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Pitching an Assassins' Creed Game: Building the Perfect Game Wishlist Share 9 Nov 2024 Written By: Edited By: Hayden Bird Colum Blackett Back To Database For any fan of the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game series, there will always be a personal wishlist, whether it be hopes for new parkour elements, combat techniques, or a new story direction. I always found it fun to brainstorm ideas for a potential new game in the series with a list of additions I would love to see. I think fans can all agree that each and every ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game could have different features that could slightly impact the quality of the game. Ubisoft does an excellent job already in creating these games, and they do a fine job of taking fan feedback into consideration, so the realistic gap between anyone’s wishlist can be small due to the great response that Ubisoft offers its fans. As good as any game can be, no matter what it is, there is always room for improvement as it's how the gaming industry works. I am going to build an ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game that would satisfy my expectations as a long-time fan of the series. I hope other fans will do the same as Ubisoft may very well be listening to our feedback, and there's always a chance the suggestions you make may one day be implemented into one of their games. Image via Ubisoft. I will start off with the basics, which is the overall formula. ‘Assassin’s Creed’ , in recent years. Has undergone some very significant changes. This has divided some fans, as some prefer the way the old games used to be played. But now, there are plenty of fans who love and appreciate the new style the more recent games have taken. The newer ones have also done a great job at creating new fans to the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series. There are many fans who never played any of the older games, that are now fans of the series thanks to the major reboot that took place back in 2017. I am a fan of both formulas, but I won't deny I see the appeal for each argument. I think there should be a balance of some sorts. Basically a bridge between old and new. I think combining both could easily satisfy both the older fans and the new ones. Doing this, however, would prove challenging to the developers at Ubisoft because they would have to sacrifice content from each different formula to mix them together. Meaning one aspect of the game would lack something important, which would impact both formulas in its own way. I think to find this ideal balance, there should be a mixture of these elements, but also something new and fresh, so that this hypothetical game would not only honor both the past and the present, but would also make an impact as a new and innovative game rather than feeling repetitive or recycled. This would prove quite the challenge creatively, and would take extensive research and brainstorming from the team at Ubisoft, but in the end, this company employs some of the best creative minds in the entire industry. Offering a new challenge for the team might prove beneficial in the long run. Promotional banner used to tease the reveal of Assassin's Creed Origins. Source: Ubisoft Next on the list, would be the parkour. Free-running and parkour have been a staple of this series since the beginning of its inception. Each game has always brought a unique aspect of the parkour that is so well known in these games, and fans often look back at different eras of the mainline games and how far the parkour has developed. For the original games, parkour was monumental at the time, now it's seen as an iconic part of gaming history. Looking back at how far the free-running and climbing has come, it's easy to forget all the fun parkour we have now, would not exist without the main inspiration of the original games. During the early days of the series, parkour was seen as basic, but effective. It was a treat for fans to be able to run across rooftops or scale the tallest building in the city in the beautiful settings all the games took place in. Many fans see 2009’s ‘Assassin’s Creed II’ as one of the best, if not the best game in the series for many reasons, and one of those would be the gorgeous setting of Florence and Venice in Italy in the 14th century. It was incredible to climb real life buildings and monuments that still stand in Italy to this day, and be able to look out to the city in either Florence or Venice. Parkour, of course, has changed a lot over the following years. Which also depended on the setting of the game. ‘Assassin’s Creed III’ , for example, took place during the American Revolution, and had to change some features in the parkour to match that of the setting. For example, the playable characters in the game were able to scale and climb trees, which was new and exciting for fans to experience, but also a great creative change from Ubisoft to adapt to that timeline, and not stick to only what they were familiar with, but to branch out and stay authentic to the time period in history. As a fan of the series since its creation, I think the ideal parkour would be to once more adapt to the setting of the game. Not every aspect of the new games that will follow a different time period will be the same as the last, some will have different terrains or cultures to adapt to. I think to match this authenticity, the team at Ubisoft will have to do what they do best. Study the era inside and out to come up with a solution that not only satisfies fans, but also matches the setting of that particular game. Capture from Assassin's Creed III by Col_96 The next bullet point to follow would be combat. I think Ubisoft has adapted the combat in the series very effectively. The original games had specific combat loopholes that made the need for the traditional fighting less important, where instead some fans could easily manipulate that feature by using the loopholes left in the games. Ubisoft has done an excellent job in cleaning that up and making the combat realistic to the era, and also mechanically fluent in terms of game development. I think Ubisoft would be wise to stick to the current style of combat, if I had a say in this, I would mostly leave it as it is. Ubisoft has perfected the art of combat in modern video games. Changing this would not make sense as it wouldn’t match that of today's standards. However, one thing Ubisoft could continue in its combat mechanics are the extended use of special abilities while fighting enemies. These abilities allow the developers to get creative. There's a lot of potential in creating these special abilities to give the player an aid in combat by having these unique skills be authentic to the game's time period. Ubisoft has already accomplished this in the past, for example in ‘Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’ , one of the special abilities you could use and equip was the infamous Spartan kick. The game was set in Ancient Greece, and this technique is well known today by being shown in different types of movies and TV shows, as well as the actual inspirations of Greece during that time period. The game adopted this type of ability specifically for ‘Odyssey’ as it fit perfectly in the Ancient Greek lore. Lastly, one thing I would add to create my picture perfect ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game would be the continued use of the skill tree. The universal use of skills in ‘Assassin’s Creed’ games only became a part of the series in more recent years. Almost all games created in today's era have adopted the same use of a skill tree. It has become a staple of the gaming industry. Any new ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game could further take advantage of this option by being “different” in their use of a skill tree. It will be creatively challenging, but if Ubisoft were to create a skill tree that looks and acts differently that the usual of what we see today, it would bring publicity to the game by having a unique aspect of it that so many other game developers have typically recycled this part of their game, which is understandable as most skill trees are supposed to be basic, as developers would not want to confuse fans with an overly complicated skill tree feature that could end up worsening the experience and creative gamble they would take. I think a good example of this would be what we saw in ‘Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’ where the skill tree was turned into a system that changed skills into “power”. This was a healthy change in what we are so used to in games today. ‘Valhalla’ did a great job at their attempt to be unique in the skill tree aspect of their game. Assassin's Creed Valhalla Skill Tree from TOWCB 'How to' Guides I think overall that these specific aspects, along with the great foundation Ubisoft has already built for the ‘Assassin’s Creed’ series, would create a game for everyone. I think blending the elements of both past and present could be a pleasant surprise for any fan of the games. These are, of course, hypothetical suggestions, as this is all a personal wishlist for me, but it is a wise thing to do as a fan of ‘Assassin’s Creed’ because one day, if enough fans were to create something similar, the creators at Ubisoft may very well take interest in our suggestions, and perhaps a new ‘Assassin’s Creed’ game could fit our personal wishes. Anything is possible in today's era of the gaming industry. Which is why the hobby of gaming so many fans enjoy, is the best form of entertainment in the entire world. Related Articles Aztec Empire: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game Chinese Pirates: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Hayden is a passionate Freelance Writer based in South Carolina who joined TOWCB's Writing Team in 2020 during the Covid-19 Pandemic, writing articles on all things Assassin's Creed Valhalla. He left the group to focus on studies, joining our Alumni program, but triumphantly returned with fresh ideas in 2024 to pick up where he left off, only this time covering Assassin's Creed Shadows. In 2025, Hayden took on the position of Team Leader for TOWCB's Writing Team, overseeing article releases, assisting with recruitment and providing assistance with internal operations. Hayden Bird

