While Ubisoft has been busy patching out the combat and genitalia from statues in the Assassin’s Creed: Origins educational mode, the studio has also been working on the backstab simulator’s second bit of DLC. Titled Curse of the Pharaohs, the expansion pack takes place in the freshly cursed land of Thebes.
Scheduled for release on March 13 – a week later than originally announced – Curse of the Pharaohs sends Bayek to Thebes. The area has been hit with a curse, manifesting in the form of Pharoah’s Shadows. Before you can get to the nitty gritty of solving that, you’ll have to deal with these mini-bosses.
Shadows will attack, frighten and eventually kill nearby NPCs if left unattended, although fortunately their attack patterns are straightforward and easy to avoid. Until the curse is lifted, shadows will continue to pop up all around Thebes, although Origins didn’t punish me for concentrating on quests.
Thebes is a new area to explore, and the trip to restore the curse will also take you to the afterlife and, specifically, Aaru.
The first segment of the Pharaohs DLC is basically a bit of detective work. To lift the curse on Thebes, you’ll have to return an artifact that was stolen from Nefertiti’s tomb. But before you get there, you’ll have to break into the Valley of the Kings for information.
Eventually, you’ll come across the thief responsible for this whole mess. After a quick line about coating half of Egypt with Bayek’s blood over a similar relic, you’ll have what you need and make your way to the tomb. From there you’ll gain access to the mythical world of Aaru, where boats sail through plains of wheat and giant scorpions hang out.
Aaru’s listed a level 46-47 region, with Thebes suitable for those around level 45. The Curse of the Pharaohs DLC increases the level cap to 55, although in my playthrough DLC the enemies, giant scorpions included, didn’t really pose a challenge. Your mileage will depend on your level and your equipment, though.
The Egyptian queen and consort of Akhenaten is the boss at the end of the Pharaohs DLC, and she’ll have a few stages with different movesets and attack patterns that accelerate the closer she gets to death. You’ll also encounter priests that can resurrect enemies throughout the fight, just to make things a little more frustrating.
The Curse of the Phrarohs DLC for Assassin’s Creed: Origins is due out on all platforms on March 13. It’ll be free for season pass owners, and $29.95 for everyone else.
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