Finn is a creative writer from Rotherham, UK who has previously supported TOWCB's Fundraising events, and raised awareness surrounding Men's Mental Health. Finn's writing covers a wide scope, with releases including reviews, interviews and stories. He is known in the AC Community for his 'Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game' series, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website! In February 2026, he left the team to focus on real-world opportunities as a journalist, writing for a newspaper! We're thrilled to see Finn using his skills to build a career! Previous Next Writer Finn Fletcher Previous Partner Finn is a creative writer from Rotherham, UK who has previously supported TOWCB's Fundraising events, and raised awareness surrounding Men's Mental Health. Finn's writing covers a wide scope, with releases including reviews, interviews and stories. He is known in the AC Community for his 'Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game' series, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website! In February 2026, he left the team to focus on real-world opportunities as a journalist, writing for a newspaper! We're thrilled to see Finn using his skills to build a career! Twitter | Instagram | Blog Work

Kingdom Come's Influence on Assassin's Creed Analysis Share 4 Mar 2025 Written By: Edited By: Finn Fletcher Colum Blackett Back To Database Historical realism has always been a double edged sword for Assassin’s Creed. On the one hand, it gives the series a unique selling point and allows players to explore events and periods they once studied or are passionate about. Nothing can compare to the sensation of climbing a place you’ve actually visited in person. Yet for the developers it places plenty of restrictions, with narrative and gameplay options having to be cut in exchange for accuracy. As the years have gone on, it seems that the second point has become the predominant factor in deciding Ubisoft’s approach. The first game saw crossbows removed after they found out they hadn’t been invented until after the game took place, yet now players can ride unicorns into battles against magical beasts while wielding flaming swords. I’m sure there’s a belief that these flashier points help sell the games and there’s undoubtedly a fanbase for this new style. But we now have Kingdom Come Deliverance II (KCD2), Warhorse Studios’ latest epic that puts realism first and foremost and has managed to top charts. The game is unforgiving, putting you into appropriately heavy armour with unwieldy weapons and no magical instant healing potions. That charm is what makes it such a masterpiece, as within the first hour you’ll find yourself immersed within this recreation of medieval Bohemia and excited to see a trough of water so you can give Henry a quick wash. I truly believe Assassin’s Creed could learn a lot from this approach, and while I don’t wish to see all these complex systems ported across to the series, there are plenty that would fit right in. Official Poster for Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Combat The first Kingdom Come - which while well received was far from perfect - had janky combat that the sequel thankfully streamlines into a much more enjoyable experience. In fact, I’d go as far as saying it’s one of my favourite takes on sword and shield gameplay. It’s a thrilling challenge, where you and the AI are forced to play by the same rules. You both have low health, with three or four good hits resulting in death, and enemies can block your attacks just as easily as you can block theirs. Every encounter becomes a strategy game, as you search for weaknesses in the opponents defence, perfectly time strikes, and end up in tense back and forth parries where one wrong move could be your demise. Part of the Assassin fantasy has always been the notion of being a glass cannon, who can deal highly damaging precision strikes while always teetering on the cusp of death. The idea is of course that stealth is the best option. Yet the gameplay has never really played into that, with most protagonists able to destroy armies with ease. Up until Unity, an easy to pull-off counter was an instant win, and saw Ezio slice through plated armour like it was made of butter. Subsequent games have attempted to up the challenge by turning enemies into damage sponges, though that’s only served to make combat feel tedious. While KCD2’s system would not perfectly fit into AC, after all, stylish animations and finishers are part of the series’ charm, a similarly strategic approach would be perfect. Enemies should go down in a handful of good hits, with focus placed not on spamming attacks but timing and planning the perfect opportunities. Assassins similarly shouldn’t feel like tanks, with dodging, movement and position taking priority in combat just as much as it does in stealth. Combat in Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Source: Warhorse Studios Resources When you’re let loose in the open world of KCD2 you have barely a penny to your name, no weapons and a handful of rags. There’s no cinematic suit up or narrative aid, you’re left to figure out how to survive on your own. Personally, I spoke to locals, and after finding out bandits had been burying their victims in a nearby farmer’s field, scraped up enough to buy a shovel and went digging. I came back with some basic armour, a dull axe, and some supplies I could sell to a local merchant. After a few lucky goes at a game of dice, I managed to lose the money I’d earned through reckless gambling, without any fail safes or easy fixes. It was great, an experience that felt truly unique to me and challenged me to think about the world as more than just a cardboard cut-out of history. Since Assassin’s Creed began adding RPG systems, with an endless stream of loot and gear, the actual act of acquiring new armour and weapons has always felt too easy. An hour into Odyssey and you’ll have more swords than you know what to do with, and quest rewards often feel worthless since you’ll find something of a higher level within moments. Valhalla and Mirage attempted to fix this, though faced their own issues with their approach. Resources need to become more scarce - you shouldn’t be walking around with more gold than the emperor and an entire nation’s arsenal strapped to your back. The idea of being an impoverished Assassin, who fits in within the starving crowds and can’t risk carrying huge weapons in case it exposes them feels like a set-up truly unique to the series and requires limitations to work. Hunting in Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: Source: Warhorse Studios Routines The AI in KCD2 is obscenely intricate. NPCs return home twice a day to enjoy a meal with their family, where they discuss events in the world that if you listen to may point you in the direction of loot or quests. Guards have different shift patterns that will affect stealth, and dogs will sniff out any potential thieves. Origins proudly produced a similar system, with guards going to sleep at night and Phylakes patrolling the world in real-time. I think these features make a real difference in a game’s execution. To immerse yourself in a targets’ life, using common sense to figure out the perfect plan of attack - like targeting them when they go for a meal - would add an extra dimension to the gameplay, and reality of the world. At the end of the day, I’m a classic AC fan. I don’t want to see the series descend further with RPG features, but looking at these types of games can prove valuable. New developers are pushing the medium further and further, and acknowledging the innovation or successes of other games can only help AC reach its full potential. