October's definitely the month of big releases this year. Middle-earth: Shadow of War launched Tuesday (10/10), The Evil Within 2 is due on Friday (10/13), and the upcoming South Park: The Fractured But Whole is arriving next Tuesday (10/17). Then there's still the PC release of Destiny 2 on the 24th and Super Mario Odyssey a few days later on the 27th. Incidentally, this is the same day that both Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and Assassin's Creed: Origins are launching, a fact that Ubisoft is undoubtedly well-aware of. As if to keep the spotlight directed on its flagship series for as long as possible, the studio recently released a wealth of information on all of Origins' upcoming content - free and otherwise. Check it out:
A blog post on Ubisoft's website provided some additional information on all of the summarized content above, as well as a roadmap that outlines when all of the releases are planned to drop. As with anything else announced this far ahead, all of the below information could be subject to change.
The two major points of interest are obviously the two expansion packs, The Hidden Ones and The Curse of the Pharaohs. The former will take place years after the events of Origins in an entirely new, Roman-occupied region. Together with his fellow assassins, Bayek will have to face off with the expertly-trained soldiers in order to end their reign over the local settlements and bring freedom back to their residents. This expansion is set to release in January, 2018, and will be free for Season Pass holders.
The Curse of the Pharaohs, meanwhile, will feature the city of Thebes, in which Bayek will challenge Egyptian gods and undead monstrosities. While the Assassin's Creed series has always been (relatively) grounded in some kind of historical accuracy, the arrival of zombified pharaohs is undeniably pushing it. Detractors may be alleviated, though, in hearing that the curse is the result of "a glitch in the Animus," and that none of the above is at all founded in reality.
Then, there's the two minor Roman Centurion and Horus packs, which will each grant access to a new outfit, mount, and shield. The former will also come with two new weapons, while the latter will include two bows. Both DLC packs will be arriving before the aforementioned expansions, starting with the Roman Centurion in November.
It's worth noting that both of the above expansions will raise the level cap for Bayek, allowing the player to further increase his available abilities while including entirely new skills to unlock.
While all of the above will be of little importance to those who aren't buying the Season Pass, there's still content to be excited about. Outlined under the "Free Activities" section is the Photo Mode, a now-common features in RPGs that allow players to "capture the beauty of the Egyptian landscape, indulge your inner wildlife photographer, and discover interesting photos taken by other players." There's also the Nomad's Bazaar, which refers to a traveling merchant that will grant Bayek access to special daily quests, each with their own unique rewards.
Unlike those two, which will be available at launch, The Trial of the Gods will be arriving 15 days after launch as an optional series of events in which Bayek can find and challenge Egyptian gods in special, timed battles. Discovery Tour - a type of educational mode for players to learn more about Egyptian history - will come later in early 2018, as will Horde Mode - a game type that allows Bayek to do battle against endless waves of enemies in a gladiator's arena.
As previously mentioned, Assassin's Creed: Origins is set to release on October 27, later this month. For more information, check out our previous articles on the subject - or, if you've got the time, feel free to browse through Ubisoft's catalogue of related videos on the studio's official YouTube channel.
