How to Easily Beat Phylakes in Assassin’s Creed Origins
Early on in the story of Assassin’s Creed Origins, Bayek will have Ptolemy’s elite warriors, the Phylakes, hunting for him. These are stronger than pretty much any other enemy you’ll face in the game (save a couple of bosses) and should not be toyed with. Killing a Phylakes kicks off a quest titled Phylakes’ Prey which tasks Bayek with killing all of them. A task much easier said than done.
Thankfully, you’re always warned when a Phylakes is nearby and can even check for them on the map (they appear as moving red icons in the shape of a horned helmet). The map will be a useful tool as you can see the level of the nearby Phylakes (which is very important). If you see a Phylakes and its level is more than one above yours, run. Normally, two levels above Bayek will make an enemy quite powerful, but Phylakes in Assassin’s Creed Origins are much stronger than normal enemies, so they have an extra damage and defense buff with level differences. Even when matched in level, they will seem as if they are much stronger than you, so don’t bother if you’re under-leveled, it’s not unheard of to get one shot by these roaming bounty hunters.
If you see one that you feel you can take on what you want is a bow (I prefer Light or Hunter), a shield, and a Sickle sword. The reason we say the Sickle sword is that they cause bleeding and their Overpower attack is actually a sort of trance that lets you attack very quickly and easily break a Phylakes’ guard. Any weapon can get the job done, but we’ve found this particular sword type is the best. Smoke bomb is an option if you’re not too confident in your dodging, as some Phylakes have incredible range. Also, if you happen to have Fire Bombs or Poison Darts, they are very helpful as well. Final tip, if the Phylakes is on a horse, you should be on one too, they’re hard to fight on foot. Now time for the fight.
As soon as the fight begins, hit the Phylakes with your Fire Bomb or Poison Dart, the effect will stun them and send them letting you get in for some attacks. If they’re on a horse, target the horse with your bow or weapon just to get the Phylakes on the ground. Once that’s done, use your Charge Heavy attack to knock them down, or regular heavy to break their guard if they only have a small shield. Your main focus is to build your Adrenaline so you can go into Overpower. Once charged, trigger Overpower, the screen will turn yellow and you’ll be able to attack quickly. Always start with R2/RT to break guard, then combo with R1/RB until the Phylakes starts to block or dodges away. Just keep alternating between the two. Thanks to the Sickle sword, the Phylakes will also be taking a ton of bleeding damage from the combo.
Do not be afraid to run to get some healing in. The Phylakes can be the most aggressive enemies in Assassin’s Creed Origins, and some of them have incredible range. Use Smoke to break line of sight and catch a breather, or to flank them for more bleeding combos. The fight with the Phylakes should be over quickly.
We’ve managed to kill five of the Phylakes with ease using this method, so enjoy showing them who’s boss in Assassin’s Creed Origins.
For more on the game, be sure to check out our ever-expanding wiki.
About the author
