[SPOILER] Tutankhamun's story?

[V]

So I think I'm near the end of the COTP DLC because I have to assassinate Isidora. I'm just wondering... What is the story behind Tutankhamun's wrath in Thebes?

For Nefertiti, someone stole a relic from her, Ramesses, I was greeted by his wife asking for help putting him to his rest. Akhenaten also needed something back. But there's like, nothing for Tutankhamun? He's just risen and that's that? Just need to slay him? O_o

[RedIndianRobin]

There's no story for him. It's just a filler boss. It's like, "We didn't had any idea so we randomly let the player fight Tutankhamun for no reason". This is one of my complaints in the CoTP impressions thread. The ending is just ♥♥♥♥♥ for otherwise a great DLC throughout the game.

[TeddY]

It's actually showing that these afterlifes are related to the Piece of Eden (PoE), it is the state of a matrix simulation that the PoE is capable of powering/rendering. Think of the PoE like a VR device, a really OP one. Bayek is not fighting Tutankhamun but is in a simulation, however, this simulation is not excactly fake or virtual, it actually exist akin to the state that Desmond was in the animus when he met Subject 17.

So Isidora probably powered up the PoE in a way that bridged the 2 matrix/domain together, allowing the "dead" and the "living" to cross over into each other's domain, that is the story of all the Pharoahs, the returning of stuff or unfinished wish part is true but not the actual cause of them wrecking havoc in the "real life".

[V]

Originally posted by Teddy:

It's actually showing that these afterlifes are related to the Piece of Eden (PoE), it is the state of a matrix simulation that the PoE is capable of powering/rendering. Think of the PoE like a VR device, a really OP one. Bayek is not fighting Tutankhamun but is in a simulation, however, this simulation is not excactly fake or virtual, it actually exist akin to the state that Desmond was in the animus when he met Subject 17.

So Isidora probably powered up the PoE in a way that bridged the 2 matrix/domain together, allowing the "dead" and the "living" to cross over into each other's domain, that is the story of all the Pharoahs, the returning of stuff or unfinished wish part is true but not the actual cause of them wrecking havoc in the "real life".

Ooh I see! That makes a lot of sense, but only for three Pharaohs. This doesn't explain why Tutankhamun is angry. The Pharaohs crossed over but everyone else started killing innocent people because they had things stolen from their tombs which made them angry - what made Tutankhamun angry?

[V]

Originally posted by RedIndianRobin:

There's no story for him. It's just a filler boss. It's like, "We didn't had any idea so we randomly let the player fight Tutankhamun for no reason". This is one of my complaints in the CoTP impressions thread. The ending is just ♥♥♥♥♥ for otherwise a great DLC throughout the game.

I'm crossing my fingers for a proper ending to come in a patch/update because it's such a big deal to the story - the DLC is essentially the ending to Bayek's entire story so far so to not have an ending just undermines the whole DLC. :/ It would be good enough if we had a little part, for example, where the camera pans out over Thebes with the DLC title fading in/out. No need for a cutscene, but just something. :(

[RedIndianRobin]

Originally posted by Teddy:

It's actually showing that these afterlifes are related to the Piece of Eden (PoE), it is the state of a matrix simulation that the PoE is capable of powering/rendering. Think of the PoE like a VR device, a really OP one. Bayek is not fighting Tutankhamun but is in a simulation, however, this simulation is not excactly fake or virtual, it actually exist akin to the state that Desmond was in the animus when he met Subject 17.

So Isidora probably powered up the PoE in a way that bridged the 2 matrix/domain together, allowing the "dead" and the "living" to cross over into each other's domain, that is the story of all the Pharoahs, the returning of stuff or unfinished wish part is true but not the actual cause of them wrecking havoc in the "real life".

That's the obvious explanation yes, but it was terribly executed and not explained properly to the players.