Journey to the East: A Review of Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road Review Share 14 Nov 2023 Written By: Edited By: Michael Smith Colum Blackett Back To Database Ban ner by Thea Marie Rivedal (Moonchildgecko) from TOWCB Art Team. Article contains Amazon affiliate links which support TOWCB. Major spoilers for Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road. Adventure stories have been a staple in my personal life since I was a child. From the early years of school where I explored the pages of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps series, to the modern releases from TellTale Games’ The Walking Dead, Batman, and Tales of the Borderlands . I can remember hitting the Dead End or ' You Died' in the middle of a book and rushing back to try and fix my mistake, or starting over to take another path. It’s something that becomes a skill with thinking before a decision that as a gamer, I’ve learned to utilize better in my hobbies and day to day. Being able to choose a path and experience something in a way that only a percentage of other people may have done previously is one of the reasons I still play games to this day. In 2021, Hatchette Heroes announced a new entry in the Assassin’s Creed transmedia line, Le Livre Dont Vous Êtes L’assassin: La Route De La Soie , or in English, The Book Where You are the Assassin: The Silk Road (in short, Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road). This new interactive novel, written by Mathieu Rivero, puts you in control of the French Assassin, Oisel. His story starts in Chinon, France where Oisel is tasked by his Mentor to travel to Antioch at the start of the historical Silk Road to locate and assist Master Assassin, Basim Ibn Ishaq (protagonist of Assassin’s Creed Mirage ) in investigating a new enemy. It is here that he learns of a branch within the Order of the Ancients called 'The Snake Eaters' and of their plans to take control of the Silk Road to control the trade and wealth that travels across the Eastern World. With the assistance of your close friend Matthias, and additional allies through the story, readers must choose the direction the Assassin follows to defeat this enemy and save The Silk Road from The Order of the Ancients. I waited for a while before I purchased the book as I had hoped that one day, AC: The Silk Road would be released in English. Yet, after a few years I decided to order and take the time to translate the book myself into my native language. Much like Oisel had to adapt to the Arabic and Sogdian languages of the Silk Road, I had to adapt to the French language using the only tool at my disposal, Google Translate. So with my phone and a word document, I spent two months scanning, formatting, and eventually reading AC: The Silk Road . During this time I would “read” the contents of the book and even have to spoil some aspects of the story so that I could better my future self’s experience reading the book. However, with all of the content that I scanned while editing punctuation for English and dividing each paragraph into individual sections for my outline, I didn’t feel that I ruined the overall experience. The day before I started writing this review, I spent an afternoon reading through my first take of the book and ended with one of five endings in the story, reaching what I believe to be the most positive ending, Future Mentor. What that means, I won’t spoil for you but the overall experience was enjoyable and made me feel like I was playing a solo campaign of Dungeons & Dragons . Navigation, Combat, and Tests made decisions for my overall outcome. Choosing which path to navigate through the various points along The Silk Road, planning my attacks in combat against drunkards and members of The Snake Eaters, and performing Tests using the books built in randomizer of icons printed in the corner of each page made this reading of the book and all future readings, unique. Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road provides plenty of direction on how to read through and interact with the book. During the first two chapters, small sections of red text with the image of a Hidden Blade will explain the mechanics of the book from the mechanics that I shared above; Navigation, Combat, Tests, Obtaining skills and items, and the Appendices. These are embedded in the Paragraph that you are currently reading, or will direct you to a different paragraph to read the text if it was the currently read paragraph is printed after the initial notice. With 198 Paragraphs divided over 5 Chapters and 95 Appendices, there is plenty of content and replayability with the combination of five endings and various choices. On my first playthrough, I interacted with an estimated 100 individual sections and appendices, leaving a lot of text untouched. You are able to track your progress using the included bookmark (which can be reprinted from the publisher’s website). This bookmark provides a “save file” with the front Synchronization section, as well as the boxes for your Stamina, Max Stamina, and Stealth Damage. The back provides space to list the skills and items you have found and a space to lock them in once you have synchronized your progress. Unfortunately for me, I purchased the book second hand and did not receive a bookmark, but the one provided from the website was great, and to be honest I would have printed regardless as I don’t like marking items with my books. Later on in the book readers will find a pair of puzzles that present a challenge which provides not only a change in content, but makes the reader think like a member of the Brotherhood. In my playthrough, I put myself in the shoes of Oisel and thought hard about my options, keeping the tenets of the Brotherhood in mind and how my decisions could change the relationships with those that surround the lead character. The immersive storytelling from Mathieu Rivero made this experience meaningful as I felt joy, sadness, and fear as my tale brought me to the brink of desynchronization multiple times and excitement when I overcame an obstacle. It's a story that I loved so much that I began playing it again with my wife, allowing her to make all the decisions. After reading the first chapter, she was just as excited and wanted to see what would happen next. While she hasn’t finished it yet, I was super excited to see all aspects of Assassin’s Creed (even those outside of the Genetic Memory…) present in this story. Now, as often seen with mass printed media, I hit a few errors in my reading of the book. Two sections from my playthrough directed me to a paragraph that was either an alternative option to a scene I already completed (ie. choosing to train with one person over the other), or to a scene that was not relevant to the text at all. I was able to identify the errors’ correct paragraph (or what I believed it to be) and continue my reading without additional issue. While not game breaking, it was a disruption in my immersion. Yet, I don’t hold this in a negative light as the complex process of publishing such a book can be handled by multiple parties or departments in a company. I also found myself confused at a few points where I was unsure if I was supposed to recover stamina at the start of a new section, or only if a paragraph informed me that I was healed. Luckily for me, at the end of the story with only 2 HP remaining, I was able to finish the story with no further damage. There were also times where I felt the Test mechanic felt one-sided, or easy to manipulate. Each page has symbols of varying success or failure in the lower left or right corner and are used for the Tests by flipping through the book and stopping at a random page to get your symbol and gather the outcome from the text based on that. My wife said that she felt she could remember by feel, where an Eagle was (the highest success) and could potentially aim for this each time. Yet, I would watch her try, and end up “rolling” a Snake instead (the highest failure). However, this mechanic works for the book and can make the action scenes have an intensity to them when you are trying to roll a combat move multiple times and watch your health, or the opponents fall quickly. One of the unique aspects of the experience I had with this book was that I learned of the author, Mathieu Rivero’s work as a translator. Reaching out to him on the fact that I was translating his book opened a conversation which gave me the opportunity to ask a few questions about the book and his process. In a short back and forth over a few days, I asked the following and have provided his answers to highlight his experience with AC: The Silk Road . What were some of the challenges you had with writing an Assassin’s Creed adventure novel? When you talk about challenges for writing an AC novel, I’m reading “IP complications”. While writing for an IP is undeniably difficult, it also brings its own niceties. What’s difficult, and daunting, is the sheer amount of pre-existing material. I’ve scoured the AC fan wikis in search of many things and, whenever you’re talking about such things as an IP, there are legacies to consider. I wanted to incorporate the social element of AC, and that translates to the Antioch market, whereas the stronghold is all about infiltration. Each sequence is centered about one specific part of the AC experience that I wanted to put in the game. Sadly there’s no crafting and no min-maxing and some of the goofy AC humor isn’t there (while there are a few places where it gets lighthearted). Of course Ubisoft had its own agenda, and told me a few select details that should or should not be there. Overall I would say that while it gives you a humongous set of constraints, it has the benefits of bringing its own universe, its tropes, and constraint breeds creativity, that’s for sure! Did you use any reference materials for the story, such as books about the Silk Road? If so, would you share what you used for those that want to read more about the time period? Weirdly, I did not buy any books for this. I’ve always been a history buff, and the first novel I finished writing was about the Arabian Nights (not available in English, sorry, though the title would translate as 'Of Night and Gold'). So let’s say I already had a headstart when I started designing the story. However, I vividly recall spending evenings reading websites about the Silk Road, about power struggles in the area, about the dialects that were used at the time or trying to figure out how to describe Antioch the way it was, geographically. For Antioch, for instance, I had to look at the maps of the ruins, figure out where it would sit on Google Maps, and then make a mental picture of how the arrival would look like – all that for a puny sentence or two that probably no one cares about or would notice. I like research, but I’m in the camp of calling a spade a spade, and fiction can and should stray from reality at times. There are a few gaps in the book, and some historians might pursue me with a pitchfork… one day, when they read the book. Also I did not want historical accuracy [to] make things feel foreign and pull readers out of the experience. Were there any mechanics or content that you wanted to write about that didn’t get published? The way we worked with Ubisoft (and Hachette, the publisher of the book) was very helpful in not having cut content. First I did a test – which became the Chinon prologue, with some editing, and a grand plan, a structure and a game design document for the entire novel, so that Ubisoft would approve me writing stuff. Then I proceeded to work on the book and then submitted everything back to Ubisoft. They had a few nitpicks with some scenes, thought one of the endings needed some more love, so I touched up whatever needed to be touched up. With my publisher at Hachette, we had defined a certain scope that we did not want to go past, and I did go a little bit overboard. Not too much, though. I had not foreseen the endings would take as much work as they did! So no, no cut content per se. I scrapped a bunch of things to streamline a few moments, but rarely did our plan fail! Was the Silk Road story your decision, or was it pitched to you by Ubisoft? Ubisoft approached one of their former employees, who knew a publisher with whom I had spoken about adventure books, a few years back. My name was submitted unbeknownst to me, and I was contacted by Hachette. As mentioned above, Ubisoft had their own agenda and they wanted the story to happen around the Silk Road, they wanted a Basim cameo (why, of COURSE!) and they also wanted to have a male Hidden One named Oisel (old French for Bird). They wanted him to be of a mixed ethnicity, and the year 850 mark is perfect for that – the Moors had invaded, so a deserter could have had a child. That also helped come up with the excuse for Oisel speaking – kinda – French, Arabic, the dialects of Central Asia, and Chinese. They had an idea about an open world but clearly that was not possible (unless we did a choose your own adventure encyclopedia) in book form so we settled for a few select vignettes. I brought them the entire arc, what I wanted to do with Oisel (and Matthias), and they were on board with that. Having a somewhat canon ending meant the end could not go too far. We had to have a specific direction and a fixed end point. If you were to write another adventure book, would you write a sequel to this story, or would you visit another period and location? I’m not opposed to writing another adventure book. I’m handling a few different projects and writing books as your day job is a tough one, so I’ve dialed this back a bit. I’ve pitched something else to Hachette but they weren’t too much into it (it was a rogue like dating sim adventure book. Do what you want of this weird piece of information). I have other ideas, like an adventure book on a diviner with abilities to foresee pieces of the future. What I like most about this type of game is the involvement a player can have in the story, how emotionally invested you can be. I want to try experimental stuff. I have other things cooking but I can’t talk about them at the moment as they haven’t been announced, but it’s more on the side of board games than books. Writer's Commentary My time reviewing books for Assassin’s Creed has provided me with great insight to the authors that are building the future of the series. While we wait through the development process of each video game, the transmedia for the series is where I believe we will find the most world building and viewpoints of the global Assassins that lived in the timeline of Assassin’s Creed . Mathieu has opened a door for a new format that I would love to see continue with the transmedia, more adventure books with different characters and time periods that while the outcome could not be considered canon, the overall story could be. When I explain the lore of AC: The Silk Road , I would inform of the challenges the Assassin’s Brotherhood had with the Snake Eaters along the Silk Road in the 9th Century, but that the character lore should be considered “unverified” (when speaking in a historical sense) as everyone would be able to tell their own story, or what they believe happened. It's an opening for fun conversation and similar “this is what I did” moments that I love seeing from the games. If I was to suggest a new story for this, I would love to see either a sequel to this book with references to The Silk Road , or maybe a story that is based in a time of war such as WWII due to the amount of history and stories that have come from those periods that could be adapted for an adventure story. Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road is available in physical format online for anyone to purchase. I made my purchase via Amazon, and we will share an affiliate link at the bottom of this article if you would like to purchase a copy for yourself. While the book is in French only, I would still suggest this book to anyone that wants a new avenue for the AC series and maybe one day we will see an English option from Hatchette Heroes. We would like to say a big thank you to Mathieu for joining us for this interview! Amazon Affiliate Link comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024 With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory. Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order. Michael Smith

New Member Dave Rutter joins TOWCB Virtual Photography Team News Share 15 Oct 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) TOWCB Team Back To Database We are pleased to announce that Dave Rutter ( @ dpruttz_vp ) is the latest member to join our @ Isu_network , taking on the role of Engagement Strategist for the Virtual Photography Team! Dave first started playing Assassin's Creed back in 2020 when Valhalla launched, capturing memorable moments using his expertise with the photo mode tool. By joining the program, Dave will have access to our social media platforms and website from which he can use to promote his captures and virtual photography in general. He will also take on new responsibilities as a moderator for our VP Twitter Community, making him a recognisable leader in the AC VP Community. Team structure We look forward to working with Dave & the rest of the Virtual Photography Team as we aim to shine a spotlight on community captures. Twitter Community Do you plan on using photo mode in Assassin's Creed Mirage? If so, it's time to share your captures in our Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography Community! VP Safe Space Here to support the #virtualphotography community. Because sometimes everyone needs a #safespace & someone to talk to. VP Save Space is a DM support service for the Virtual Photography Community for people who need someone to talk to. Here to support you when you need it with a place to reach out, vent or for a friendly chat. You are NOT alone. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