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ynJN-HejlY comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Finn is a creative writer from Rotherham, UK who has previously supported TOWCB's Fundraising events, and raised awareness surrounding Men's Mental Health. Finn's writing covers a wide scope, with releases including reviews, interviews and stories. He is known in the AC Community for his 'Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game' series, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website! In February 2026, he left the team to focus on real-world opportunities as a journalist, writing for a newspaper! We're thrilled to see Finn using his skills to build a career! Finn Fletcher

Quick-Fire Community Questions: Jordan van Andel (JorRaptor) Community Interview Share 9 Apr 2020 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database For this round of Quick-Fire Community Questions, we invited Youtuber and Assassin's Creed community member Jordan van Andel, better known as JorRaptor. Col: Hi there Jordan, thank you for joining us today! Please could you let us know a little bit about yourself and your connection to the Assassins Creed community. Jor: Hey Colum, thanks for having me! I would say that I am still relatively new to the Assassin’s Creed community, because I only really started to be more active since the launch of Assassin’s Creed Origins. That game really reignited my love for the series thanks to the new combat, RPG elements & setting. I am lucky enough to visit many gaming events where I met a few of the people that I spoke with online, that has been a blast. I am from the Netherlands myself, have a journalism degree & am now doing my YouTube-channel full time. Col: When did you first create your channel, and how does your content now differ to back then? Jor: The starting date you will find in my about section is November 2014. When I started I really covered everything: Nintendo, PlayStation, PC games; just all the gaming news. I worked at IGN Benelux (the Dutch version of IGN) for quite some time & am just passionate about the whole gaming industry. I learned that that is not the best approach for a YouTube channel though. You can better focus on doing a few things really well, instead of trying to cover everything. With the launch of Horizon Zero Dawn I discovered my love for making tips and tricks & covering games post launch. This also seemed to work, because I came the place to be for Horizon Zero Dawn. I now try to use the same tactic for other games I am really passionate about like Assassin’s Creed. Col: You recently hit 400,000 subscribers which is a huge achievement. How would you describe your journey so far? Jor: I think that after the launch of Horizon Zero Dawn & Assassin’s Creed Origins I really found my groove & I have been trying to improve that style of content since. One big part was bringing freelancers in to help me out. I now have 3 editors who edit one video per week and Dennis who is focused on the comments under my video, Reddit for the current game we cover & helps me with recording footage. The channel has become way more than a one man show & I really couldn’t provide the same quality I am doing now without their help. I also like how apart from the update & tips videos, I am still able to make prediction videos & share my reaction on the recent news. This was mostly the content I did before extensively covering games & it’s cool to see that people still tune in to watch that side of the channel too. Col: How long does a video generally take to put together, and is much research required? Jor: It really depends on the video of course, but to make it simple: I think there are 2 types of videos for me. News videos that have to be quick because they are about news that just broke. Recently the PlayStation 5 controller was revealed and that video took me a little more than 2 hours to make. It of course varies per news item, but usually you want to have them up as fast as possible while still preserving the quality. The other types of videos are scheduled ahead of time like tips for a new game or a roundup of recent rumors about the new Assassin’s Creed. These videos can easily take 7+ hours. I use twitter a lot and when I see an interesting news story I save it in a doc that I can go back to later. Then I write the script, look up extra information & then it’s time to record the audio. After that is done I either edit it myself or send all the info to an editor so he or she can work on it. Col: Do you set yourself targets, and how many videos do you aim to release a week? Jor: My aim has been from the start to make one video per day, so 7 per week. Although right now YouTube really rewards quality and interesting topics, so if a video is not done on time & could use more time then I delay it. The extra time can really make the difference. This was a journey though, I first felt bad if I didn’t upload a day or would quickly put something together just to have a video that day. Luckily I am over that and the value of a quality video over 2 bad ones is super noticeable. Col: Have you had many opportunities such as event invitations / early access from video game companies due to your channel? Jor: Yes for sure & I am really happy about that. It helps that the Dutch gaming industry is relatively small & I already knew a lot of them thanks to my work at IGN Benelux & the Radio Station 538. When my channel grew bigger companies started to notice that too, although I got to give a shoutout to Ubisoft NL for letting me play Assassin’s Creed Origins at Gamescom when I still had around the 30.000 subscribers. Col: What do your family and friends think of your channel, and who is your biggest supporter? Jor: For some of my family members it’s all very foreign: “so how do you make money?” But they are curious about