The latest issue of Game Informer magazine got in the hands of someone way earlier than planned, thus revealing plenty of information of Assassin's Creed Origins, the highly anticipated game by Ubisoft.
There are some sweeping changes to speak of. For instance, Game Director Ashraf Ismail said that this will be a true action RPG and that means you won't be able to instantly kill a level 40 boss with your hidden blade if your character is still at level 10, just like in all action RPGs.
Of course, they'll still get bonus damage, but they'll get up and fight. Hidden blades will have to be crafted, too.
Ismail also said that many in the development team are fans of Final Fantasy X's often praised Sphere Grid system. Assassin's Creed Origins will have something like that instead of the more common skill trees, allowing for more flexibility when customizing the character.
There are three main disciplines: Seer, Warrior and Hunter. The first even allows players to tame animals, for those who are into that gameplay style.
Furthermore, despite the level cap being set at 40, players will be able to keep earning points after that. Not only dedicated folks may unblock all skills with enough time spent, but there is a different final skill in each discipline that can be leveled up indefinitely. In fact, Ismail confessed that he wants to see some player maxing up the Warrior discipline and boosting melee damage so much to be able to one-shot the hardest boss in the game with bare fists. Don't expect to be able to do such a thing unless you've really spent a lot of time in leveling up the skill, though.
Assassin's Creed Origins highly increased RPG focus also comes with what seem to be a traditional loot system based on rarity. While common items only feature damage attributes, rare ones may add effects like increased critical hit rate or combo multiplier, while legendary ones can automatically apply poison or fire effects to your enemies.
Ubisoft will certainly have a lot more to reveal during their E3 showcase. Still, the Game Informer article also indicates the game's launch date: October 27th, with Scorpio support.