This Week in Assassin’s Creed Virtual Photography: 30th to 5th November Community Share 9 Nov 2023 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Colum Blackett Back To Database Welcome to the weekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from The AC Partnership Program. Every week I will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. Aaron is a keen virtual photographer and loves to post his journeys through Assassin’s Creed on Twitter. Keep an eye on the site as more weekly shots are added, we are looking for captures across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to the #TOWCBWeeklyCapture for a chance to be featured. This week’s theme: From the Shadows Jumping In Game: Assassin’s Creed Mirage VP Artist: @ shoe2007 “Our Creed does not command us to be free. It commands us to be wise.” The sun drenched atmosphere of Assassin’s Creed Mirage is arguably the dream scenario for a virtual photographer. The lush golden colours of the sun allow for some delightful pictures but also permit the use of shadows. This vibrant shot has the perfect mix of both. I really like how the shot has been split into two by the shadow of the building. The vibrant colours of the flowers just below add a richness to the shot. Then very fitting for the theme we have Basim’s shadow leaping through the air in a classic Assassin pose. A capture fit for the Creed. Link to set: Athenian Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey VP Artist: @ MechXican “Strong legs mean you’ll thrust your spear with more force” The battles between the Spartans and the Athenians in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is something to behold. These large scale encounters really make you feel like you’re a part of a historic battle. None more so than the opening of the game, that really did give me 300 vibes. This capture is all about the warrior. The shadow work and the lighting are exceptional, coupled with the head turn we have got ourselves a very cinematic shot. I love the blue and white on the helmet, it’s the only colour in this shot so stands out beautifully. This capture has a very powerful presence and fits the theme perfectly. Link to set: Downtown Game: Assassin’s Creed Mirage VP Artist: @ PodToGo “How do you know the angel and the devil inside me aren’t the same thing?” Although Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t quite meet the crowd density levels of Assassin’s Creed Unity it still manages to make you feel like you’re part of a lived-in city. Once you make it into the inner circle there are plenty of people going about their daily routines, especially in the market areas. This shot from Pod sums up my expectations of Mirage. I could not wait to climb on beams above the streets hunting for Order members. I am getting a real Daredevil feel from this capture. I love the silhouette of Basim and the rays of light breaking through the canopy. This shot is Assassin’s Creed, the vigilante working in the shadows to protect his city. Shadow Walker Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP Artist: @ m_nt_13 “I have your soul Gorm” Customisation is such a cool aspect of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, you can dress your Viking in so many different ways. The Draugr set is such an ominous style to use and is fantastic for dark and shadowy captures. When Eivor wishes to incite fear in her enemies there is no better way than dress as death itself. In this capture I am loving the shadow across Eivor’s eyes, and the way it blends in with the striking face tattoo. The hood up helps conceal Eivor’s identity while also adding a menacing feel. I really like the composition too with Eivor’s head off centre, it gives you a sense that she is appearing from the darkness. A truly intimidating shot that uses shadow work to precision. Link to set: Sliding In Game: Assassin’s Creed Origins VP Artist: @ MdeavorVP “We see the world as it really is, and hope that on day all mankind might see the same” Freerunning has been part of Assassin’s Creed from the get go, and is one of the core pillars of the franchise. For me it reached its peak in Assassin’s Creed Unity and Mirage has been a nice return to form after the more warrior focused games. That being said Bayek is making use of his freerunning skills in this capture. For me this shot fits into the minimal bracket and that is one of the reasons why I like it so much. The hole makes for a beautiful frame as Bayek slides through. The black and white style works effortlessly with this capture to fit the theme of the week. The capture shows incredible talent for lateral thinking. Link to set: The Ones Who Came Before Photo of the Week Judge: @ Shauna_c_jones ''The original idea of the theme for this was “From the Shadows.” As an Assassin, the goal is to stay hidden. I’m a huge fan of shadow play, so I was really interested to see how people would take this challenge on. I chose this as my photo of the week for the way in which it has been framed by negative space. I’m a sucker for different perspectives and really appreciated how centred the photo is. The capture is really striking and shows an Assassin in action, almost ready to pounce. What a submission. '' And that sums it up for this week’s Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out this week’s photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next week keep those shots coming in! Interested in Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography? Share your shots in our Twitter community for a chance to be featured in our weekly VP selection articles! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Breaking News: Ubisoft reveal sneak-peak at Ubisoft Forward 2023 line-up News Share 8 Jun 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Ubisoft has spent the last week giving fans a sneak-peak at the upcoming Ubisoft Forward showcase event by sharing promotional images and videos of upcoming Assassin's Creed projects to build anticipation for the event. New images and teasers for Assassin's Creed: Mirage, Nexus and Jade have been shared, and we can't wait to cover all three in full when more information drops at Ubisoft Forward and beyond! Assassin's Creed Mirage Learn more about Assassin's Creed Mirage Friday June 9th, when episode one of a special three-part video series dedicated to the game's development releases. Screenshots from the promo video Here we see an underground staircase for Basim to use in a resticted area. This may be one of the ways in which players can achieve a non-confrontational mission playthrough, which stealthily brings him to his target area without being detected. Next up we see a new piece of concept art for Assassn's Creed Mirage showing two Assassins freerunning around Baghdad. Notice the similarities between the robes worn here and the Levantine Brotherhood in Assassin's Creed (2007). Here we see another piece of concept art, this time showing a masked figure hiding from a guard in a poor area of Baghdad. Could this be Basim in disguise making his way through a slum? Although poor quality due to being a recording of a monitor, we can briefly see tree parkour in action. Basim jumps from a wooden plank and onto a tree branch. Here we see a 3D render of an Assassin, likely Basim produced during the development stages of Assassin's Creed Mirage. On the left you can see another screen showing an Assassin wearing a hidden blade / vambrace gauntlet. The next shot is a sketch showing a diagram of a rope lift, something which first appeared in the Ezio games. It's great to see this mechanic return in Mirage as it is a quick and easy way to access rooftops. On the left, you can see the new Pole Vault mechanic, which allows Basim to jump across buildings. Here we see the pole vault in action, as demonstrated in the Assassin's Creed gameplay trailer. Towards the end of the video we see social stealth in action! In a return to its roots, Assassin's Creed Mirage is set to fully reimagine stealth, starting with blending. Hide in plain sight. A blade in the crowd. This is an essential part of being an Assassin. Using your surroundings to mask your appearance. The outline around the NPC's shows that they are unaware of Basim's presence, and also means that enemies will not notice his approach. Assassin's Creed Mirage will be unveiled in full at #UbiForward , on 12th June, 6PM BST. Assassin's Creed Nexus VR Assassin's Creed: Codename Jade Stay tuned for more Assassin's Creed coverage as we prepare to fully immerse ourselves in Ubisoft Forward and all the news it may bring. Check out our social media platforms below for further updates. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

Discovery Tour by Ubisoft: The Educational Software and Books for Exploring History Breakdown Share 14 Sept 2021 Written By: Edited By: Michael Smith Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Assassin’s Creed was first introduced to the gaming world in 2007 with the release of its titled release “Assassin’s Creed”. The game told a fictional story of two warring factions seeking an artifact of unknown power during the real historical setting of the Third Crusade in the Holy Land (modern day Jerusalem). Throughout the game, players were provided information via game dialogue and recaps from the perspective of the protagonist to provide historical insight of the world around them. This idea of historical education embedded in an action stealth video game would progress further as the series continued, adding codex libraries of reference data for historical locations, people, and various additional subjects. Ubisoft, the publisher of the Assassin’s Creed games, decided in 2017 alongside the launch of Assassin’s Creed Origins, to release a new game mode titled Discovery Tour: Ancient Egypt where players and those interested in history would be able to control a character within the digital representation of Egypt and participate in walking tours that educated them on the history that influenced the flagship series. This was successful enough that a second entry of the new mode was released the following year with Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece. In 2020, Larousse (a French publishing house) released a physical print of the Discovery Tours via the Discovery Book by Assassin’s Creed Series, titled Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece. Within these reference books, 1001 facts about the eras were collected with their pages. At the time of this review, these books have only been released in French, but are advertised on the Great Britain and French Assassin’s Creed Stories publishing sites. For this article, the Ancient Greece version of the Discovery Tour and Book will be examined after completing the full game mode, and reading the book with Google Translate. In both the book and the game, the history of Ancient Greece is broken down into “Themes” and within those themes are the “Tours” that educate on one of 30 different subjects. Within the game mode, the player can select a character from a list of fictional and historical persons, such as the main protagonist Kassandra/ Alexios or a simple farmer from that era, some of the characters must be unlocked by completing a set number of tours or themes, as well as a horse to travel from location to location without having to worry about combat and stroll through the vibrant environment designed by the Assassin’s Creed team while listening to a narration of the history of Greece. The player is greeted at the start of the tour by one of a small handful of tour guides, such as Herodotus and Aspasia. The player can ask the guide questions about themselves to learn of these historical figures/characters from the game. From here, the game's narrator will highlight numerous stops that players will traverse the environment by following a lighted pathway to get to a stop and interact with it to play the audio information about the subject of that stop. Once completing the tour, players will return to the tour guide at the end of the guided pathway and take a short multiple choice quiz to see if the player remembers what they just learned. There is no failure to the tour quiz as the guide will correct you and reeducate about the correct answer if necessary. Players can discover new tours by Fast Traveling to the starting location or exploring the map at their own pace and tracking their progress via in-game menus and checkpoints on the Map. Each tour informs of the number of checkpoints, known as Stations, and the estimated time it should take to complete that tour. Tours can take anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour, but are filled with visuals, camerawork, real pictures and sketches of the subject to compare to the ingame models. Players of the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey title will notice that locations in the Discovery Tour are different than they were in game as the developers adjusted the locations to be more historically accurate and less focused on integration with game mechanics. Players that would like to experience the history of Ancient Greece also have the option of taking the tours in order of the timeline available in the menu. This option is partially how the Discovery Book is organized. The book is sectioned into 9 sections of interest and within those are 42 subjects over 95 pages. The information provided in the book is the same information provided in the game mode, arranged alongside images of items from the real world or screenshots of the game. As you can see in the images below, the information provided is similar, appearing differently due to translation and where said information is provided on the page. The book, while providing the same information as the game mode, provides a better sense of educational value as it reads like a traditional encyclopedia, with the downside of being currently available in French only. However the gamification of unlocking additional characters and mounts as well as traversing the beautiful landscapes of Greece make the adventure of finding and going through the tours more entertaining. With children these days generally more intrigued by computer screens than books, this software provides a great way of educating children and classrooms in a new way. The potential of coming into class and playing a Discovery Tour game versus watching a film would be beneficial to students absorbing information and talking more about what they learned and found while exploring the Greek World. This could also be a great format for museums to expand exhibits and offer new experiences from home via live service updates similar to that of the main Assassin’s Creed games. Both the Ancient Greece and Egypt Tours and Books are a great way to learn about the history that inspired the Assassin’s Creed series and a great addition to any collection. For those that are not interested in purchasing the full games that include the Discovery Tour, the tours are offered as a stand alone product for PC users and videos of the tours are available on the Discovery Tour by Ubisoft website. Previous fans of the game mode will be happy to know that the next entry Discovery Tour: Viking Age for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be releasing in the fall of 2021 (October 19th) . In this new era, locations from around the Valhalla game will be explorable, such as Englad, Ireland, France, and even the home of the Norse Gods, Asgard. Players will be able to play as favorite characters and NPCs from the game and explore the real world influences in depth. Information provided by the Ubisoft team working on this mode confirms that it will be more immersive than the previous iterations. This could mean new mechanics such as puzzles to learn secrets of the past, or possibly the introduction of a more interactive tour that is more than a stop and admire version that players are used to with museums and games like this. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024 With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory. Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order. Michael Smith