it, even though the content on the channel will not be for them hehe. My grandpa is always very supportive and sometimes leaves comments on social media platforms that many other people of his age don’t even know about. No but overall my girlfriend must be the biggest supporter & actually gives some great advice for someone who is not into games at all (apart from The Sims though) Col: What advice do you have for people who want to start a channel on YouTube? Jor: First of all just start, that is one of the hardest parts: get yourself out there and not care about what other people might think. You will be bad for sure, but that is with everything and you only get better by practicing. Apart from that I would say: make the content you want to make and are passionate about, but also content that other people want to see. Make sure that there is a big enough audience & that you can provide something that people are looking for. Col: What does a typical day for yourself consist of? Jor: I usually start with a nice cup of tea and do some small things like answering emails or checking social media. After that I try to focus on the video for that day. I will check twitter now and then (probably a little too much) and try to get the video done for an editor or that I can edit it myself. The afternoon is always different, there might be big news that I want to cover, I remember going to the gym before they were all closed, on monday & thursday there is a stream on Twitch.tv/jorraptor (shameless plug), sometimes I cook & in the evening I either do some extra work, play a game or watch a tv show with my girlfriend. Col: Other than the AC series, which games do you cover on your channel? Jor: Very similar games actually, so big single player or sometimes co-op adventures that are mostly in an open world and have some sort of RPG element: God of War, Spider-Man, Horizon Zero Dawn, Far Cry, Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order, Sekiro, Borderlands & more that I am likely forgetting hehe. Col: Which Assassin's Creed game did you play first, and is it your favourite? Jor: The first Assassin’s Creed back in 2007. I actually bought a PlayStation 3 to play that game and Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction. While repetitive at times, I did enjoy it & really hope Ubisoft gives it a proper remake treatment. Not Assassin’s Creed 3 style, but more like what Square Enix & Capcom have been doing with their franchises. I can totally see a future where we get a brand new RPG AC every 2-3 years and then in between that a big remake of an older game. So all AC fans have something to look forward to. Assassin’s Creed 1 is btw not my favorite, Assassin’s Creed Origins is, followed closely by Odyssey. Col: Do you have much Assassin's Creed merchandise? If so, what is your favourite item? Jor: Yes, but Ubisoft send me some of it to be honest. I have that massive way too expensive Spartan statue that is scaring everyone who passes by my house & other statues from the recent games. I also still have an Assassin’s Creed Odyssey helmet they gave away at E3. And recently got Assassin’s Creed displate posters that add a lot to my studio. Col: Where would be your dream setting for an AC game? Jor: Asia, especially now with the RPG elements. Imagine the weapons and armor pieces we would be able to collect. I totally think they will do it at some point, maybe after this viking game. Luckily we got Ghost of Tsushima in the meantime though that already highlights how a cool an Assassin’s Creed game in this setting would be. Col: Are there any cut features from the series you would like to see return in the next installment? Jor: Maybe not really a cut feature, but I liked how cinematic the Assassin’s Creed games were. Now though, especially with Odyssey, we didn’t get a lot of these cutscenes that help tell the story and showcase the setting in an awesome way. Most of the dialogue was done with regular conversations that sometimes didn’t have the same impact. If you want to make the games bigger Ubisoft, then please also add more cutscenes and not only at the beginning and the end of the game. I also want to see multiplayer return, especially because of the new combat system I think both PVP and infiltrating forts together could be a ton of fun. It’s going to happen one day, but I think we will have to wait a few more years. Col: Where do you personally think the series is heading to next, and are you excited for the future of Assassin's Creed? Jor: It’s 99.9% going to be Vikings & after watching the tv show with the same name I am actually really hyped for that setting. It really has these unique characteristics in the way they dress and live, and also a big focus on Mythology that I think helped the previous two games a lot too. And of course knowing that it will be made by the Assassin’s Creed Origins and Black Flag team is already enough reason to be excited. We would like to say a huge thank you to Jordan for joining us for another round of Quick-Fire Community Questions! You can find him on: Youtube Twitter Twitch 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)

TO BE COMPLETED The Story of The Underrated Assassin’s Creed Rogue Share Written By: Edited By: Reporter Name 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 This is placeholder text. To connect this element to content from your collection, select the element and click Connect to Data. About the Author

Assassin's Creed: Heresy Breakdown Breakdown Share 1 Mar 2017 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database Simon Hathaway, member of the Templar Inner Sanctum, brings a cool head and detached manner to his new role as Head of Abstergo Industry's Historical Research Division. But Simon also has an insatiable curiosity, and is fascinated by the thought of experiencing history first-hand through his ancestor—Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc. When he enters the newly-designed Animus for its initial project, Simon finds himself unprepared for what he discovers: How deep the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins goes. What Gabriel will do for the woman he both loves and reveres. And the most dangerous truth of all: Who is the heretic … and who is the true believer? I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Assassin's Creed: Heresy from Ubisoft. Special thanks to Holly Rawlinson. A n endless conflict. An old wrong. A new revelation. Simon Hathaway, member of the Templar Inner Sanctum, brings a cool head and detached manner to his new role as Head of Abstergo Industry s Historical Research Division. But Simon also has an insatiable curiosity, and is fascinated by the thought of experiencing history first-hand through his ancestor--Gabriel Laxart, who fought alongside the legendary