Assassin’s Creed Origins – Abilities Guide

In Assassin’s Creed Origins you will have 3 abilities at the start; Eagle Tagging, Overpower and Call Mount. As Ability Points are earned, skills may be purchased at the Abilities screen. In order to acquire an ability, you must own at least one connecting ability.  

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You may earn the APs each time you complete the following actions:

• Level up 1per level – 39 total
• Earn 10,000 XP after reaching Level 40 – Infinite
• Meditate at a hermit location – 5 total
• Complete a tomb – 14 total
• Defeat a War Elephant – 4 total

To acquire all of the abilities, you must spend 85 AP. In addition, each of the master abilities can be purchased multiple times at 1 AP per upgrade. You can earn 62 AP by reaching Level 40 and completing all tombs, War Elephants and hermit locations.

Eagle Tagging

• Ability: Given at start
• Effect: Tag enemies from the Eagle Hover mode by holding the Aim button and moving the cursor across the foes

Eagle Harass

• Ability: Charge Heavy Attack or Bow Bearer
• Effect: The Eagle can help the hero by harassing nearby enemies. While in Eagle Hover mode, press the button indicated on your HUD to have Senu stun enemies. Also during combat, Senu will harass enemies from time to time.

Bow Bearer

• Ability: Charge Heavy Attack, Eagle Harass, Arrow Retriever, Enhanced light bow, Enhanced Predator Bow, Enhanced hunter bow, or Enhanced Warrior Bow
• Effect: With this ability, the player can equip a second bow in the Gear menu. While in game, press the D-pad left to switch between the two bows.

Arrow Retriever

• Ability: Available from start
• Effect: Unlocks the possibility to retrieve arrows that have been blocked with your shield.

Headshot XP

• Ability: Available from start
• Effect: Earn bonus XP upon killing with a headshot.

Assassination XP

• Ability: Available from start
• Effect: Earn bonus XP upon killing with an assassination.

Assassination loot

• Ability: Headshot XP, Stealth Kill Streak, or Tool Kill XP
• Effect: Automatically loot an enemy after an assassination.

Stealth Kill Streak

• Ability: Assassination Loot or Chain Assassination
• Effect: Gain extra XP if you perform a stealth kill immediately after another stealth kill.

Enhanced Light Bow

• Ability: Bow Bearer or Elite Ranger
• Effect: Increases the number of arrows you can fire before needing to reload.

Enhanced Predator Bow

• Ability: Bow Bearer or Elite Ranger
• Effect: Allows the player to control the arrow when shooting with any predator bow. Hold the shoot button and use the left analog stick to control the arrow in the air.

Enhanced Hunter Bow

• Ability: Bow Bearer or Elite Ranger
• Effect: Allows the player to break a shield defense by charging a shot from any hunter bow. Hold the shoot button to perform the attack.

Enhanced Warrior Bow

• Ability: Bow Bearer or Elite Ranger
• Effect: Reduce the dispersion zone by charging any warrior bow with the shoot button. This concentrates the damage on a single target.

Hunter’s Instinct

• Ability: Bow Fury or Assassination XP
• Effect: Allows the player to see the paths of enemies. While in hover mode with Senu, mark an enemy to see his current activity and destination. Enables the player to set an ambush along the enemy’s path.

Elite Ranger

• Ability: Enhanced Light Bow, Enhanced Predator Bow, Enhanced Hunter Bow, Enhanced Warrior Bow, Bow Fury, or Master Hunter
• Effect: As an Elite Ranger, Bayek enters slow motion when aiming his bow while in the air (hold the Aim button). Perform a headshot during the maneuver to score an achievement/trophy.

Bow Fury

• Ability: Elite Ranger, Hunter’s Instinct, Chain Assassination, or Master Hunter
• Effect: Using a bow to perform a stealth kill activates slow motion for 3 seconds, giving the player an opportunity to perform another quick stealth kill. This only happens outside of conflict, so once detected, this is not an option.

Chain Assassination

• Ability: Stealth Kill Streak, Bow Fury, or Master Hunter
• Effect: Allows the player to use his knife to stealthy kill another target after an assassination by pressing the button shown on screen.

Master Hunter

• Ability: Elite Ranger, Bow Fury, or Chain Assassination
• Effect: Increase bow damage by +1{ad0b53be2d5c5d18a99e20ff09d5b2ab365deb4c843e9bf9a16eb8b27c6b832d}. This ability can be acquired multiple times. This becomes extremely handy when attempting the toughest challenges in the game, such as War Elephants and Phylakes.

