Combat in Origins is varied and fast. There are three types of combat in Origins : ranged, melee and stealth. Combat is focused on dodging, parrying and countering the attacks of a handful of opponents rather than holding a killstreak against a swarm of enemies. You can quickly switch between ranged and melee combat efficiently, and bows are just as useful in melee combat as they are at long range. For example, a full shot from the warrior bow will knock anyone to the ground.

Once you equip your chosen weapons, you can hit left on the d-pad to switch to your ranged weapon and right on the d-pad to switch to your melee weapon. Using the Weapon Bearer and Bow Bearer abilities, you can carry one extra of each type of weapon.

Ranged Attacks

Ranged combat involves bows and arrows. There are four different types of bows: the standard hunter bows, the rapid-fire light bows, the spread-fire warrior bows, and the sniper predator bows. Headshots are a major thing in Origins and you’ll deal a lot more damage if you successfully land one. There are also some tools that can be used from a distance.

You can drop a torch at your feet and point your arrowhead into it to light it on fire, which can either do bonus damage or even ignite any pools of conveniently spilled oil. You should also keep a look out for the cages of captive animals; a well-aimed shot can break the lock on these cages and cause havoc in camp.

Also noteworthy: each bow category has its own pool of ammo. Run out of ammo for one bow? Just switch to another and keep firing.

Melee Attacks

Melee attacks involve bare fists or the seven types of melee weapons: quick dual swords, heavy blades, regular swords, sickle swords, heavy blunts, scepters and spears.

You can dodge up to three times without waiting to catch your breath and recover. You also have the option to hold or toggle your shield. Toggling your shield is a good idea, since there’s lots of other actions you’ll need to perform to ensure a successful combat encounter.

Bayek can block attacks with his shield as long as he is standing still or use it to knock enemies off-balance with an unlockable parry. Some weapons are more effective against certain enemies, such as a heavy weapon against a shielded enemy or a weapon with range such as a scepter or spear against a quick-footed enemy.

Stealth Attacks

Stealth/assassination attacks are simple and quiet. You must either sneak up on your enemy or position yourself above them, then press the Interact button to attempt an assassination. Bayek’s level plays in a role in his success: the higher his level relative to the target, the likelier he’ll succeed. The crafting level of the hidden blade determines how much damage your sneak attack will cause.

When you’re able to perform a stealth attack, the enemy health bar shows how much damage your stealth attack will cause if you are successful.

Use of Stealth

Tall grass, piles of hay or palm leaves and booths all offer great cover for Bayek to hide in, which allows you to perform assassinations on nearby targets or escape from enemy pursuit.

These hiding spots are also a great place to stow bodies. Hold the Loot button while next to a corpse to pick it up, then place it in one of these hiding locations to make sure other guards don’t find the body. When guards find a body, they become more alert. You don’t have to put the body in one of these hiding places — just sticking it someplace out of the way is fine — but the extra security is nice.

You can also draw enemies close to you by pressing down on the D-pad in order to perform a short whistle. A nearby enemy will come investigate the sound. If you perform this whistle from a hiding spot, you can assassinate your enemy when they’re close enough and even dump the body in your hiding spot once you’re done.

Horses

You can fight on horseback, but you’ll need to control the mount while also attacking your enemies. You’re harder to hit while on the move. Attacks are performed just as you otherwise would, except that you’re on a moving horse.

While you can set your mount to run along roads automatically or navigate to a marker, mounts may run through forts and bandit camps, so don’t just tune out or you may find yourself in an unexpected world of hurt.

Focus

If you click the right stick, you can focus your attention on the target. Moving the right stick locks your focus to a different target. If your enemies are grouped up, try to focus on the biggest targets first and peel them away from the pack. If archers are giving you trouble, try to block them with objects such as trees or pillars while you handle more immediate threats.

Adrenaline And Overpowering

The meter at the bottom of your display above your health bar is your adrenaline meter. With every successful hit, you gain more adrenaline (subject to bonuses depending on certain weapon attributes).

Once your adrenaline meter is full, the Light Attack + Heavy Attack buttons appear on the bar, prompting you to use your Overpower ability. Pressing both buttons together unleashes your Overpower ability, but you want to make sure you have your timing down so you don’t waste this chance. Target your enemy, wait for an opening and then Overpower.

Different types of weapons cause different types of Overpowering. Regular swords, dual swords, heavy blades and spears perform an overpower attack. Sickle swords, heavy blunts and scepters trigger a fury mode, increasing speed and damage for a brief period of time.

Enemy Tags

Aim your bow at an enemy or move the reticle over an enemy while in Senu’s hover mode in order to tag the target, which makes them visible even behind cover. It also reveals that enemy’s level above his head. A red background means he is a higher level than you, while a skull means he will kick your ass. I mean it. Back away and come back later.

A yellow crown denotes an objective, including the primary target at animal lairs as well as the commanders and captains of military strongholds.

Got more basic questions about Assassin’s Creed Origins’ combat? Got any tips and tricks to help your fellow assassins? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.