Assassin's Creed Shadows Wallpaper Collection Released by Frame Hold Photography Community Share 27 Jan 2025 Written By: Edited By: Frame Hold Photography Colum Blackett Back To Database The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows is fast approaching and the recently released Story Trailer has only increased excitement for the game. Our very own Frame Hold Photography today released the Assassin's Creed Shadows wallpaper collection, compiled of edits and key moments from the trailer! Let us know your favourites in the comments down below and enjoy Assassins! Desktop Desktop (Textless) Mobile Did you just find your new wallpaper? Show us on social media! Links can be found below. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Frame Hold Photography is a passionate Virtual Photographer who joined our Video Content Creation Team in Summer 2022, as we began our efforts to break away from solely written content. During a period of uncertainty for TOWCB website, FHP stepped up and took on the role of Site Manager, overseeing our restoration efforts. Our website today now sits at the top of many Google searches📈 Outside of AC, she is also a full time editor and visual effects artist on TV commercials, and has been putting her skills to use in the community by creating epic Assassin's Creed tribute videos, miniature figure painting videos and editing episodes of our Rally the Creed podcast! Frame Hold Photography

Assassin's Creed Shadows: Reddit AMA session highlights Breakdown Share 14 Dec 2024 Written By: Edited By: UbiCypher (Joe) Zephryss Back To Database Refined Mechanics, New Modern Day plot, Retconned Lore and No Basim -"The delay has helped focus and allowed to be able to tweak the game". - Ubisoft Quebec's developer Jonathan Dumont states. Reddit's Official r/Assassin's Creed logo. This week's Reddit AMA session was a delight for the Assassin's Creed community. The developers Charles Benoit , Thierry Dansereau , Jonathan Dumont and Brooke Davies did a good job at answering the majority of the questions providing insightful information ahead of time albeit many spoilery questions that the community attempted to see through -myself included- clearly showing the love and dedication poured into the game, the delay having helped to "Focus on polish, debug and balancing" according to Jonathan, adding that they also had the time to address "stickyness in the parkour, accelerating responsiveness of inputs and fix rooftop behaviours" , which, is one of the main pillars of the upcoming Ubisoft game and seemingly pretending to be a strong rival to the community-praised parkour of Assassin's Creed: Unity. One of the most common complaints in the first two games of the latest RPG trilogy was the loot, which was random, Valhalla addressed this swapping the randomness by progession /exploration-based unlocks which is also returning in Shadows, the loot being more unique rather than acquiring the same bow infinite times since they are now tied to specific locations, special enemies and targets -which will drop the best loot- we'll have to eliminate through the story. The historical aspects of the game as well as its characters will be displayed in a "Codex-like Database" similarly to Assassin's Creed Mirage's fashion, somewhat bringing back that old feel of in-game historical information provided by Shaun Hastings in the earlier games. This is not the only feature borrowed from Bordeaux's game though as the "Target Board" is also returning. Talking about borrowing, Shadows takes from Valhalla's Settlement system as well -as seen in previous blogposts- however the devs mentioned that this time it will have a direct impact on gameplay and highly customizable features basically being its own sim-city like minigame allowing us to build rooms and specific buildings to further boost our stats or NPC relationships. The Photo Mode is also getting a long-craved revamp, so all the VP's out there will have a blast with photo-making throughout 2025 as it won't only be rebuilt entirely and available at launch, but it'll also be updated regularly adding more features as Shadow's life-cycle progressess or so it seems according to the devs, which is cool and also stunning that given games like Far Cry 6 as the latest example with a rich Photo Mode, it wasn't available in such a way in earlier games. Assassin's Creed Shadows' settlement Sim-like building system. Modern Day & The Animus Hub Alas, some information on Modern Day! It was expected that Basim's storyline wouldn't continue in Shadows, or at least, not at launch since the developer Jonathan openly stated that he won't "currently" be part of Shadow's story, meaning that it will possibly make an appearance later and I'd say not to think negatively as this statement aroused suspicious throughout the community, many thinking that he will get the "Juno treatment" which of course, I hope it won't be the case. Basim Ibn Ishaq as depicted in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. Assassin's Creed Shadows "Will have a limited Modern Day story introducing a broader narrative in the Animus Hub" clearly setting the grounds for our expectations on that part of the narrative for the future to come, confirming many rumors and fears of many and also the statements of Assassin's Creed's Executive Producer Marc-Alexis Côté at the BAFTA a few weeks ago regarding their shift of focus setting aside the Modern Day plot favoring the History Plot at the front of the experience. However, Jonathan, the Developer in question that revealed all this information to us also expressed that extra information on Modern Day and the Animus Hub for that matter will be shared soon. Another set of sad news but also to be expected -except for a stubborn egghead like me- Assassin's Creed Memories, a role-playing trading card game exclusive to iOS released back in 2014 that already established the lore concerning Japan and its role in the Assassin's Creed Universe back in the day prior to Shadows, is going to be retconned or at least, some elements, according to the devs who answered my questions, revealing that Hattori Hanzō will be in the game, however, the fate of characters like The Four Guardians of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Mochizuki Chiyome is unknown at this point. Ubisoft Quebec's Developer: Jonathan answering my question regarding AC: Memories retcon. For those invested in the canonicity of the story, fear not as this time Ubisoft is not scared to say what is what instead of discretely set the canon in a novel in oder to avoid backlash due to poor decision making; "Canon Mode" now being a thing. This mode will make several choices for you that you would otherwise make yourself in what is assumed to be the "Standard Mode" , making your playthrough canon from A to Z without any hiccups or inconsistencies due to your decisions. Which is great as this kind of integrations in the game again shows confidence in their project which others previously lacked. Project Infinity - Now Rebranded as Animus Hub. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author UbiCypher (Joe) is an Assassin's Creed Transmedia expert who worked as the Lead Admin for the Isu_Network social media team, providing consistent social media content in the form of Assassin's Creed lore trivia, puzzles and news coverage, spending countless hours researching the series and real history. In 2025, he stepped back from his social media duties to pursue other opportunities. UbiCypher (Joe)

Rally The Creed: Episode 5 Released w/ Gargudon and Col_96 Podcast Share 6 Sept 2023 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Colum Blackett Back To Database 9 Years of TOWCB, Mirage & More - Rally The Creed Episode #5 w/ Gargudon & Col_96 In this new episode of Rally The Creed, Gargudon and Col look back on 9 years of The Ones Who Came Before, from Col first creating the site in 2014, first getting recognised by Ubisoft, our two guests first getting acquainted, the site growing and expanding, the future and much more. Also touched upon is the imminent release of AC Mirage, what to expect from it and the impact it will have on the community. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Gustav / Gargudon is an active community member, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016, but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews & composing. By joining The Ones Who Came Before in 2019, originally reviving 'The Memory Corridor' podcast, which had been offline for nearly a year, he has had the opportunity to expand his audience and further develop his skills.

 His unique skill set made him the perfect candidate for our team. Among other things, he is known in the community for the Sounds Of History project - an original Assassin’s Creed inspired instrumental music project, featuring five tracks inspired by as many different games - other original fan themes plus covers of iconic AC tracks, as well as video interviews with a number of high profile names in the world of AC, from Roger Craig Smith, Jesper Kyd and more. Fun fact, among his growing colourful tattoo collection, Gustav is the only member of our team to have the TOWCB logo inked. Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon)

Assassin’s Creed Virtual Photography: 22nd to 10th October Community Share 11 Nov 2025 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Turið Torkilsdóttir Back To Database Welcome to the monthly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from the AC Partnership Program. Every four weeks we will be picking our top five favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. This theme has been run by the @ ACFirstCiv Virtual Photography team. We wanted to celebrate the release of Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji DLC, with a selection of photos from the community. We hope you all have enjoyed venturing back into Japan with this DLC and of course snapping some photos. Keep an eye on the site as more shots are added, we are looking for captures across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to #ACFirstCivVP for a chance to be featured. Theme: Claws of Awaji A Stillness Game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows VP Artist: Hotkey2435 The Ones Who Came Before Photo of the Theme Judge: @Falconswift87 Aaron Assassin’s Creed Shadows already possessed a vast array of environments, all unique and beautifully crafted. So, I became quite intrigued by a darker tone heading into the Claws of Awaji DLC. Afterall, Ubisoft Bordeaux did produce very creepy sections in the Wrath of the Druids expansion. It’s always important to have a balance though and that is where this elegant capture comes in. The composition is exquisite and the colours dreamy. The Autumnal trees look very impressive with their red hue. I love the addition of fog in the distance to add mystery to Naoe’s path. For me the white outfit complements the capture so well, drawing the eye into the centre. This shot has been executed brilliantly, bringing a calmness to proceedings. A worthy winner of the theme. Defensive Stance Game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows VP Artist: OpticsShatter Naoe is such an independent character and one that harbours a lot more under the surface. Her passion and determination drive her to be better. She makes for quite a compelling lead character due to her vengeance not being so clear cut as someone like Bayek. In the Claws of Awaji DLC Naoe will have to adapt to being the hunted one but judging by this capture she is more than ready. I am very impressed with the use of black and white, along with the cool defensive pose. I like how we can see Naoe emerging from the foliage, posed to strike. Her attire really leans into the assassin/ninja ethos. A striking portrait that is compositional interesting but also acing the lighting to bring the vibes of the DLC. Surveying the Area Game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows VP Artist: @XSpartanAimeeX I think one of the reasons fans longed so much for a Japanese Assassin’s Creed is the world it has to offer. Japan with its rich history and bountiful landscapes, coupled with the spectacular buildings makes for the perfect playground for players. This capture is really selling that theory with a stunning photo of Naoe surveying a stronghold from the hillside. The colours are so pleasing on the eye, and the superb white of the structure marries nicely with Naoe’s outfit. The foggy background adds to the atmosphere and serves to further highlight the strong autumnal colours. The layout of the shot is akin to the promotional material produced by Ubisoft themselves. It really is a beautiful capture that makes me want to jump back into the game. Bo Master Game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows VP Artist: @TakaSanGames Over the years I have played many games and for the most part enjoyed taking photos in them. I've always had a soft spot for portraits and I think Assassin’s Creed lends itself so well to capturing them. With Shadows implementing the pose option within the photo mode, a whole host of opportunities have now opened up for us VP artists. Taka, known for producing impressive portraits has once again delivered with this captivating shot of Naoe. There is so much to appreciate here from the shadow work to the soft colour tones. It’s impressive how you cannot see Naoe’s eyes shrouding the picture in mystery. I love how realistic this capture looks, almost as if it is a professional shoot. I know Taka mentioned going for a magazine cover style, I think that has been impeccably achieved. The Many Faces Game: Assassin’s Creed Shadows VP Artist: @ marcromanbravo Ubisoft Bordeaux have consistently delivered this generation. They have produced a fan favourite in Mirage alongside too very impressive DLC’s. Both of which have balanced story with a side of horror. I felt the Druid approach worked really well in Valhalla, creating a very different feel from the main game. The Awaji DLC has worked in a similar way. I can’t quite believe this capture is from an Assassin’s Creed game. At first glance you would think it’s a horror title. The focus on Naoe is so unnerving, coupled with one of the many poses you can use in the game. The lighting on her face and the highlights of gold and red make this extremely terrifying. The atmosphere is heighten by the pouring rain and the creepy figure appearing behind Naoe. I am really enjoying the mask just out of focus, adding layers to this frightfully good capture. And that sums it up for this Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out the photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next time keep those shots coming in! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