Originally posted by Chow Meins:

I'm crossing my fingers for a proper ending to come in a patch/update because it's such a big deal to the story - the DLC is essentially the ending to Bayek's entire story so far so to not have an ending just undermines the whole DLC. :/ It would be good enough if we had a little part, for example, where the camera pans out over Thebes with the DLC title fading in/out. No need for a cutscene, but just something. :(

Yeah this DLC definitely felt rushed af. It now makes sense about the delay they took to 'polish' the game. I bet they rewrited parts of the story and rushed it without context. That might explain the half arsed cutscene at the end.

[Bent Dogood]

All three of those pharaohs are connected, even in real life history. Akhenaten was Nefertiti's husband, and the father of Tutankhamun. In game, it's stated all three of them held the Piece of Eden at some point. When Tutankhamun restored the old Egyptian pantheon, he gave the Piece of Eden to the priests of Amun.

It's likely that it "resurrected" all three of them since they all possessed the Piece of Eden during their lives. I'm not sure if there is more to it than that, however.

[RedIndianRobin]

Originally posted by Bent Franklin:

All three of those pharaohs are connected, even in real life history. Akhenaten was Nefertiti's husband, and the father of Tutankhamun. In game, it's stated all three of them held the Piece of Eden at some point. When Tutankhamun restored the old Egyptian pantheon, he gave the Piece of Eden to the priests of Amun.

It's likely that it "resurrected" all three of them since they all possessed the Piece of Eden during their lives. I'm not sure if there is more to it than that, however.

What about Ramesess II?

[Bent Dogood]

Ramesses II is a weird one, and I'm not entirely certain. I remember when I picked up the quests to deal with him, a different reason from the others was implied. I'd have to replay that whole segment to be sure. However, if I had to guess, when we confront Isidora in Tutankhamun's tomb, the people she was using the Piece of Eden on were all red-haired, (including Sutekh) which are said to be descendants of Ramesses II (Since he had red hair as well). It's possible that this upset Ramesses' spirit and had caused him to appear as a consequence. While Ramesses II can appear before this moment as a Shadow of the Pharaoh, it might just be a matter of gameplay and story separation.

It's also possible that Ramesses II did have the Apple in his possession at some point. Akhenaten, Nefertiti, and Tutankhamun were Pharaohs of the 18th Dynasty. Ramesses II was a Pharaoh in the early 19th Dynasty. If the priests of Amun were given the Apple during Tutankhamun's reign, they could have easily still had it nearly half a century later, when Ramesses became Pharaoh.

Honestly though, if I were to speculate further, the real reason both Tutankhamun and Ramesses II are included, (and used as the endgame bosses) is that alongside Cleopatra, they're probably the most well known Pharaohs amongst the general public. While Akhenaten was a real pharaoh, and really did change the religion of Ancient Egypt to worship Aten for a time, as well as cause a shift in Ancient Egyptian art to the drastically different "Amarna style", he isn't as well known to people with only a passing knowledge of Egypt. I think many people would have been asking where King Tut (and to a lesser extent Ramesses) were if they weren't included.

As someone who is into Art History, while I enjoyed seeing things like Hatshepsut's mortuary temple and the rest of the Valley of the Kings, I'm going to agree that this DLC felt disjointed. I wasn't even sure if the ending was the actual ending at first. I felt as if the story was originally designed without the afterlife areas entirely and were then added near the end of development. They were a great idea, but I felt like their implementation was detached from the rest of the game and confused the pace of the story a bit. What did this Apple of Eden actually do? Were the Pharaoh ghosts just illusions? Were they just possessed individuals that appeared as undead Pharaohs to onlookers, (like the guard in the Karnak Temple that appeared as Isidora to Bayek)? Did the afterlife segments actually happen? Bayek makes a remark at one point that he never was really in the afterlife, but then for some quests he brings items from the real world to individuals inside the afterlife areas. What's actually supposed to be happening?

I still thoroughly enjoyed my time in the DLC, but I was left confused by quite a few things by the end.