Assassin's Creed: Origins soundtrack

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The Assassin's Creed: Origins soundtrack is a collection of music tracks written by American composer Sarah Schachner that were used as background music in Assassin's Creed: Origins. It was released online on October 27, 2017. A vinyl edition is expected, though there are no known plans to make a physical CD. Players who pre-ordered Collectors or Special Editions of Origins received a CD with 15 bonus gameplay cues also by Schachner.

Track listing

1. Assassin's Creed Origins Main Theme - 3:15
2. Return of the Medjay - 2:30
3. Bayek of Siwa - 2:35
4. The Shimmering Sands - 3:07
5. The Battle of Krokodilopolis - 2:39
6. The Tongueless Land - 3:29
7. Legions of Blood - 2:38
8. Dead Kings and Living Gods - 3:20
9. Fire in the Duat - 3:17
10. Born of the Sun - 2:38
11. Winds Of Cyrene - 4:07
12. I Walk on Your Water - 3:09
13. The Order of the Ancients - 1:53
14. Nomads of the White Desert - 2:54
15. Be My Eyes - 1:48
16. The Cracked Wall - 1:54
17. The Alexandrian Pleiad - 3:44
18. Desert Delirium - 1:56
19. Apep's Vengeance - 2:40
20. Across the Dunes - 2:34
21. The Last Medjay - 2:14
22. Chthonic Invasion - 1:44
23. A Divided Land - 2:17
24. Ptolemy's Lament - 2:41
25. The Hyena's Fire - 2:51
26. Moonlight on the Nile - 1:39
27. Ezio's Family (Origins Version) - 2:23

Collector's Edition

1. Eagle Mode Desert - 0:40
2. Enter Biome Black Mountain - 0:47
3. Enter Biome Nile Valley - 0:46
4. Land Vehicle - 0:41
5. Last NPC Remaining Variation 02 - 1:15
6. Normal Fight Variation 02 - 2:26
7. Outnumbered Fight Variation 01 - 2:23
8. Overheat - 1:08
9. Reach High Point Cyrene - 0:42
10. Reach High Point Faiyum - 0:44
11. Sandstorm - 1:16
12. Sea Vehicle - 0:39
13. Stealth Variation 05 - 2:27
14. Time Without Conflict White Desert - 0:56
15. Time Without Conflict Great Sea Sand - 0:59

Creation of the score

Because historians do not know what contemporary Ptolemaic Egypt music could have sounded like and can only make assumptions, Schachner decided to merge old and new styles. In her view, this not only reflected a culture deeply tied to its mythology, but also was in keeping with the series' themes of secretive organizations and the near-supernatural. Another theme she hoped to convey was the perceived dual nature of the Egyptian deserts as lands home to both nature's exotic beauty and its unforgiving power, as heard in the rough sounds made by an undisclosed string instrument.

As such, Schachner used traditional instruments when creating the score, ranging from the oud, lyres, and various bells and winds, to lutes, rattles, and animal-hide drums, all of which would "bring [the player] back to the sand." Not wanting to retread the stereotypically "Middle Eastern" sounds that were expected, she then ran the recordings through a CS-80 synthesizer in order to give them the air of mystery that pervades Assassin's Creed. As a result, Origins' ambient tracks are moodier than music used in previous games, but are perfectly complimentary given Origins' apparent mytho-historical setting and Bayek's more mature outlook on life due to having been a Medjay for many years.

Trivia

• Schachner not only composed all the music, she also performed it and provided the vocals for the track "Ezio's Family (Origins version)".
• While the final bonus track is named "Great Sea Sand", the region's actual name is "Great Sand Sea".