Assassin's Creed Origins - The Curse Of The Pharaohs Tips

Assassin’s Creed Origins - The Curse Of The Pharaohs is the myth-heavy expansion for Assassin’s Creed Origins, developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. This guide covers the DLC trip to Thebes, the Valley of the Kings, the afterlife realms, Pharaoh’s Shadows, Shards of a Star, and the higher-level progression added for this expansion.

This is not a base-campaign guide and not a The Hidden Ones guide. Treat it as a spoiler-light first-run plan for entering Thebes prepared, learning the new threats, and avoiding the common mistakes that make the afterlife fights feel harsher than they need to be.

Content warning: this Mature-rated expansion includes intense combat, blood, undead pharaohs, mythological horror, strong language, alcohol/drug references, nudity, and sexual content. This guide keeps those topics non-graphic and focused on play.

Difficulty caveat: the guide is beginner-friendly, but the DLC itself is late-game content. Expect a steep jump if Bayek is underleveled or if your gear upgrades are behind.

Essential Tips

1. Confirm you are starting the right DLC. The Curse Of The Pharaohs needs Assassin’s Creed Origins and is separate from the base campaign and The Hidden Ones. Look for Thebes, the Valley of the Kings, undead pharaohs, and afterlife portals as your scope markers. If your current objective is about Sinai or the base-map Order story, you are following a different part of Origins.

2. Reach level 45 before treating Thebes as fair. The expansion is built around level 45 entry and raises Bayek’s cap to 55. You may be able to enter while weaker, but the first Thebes encounter and later pharaoh fights punish low health, low damage, and outdated gear. If you are closer to level 40, level up before pushing deeper.

3. Use the Thebes trip as a commitment point. Existing characters begin through a DLC quest and a guide who transports Bayek to Thebes. Before you leave, repair your routine: upgrade the gear you rely on, clean out inventory clutter, carry enough arrows and tools, and make a manual save. You are entering a late-game region, not walking into another low-risk side activity.

4. Check every region’s level range. Thebes and the Valley of the Kings are large enough that nearby-looking objectives can sit at different danger levels. Zoom out on the map when the countryside feels unfair. If the range is above you, shift to a safer activity, collect experience, and return.

5. Explore beyond the critical path. The expansion’s afterlife spaces are not just boss rooms. Aaru, Aten, Duat, and Heb Sed are separate realms with their own look, enemies, rewards, and side content. The main route does not automatically show everything, so treat tomb portals and side quests as part of the DLC’s core rhythm.

6. Fight Pharaoh’s Shadows when you are ready. Shadows can appear in the living world for timed fights. They are dangerous, but they are also practice for later pharaoh battles and a useful way to earn Shards of a Star. If you are underleveled, badly stocked, or standing in chaos, reposition first. If you are ready, take the fight seriously and learn the attack timing.

7. Spend Shards of a Star on real upgrades. Shards of a Star support the higher gear-upgrade tiers added by this DLC. Shadows, afterlife scorpions, and certain afterlife resource spots can all feed that upgrade loop. Do not treat Shards as ordinary loot to ignore; they directly affect how prepared Bayek feels against the expansion’s heavier enemies.

8. Save ability points for the new tools. Curse Of The Pharaohs adds abilities across Hunter, Warrior, and Seer play. The best value depends on your build, but the pattern is clear: bows, Overpower use, dodging, and afterlife resource recovery all become more important. If you enter with spare points, review the new options before spending out of habit.

9. Use bows to build control, not just damage. Pharaoh fights reward patience. Bow shots can help you keep pressure on a boss, build adrenaline, and create time to read attacks. When a safe opening appears, switch back to melee, land a short combo, then reset. Long greedy strings are how a manageable fight turns into a one-hit collapse.

10. Watch for attack tells before committing. The strongest pharaoh encounters are built around dodging and brief punish windows. Look for windups, charged attacks, and visual cues before you swing. If you see the right opening, hit decisively. If you are unsure, dodge, kite, and rebuild adrenaline instead of trading hits.

11. Treat scorpions as both threat and resource. The afterlife adds scorpions that can drop Shards of a Star. That makes them tempting, but groups can become expensive if you spend more healing than the Shards are worth. Farm them only when the area is under control and you have a clean exit.