Joan of Arc. When he enters the newly-designed Animus for its initial project, Simon finds himself unprepared for what he discovers: How deep the conflict between the Templars and the Assassins goes. What Gabriel will do for the woman he both loves and reveres. And the most dangerous truth of all: Who is the heretic and who is the true believer. Assassin's Creed: Heresy focusses on Simon Hathaway, the new Head of Abstergo's Historical Research Division. Replacing the late Isabelle Ardant, Simon takes the department in a new direction.Taking his place in the Inner Sanctum, Simon is given clearance by Alan Rikkin to use the new Animus, in a search for knowledge that will benefit the Templar Order. My Thoughts: Assassin's Creed: Heresy is extremely well written, uses an extreme amount of detail to set the scene. Although the book looks at the Historical aspects in great detail, it can sometimes become slightly confusing, as many names and characters hold similarities. I really enjoyed the idea that the Animus could be used to find knowledge that could help the present day characters fix broken Pieces of Eden. Simon's proposal to Rikkin at the start gives us a fresh perspective of the many ways in which the Animus can be used. Recently, we have seen the same formula in Assassin's Creed games. Use the Animus to find a Piece of Eden. It was interesting to see a search for knowledge, rather than a search for another artefact. I was especially impressed with the many links to the Assassin's Creed: Abstergo Employee's Handbook (also written by Christie Golden). To finally learn the truth about Robert Fraser, and the reasons for his termination was truly satisfying. Often I feel that Assassin's Creed leaves a lot of questions unanswered, so it was great to finally know the truth. I also really liked the way Heresy made it clear of the date and location of each and every memory entered by Simon. Sometimes the jump between past and present can be confusing, in transmedia material such as the Titan Comics. Heresy made it very clear, helping the audience to understand where exactly we are focussing on. The fresh concept of an Assassin Queen was also a fantastic move for the franchise. Many times have we seen Templars in positions of power, so it was great to see an Assassin Mentor in such a high ranking position. The references to the Isu Precursor Race were also very interesting. The return of Consus, and the Sword of Eden made this book almost feel like a sequel to the lore provided in Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy and Clay Kaczmarek's Animus Glypths. I really liked the way Heresy expanded on previous lore. It's very clear that everyone involved in the creation of this book put a lot of time and effort into avoiding lore inaccuracies and contradictions. The AC Team and Christie Golden did a great job with this book. I highly recommend Assassin's Creed: Heresy, and rate it 4/5. Lore/Information breakdown Heresy gives us an updated list of members of the Inner Sanctum of the Templar Order (as of 2016. Right) The Animus used by Abstergo in London is version 4.35. No Spinal Tap is required. (pg 29) The Animus used by Abstergo in Seville (AC Movie) is version 4.3, and requires a Spinal Tap. (pg 30) Simon moes into Isabelle Ardant's Office, as seen in Assassin's Creed Syndicate. (Image on slideshow below) The Bleeding Effect apparently had a devestating effect of Subject 14. This is the first known reference to Subject 14. (Pg 24) Simon is a Professor. "Simon hid his annoyance. Although he was technically a professor, he found teaching frustrating" (Pg 25) Simon is also a Master Templar. (Pg 27) Warren Vidic is the decendant of Geoffroy Thérage, the executioner of Joan of Arc Possible reference to the AC Movie: "It looks a bit like something the Inquisition might have used back in the day, doesn't it" (referring to the Animus 4.35) (Pg 28) Joan of Arc could "Glow". Possibly because she had a high concentration of Precursor DNA. "But she looked- like she was glowing." (pg 42)."It's not as if she's a Piece of Eden given human form (pg 45) Reference to the Titan Comics. "There was in fact, a Templar effort right this moment to track down one Charlotte de la Cruz, who is rumored to have merely a tiny bit of the precious DNA" (Pg 43) Robert Fraser's fate revealed (AC Employee Handbook Researcher). "His body was riddled with bullets, and he had died with his eyes and mouth open" (Pg 53) Simon's Ancestor, Gabriel Laxart was trained by the Assassins. "Simon felt physically ill. Gabriel Laxart - his own ancestor - was an Assassin? Impossible! Simon was a Master Templar, a member of the Inner Sanctum. (Pg 88) Simon comes from a Templar family. "More than that, he was what was called a "legacy." Both of his parents were Templars, and his Grandmother had been one as well, working quietly in the background of Winston Churchill's war office. There were several others sprinkled throughout his line" (Pg 88) The first Sword of Eden is hidden behind an altar in Saint Catherine's Church. (Pg 97) "We are to dig behind the altar," he said. "And there, we shall find a sword" Father Michel Gabriel can sense the presence of the Sword of Eden. This ability to sense POE's is rare, and is an ability shared by the Assassin, Giovanni Borgia. This is likely due to a high concentration of Precursor DNA. "He could..... there was no other word...... sense it" (Pg 98) Piece of Eden 25 (Sword of Eden) is the same one that belonged to Jacques de Molay, Thomas Francois Germain and Arno Dorian! It is also the sword that Alan Rikkin has in his office. (Pg 99) Simon believes that Joan of Arc possessed some of the highest percentages of Precursor DNA on record. He also believes that she was influenced by the Precursor Scientist known as Consus (Pg 118) The Templars are using Pins to recognise each other as members of the Templar Order. (Similar to the Badge of Office used in Unity) "There was no secret handshake, pr code word, or anything that Hollywood would salivate over between Templars. The only identifying item by which they would recognise one another was the pin, and was an utterly innocuous replica of it available in the local gift shop. The trained eye could spot a real pin from its counterfeit, but generally one could never tell who was a Templar and who wasn't at Abstergo unless one was specifically informed." (pg 123) The Assassin Mentor was Queen Yolande of Aragon! (Revealed on Page 127) Gabriel uses his Eagle Vision to discover that a camp follower (prostitute) also has traces of Precursor DNA in her blood. He also recognises that she too has the ability to use Eagle Vision. He brings her to Joan, who, after speaking to "the voices", accepts her. She is renamed as "Fleur" (Pg 150) Simon begins to see strange symbols and messages