Overpower

• Ability: Given at start
• Effect: Given at the start of the game, this allows for an Overpower attack once the adrenaline bar is filled. Unleash the special attack by pressing the two buttons shown on the adrenaline meter. Swords, spears, heavy blades, and dual swords trigger an Overpower attack, a high-damage attack on a single enemy.
• The sickle sword, scepter, and heavy blunt trigger Fury mode, which gives increased damage and speed for a few seconds.

Charge Heavy Attack

• Ability: Regeneration, Eagle Harass, or Bow Bearer
• Effect: Allows the player to charge a Heavy Attack by holding down the Heavy Attack button. A fully charged Heavy Attack will shield break tower shields and knock enemies to the ground. Use this move carefully as you are vulnerable to attack, during the charge.

Regeneration

• Ability: Available from start
• Effect: The player’s health regenerates during a fight.

Air Attack

• Ability: Regeneration or Hijack
• Effect: Allows the player to perform an Air Attack against an enemy located below the player. When above an aware target, a Leap Attack option appears above the foe’s head. Press the indicated button to attack from this position. Assassinations are still possible when undetected.

Overpower Ultra

• Ability: Weapon Bearer
• Effect: Doubles the damage done by Overpower attacks.

Parry

• Ability: Regeneration
• Effect: Allows the player to deflect an incoming attack by tapping the parry button while in Shield mode. Hold Shield Lock to enter Shield mode and then press the Parry button just as an opponent attacks. This staggers the enemy, providing the opportunity to perform a counterattack.

Hijack

• Ability: Air Attack or Smoke Screen
• Effect: Allows players to hijack guards on vehicles and take control of their mount/vehicle.

Overpower Chain Throw

• Ability: Overpower XP, Overpower Combo, Overpower Ultra, or Master Warrior
• Effect: After an Overpower attack, press the Light Attack button to chain with a combo of light attacks.

Overpower Combo

• Ability: Weapon Bearer
• Effect: Allows the player to chain an Overpower attack with additional attacks. The type of attack added to the Overpower attack varies, depending on the weapon equipped. With dual swords, chain light attacks after the Overpower. With the spear, chain a throw attack after the Overpower. With the sword, chain a stun attack after the Overpower.

Weapon Bearer

• Ability: Parry
• Effect: Allows the player to equip a second melee weapon. Press D-pad right to switch between the two melee weapons.

Adrenaline 1

• Ability: Weapon Bearer
• Effect: Always start a conflict with a half-filled adrenaline gauge.

Shield Charge

• Ability: Adrenaline 1 or Adrenaline 2
• Effect: When in shield mode, hold the parry button to run at your target and bash enemies in your way. This consumes adrenaline and thus requires adrenaline to perform. Use the maneuver to close in on a target, being careful of incoming attacks.

Overpower XP

Req. Ability: Weapon Bearer

Effect: Earn additional XP upon killing with the Overpower attack.

Attack & Push

• Ability: Weapon Bearer
• Effect: Unlocks the ability to charge the light attack by holding the Light Attack button after a light attack, pushing the enemy away.

Extend Combo

• Ability: Adrenaline 1 or Kill Loot
• Effect: Allows the player to deal an additional attack against an enemy before entering recovery.

Kill Loot

• Ability: Extend Combo or Master Warrior
• Effect: Automatically loots an enemy after killing with a melee attack.

Adrenaline 2

• Ability: Shield Charge or Master Warrior
• Effect: Always start a conflict with a full adrenaline gauge.

Master Warrior

• Ability: Overpower Chain Throw or Adrenaline 2
• Effect: Increase melee damage by +1{ad0b53be2d5c5d18a99e20ff09d5b2ab365deb4c843e9bf9a16eb8b27c6b832d}. This ability can be acquired multiple times. Good for those who prefer combat close up.

Call Mount

• Ability: Given at start
• Effect: Given to Bayek at the start of the game, this ability allows Bayek to call his mount by holding D-Pad down.

Fire bomb

• Ability: Dawn & Dusk or Smoke Screen
• Effect: Unlocks the ability to use firebombs. Equip the tool at the Gear screen and hold D-pad left to equip it. Hold Aim to aim and Heavy Attack to throw it. Sets enemies and certain flammable objects on fire.