This Week in Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography: Feb 26th - 5th March 2022 Community Share 21 Mar 2022 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Welcome to the new weekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from The AC Partnership Program. Every week, we will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. Aaron is a keen virtual photographer and loves to post his journeys through Assassin’s Creed on Twitter. Keep an eye on the site as more weekly shots are added, we are looking for capture across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to the #TOWCBWeeklyCapture for a chance to be featured. 1) Renaissance Game: Assassin’s Creed II This week’s first capture comes from @hannyafoxdie over on Twitter. The scenery in Assassin’s Creed 2 is immense. The city of Venice is so vibrant, and this capture reflects it extremely well. I am always a fan of the protagonist standing on a rooftop. The colour of the tiles really pops in this image. I certainly appreciate the larger buildings in the distance and the waterway just below. 2) The Seaside Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Photo number two comes from @FeRa0408 over on Twitter. This capture is so colourful and striking. Kassandra walking through the red plants is very iconic, giving me Gladiator vibes. There really is a lot going on here, with the flock of birds in the sky and the two ships floating in the water. This is possibly one of my favourite Odyssey shots. 3) Sunlight Game: Assassin’s Creed This week’s third shot comes from @realKICKFLIPKID over on Twitter. Once again, we travel back to where it all began. I have not yet played the original since I entered the VP world. This is definitely a capture I would attempt, though. I love the bright sun blazing in from the right and the birds circling in the air. I am particularly impressed by the hidden blade sticking out as if Altair is about to strike. 4) Black and White Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla VP number four comes from @DagNammit86 over on Twitter. Black and white shots can often get missed, but this one stood out to me. I really like the depth of field drawing your eye to the archway which seems to make this image so bright. The simplicity is a breath of fresh air, minus the civilian this shot is pure environment. 5) Egyptian Hedj Game: Assassin’s Creed Origins The final capture of the week comes from @nkeiiin over on Twitter. Bayek and Origins captures are my favourites. Once again great use of the depth of field, really makes Bayek stand out amongst the burning sun. Nice to see Bayek in the Hedj robes, such an underrated look. I was so happy when they returned in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. And that sums it up for this week’s Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out this week’s photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next week keep those shots coming in! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Assassin's Creed Codename Hexe Teaser Analysis Analysis Share 11 Sept 2022 Written By: Edited By: Preston Carbonaro Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Fans of the franchise were given a goodie bag filled with treats at the Ubisoft Forward Assassin's Creed Showcase event , ranging from a gorgeous cinematic trailer for the much-awaited Assassin’s Creed Mirage, updates on the upcoming Netflix show, a new mobile game, and tantalising teaser trailers for future games. One short, eerie trailer in particular - for Codename Hexe - featuring barking dogs, bare trees, and an open fire, has left fans and codebreakers alike intrigued and perplexed. In his segment during the Ubisoft Forward event, Marc-Alexis Côté – executive producer of the Assassin's Creed franchise - said that he’ll leave it up to us to spot the little secrets. So, let’s get down to business! Starting from the most prominent object in the image. The Assassins symbol, of course. As you can see, it is made out of twigs and twine; very primitive in design. Personally, I couldn't help but think of handmade Halloween decorations when I saw this. More specifically decorations used by pagans during Samhain. Which brings me to my second observation. What seems to be an eight-pointed star (octagram) drawn in chalk on the wall behind the AC insignia. Octagrams have various different interpretations and meanings in various religions around the world, but I decided to focus more on Paganism and Occultism as that seemed to be the theme of the content. Lo and behold, my research eventually led me to The Wheel of the Year, an annual cycle of seasonal festivals, observed by many modern pagans, consisting of the year's main solar events (solstices and equinoxes) and the midpoints between them. A few more searches further confirmed my hunch. The images below are similar to what is seen in the Hexe reveal trailer. Writer’s note: The Yule, Ostara, and Lammas festivals all feature in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. There was also The First Night of Samhain quest. And what of the text in the Hexe diagram, you ask? My first guess was the Theban alphabet, also known as the Honorian alphabet, Runes of Honorius, or witches' alphabet due to its use in modern Wicca and other forms of witchcraft. However, upon further inspection and more research, I concluded it to be from The Alphabet of the Magi. A variant of the Hebrew alphabet, it was used for inscriptions in talismans in 17th-century occultism. It also seems that the chalk wall behind the Assassin's Creed insignia hold a secret, as discovered by Community Member Boukhari Adam. The letters are actually from the Magi alphabet, and spell out ''We work in the dark to serve in the light!''. See how everything is linked? Let’s analyse further... “Codename Hexe” (pronounced hex-uh). ‘Hexe’ is the German word for ‘witch’. In English we use very similar words like ‘hex’ or ‘hexed’, which mean: to cast a spell on; to bewitch. So, taking into consideration all of these ideas and how closely related they are to each other, I am assuming that Codename Hexe will revolve around the witch trials which took place in 17th century Germany. Namely the Würzburg witch trials of 1625-1631. Let us know what you think. Would you be interested in playing an Assassin’s Creed game which involves such themes? And what do you think about the possible setting? One thing is for sure. Dark times lie ahead. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Preston is a long-time Assassin's Creed fan of both the games and the soundtracks. He works as a primary school educator, and is also a part-time actor. He takes a keen interest in mythology, symbology, codes and puzzles. Some of his passions include writing, reading, art, gaming, football, and music. Preston Carbonaro

Assassin's Creed Watercolour Art Dump by Shaya Fury Community Share 22 Mar 2024 Written By: Edited By: Shaya Fury Colum Blackett Back To Database We are pleased to present the works of TOWCB Artist Shaya Fury who has created a series of watercolour creations inspired by the world of Assassin's Creed. Enjoy! We particularly love this art journal, as each page brings the world of Assassin's Creed to life. The Isu architecture left behind by the First Civilisation is recognisable in all mediums, and Shaya has done a great job at representing the long forgotten mechanisms once used by humanity's ancient ancestors. Ways to support the artist Art Lessons Shaya is now giving art lessons online, teaching both traditional and digital styles, starting from the basics, colour theory, different materials and more! If you're interested, send her a message on Twitter. Etsy Shop You can purchase art by Shaya Fury on Etsy , or contact her for commissions. Patreon Shaya has six levels of subscription on Patreon, offering different levels of access. Shaya Fury LinkTree comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Shaya Fury is an Artist/Freelance Illustrator who blends a mix of traditional methods with digital designs to create art pieces that are bursting with colour. Shaya Fury

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Third Expansion Teased at Ubisoft Forward E3 Event News Share 16 Jun 2021 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database E3 2021 kicked off with Ubisoft Forward, an hour-long event where Ubisoft showcased a number of upcoming titles. The show featured a glimpse at several new impressive looking games, such as Far Cry 6, Rainbow Six Extraction and Avatar Frontiers of Pandora. Fans of Assassin's Creed were given a first look at the Siege of Paris expansion, which is set to launch in Summer 2021. It was announced that Black Box Missions (from Unity and Syndicate) would be returning, suggesting that players will be infiltrating hideouts to eliminate targets in the DLC. Assassin's Creed Valhalla Discovery Tour was also revealed, a combat-free historical tool that explores the ordinary lives of those living in 9th Century Britain, and provides educational resources for those looking to learn more about the era. A new game mode titled 'Mastery Challenges' also made an appearance (out now), along with the highly-requested one-handed sword options, which will be added to the game over the coming weeks. Basim's robes cemented Ubisoft's dedication to Valhalla free content, as the company looks to keep players engaged for longer with 'live games' that continuously release new features. As the section on Assassin's Creed came to a close, Ubisoft teased that Valhalla will be getting a second year of live content, including unannounced expansions and many more surprises. It is currently unknown if a second season pass purchase will be required to access the year 2 content. The short teaser for the third Assassin's Creed Valhalla DLC hinted that Odin would return to confront Eivor, and that a new realm would be accessible. Seeing the teaser for the first time, you could be forgiven in thinking it was a glimpse at an upcoming Elder Scrolls game, as it resembles the gates featured in TES IV Oblivion. At the end of the show, Yves Guillemot reflected on a 'difficult year' for the company, but failed to acknowledge the elephant in the room. After a full year of misconduct allegations and investigations within the company, his message missed the mark, and felt hollow for many fans. This really was disappointing, but overall, it was a pretty good show that showcased a nice range of upcoming games. It's an exciting time to be an Assassin's Creed fan, with year 2 of Valhalla content and a ton of transmedia material such as a Netflix TV show (Transmedia Roadmap article) to look forward to. As always, we stand with the victims, and the AC Sisterhood / #HoldUbisoftAccountable movements. You can watch the full Assassin's Creed section below. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

The Memory Corridor Episode #22 Retrospective Look at Black Flag w/ Kyle Marvell Podcast Share 8 Sept 2022 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Back To Database comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Gustav / Gargudon is an active community member, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016, but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews & composing. By joining The Ones Who Came Before in 2019, originally reviving 'The Memory Corridor' podcast, which had been offline for nearly a year, he has had the opportunity to expand his audience and further develop his skills.

