Ubisoft details, and delays, Assassin's Creed Origins next DLC

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Ubisoft has dropped a new gameplay trailer for the upcoming Assassin's Creed: Origins DLC Curse of the Pharaohs, showcasing where you'll go, what you'll do, and who you'll have to deal with once the silverware starts flying. It's basically the opposite of the Discovery mode: Whereas that expansion takes players on an educational tour through the "real" Egypt of antiquity, this one is a battle against undead pharaohs, Anubis-like guards, and giant scorpions.

"Curse of the Pharaohs' map is a vast new territory filled with surprises. There's Thebes, a massive city that boasts famous sights like the temples of Karnak and Luxor. Across the Nile, you'll find the Valley of the Kings, pitted with the plundered tombs of Egyptian royalty," Ubisoft explained. "And as he works to quell the spirits of each restless pharaoh, Bayek finds his way into their individual afterlives, which exist as big, self-contained open worlds connected to portals in their tombs."

Enemies from the Underworld can bleed over into our own, foremost among them the Shadows of the Pharaohs, physical manifestations of dead kings who turn up now and then to go on a rampage. Players will be notified of their appearance, after which there will be a time-limited window to take them down, but they're tough—"a challenge even for high-level players"—and even after they're dispatched, they'll have to be dealt with again in the afterlife, where they're far more powerful, to be put to rest for good.

To help him deal with that hassle, Bayek's level cap has been raised to 55, and he'll have access to seven new abilities, which will require 15 ability points to unlock.

Unfortunately, this Curse of the Pharaohs also comes with a spot of bad news. The DLC was originally scheduled to come out on March 6, but Ubisoft said today that it won't actually be released until March 13.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.