Bazaar would regularly enlist Bayek’s help in completing certain objectives in Assassin’s Creed Origins, the shop she manages definitely has access to some of the most intricate wares in the game. Being the primary source of Carbon crystals and the legendary Heka Chests, players are able to access some of Assassin’s Creed Origins’ best armor and weapons through the Bazaar- one of which is Humbaba’s Fang.
This rather unconventional-looking sword boasts a blade that becomes wider from the hilt, giving it the appearance of a flat bat. Legend states the sword itself was crafted from the tooth of the giant Humbaba the Terrible after being slain by Gilgamesh. The legends surrounding the weapon are reflected in its abilities, such as boosts for Critical Hit Rate and Combo Multiplier, as well as stunning foes with Sleep on hit, practically giving Bayek the edge in maximizing his damage numbers when using Assassin’s Creed Origins Warrior Skills.
12 Imitation Siwan Khopesh
The khopesh remains one of the most recognizable weapons in Ancient Egypt, and it makes its way into Assassin’s Creed Origins via the Imitation Siwan Khopesh. This is one of the few weapons in the open-world Assassin’s Creed game with actual story significance, with the weapon being something Bayek gains after saving Kenthap’s mother, who operated a black market, from a group of bandits. Claimed as an actual khopesh from the remote village of Siwa, Bayek got the reward otherwise despite knowing its true nature.
Regardless of its questionable origins, the game does grant quite a number of interesting bonuses to Bayek while holding the imitation weapon. For instance, not only does the weapon boast additional Critical Hit Damage, but it also offers Bleeding on hit, giving players a hard time with damage over time. Not only that, but the weapon is also Cursed, boosting Bayek’s weapon by a whopping 200-percent with a 33 percent health decrease caveat, something players can easily take advantage of with the right balancing.
11 Conductor Of Souls
During the Trial of the Gods weekly events in the game, players are treated to simulated Animus fights against Egyptian gods Anubis, Sekmet, and Sobek, all offering varying degrees of difficulties and challenges along the way. When players secure a win in any normal fight in this challenge, they get access to the Conductor of Souls, a Legendary Sword said to be dedicated to Anubis, Egyptian Lord of the Dead.
The Conductor of Souls definitely looks ancient for its age, resembling a rusty gladius. However, the sword is not to be underestimated, as it provides quite a lot of useful buffs to players wielding it. For instance, aside from giving significant boosts to Critical Hit Rate and Combo Multiplier, the weapon also has a nifty lifesteal component. At the hands of the right player, this weapon can make a player’s Assassin’s Creed Origins gameplay much easier.
10 Cutting Axe
Despite the fast-paced nature of assassins, sometimes Bayek needs a little more firepower to send a message to his foes. This is where Heavy Blades come in, with the Cutting Axe a particularly potent choice for a beginner weapon.
At its core, the Cutting Axe boosts Bayek’s critical hit damage, making him a deadlier force on the battlefield once he gets his groove on. When upgraded appropriately, this Rare Heavy Blade can help Bayek score deadly hits more often. And while the Fan Axe can indeed boost damage on chain combos, the slower nature of the Heavy Blades makes combos much harder to pull off. As such, the Cutting Axe and its critical damage boost ensure Bayek’s hits deal high-enough damage whenever it counts.
9 Obsidian Bow
As a hunter, Bayek is trained in the Hunter Bow to secure his targets from afar. By nature, the Hunter Bow is unique in that it allows players to charge their attacks, potentially securing larger damage at a long distance. This makes the Bow perfect for timed shots, especially in assassinations.
One of the best early-game Hunter Bows is the Obsidian Bow, which grants additional damage on a critical hit. While the Obsidian Bow shares this quality with other Rare Hunter Bows such as Wolfsbane, Bow Of Arash, and Alchemist’s Dream, the Obsidian Bow packs a sleeker aesthetic that fits Bayek’s nature as a silent killer.
8 Shooting Star
Just because Bayek is an ancient assassin doesn’t mean he’s limited to close-quarters combat. Aside from his go-to blades and his bow-and-arrow, Bayek also has access to the Shooting Star. This Rare Spear allows him to dish out combos from a distance, ensuring his protection against most enemy combatants. Not only that, the Shooting Star boosts his critical hit rate, meaning Bayek has bigger chances of scoring critical hits in combat.
This works great with the Spear’s natural tendency to boost critical hit damage. Such a sync can encourage players to work on their combo chains more efficiently to score higher critical damage. However, despite the Shooting Star’s efficiency in securing criticals, effects that add damage to chains or bleeding damage, in general, might be more useful due to consistency.
