Assassin's Creed Origins - The Hidden Ones Beginner Tips

Assassin’s Creed Origins - The Hidden Ones is the first story expansion for Assassin’s Creed Origins, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It sends Bayek to Sinai after the Brotherhood has begun to form, with Roman forces, rebel allies, new targets, and a higher level cap changing the shape of the late-game route.

This guide covers the DLC itself: reaching Sinai, preparing Bayek for level 38-45 quests, handling the three lieutenant targets, using the new gear ceiling, and planning cleanup without turning the expansion into a full map walkthrough.

Content warning: The Hidden Ones is a mature-rated action RPG expansion with violence, language, and adult content-rating themes. This guide keeps its advice non-graphic and focused on play.

Essential Tips

1. Start the DLC With a Late-Game Bayek

The Hidden Ones is not tuned like an early Egypt detour. Its opening quest is around level 38, and the later story pushes toward level 45. You can enter before perfecting every base-game activity, but you should not arrive underleveled, under-upgraded, or short on basic combat options.

Before crossing into Sinai, check your hidden blade damage, bow choices, melee weapon quality, mount, crafting upgrades, and ability points. If ordinary soldiers in late Origins still feel dangerous, spend a little more time in the main map before committing to the expansion.

2. Use the Quest Prompt and Bureau as Your Anchor

The DLC begins from its own in-game quest and travel prompt. Once you arrive near Klysma Quarry, make the Hidden Ones Bureau your first real orientation point. The nearby viewpoint is worth synchronizing early because it helps you read the area and makes return trips less annoying.

Do not wander Sinai blindly for an hour before meeting Tahira and Gamilat. The opening conversation establishes the three-target structure, unlocks nearby side work, and gives the map a clearer order.

3. Treat Levels 38-45 as the Main Arc

The story target order is not random filler. The Land of Turquoise starts the DLC, then Where the Slaves Die, The Walls of the Ruler, The Setting Sun, No Chains Too Thick, Sic Semper Tyrannis, and The Greater Good keep pushing Bayek into tougher spaces.

If a quest jumps above your current level, pause for side quests, location completion, or gear upgrades. The expansion raises the cap to 45, so experience still matters even for players who finished Origins at the old ceiling.

4. Scout Every Fort Before You Enter

The Hidden Ones leans on large hostile spaces, especially quarry, citadel, fort, and ship objectives. Use Senu before crossing walls, marking captains, alarms, treasure, caged allies, and the route to the actual target.

This is especially important in The Walls of the Ruler. The lieutenant can be hard to identify from a distance, and clearing the citadel also matters for completion. A full scan saves time, prevents messy alarms, and helps you decide whether to assassinate, fight, or slip through.

5. Upgrade for Assassinations and Bow Control

Several DLC goals are cleaner when Bayek can kill quickly from stealth or at range. A weak hidden blade turns target rooms into noisy brawls, while an underpowered bow makes elevated guards and ship approaches harder than they need to be.

Prioritize upgrades that support your normal style. Predator and hunter bows help with controlled kills, melee quality matters when Romans force a fight, and a reliable hidden blade keeps lieutenant objectives from dragging into fortress-wide chaos.

6. Keep Side Quests in Rotation

After the opening, side quests appear in Klysma Nome and elsewhere. Do not save all of them for a late cleanup pass. They provide useful experience, keep Bayek close to the DLC’s level curve, and support the New Recruits trophy or achievement path.

Rise of Shaqilat and Shadows of the Scarab are especially worth noting because they count together for that side-content goal. If you care about completion, handle them while you are already moving through Sinai instead of after you have mentally finished the story.

7. Respect the Shadow Enemies

The Shadow of the North and Shadow of the South appear as strong optional foes. Treat them more like Phylakes-style tests than ordinary soldiers. Check their level, prepare adrenaline, bring a reliable bow, and avoid starting the fight in the middle of a crowded camp.

If they are too punishing, leave them alone and come back after more levels or upgrades. Optional enemies are poor places to burn time when the main quest is still building Bayek toward 45.

8. Plan Trophy and Achievement Cleanup as You Play

The Hidden Ones has a manageable completion list, and nothing in the common trophy route requires online play or multiple full playthroughs. Still, a few actions are easier when you know they exist: the Arsinoe sundial leap, three zipline assassinations, the lieutenant assassination chain, side quests, and the Walls-of-the-Ruler citadel.