 His unique skill set made him the perfect candidate for our team. Among other things, he is known in the community for the Sounds Of History project - an original Assassin’s Creed inspired instrumental music project, featuring five tracks inspired by as many different games - other original fan themes plus covers of iconic AC tracks, as well as video interviews with a number of high profile names in the world of AC, from Roger Craig Smith, Jesper Kyd and more. Fun fact, among his growing colourful tattoo collection, Gustav is the only member of our team to have the TOWCB logo inked. Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon)

“Database Entry Added”: A Look at ACToys’ Assassin's Creed Character Blind Box Reviews Share 18 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Michael Smith Colum Blackett Back To Database Assassin's Creed Blind-Box Vinyl Figure Case of 6: "Assassin's Creed" is an action-adventure game series developed by Ubisoft Montreal Studio. The game series is an action game with a high degree of freedom and beautiful graphics as its biggest selling point. Players will control an assassin in each game, bringing players a deep sense of substitution by cleverly interspersing important historical figures and historical events in the mission. Each Assassin's Creed Blind-Box Vinyl Figure Case includes 6x blind packaged figures. Please note: Item selection is random. Items are in blind packaging. We cannot accept requests for specific items, nor can we accept returns on opened items. You may receive duplicates.Breakdown not available at this time. Our factory package guarantees that there will be no missing or duplication of characters in a set, as long as the agent does not change the package. Welcome to another Assassin's Creed merchandise review, this time, unboxing the new Assassin's Creed Character Blind Box figures by AC Toys, who we would like to thank for sending a review copy. Blind boxes originated in Japan as fukubukuro (Japanese for “lucky bag”) during the 1980s, and were sold during the New Year as a random assortment of items at a discounted price. The excitement of not knowing what you would receive made these a very popular gift and would have people lined up for blocks to get one for themself. Over the course of the last decade this trend has seen a spike in popularity with the growing trend of unboxing videos, loot crates in video games, and collectors attempting to complete the full set of all the prizes one would find in a series of blind boxes. Blind boxes can be found for all kinds of pop culture, from artistic pieces produced by brands like TokiDoki with various colours or designs of unicorns, to video games such as Overwatch with small representations of the characters in their roster. Boxes are sold individually or in cases that would contain multiple figures in small bags or packaging. The average blind box would show the various items one could obtain when opening the surprise pack and would include the odds of finding each character based on the number of boxes purchased (though not guaranteed). Blind boxes that would list items as a 1:5 would be something that you could find easily and possibly receive duplicates, whereas a 1:50 odds would mean you as the consumer would have a better chance of locating a rare figure if you purchased an equivalent number of blind boxes. Rare, or “Chase” figures would normally be included in a series as the “holy grail” of said release and in my experience would be hidden even further by depicting the item on the packaging as a silhouette instead of an image of the item itself. Ubisoft has worked with blind box lines in the past, releasing small cartoon style figures from Jazwares, the previous manufacturer of their collectable action figures, to keychains or “hangers” of characters from the Assassin’s Creed franchise. While they are no longer sold in stores, these collectibles can be found on sites like Ebay or other digital marketplaces in bulk at various prices based on the popularity of the series or the popularity of the individual character. Retail stores would even have exclusive characters that you could only find by purchasing the blind box at their store, marked with a “Only at” or “Exclusive” label on the packaging. I myself has purchased a full case of the Jazware blind boxes to find a full set with a few duplicate Assassins and learned after that the American video game store, GameStop had a limited “Master Ezio” in his black robes from Assassin’s Creed Revelations that I had to purchase separately at a higher price due to its rarity. It had been a long time since Ubisoft had released any form of blind box for its properties as they had a larger focus on individual series of figures or statues such as their “Ubisoft Heroes” collection. Then in January of 2022, ACToys, a Chinese figure manufacturer, teased on Twitter that a new line of their pre-painted figures were coming for Assassin’s Creed. The figures were visible enough in the image (shown below) to see who was going to be included, but not so clear that you could see the details of each character. Two days later, they unveiled the full set of six characters from Assassin’s Creed, three pairings from the Ezio Collection, AC III, and Black Flag. Fans took to the artistic style of these figures immediately and began asking if they would be available worldwide. Seeing characters such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Haytham Kenway, who did not have a lot of representation in merchandise previously, made fans even more excited. Unfortunately, fans would learn that the figures would be sold only in China and other Asian markets. However, at the time of this article, I have been able to find import shops which offer worldwide shipping such as Entertainment Earth, and Big Bad Toy Store that are taking pre-orders for the series that is set to be available in October 2022. The Ones Who Came Before were given the chance to preview these figures thanks to ACToys who sent a case of six blind boxes to myself for review. In the continuing text of this article, I will give my honest opinion of these figures and why I think it is worth trying to purchase a set for yourself as a collector or fan of the Assassin’s Creed games. I received the box in mid-July and from the start knew this was a quality product based on the packaging of the case alone. As shown in the image above, the case included six blind boxes with the collector's guide displayed on both the case and individual box sides. The case itself is perforated in two locations, on the lid so that it can be folded to display the Assassin’s Creed logo (as shown) and diagonally from the top of the case at the back, to the lower front end where removing the excess packaging would display the boxes in a tray that makes removing them easier for a retail environment. I personally won't be doing the latter of the display options as it would remove the listing of certain characters with the torn section. On the packaging next to the image of each character, is their name in Japanese, however, the odds of finding each figure are not stated, as I was sent a full case which included one of each character. This is beneficial for those that want to collect a full set, but can make it difficult to find the character of your choice when purchasing individually as there is no way to tell which character is in which box. On the back of the packaging is a warning that the figures are suitable for players over 15 years old and that these are for display only and could be damaged if played with. As most of the figures include small parts such as swords or an arrow, there is always the worry of smaller children misusing the product or trying to consume it. The figures are packaged in a locking plastic mold and covered with a thin sheet of plastic to protect the figure during transportation. Each character (regardless of faction affiliation) comes with a plastic base that resembles cobblestone flooring displaying the Assassin insignia. Small pegs will hold the character securely in place, allowing them to stand up. While these figures do not have movable limbs, the accessories can be positioned as you see fit. In addition, each figure is accompanied by an art card with the character’s image and name displayed, the back of which shows the same design as the one on the front of the blind box. The figures stand at 10.5 cm with the 7 cm diameter baseplate and weigh around 65 grams. The first character I unpackaged was Ezio Auditore staged in his iconic pose from the cover of Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. His detailed white robes with Assassin insignia, bracers and double hidden blades (which are sharp at the points, ouch!) are present. His face is shown with his characteristic smirk and very vibrant hazel/brown eyes. The detail of the paint work by artist Alohell, even shows the scar on Ezio’s lip that he received from a thrown rock by rival Vieri de’ Pazzi at the beginning of Assassin’s Creed II. To partner with Ezio is his close friend, the artist and inventor Leonardo da Vinci. Based on his character art from Assassin’s Creed II, Leonardo holds a compass and his flying machine replica that was scaled for use by Ezio when infiltrating the Palazzo Ducale to save the Doge of Venice, Giovanni Mocenigo. From Assassin’s Creed III, Ratonhnhaké:ton, better known as Connor Kenway, comes with his bow and a single arrow that is knocked into his hand. With this figure, it took me a bit to balance the arrow as everytime I picked it up it would fall off. I fixed this by paying closer attention to where I was setting the arrow and making sure that it was pushed into the groove of his fingers correctly. I also was disappointed that his face is not as visible as the other characters but this is due to the design being based on the artwork of the game where his face is hidden as well. I enjoy the figure regardless, but I do favor the others more. The second figure from AC III is Haytham Kenway, Connor’s father. I had trouble finding the affiliated artwork that this design of the Templar Grandmaster was based on. He comes with an attachable sword and wields his hidden blade that he stole from the Assassin Miko during Assassin’s Creed II. Haytham’s face shows his age through the fold lines on his skin, and the back of his cape shows the Templar Cross in its design. Finally from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag comes the duo of Edward Kenway and Edward “Blackbeard” Thatch, pirates in the Golden Age of Piracy. Both figures come with an attachable sword (or two in Blackbead’s case), and are based on official artwork from the game. Out of all of the characters in this series, I find these two to be my favorites as Kenway’s design was instantly recognizable from the cover of the game’s art book, and I have always loved the character Blackbead as he was depicted in the game. Unlike Leonardo and Haytham, Blackbeard has had previous merchandise releases so this new figure is a great addition to any Assassin’s Creed or pirate fan. ACToys’ Assassin’s Creed Blind Boxes retail for 95 Yuan (£11.86 GBS/$14.06 USD) and again are available for purchase in China exclusively. However, as I stated at the start of this article, I have been able to locate full sets for roughly $100 USD online. ACToys has stated in response to multiple inquiries on Twitter that they are looking at expanding into additional international markets, but do not have any additional information on when this could happen. As a pre-order bonus or early adopter bonus, a limited edition metal pin of Leonardo’s flying machine is packaged within the box with Leonardo, so fans that purchase a box could get that extra bonus for free! I asked ACToys for the number of pins that were produced but they are keeping that information close to the chest, so if you have interest in these, I would look at getting a set as soon as you can. Fans also asked about missing favorites such as Altaïr Ibn-LaʼAhad from the first Assassin’s Creed game and ACToys replied and confirmed with myself via private message that they are in active discussions with Ubisoft about a second series of figures. For fun, I think the following characters should be used for the second wave of figures. From Assassin’s Creed, Altaïr and his mentor Al Mualim. From Assassin’s Creed Unity, Arno Dorian and Élise de la Serre. From Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, Jacob and Evie Frye or Henry Green as a standalone character. From Assassin’s Creed Origins, Bayek of Siwa and Aya of Alexandria. From Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Kassandra and her brother Alexios (Deimos), I would also love to see Barnabus or Herodotus as well. From Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Evior Varinsdottir and Basim Ibn Ishaq as we have not received any figure or statue of the Assassin yet. What characters would you like to see ACToys produce in a future series? Leave a comment below or let us know on Twitter @ACFirstCiv, @Isu_Network, or myself directly @thelordreylus. comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest Guest Oct 03, 2024 I got these at a convention not too long ago. As someone who loves Assassins Creed, I had to get them. There isn't a lot of merchandise for stuff like this in my country so seeing them made me so happy. AND I got the Leo pin, so even better. I love these guys, their designs are on point and the quality is absolutely amazing. If they ever do make more series of them with other assassins and allies, then I would happily go broke XD. For ideas, I would say they should do characters such as Altair (and maybe a good combo would be with Malik or Maria), Arno (either with Elise as said, or adding to the historical figure allies, even Napoleon), Jacob and Evie together definitely, and all others mentioned above already. Maybe even assassins like Aveline or throw in Shay to add in with the AC III boys, then in that case characters like Adewale, Yusuf, Greenie ext. would also be nice fits. I would definitely be willing to complete the collection if they continued to make them <3. Like Reply About the Author Mike Smith is a collector of all things Assassin's Creed and a major supporter of transmedia who joined TOWCB as a writer from 2021 - 2024 With nearly a full library of Assassin's Creed media, his work explored the universe in order of Genetic Memory. Notably, his Assassin's Creed Timeline became an essential tool for fans of the franchise looking to complete their collection and consume AC media in a particular order. Michael Smith

Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Spoiler Policy News Share 10 Oct 2020 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We are now less than one month away from the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla! Unfortunately, the final stage before launch is often filled with spoilers and leaks circulating the internet, so here's how we plan on keeping everyone safe. Our Facebook and Twitter accounts are now in "Blackout Mode", meaning: - The Anti-Spoiler Filter has been enabled. This means that comments containing 'spoilery information' will be removed, and those responsible may face a ban. - Anyone who messages the page with spoilers from this moment on will be immediately banned. Our admins are all excited to play the game, and don't want to find out the ending via a message to the page! - Our content will be spoiler free/censored so that everyone can enjoy the game without having to worry about spoilers/ leaks.- Spoiler tags will be placed on posts that have minor spoilers. - Increased moderation on posts.The Ant-Spoiler Filter will be enabled for a 3 month period, starting today. We feel that as an Assassin's Creed community, we have the responsibility to make sure that all our fans are able to enjoy the game on release day. For more information on our community standards, please see our Code of Conduct . We thank you for your cooperation, and hope that you're as excited to raid as we are! - TOWCB Admin Team comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Col is one of the UK's leading Assassin's Creed Community members, and is best known for establishing both 'The Ones Who Came Before' fan community and 'Isu_Network' content creation program. As Team Leader for The Ones Who Came Before, Col was officially recognised by Ubisoft, becoming one the UK Assassin's Creed community ambassadors in 2016. He has attended many events after spending a decade in the AC Community, and has worked on countless projects, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website. He is also a former Ubisoft Star Player and member of The Mentors Guild, two recognisable community programs which opened doors and took his status within the AC Community to the next level. Colum Blackett (Col_96)

This Week in Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography: 6th - 12th August 2022 Community Share 13 Aug 2022 Written By: Edited By: Aaron Young Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Welcome to our weekly virtual photography roundup hosted by Aaron Young from The AC Partnership Program. Every week I will be picking our top 5 favourite Assassin’s Creed shots and showcasing them on The Ones Who Came Before website, in order to promote virtual photography and talented content creators within the community. Aaron is a keen virtual photographer and loves to post his journeys through Assassin’s Creed on Twitter. Keep an eye on the site as more weekly shots are added, we are looking for capture across all Assassin’s Creed games. Tag your photos to the #TOWCBWeeklyCapture for a chance to be featured. 1) Cloak Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Platform: PS5 This week’s first capture comes from @ Junos_Wings over on Twitter. First up this week we have a bit of nostalgia, with Eivor dressed in Ezio’s Master Assassin outfit. I love the colour tones of this shot, as it add a certain quality to the photo. The light and the dark make for great symbolism of what Assassin’s Creed is all about. The shot is from a set that is truly beautiful and inspiring. Captures showcasing old outfits in the newer games give us a sense of what a next gen Ezio game would look like. Link to set 2) Huntress Game: Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Photo number two comes from @ Birgamerinalbu1 over on Twitter. Next up we head to Greece for a bit of Kassandra dressed as a true huntress. This photo reminds me of the Assassin’s Creed graphic novels. From memory there wasn’t a comic to go alongside Odyssey which is a shame. I am always a fan of people getting creative with their virtual photography. The lighting behind Kassandra really helps accentuate her magnificent hair, but also does a great job of highlighting the incredible face paint of this set. 3) Desmond Game: Assassin’s Creed III This week’s third shot comes from @ FrameHoldPhotos , a member of our Assassin’s Creed VP Twitter Community. Photo number three takes us to this week’s AC15 celebration with Desmond, the modern assassin. This is the first time I have featured a modern day piece of VP and I am shocked these section don’t get more love. This capture really does give us an insight into what a modern day game could feel like. I always prefer the historical stuff but I would 100% love a modern day game or even a substantial DLC. Hoods, bows and swords in a city would be like AC meets Marvel and I would be down for that. 4) Wolf Game: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla Platform: Xbox Series S VP number four comes from @ Huldera1 a member of our Assassin’s Creed VP Twitter Community. I always enjoy wildlife shots from Assassin’s Creed games. The way the animals interact in the world is truly amazing. This impressive capture has three key elements and they all stand out in different ways. The colour of the sky is so rich, the grass slightly out of focus makes you feel like you’re there. Of course the growling wolf is the standout, fantastic timing to align all these elements. I wonder if Eivor made it away alive. 5) Ratonhnhake:ton Game: Assassin’s Creed III The final capture of the week comes from @ nkeiiin over on Twitter. I thought it only right we end the showcase with Connor himself. What a stunning portrait of the Colonial Assassin. The black background with the light pouring down onto Connor adds such an epic feel to this capture. I love the positioning as it showcases the eagle on the hood and touches of the blue on his outfit. I am also won over by the fact the bow and arrows can been seen on his back. The first playable Assassin with a bow, such good times. Checkout the set below for two more breath taking shots. Link to set And that sums it up for this week’s Assassin’s Creed virtual photography recap list! Thank you for checking out this week’s photo collection. This would not be possible without the virtual photographers out there so a huge thanks to them. Until next week keep those shots coming in! comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who joined our AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer back in 2021 after the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. After building momentum and interest on TOWCB website for Virtual Photography, Aaron established TOWCB Virtual Photography Team, of which he is now Team Leader. Throughout 2024, TOWCB VP Team will be sharing community captures in dedicated articles, and providing a positive environment on Twitter for gamers to share their shots. Aaron Young