7 Scepter Of Amun
Amun is considered the creator god in Egyptian mythology and history, earning him a high place in both the Egyptian pantheon and Ancient Egyptian culture. As such, it makes sense for the Scepter Of Amun to bear both a regal appearance and a rather sophisticated effect. At its core, the Scepter Of Amun is a Rare Scepter that deals additional critical hit damage. This means Bayek’s critical hits deal more damage than its usual already-boosted damage.
However, what makes this much deadlier is the Scepter’s natural tendency to boost damage on combo attacks. Since the only way to score a critical hit is to attack regularly, the Scepter’s innate combo-based damage can almost always motivate players to dish out combos to score that sweet critical.
6 Skull-Breaker
Thanks to the Adrenaline mechanic, Origins allows Bayek to dish out deadly special moves in the heat of battle that depend on the weapon he’s currently using. For a Rare Heavy Blunt like the Skull-Breaker, this almost always means bashing opponents into oblivion. However, the Skull-Breaker is a more potent weapon than it sounds.
The Skull-Breaker grants constant Adrenaline regeneration in combat, improving the player’s odds of filling their Adrenaline bar for sick finishers. This is proven more efficient due to the fact that Heavy Blunts by nature give players bonus Adrenaline after kills. Players who love the more stylish combat in Origins will enjoy dishing out one special move after the next with the Skull-Breaker.
5 Mirror Blades
It’s in Assassin’s Creed Origins that the game experiences a radical overhaul in its combat system since it now opts for hitbox-based action combat instead of its usual prompt-based mechanics. In turn, Bayek can now hit or miss opponents based on relative distance as well as the overall rhythm of his combos, which makes the Mirror Blades quite useful.
Acquired as a pair of Rare Dual Blades, the Mirror Blades boost his damage on chain. At its core, this means Bayek dishes out more damage if he attacks opponents in combo chains, making him a more potent combatant once he gets in the groove. Due to this, the Mirror Blades and the fast-paced nature of the Dual Blades weapon class in general do motivate players to practice their combo strings.
4 Bitter Bow
While Bayek is trained in the art of attacking silently with the bow, his expertise in the Light Bows allows him to attack multiple times without breaking a sweat. In the game, this translates into a much higher firing rate in place of the lack of charging opportunities, which works well for players who want to go fast and loose in combat.
Such a Light Bow that fits this damage potential is the Bitter Bow. This Rare Light Bow can dish out additional damage whenever it becomes a part of the chain, further incentivizing long-distance assassins to score hits more consistently in order to deal more damage in combat. For a bow with a fast firing rate, the Bitter Bow can ensure Bayek kills his foes before they even get close.
3 Priest Of Ma’at
In Egyptian mythology, Ma’at is the personification of justice and order and is usually the final arbiter of one’s journey into the afterlife. As such, it’s appropriate for the Priest Of Ma’at to come in the form of a Rare Warrior Bow to determine one’s destiny. At its core, the Priest Of Ma’at allows Bayek to deal bleeding damage on hit, ensuring enemies constantly bleed after taking damage.
This fits quite well with the nature of Warrior Bows, in that they can fire multiple arrows simultaneously toward targets. In high-stress situations, the Priest Of Ma’at can become a shotgun-esque weapon that can dispatch or distract targets quickly before players either close the gap or create distance in the world’s vast environments.
2 Sword Of Ptah
In Egyptian mythology, Ptah is the patron god of craftsmen, which makes the Sword Of Ptah a fitting Rare Sickle Sword for Bayek to use. Its effect is to essentially boost damage dealt to enemies when attacking in chains, encouraging players to dish out their best combos to maximize their damage to enemies.
This works well with the Sword’s nature as a Sickle Sword, which naturally inflicts bleeding damage to foes. This means Bayek’s attacks almost always inflict a damage-over-time component which, when added to the Sword Of Ptah’s extra combo damage, can make paper out of enemies’ bodies.
1 Sword Of The Free
A representation of Bayek’s nature as a free spirit, the Sword Of The Free is one of the more potent early-game Rare Regular Swords out there. Capable of inflicting Bleeding damage, the Sword Of The Free can become an integral asset in combat due to this damage-over-time effect.
Not only that, this effect works great with the nature of the Regular Sword in general, as they provide a natural boost in critical rate. As such, Bayek can dish out more critical hits through his attacks, with the Sword’s effect guaranteeing that enemies take damage one way or the other.
Assassin's Creed Origins was released in October 2017 for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Google Stadia.