12. Keep the mythic story spoiler-light on a first run. The expansion’s best surprises come from tomb portals, afterlife reveals, and pharaoh confrontations. A first tips run should help you survive, not flatten every quest, ritual, and final fight into a checklist. Save exact route planning for cleanup.

Thebes Prep Checklist

Prep Item	What to Do
DLC scope	Confirm the objective sends Bayek toward Thebes, not Sinai or the base campaign
Level	Aim for level 45 before treating the first quest as comfortable
Gear	Upgrade weapons, armor, hidden blade, quiver, and tool capacity as far as your materials allow
Ability points	Review the DLC abilities before spending points elsewhere
Arrows and tools	Refill before transport and before tomb pushes
Manual save	Save before leaving Egypt’s base regions and before major boss attempts
Inventory room	Leave space for legendary weapons, materials, and afterlife loot
Mindset	Expect late-game fights, large regions, and enemies that hit harder than ordinary patrols

Afterlife Survival Priorities

1. Map the realm before chasing every marker. The afterlife areas can look dreamlike and disorienting. Find landmarks, exits, enemy clusters, and safe routes first. Once you understand the layout, side quests and material runs become less costly.

2. Use Shadows as rehearsal. A Shadow is not the full version of a pharaoh fight, but it teaches attack rhythm under lower pressure. If one appears while your supplies are good, use the encounter to practice dodges, bow spacing, and Overpower timing.

3. Spend healing on progress, not panic. The toughest fights can drain supplies quickly. If a boss attempt starts badly, reset your spacing instead of drinking through every mistake. If you are not learning the pattern, leave, upgrade, and come back stronger.

4. Turn Shard runs into short loops. Scorpions and resource spots can support upgrades, but only if you return alive and stocked. Make a loop, collect, upgrade, and then push a harder objective. Do not wander until your arrows, tools, and healing are gone.

5. Balance bow and melee pressure. Arrows help with spacing and adrenaline. Melee finishes the punish windows. If you lean entirely on one style, the DLC’s bosses and mythic enemies will expose the gap.

6. Use side content to smooth the level curve. The main path is not your only way forward. Side quests and optional exploration can give you the experience, materials, and confidence needed before a harder pharaoh encounter.

7. Check new abilities after major progress. When Bayek gains levels in the expansion, pause before spending points. Abilities that look optional in ordinary fights can matter more in the afterlife, especially when arrows, tools, dodges, and Overpower windows decide whether you survive.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Starting under level 45 - entering early turns the opening fights into a damage check before you have learned the DLC’s rhythm.

2. Confusing this with The Hidden Ones - Sinai advice does not automatically apply to Thebes, the Valley of the Kings, or the afterlife realms.

3. Ignoring region levels - the new map is broad enough that nearby objectives can still be too hard for your current Bayek.

4. Skipping Pharaoh’s Shadows forever - avoiding every Shadow leaves experience, Shards, and useful boss practice on the table.

5. Farming Shards while unprepared - scorpions and Shadows are only profitable if you do not burn more supplies than the upgrade is worth.

6. Spending every ability point before checking DLC skills - the expansion adds tools that support its own combat and afterlife economy.

7. Treating bows as useless in boss fights - bow pressure can build adrenaline and buy breathing room even when melee does the heavy work.

8. Greeding long combos after a dodge - pharaoh fights reward short punish windows, not standing in front of charged attacks.

9. Following only the main objective marker - the afterlife realms, side quests, and upgrade materials are part of staying strong enough.

10. Looking up every route before playing - exact quest and boss paths can spoil the expansion’s strongest discoveries.

Summary

Category	Top Tip
Scope	Keep the guide focused on Thebes, the Valley of the Kings, and the afterlife DLC
Entry	Reach level 45 and prepare gear before treating the trip as fair
Progression	Use the level 55 cap, new abilities, and Shards of a Star to keep Bayek growing
Exploration	Visit side content and afterlife realms instead of rushing only the main path
Shadows	Fight them when ready for practice, experience, and Shards
Bosses	Dodge first, punish briefly, use bows for spacing and adrenaline
Spoilers	Save exact quest routes, boss scripts, and loot maps for a cleanup guide