in his sleep. "The teardrop shaped-sun etched into the stone wall of Coudray dungeon" (Pg 163) The "Voices" that talk to Joan correctly predict that she will be injured." Tomorrow, blood will leave my body...... here, perhaps, above my breast........" Joan is shot with an Arrow. (Pg 173) Reference to Sofia Rikkin and the Animus project from the AC Movie. "Rikkin stretched out his legs in the back seat of the Rolls, absently watching London zip past as he spoke on the phone with his daughter, Sofia, who was preparing for his arrival in Madrid in a few days." (Pg 183) Victoria Bibeau's involvement in the Robert Fraser incident revealed: Page 185 explains that she gave Fraser information that was then leaked to the Assassins. She did not know the goals of the Assassins or Templars at the time. Rikkin tells her that she was very close to being terminated, like Aidan St. Claire. Joan had attempted to escape using a Leap of Faith from a tower, but was caught as she landed. This proves that the Assassins must have trained her. (pg 233) Ending (Spoilers) Simon steals Alan Rikkin's Sword of Eden and Abstergo intellectual property, then escapes Abstergo by doing a leap of faith! (249) (247) "You are in possession of Abstergo property. Hand it over and submit to judgement!" Simon escapes Abstergo and sneaks into the Inner Sanctum Meeting! Otso Berg defends Simon right to a fair hearing. Simon discovers that the Sword of Eden needs another piece to work properly. He calls this "The Heart (260) Jacque de Molay had hidden the Heart in Coudray dungeon behind the symbols on the wall. Joan had kept the "Heart" in a pouch around her neck, and it acted as a power source! When Joan was burned, her executioner had thrown the "heart" into the river Seine. Simon managed to find "The Heart" by sensing it's presence at the bottom of the river Seine! By reuniting the Sword of Eden and "The Heart", the Sword once again works properly. Simon completely restores the Sword of Eden, and returns it to Alan Rikkin infront of the Inner Sanctum. (261) Otso Berg calls for all charges against Simon Hathaway to be dropped! (261) The Templars have a secret group called "Omega Team" standing by. Favourite Quotes "I'm a Templar, we don't have Hobbies," but she revealed that she herself enjoyed pottery and running marathons. (Victoria. pg 24) This Animus would not seat it's occupants. It would embrace them. (pg 29)The Animus was not a time travel machine. He was a pasenger, not a pilot, and he, like Gabriel, was here to bear witness (63) "That's because we're descended from beings that came before man ever walked this world. Powerful beings, with great abilities and skills." De Metz (96) "These.... beings, the Ones Who Came Before - They left behind artifacts of great power. We call them Pieces of Eden, and both Assassins and Templars have been trying to find them since the dawn of time" De Metz (97) "Our Brotherhood is not like the Templars. We value individuality, and do our own thinking" De Metz. (110) Thin ice, Rikkin thought. One way or another, we're all skating on it. But the difference was, if Simon Hathaway fell through it, he wouldn't just drown. He'd be eaten alive by what lurked below. (119) Well, well. An Assassin Mentor Queen, came Victoria's voice in Simon's ear. I believe that may be a first. (127) And for pity's sake Simon, be honest with me about how much you can handle. I can't have another Robert Fraser. I won't" (Victoria. Pg 165) Hathaway had been spared the necessity of the more unsavory aspects of Templar business, happily ensconced in his ivory tower while others, such as Berg's Sigma team or even deeper, darker branches of the Templar Order, went about clearing the garden of the world from weeds like Assassins, and turncoats, and heretics who wanted to upend the Order. (pg 186) A solid hand was needed to guide humanity. The hand of the Templar Order. (Rikkin's thoughts. 187) Pieces of Eden were about power. The Precursors weren't exactly the nicest of beings, and most of what they had left behind were definitely weapons. (206) "This is what the Templar Order should be!" Simon cried, joy and certainty surging through his blood. "A weapon when needed, and an inspiration at all times. A light for humanity when it needs it the most." Simon Hathaway (pg 261) 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)

Aaron Young from TOWCB Joins ThePhotoMode Writing Team News Share 12 Apr 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database We are pleased to announce that our very own Aaron Young has been invited to join ThePhotoMode team as a regular article writer! Aaron is known in the community for his incredibly detailed portrait captures using the in-game Photo Mode tools, and also for his weekly Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography articles for The Ones Who Came Before . ThePhotoMode is the first free virtual photography e-magazine, and aims to support digital creators who share a love for virtual photography. The project, led by community member Jack ( _Virtualtourism ) has done an excellent job at highlighting community content, but other notable achievements include the site hosting a Q&A with Raphael Lacoste (Former Art Director on Assassin's Creed), and Jack himself winning the ' Virtual Photographer of the Year' award' at the Ubisoft Community Awards event in London! You can find Aaron's first major contributions to the project below, which are featured in the most recent release, issue #27 . Issue #27 available now: Free download 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)

Assassin's Creed Mirage Roshan Cosplay Project by Rick Boer's Fantasy Productions Community Share 22 Jun 2023 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Here are some photos from the Roshan Cosplay Project currently being created by the team over at RBF-productions-NL ( Rick Boer's Fantasy Productions), a company dedicated to delivering high-quality custom-made props and costumes. Although Assassin's Creed Mirage has not yet been released, we can't wait to learn more about the former-slave turned Hidden One we first met in Assassin's Creed Valhalla. The Assassin's Creed Mirage reveal trailer made it clear that Basim's Mentor, voiced by the wonderful Shohreh Aghdashloo would be a hit within the community, and it's been great to see this project come to life through regular social media posts. Back in September, we rounded up images for the Basim Ibn Ishaq cosplay project, which you can find here. We will be updating this page as the team over at RBF-productions-NL release more images. Links to their social media channels can be found below. Original release: 8th May 2023 Updated with new photos 22nd June 2023. Website | Instagram | DeviantArt comments debug Comments (1) Write a comment Write a comment Sort by: Newest Guest Oct 15, 2023 Merci Colum, from France Like Reply 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)