Keep those ideas in mind without letting them hijack your first pass. If you see a zipline over guards, use it. If you are already in the citadel, complete the objectives. If you reach Arsinoe, remember the sundial timing before leaving the area for good.

9. Confirm Kills and Leave Cleanly

Some story targets happen in crowded or awkward places. After killing a key enemy, confirm the kill promptly when the game expects it. Lingering too long can turn a precise objective into a full open fight, especially around ships or military zones.

This matters most near Rufio’s fleet. Get in, cut down the target, confirm the kill, and escape before the whole area becomes a drawn-out naval or deck battle you did not need.

10. Use New Gear, but Do Not Rebuild Everything

The DLC adds gear, legendary weapons, outfits, and mounts, but it does not require you to abandon every tool that carried you through Origins. Test new rewards, then keep what actually improves your route.

A legendary bow or weapon is only useful if it fits how you fight. If your current setup supports stealth, ranged control, and emergencies, improve it gradually instead of switching loadouts every time a reward screen appears.

Sinai Progression Plan

The cleanest beginner path is to use the main story as your spine and side content as level support. Start with the Bureau, synchronize nearby viewpoints, and clear only the locations that are on your route. When the story points you to a lieutenant, scout the whole area first, then decide whether the target is best handled by stealth, bow work, or a direct fight.

Where the Slaves Die is a good reminder that some objectives become broader fights after the target falls. Enter with full health, a prepared bow, and enough confidence to handle reinforcements. The Walls of the Ruler asks for more patience: scan the citadel, identify the target up close, and consider completing the fortress while you are there. The Setting Sun mixes traversal, puzzle-like movement, and combat cleanup, so slow down when Gamilat’s route changes the room layout.

Once the later quests open, assume the expansion expects a stronger Bayek. No Chains Too Thick and the final sequence put more pressure on combat readiness, rescue movement, and fast target execution. If your damage is falling behind, stop and spend your new levels before pushing forward.

Cleanup and Gear Priorities

Use cleanup to reinforce your route, not distract from it. Viewpoints make travel faster, side quests fill experience gaps, and citadel completion can double as achievement progress. If you are trying for 100%, make a short pass through the DLC list after the story rather than wandering aimlessly.

For gear, keep three questions in mind: can I assassinate my target, can I control a fight at range, and can I survive when stealth fails? If the answer to any of those is no, upgrade that area first. Outfits and mounts are nice rewards, but weapons, hidden blade strength, and practical abilities do more for the actual missions.

The sundial leap and zipline assassinations are better handled opportunistically. The sundial requires the correct in-game time window, while zipline kills need the right guard placement. Neither should block your main progress; mark them mentally, then return after the campaign if needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Entering Sinai underleveled - arrive close to the DLC’s level range before trying to force the main quest.

2. Skipping the Bureau setup - meet the Sinai Hidden Ones before treating the map like free-roam cleanup.

3. Ignoring Senu in forts - scan targets, alarms, captains, treasures, and escape routes before crossing walls.

4. Letting the hidden blade fall behind - upgrade assassination damage so target kills stay controlled.

5. Charging Shadow enemies too early - return later if optional elite fights are outpacing your gear.

6. Saving every side quest for the end - rotate them in to stay on the level curve and reduce late cleanup.

7. Forgetting zipline opportunities - take safe zipline assassinations when guards line up naturally.

8. Leaving Walls of the Ruler half-finished - complete the citadel while the story already has you inside.

9. Delaying kill confirmations - confirm key assassinations quickly so objectives do not spiral into unnecessary fights.

10. Switching gear only because it is new - use DLC rewards that fit your style, not every item the expansion hands you.

Summary

Category	Best Habit
Entry	Start from the DLC quest and establish the Klysma Bureau first
Leveling	Treat 38-45 as the intended progression band
Stealth	Upgrade the hidden blade and scout forts with Senu
Combat	Keep a strong bow and melee fallback ready
Story	Follow the lieutenant arc, then handle later rescue and fleet objectives carefully
Side Content	Mix side quests into the route for experience and completion
Cleanup	Track sundial, zipline, side-quest, and citadel goals as you go
Gear	Keep rewards that improve your actual mission approach