Understanding the Isu Language: Nouns, Verbs and Adjectives Analysis Share 3 Oct 2024 Written By: Edited By: Edenoi ActualSpider-Man Back To Database The following is a dictionary of Isu words and their meanings and etymologies (the Proto-Indo-European words "descended" from them) when available. At the bottom of the article you'll also find a list of known sound changes from Isu to Proto-Indo-European. Dictionary Aærh Possibly related to PIE *h₁eg- "to lack" whence English indigent Verb Require, need Adhayz Possibly formed from ad + hayz Verb Believe Adhayznos Formed from adhayz + -nos Adjective Credulous Agwzí Developed into PIE *h₂egʷsih₂ "axe" Noun Axe Apovlôz Formed from apo + vlôz Verb Sacrifice Arhzmṛmṇ Formed from arhz + smṛ + -mṇ Noun Record (information storage) Azrhṇ Formed from az + rhṇ Verb Guarantee Blahæ Developed into PIE *pleh₁- "to fill" Verb Fill Blahænos Formed from blahæ + -nos Adjective Full Blàyz Verb Try, attempt Carb Developed into PIE *kerp- "to pluck, to harvest" Verb Harvest Chagru Developed into PIE *h₂éḱru "tear" Noun Tear (from the eye) Chalhæ Developed into PIE *kelh₁- "to call, to cry, to summon" whence English proclamation Verb Summon Chan Developed into PIE *ken- "to arise, to begin" Verb Start Charærh Developed into PIE *h₂erh₃- "to plow" whence English arable Verb Plow Charærhdrṃ Formed from charærh + -drṃ Noun Plow Charh Developed into PIE *keh₃- "to fight" Verb Fight Chayrh Developed into PIE *kéh₂ikos "one-eyed, blind" Adjective Blind Chayrhos Formed from chayrh + -os Noun Blind person Chàyz Developed into PIE *h₂eys- "to wish, to request, to search" Verb Seek Chnàk Developed into PIE *h₂neḱ- "to reach, to attain" whence English next Verb Reach Chṛd Verb Prepare Chu Developed into PIE *(s)kewh₁- "to perceive, to observe" whence English show Verb Perceive Chuæs Formed from chu + -æs Noun Sight Chṇtæcharh Formed from chṇtæ + charh Noun Rebellion Chṇrhú Formed from chṇ + -rhú Noun Family Dag Possibly developed into PIE *teḱ- "to sire, to beget" whence English architect or *dʰewgʰ- "to produce" Verb Produce Dagæs Formed from dag + -æs Noun Production, creation Dawrh Possibly developed into PIE *tewh₂- "to be numerous" whence English thousand Noun Child Doshæs Possibly developed into PIE *tews- "to be happy" Verb Soothe Gṇs Developed into PIE *ḱens- "to announce, to proclaim" whence English censorship Verb Announce Gwachæt Verb Assign Gwam Developed into PIE *gʷem- "to step" Verb Come Gwar Developed into PIE *kʷer- "to do, to make, to build" Verb Do Gwardrṃ Formed from gwar + -drṃ Noun Instrument, tool Gwaw Developed into PIE *gʷewH- "to defecate" Noun Excrement Gwich Verb Limit Hæwòch Developed into PIE *h₁weh₂- "to leave, to abandon, to give out" whence English evacuate Verb Abandon Hàgwṛmæch Possibly formed from hàgwṛ + mæch Adjective Cowardice Hahṃz Adjective Talented Hahṃzos Formed from hahṃz + -os Noun Talent Hàs Developed into PIE *h₁es- "to be" whence English essence Verb To belong Haz Possibly developed into PIE *bʰed- "to improve, to make better" Adjective Better Hṇrharz Formed from hṇ + rharz Verb Wrap Hṇrhṇ Formed from hṇ + rhṇ Verb Understand Hṇzahæs Formed from hṇ + zah + -æs Noun Behavior Hoærh Possibly developed into PIE *h₂eǵ- "to drive" whence English activate Verb Activate Hṛ Developed into PIE *h₃er- "to move, to stir" Verb Move Huch Noun Future Hűch Verb Cleanse Hűchæs Formed from hűch + -æs Noun Sanitation Hnom Developed into PIE *h₁nómn̥ "name" Verb Name Kahæs Developed into PIE *ḱeh₁s- "to teach, to indicate" Verb Command Kḷ Developed into PIE *ḱel- "to cover" whence English occult Verb Hide Kṇch Verb Doubt Komhaæzrhú Possibly formed from kom + haæz + rhú Noun Council Kűz Noun Mud Kway Developed into PIE *kʷey- "to avenge" whence English penalty Verb Avenge Kwayæs Formed from kway + -æs Noun Revenge Læs Developed into PIE *leys- "to shrink, to grow thin, to be gentle" whence English less Adjective Weak Làygw Developed into PIE *leykʷ- "to leave" whence English derelict Verb Leave Lṇz Developed into PIE *lendʰ- "land, heath" Noun Land Lochus Developed into PIE *lókus "pond, pool" Noun Lake Lolh Possibly developed into PIE *lewbʰ "to desire, to covet, to want" whence English love Verb Desire Lolhæs Formed from lolh + -æs Noun Desire Machtér Developed into PIE *méh₂tēr "mother" Noun Mother Marhachs Developed into PIE *méǵh₂s "big, great" whence English much Adjective Great Marhachsos Formed from marhachs + -os Noun Greatness Marhràch Likely formed from marh + ràch; marh developed into PIE *megʰ- "to be able" whence English mighty Adjective Able Mér Developed into PIE *meh₁- "to measure" Verb Quantify Mérmṇ Formed from mér + -mṇ Noun Quantity Mḷ Developed into PIE *mey- "to strengthen" whence English more Adjective Strong Mḷos Formed from mḷ + -os Noun Strength Mṇ Developed into PIE *men- "to think" whence English mind Verb Think Mṇmṇ Formed from mṇ + -mṇ Noun Thought Mṇrh Developed into PIE *mengʰ- "many, sufficient" Noun Plenty Mṇrhṇgwardach Formed from mṇrh + rhṇ + gwar + -dach Noun Polymath Mṇsṛ Possibly formed from mṇ + sṛ Noun Correlation Mṇzlom Possibly formed from mṇ + zlom Noun Sense, reason Mṛ Developed into PIE *mer- "sea" whence English mermaid Noun Sea Mṛvṃ Noun Image (possibly) Nàg Developed into PIE *neḱ- "to perish, to disappear" whence English necropolis Noun Death Ṇgwar Formed from ṇ + gwar Verb Undo Ṇṛch Formed from ṇ + ṛch Verb Unlock Ṇṛchdrṃ Formed from ṇ + ṛch + -drṃ Noun Key, unlocker Ṇsæs Developed into PIE *h₁ensi- "large knife" Noun Sword Ṇwahæ Formed from ṇ + wahæ Adjective Untrue Ôrhr Possibly developed into PIE *yóh₁r̥ "year" Noun Day Paus Adjective Free, unconstrained Pausos Formed from paus + -os Noun Freedom Ṛch Verb Lock Réyzd Developed into PIE *h₂rey-dʰ(h₁)- "to put in order" whence English arithmetic Verb Calculate Réyzdér Formed from réyzd + -ér Verb Calculator Rhàb Developed into PIE *h₃ep- "to work, to toil, to make" whence English opus Verb Work Rhàbér Formed from rhàb + -ér Noun Worker Rhàbmṇ Formed from rhàb + -mṇ Noun Labor Rhagw Developed into PIE *h₃ekʷ- "to see, eye" Verb See Rharz Developed into PIE *gʰerdʰ- "to enclose, to encircle" whence English gird Verb Enclose Rhawrh Adjective Cold Rhlab Possibly developed into PIE *klep- "to steal" whence English kleptomania Verb Steal Rhlabmṇ Formed from rhlab + -mṇ Noun Theft Rhḷb Verb Imagine Rhḷbæs Formed from rhḷb + -æs Noun Imagination Rhḷbmṛvṃ Formed from rhḷb + mṛvṃ Noun Design Rhṇ Possibly developed into PIE *ǵneh₃- "to recognize, to know" Verb Know Rhṇæs Formed from rhṇ + -æs Noun Fact (reality) Rhṇgwar Formed from rhṇ + gwar Verb Craft Rhṇhér Formed from rhṇh + ér; rhṇh eveloped into PIE *ǵenh₁- "to produce, to beget, to give birth" whence English progenitor Noun Father Rhob Developed into PIE *h₁ep- "to grab, to snatch, to get" whence English option Verb Choose Rhoz Developed into PIE *gʰedʰ- "to join, to unite" whence English gather Verb Compile Rhwegash Verb Coddle Sakw Possibly developed into PIE *sekʷ- "to follow" whence English sequence Verb Put into effect Sarh Developed into PIE *seǵʰ- "to overpower" Noun Control Sawrh Developed into PIE *sewh₁- "to give birth" whence English son Verb Birth Schar Developed into PIE *(s)ker- "to cut off, to sever" whence English carnage Verb Cut Seyl Developed into PIE *seyl- "still, quiet" Adjective Silent Seylos Formed from seyl + -os Noun Silence Shoàz Developed into PIE *wed- "water" Noun Water Shoṛrh Developed into PIE *swergʰ- "to be ill" whence English sorrow Verb Suffer Shoṛrhæs Formed from shoṛrh + -æs Noun Pain Shuæsholh Verb Despair Shuæsholhæs Formed from shuæsholh + -æs Noun Despair Shuàgw Developed into PIE *wekʷ- "to speak, to sound out" Noun Voice Verb Speak Shuàr Developed into PIE *wer- "to burn" Verb Burn Shuàrh Developed into PIE *weǵ- "to be lively, to be awake" Verb Wake Shul Noun Warmth Sízwṛ Noun Goal Smṛ Developed into PIE *(s)mer- "to remember" Verb Remember Smṛmṇ Formed from smṛ + -mṇ Noun Memory Sorhwḷ Developed into PIE *sóh₂wl̥ "sun" Noun Sun Spak Developed into PIE *speḱ- "to see, to look, to observe" whence English spectate Verb Watch Srṛ Verb Suffice Srṛæs Formed from srṛ + -æs Noun Sufficiency Srṛæsnos Formed from srṛ + -æs + -nos Adjective Enough Stḷ Developed into PIE *stel- "to put, to place, to locate" Verb Place Stḷmn Formed from stḷ + -mn Noun Site Tṛrhw Developed into PIE *terh₃w- (meaning unsure but ancestor to German drohen "to threaten") Verb Threaten Ubospak Formed from ubo + spak Verb Suspect Ubospaknos Formed from ubo + spak +-nos Adjective Suspicious Vlôz Possibly related to the English blood, bleed Verb Lose (uncertain) Vras Possibly developed into PIE *bʰel- "shiny, white" whence English blaze Noun Flare Vrérh Developed into PIE *bʰleyǵ- "to shine" whence English blink Verb Shine Vṛrh Developed into PIE *bʰergʰ- "to safeguard, to protect, to preserve" whence English harbor Verb Save Vrurhærh Developed into PIE *bʰruHg- "to make use of, to have enjoyment of" whence English frugal Verb Use Wahæ Developed into PIE *weh₁- "true" whence English verify Adjective True Wahædach Formed from wahæ + -dach Adjective Truth Wàrhd Developed into PIE *weh₂t- "excited, inspired, possessed, raging" Adjective Mad (not in control of mental faculties) Wḷrh Developed into PIE *welh₃- "to hit, to strike" Verb Hurt, injure Wḷrhmṇ Formed from wḷrh + -mṇ Noun Wound Wṇhæ Developed into PIE *wenh₁- "to love" whence English winsome Noun Love Wṛgwachæt Formed from wṛ + gwachæt Verb Reassign Wṛmṛvṃ Formed from wṛ + mṛvṃ Noun Pattern Zah Developed into PIE *dʰeh₁- "to do" Verb Act (do something) Zahæs Formed from zah + -æs Noun Action Zàrh Possibly developed into PIE *deh₃- "to give" whence English mandatory Verb Allow Zàw Developed into PIE *dʰew- "to run, to flow" Verb Run Zayg Developed into PIE *deyḱ- "to point out, to show" whence English indicate Verb Show Zblæs Probably derived from a verb zbḷ, possibly related to the word "double" and meaning "to copy" Noun Message Zdô Possibly developed into PIE *steh₂- "to stand" Verb Go (or possibly be) Zérhú Seems to have the -rhú group suffix, and thus may be referring to the Nornir Noun Fate Zḷv Developed into PIE *dʰelbʰ- "to dig, to excavate" whence English delve Verb Shovel Zḷvdrṃ Formed from zḷv + -drṃ Noun Shovel Zṃ Developed into PIE *dem- "to build" whence English domicile Verb Build Zmæs Formed from zṃ + -æs Noun Construction Zṃch Probably related in some way to zṃ Verb Create Zṃchmṇ Formed from zṃch + -mṇ Noun Creature, animal Zozayg Formed from zo + zayg Verb Present Zràw Developed into PIE *srew- "to flow, to stream" Verb Flow Zrerh Possibly developed into PIE *dreh₂- "to run" Verb Become Zrhogwus Possibly formed from zrho + gwus Noun War Zrhwachày Possibly formed from zrho + wachày Noun Destruction Zway Developed into PIE *dwey- "to fear" Noun Fear Zwúrh Noun Shroud Zyaw Developed into PIE *dyew- "sky, heaven" whence English divinity Noun Sky Sound Changes Z becomes d B becomes p Rh becomes a laryngeal (h sound) or sometimes g Sh becomes w Ch becomes a laryngeal or sometimes ḱ H becomes a laryngeal (usually the first laryngeal) Gw becomes kʷ Æ disappears Syllabic consonants often become regular consonants with vowels attached Proto-Indo-European roots aren't dependent on which vowel they have, just the consonants around the vowel, so all vowels just kind of become e More Isu Studies You can find more articles on the Isu language linked here: Understanding the Isu Language: The Basics comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Eden is a codebreaker who joined The Ones Who Came Before during the Assassin's Creed Shadows promotional campaign, helping the team to decipher numerous codes and puzzles used for marketing. She is also a high school Maths tutor, and has previously published a few short TTRPG's with more projects in the works. She first started playing Assassin's Creed in 2010, and is especially interested in the glyphs and puzzles, and platforms such as Assassin's Creed Initiates that expand the lore in creative ways. Edenoi

Pitching An Assassin's Creed Game Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game: Black Eden 21 November 2025 Wishlist Phie // Capture Creed Read More Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game: Caledonia (Scotland Part 2) 7 October 2025 Wishlist Phie // Capture Creed Read More Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game: Caledonia (Scotland) 6 August 2025 Wishlist Phie // Capture Creed Read More Pitching an Assassins' Creed Game: Building the Perfect Game 9 November 2024 Wishlist Phie // Capture Creed Read More Fall of the Berlin Wall: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game 28 June 2023 Wishlists Phie // Capture Creed Read More Chinese Pirates: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game 13 September 2022 Wishlists Phie // Capture Creed Read More Aztec Empire: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game 26 July 2022 Wishlist Phie // Capture Creed Read More Welcome to the home of the 'Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game' series, where history is our playground! Here you will find our complete collection of articles, imagining the series in uncharted territories, written by visionaries jumping in and out of history to pitch concepts that may well give readers a glimpse at the future of the Assassin's Creed series. Where would you like to see the series explore next?