Starter Guide focussing on Norway for new players looking to begin their Assassin's Creed Valhalla adventure. Community Guides Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Huntsman Gear Guide By Aaron Young 26/3/21 Share Top Stories The Assassin's Creed Community are raising money for Ocean Conservancy. Donate today After the relatively long intro in Norway, you will no doubt be eager to find a new armour set when you arrive in England. One of the easier sets to claim is the Huntsman, which can be found in the opening areas of England. All items can be found in-game without the need for DLC or micro-transactions. All gear sets in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will not only provide the player with an aesthetic look, but also stats and bonuses that increase Eivor’s strength. Further to this, your gear will also be aligned to one of the three branches of the skill tree. The Huntsman set follows the wolf skill line and therefore will benefit from any skill points you have placed here. It is also good to consider the set bonus perks that are different for each armour set. The Huntsman gear provides you with a nice Viking look and leans heavily into an archer playstyle. The two bonuses for equipping the Huntsman set are in the image below. It is good to remember that the more pieces of the set you wear, the bigger the bonus. It is not essential though, and you can mix gear for interesting perks. Edited by Ashlea Buckley The Huntsman Set Interview with Magnus Bruun - Eivor Assassins' Creed Valhalla Merchandise Guide Q&A with Abubakar Salim - Bayek of Siwa TOWCB Plans for 2021 Netflix announce upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed series Female Vikings: The Real History Building an Assassin's Creed Community: Getting Started Mentors Guild Announcement Interview with Benoit Richer: Valhalla Co-Dev Game Director Interview with Eric Baptizat: AC Valhalla Game Director Interview with Jordan Van Andel (JorRaptor) Colours in Assassin's Creed: A Short Review 6 ways to stay entertained in the Assassin's Creed Community during isolation Interview with Carlos Ferro - Da Vinci 5 ways you can support TOWCB Interview with Jesper Kyd Top Stories How to Get the Huntsman Gear Set The Huntsman Cape This seems like it could be more difficult than it actually is. Your best route is to take your Longship up river to Templebrough Fort in Ledecestrescire. The Huntsman Helm This one can be a little trickier. The helm can be found at Tonnastadir fort in Ledecestrescire. It is a heavily guarded area, which can be difficult early in the game. You will come here as part of the Ledecestrescire story arc, and I would suggest waiting until then to collect the helm. Hopefully these tips will help you get started on your Viking adventure. Valhalla is a wonderful game full of intrigue and mystery with a story that sucks you in slowly. Be patient and take your time, you will not regret it. About the Author Aaron is a passionate Assassin's Creed fan who recently joined TOWCB AC Partnership Program as an Online Article Writer. Throughout 2021, Aaron and other writers will be joining the admin team in a collaborative effort to create an Assassin's Creed Valhalla Guide Database, which you can find here . Twitter Aaron Young Save 10% on officially licensed Assassin's Creed Origins merchandise with the code "TOWCB" Unfortunately you cannot obtain all of the set pieces in the same region. There are five gear items to collect, with three in Grantebridgescire and the other two in Ledecestrescire. The Power Levels of these regions should not pose too much of a problem, as when you arrive in England both Grantebridgescire and Ledecestrescire are early story destinations. That being said, all of the Huntsman armour is well guarded so you will need to either fight your way to it or use stealth. Grantebridgescire and Ledecestrescire are both Power Level 20, so following the story would be the best way of attaining this set. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla has four tiers for gear pieces: Grey (Fine) Red (Superior) Blue (Flawless) Gold (Mythical) When you fine each piece of the Huntsman set it will already be Superior. It is wise to use what resources you have to bring the gear to its highest level, and save your nickel ingots to upgrade the armour to flawless when you return to Gunnar at the Settlement. It is important to note that Ubisoft recently patched Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, implementing the transmogrification feature. This means you can upgrade your gear to the highest level but not have to worry about not liking the look. You can pay fifty coins to Gunnar and he will amend the aesthetic to one of the previous iterations but with the highest stats. The helm is locked behind a gate, so you will first need to head to the longhouse. The key can be found on a table, but be careful as sometimes there will be guards in the room. Once you have the key, head to the metal gate where three guards will be waiting. There is some debris you can drop on them. Either way you will need to dispatch the guards before entering. The helm can be found at the end of the hallway in a chest. The Huntsman Armour The chest piece is probably the most difficult to obtain. It can be found in Ravensburg outpost, Grantebridgescire. This outpost is part of the story arc so waiting until then is a good option. The cloak can be found in a tower situated in the middle of the river. Just climb the tower and shoot the wood hanging to break the floor below. From here jump down and open the chest. There are a few guards so be careful not to been seen, but it is possible to avoid them altogether. You will find the chest containing the armour in the main hut at the centre of the enemy camp. Despite the camp being well guarded it is possible to get all the way to the hut unnoticed. You may wish to tactically remove some of the guards just so if you are caught you will not be overwhelmed. The Huntsman Vambraces The vambraces are hidden behind a waterfall in Grantebridgescire. The location is not too far from your settlement. Just head south of Ravensthorpe and you will see an area with two sections of water. The vambraces can be found in the first section of water, behind a waterfall. Once you enter the cave you will find another section of water. You will need to dive in and swim underwater until you reach the end. Straight after exiting the water you will see the chest in front of you. The Huntsman Breeches Your final piece to collect will be the breeches. They are situated in Soham hideout, which is on a patch of land not too far from Isle of Ely Monastery, Grantebridgescire. You will want to sneak into the camp and head towards the large stone building in the centre. Inside you will find a chest containing the breeches. You may also need to dispatch some of the guards. There are two sat at a table in the main building, making it difficult to sneak up on them, so be careful. Once you have all the gear items, you can return to Gunnar to upgrade them. Don’t forget to take a look at the transmogrification feature. It is also worth mentioning that you can pay travellers for information regarding the location of gear items (represented on the map by a question mark)