Dawn & Dusk

• Ability: Available from start
• Effect: With this ability, hold the world map button to sit and make time speed forward. Changes night to day and vice versa. This is useful when nighttime is too dark, a quest requires you meet someone at a certain time of day, or you wish to change NPCs’ positions and actions. Some enemy strongholds and animal dens tend to be less active at night. Assassinations can be performed against sleeping soldiers.

Salesman

• Ability: Dawn & Dusk, Tool Kill XP, or Buy Materials
• Effect: Allows the player to sell animal goods and trinkets at +25{ad0b53be2d5c5d18a99e20ff09d5b2ab365deb4c843e9bf9a16eb8b27c6b832d} the price.

Tool Kill XP

• Ability: Backstore, Salesman, or Assassination Loot
• Effect: Rewards player with XP upon killing with a tool. For fire weapons (firebomb, fire arrow, and torch), XP is only given with a kill that results from the hit, not from the burning effect. Same holds true for the poison dart. XP is awarded for killing with an exploding oil jar and Smoke Screen attack.

Smoke Screen

• Ability: Hijack, Pyromaniac, Smoke Screen Damage, or Fire bomb
• Effect: Press the interact button after melee attacking or rolling to drop this powder. It stuns nearby enemies and creates a smoke screen. Smoke screens can break line of sight. Use to flee trouble or get the jump on an enemy.

Sleep Darts

• Ability: Dawn & Dusk or Flesh Decay
• Effect: Unlocks Sleep Darts in the inventory. Equip the tool at the Gear screen and hold D-pad left to equip them. Hold Aim to aim and Heavy Attack to throw it. Enemies or animals at your level or lower will fall asleep when hit with a sleep dart. Great for handling multiple foes, taking one or more out of the action.

Flesh Decay

• Ability: Sleep Darts or Berserk
• Effect: Unlocks Flesh Decay tool, which is used after a kill by holding the indicated button. Poisoned corpses contaminate nearby NPCs.

Backstore

• Ability: Tool Kill XP, Buy Materials, or Chariot Owner
• Effect: Bayek can now acquire rare gear at shops.

Pyromaniac

• Ability: Smoke Screen or Animal Taming
• Effect: The fire produced by fire weapons (fire bomb, fire arrow, and torch) causes 50{ad0b53be2d5c5d18a99e20ff09d5b2ab365deb4c843e9bf9a16eb8b27c6b832d} greater damage.

Smoke Screen Damage

• Ability: Smoke Screen or Animal Taming
• Effect: Enemies caught within the radius of a smoke screen now take damage and are knocked to the ground.

Berserk

• Ability: Flesh Decay or Poison Darts
• Effect: Unlocks the ability to inflict Berserk on an unaware enemy. Approach an enemy undetected and hold the indicated button to turn him berserk instead of assassinating him. This causes the foe to attack his nearest target.

Buy Materials

Req. Ability: Salesman, Backstore, or Breath Holding Champion   Unlocks the ability to buy resources at shops. Very useful for completing upgrades on your gear when materials are in short supply.

Animal Taming

• Ability: Pyromaniac, Smoke Screen Damage, Poison Darts, or Master Seer
• Effect: (Prerequisite: Sleep Darts) Allows the player to interact with sleeping animals and tame them. When tamed, an animal follows the player around. Predator and defensive animals will assist in fights. Hit an animal with a Sleep Dart, approach it, and hold the indicated button to tame it. The animal can be untamed by holding the same button when next to it.

Poison Darts

• Ability: Berserk or Animal Taming
• Effect: Unlocks the ability to equip and throw poison darts. Poison deals damage to the inflicted enemy, while also contaminating nearby foes. Equip the tool at the Gear screen and hold D-pad left to equip it. Hold Aim to aim and Heavy Attack to throw it.

Breath Holding Champion

• Ability: Buy Materials or Master Seer
• Effect: Increases underwater breath, so the player can stay underwater for a longer period of time.

Chariot Owner

• Ability: Backstore or Master Seer
• Effect: Chariots become available for purchase at shops, allowing the player to travel Ancient Egypt in a chariot. Equip the vehicle at the Gear screen.

Master Seer

• Ability: Animal Taming, Breath Holding Champion, or Chariot Owner
• Effect: Increase tool damage (poison darts, firebombs, smoke bombs, and fire) by +1{ad0b53be2d5c5d18a99e20ff09d5b2ab365deb4c843e9bf9a16eb8b27c6b832d}. This ability can be acquired multiple times.