Assassin's Creed Shadows Eve of Launch Statement Community Share 19 Mar 2025 Written By: Edited By: TOWCB Team 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 A collection of articles from The Ones Who Came Before team. TOWCB Team

This Week in Assassin's Creed Virtual Photography: November 1st - 8th Community Share 9 Nov 2020 Written By: Edited By: Gustav Poulsen (Gargudon) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database Welcome back to a new weekly virtual photography initiative hosted by Gustav Poulsen from The AC Partnership Program. Each week, five Assassin's Creed shots will be showcased here on TOWCB website, in order to promote virtual photography and community contributions. Gustav is a seasoned pro when it comes to virtual photography, and has a keen eye for special shots. Look out for more Photo Logs over the coming weeks, some of which may include Assassin's Creed Valhalla! Great Pyramid This week’s first capture is from Assassin’s Creed Origins. It’s a shot of the Great Pyramid in Giza, taken by Instagram user @ gamingpharmofficial. Vibrant, full of beautiful lighting, palm trees, blue skies and of course a legendary landmark, this capture had to kick off this week’s recap list! Dark Skies: This week’s second capture is yet another one from AC Origins; this one taken by Instagram user @ anna.loves.pcgaming. Oddly enough, this one also features the pyramids of Giza… But Bayek looks at them from a distance, from some high ground down in Memphis. And of course, the most remarkable aspect of this shot, the dark skies and clouds appearing from above, that gives this shot a unique sinister vibe. Monteriggioni This Assassin’s Creed II screenshot is taken by Instagram user @ il.mentore.1459. In it we see Ezio fashionably dressed in the Armor of Altaïr on a rooftop, looking out over his new home village of Monteriggioni. In the distant background, we see the beautiful Tuscan highlands at night. This makes for a not necessarily sinister, but certainly mysterious at maybe even slightly ominous vibe that ACII is known for. You can almost just look at this picture, and here “Leonardo’s Inventions” start playing in the background. Palazzo Ducale For the fourth picture on this week’s list, we have another one from ACII… Also taken by @ il.mentore.1459 . This one however is of the massive, “impenetrable” Palazzo Ducale in Venice at night. Like the previous shot, this one also has that mysterious and slightly sinister vibe to it. The dark vibe that ACII as mentioned is so well known for. Scouting The Area We’ve only had (great) shots from ACII & Origins on this list so far, so isn’t it time for pictures from other games for some variety? Coming in at spot number five, we have an awesome screenshot from Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, taken by Instagram user @ char.lie.scott In it we see Jacob Frye in his preferred working class-esque attire, hanging from a ledge with ONE HAND on top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, observing the beautiful City of London. Bright, filled with warm colours and overall cool and cinematic looking, this capture was to good to not be featured! Paris Noir As mentioned, since this is the final recap before the release of AC Valhalla, we’re featuring double the amount of the usual five pictures. Therefore, kicking off the latter half we’ve got an Assassin’s Creed Unity screenshot taken by Instagram user @ shadow_warrior003 . This one is a classy black and white picture of the legendary Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris. The noir filter really gives this capture a certain classic French noir vibe, that in one way or another takes one back to Paris in the early 1900’s. Whether this was intentional or not, the photographer did an exceptional job with this photo! Loneliness And for the next capture, we’ve got an Assassin’s Creed Odyssey landscape shot taken by Instagram user @ baddestfemale__. This picture is stunningly beautiful to say the least! Perfectly capturing the golden hour as its reflection can be seen on the ocean, and with several small islands thrown into the frame for good measure, this might very well be one of the best AC Odyssey shots I, Gargudon, the photo recap writer have stumbled upon! Ghost Rider In this third AC Origins pics to make the list, we see Bayek wearing an Anubis mask, riding his mysterious, flammable and obviously extremely hot Abyssal Steed horse through the Egyptian deserts as the sun slowly disappears from the horizon. Not much to say to say about this picture, other than it’s well framed, cool looking and last but not least extremely vibrant and warm looking! Source: Spartan Gamer Goodbye Greece For the second last picture on this week’s list, we’ve got a heartfelt goodbye tribute shot dedicated to AC Odyssey, taken by Instagram user @ mentor.of.the.creed . This picture cleverly marks the end of one Assassin’s Creed era, before a new one starts with Valhalla tomorrow already. In it we see our protagonist walking down the beach, alongside the water. Let’s just say they’re reflecting on their many adventures throughout Greece. Not only is this capture extremely beautiful, but as hinted towards there are certain symbolic meanings attached to this. All of which are up for interpretation. Northern Lights he talented Assassin’s Creed Rogue photographer @ shaysredemption , whose shots have already made the list several times, gets the honour of having the last non-Valhalla shot on these lists for a while featured! In this one we see Shay’s ship the Morrigan, adrift in the middle of nowhere in the North Atlantic, surrounded by icebergs in the night. And most remarkably, sailing under the most beautiful and phenomenal northern lights! Thanks for checking our this weeks's photo log, and to all of the virtual photographers who contributed towards this article! 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 and versatile content creator, who started out in podcast hosting in 2016 - hosting the discussion based show “The Memory Corridor” - but today mostly specialises in video creation, interviews, writing and composing. He joined The Ones Who Came Before in 2019 for a merger, publishing new episodes - and reviving the show following nearly a year of inactivity - on our platforms, until phased out in 2023. Today, his landmark projects include 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)

Carlos Ferro Interview: Da Vinci's Destiny Interview Share 31 Mar 2020 Written By: Edited By: Colum Blackett (Col_96) Ashlea Buckley Back To Database Our community admin Colum Blackett had the opportunity to interview veteran voice actor Carlos Ferro, best known for voicing Leonado Da Vinci in the Assassin's Creed series and Dominic Santiago in Gears of War. Behind the Voice Actors lists 30 roles that Carlos has been credited with, but he has also provided additional voices such as NPC's and background characters in many games and TV shows. About: Carlos' first career in the entertainment industry was as a DJ. Leaving music for a career in theatre and television, his work eventually led to a stint as an artist in residence at Cornell University. He has since gone on to receive a Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award nomination for Best Solo Performance for his portrayal of Sal Mineo in the show SAL. He has continued acting in television, both on-camera (in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Genesis) and in animation voice-over (Justice League, Spawn). He also had a short speaking role as Olivero Sisko in Big Top Scooby-Doo!. He has worked with director John Landis and actors Jerry Lewis, Harvey Fierstein and Dudley Moore. (Wiki) His most recent credited voice acting performances were for the 2019 adventure game Shenmue III, where he lent his voice to multiple characters. Col: Hi Carlos, thank you for joining us today! Please could you tell us a little bit about yourself, and the time you spent working on the Assassin's Creed series. Carlos: Thanks for having me! I’m an actor/voice actor that had the privilege of portraying Leonardo DaVinci in the Assassin’s Creed franchise! Col: In Assassin's Creed 1, you voiced the leader of the Assassin Bureau in Damascus. The character adds an element of much needed comic relief to quite a serious game. How did you find the interactions with Altair? Carlos: I wanted to give that character a bit of snark. Let’s just say, it came naturally. LOL 'Most impressive, my friend. The others said you make a mess of things, but not I. No, I was sure you'd come through. And come through you have.' Col: Have you completed AC1, and would you be interested in returning to the series if Ubisoft were to remaster it one day with additional content? Carlos: I try to complete all the games I work on. AC1 blew my mind, to be honest. I would be honored to return in any capacity. Col: When you were first brought in to work on the series, what were your initial thoughts? Could you see the franchise becoming as big as it is today? Carlos: Nobody can really predict that kind of success. Putting History, Geography, Science Fiction, and Action in a gaming context knocked me out. I wanted to be as good as the rest of the cast. Carlos regularly attends comic con conventions. Here is with Assassin's Creed Community members. Col: Do you have a favourite moment of AC1, and are there any elements that you would personally consider vital that all Assassin's Creed games should try to incorporate? Carlos: I’m a big fan of Desmond Miles. I like the idea of ancestors and what may come with them. Col: Moving onto AC2, had you ever had to speak Italian for a role before voicing Leonardo? I have. Though not as much as I do as Leonardo. Michael Corleone springs to mind. I was blessed with Dialect Supervisor Ida Darvish-Gadd being at all my sessions to make sure I didn’t slip up. Col: Most of Leonardo's key moments are in his interactions with Ezio, where he provides the role of both friend and inventor. What was it like working with Roger on these moments, and do you have a favourite? Carlos: Roger Craig Smith is one of my favorite Voice Actors. Whether we were at sessions together or I was hearing his voice in my headphones, it was very easy to get into character. My favorite scene is when I communicate to him that “women provide little distraction.” His delivery of, “I don’t get it” is perfect and hilarious. Col: Have you kept in touch with any of the other voice actors from the AC games, and have you worked with any of them on other projects since? Carlos: Video games have such huge casts, it’s thrilling to see actors I’ve worked with before or actors I admire, in the cast list. Though we rarely record together. Where I see my colleagues often is on the road at Conventions. Roger Craig Smith, Adrian Hough, Matt Ryan, Cas Anvar, Victoria Atkin, and Paul Amos are some of my favorite people and world-class actors. My dream is a full-reunion event with the fans. Col: Other than Leonardo, who else would you have liked to have voiced in the games? Carlos: I want to play an Assassin. Col: Other than the games, you also did the voiceover for Assassin's Creed: Ascendance, a short 8 minute animation where Leonardo warns Ezio about the Borgia influence in Roma. Did this project feel different to working on the games, and how long roughly did it take to record the lines? Carlos: One full day, as I recall. The process was the same but I was knocked-out by the DaVinci styling in the animation. It’s one of my favorite things. Col: Leonardo returned in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and even got his own DLC. How did you prepare to take on the role of an older, wiser Da Vinci? Carlos: Having created the character from scratch in AC2, it was pretty organic. Col: One of the reasons Leonardo remains so popular is his positive mentality, somehow always managing to see the best in humanity in the darkest of times. He is a true ally to the Assassins, but also helped to provide some of the more challenging missions in Brotherhood. Do you ever hear fans mentioning the difficulty of the Da Vinci's War Machines missions? Carlos: I hear about that Tank...all the time. LOL Personally, I love the flying machine. Col: When you meet fans at events, what are the most requested Da Vinci lines people want to hear? Carlos “HOW EXCITING!” I’m also fond of “I’ve taught a man to fly!” Col: I would like to personally thank you for signing my Hidden Blade, which I now keep in a glass cabinet. Do you own Assassin's Creed merchandise, and did you keep anything at all from your time working on the games? Carlos: I have displays from stores, figures, the flying machine. Though my favorite AC treasures are DaVinci inspired art and gifts from the fans. Leonardo Da Vinci art by Lisa Zaman. You can buy art prints by Lisa for a limited time here , the profits of which are donated to The Italian Red Cross. Col: Do you have any tips for our audience on how to get into voice acting? What would you say is the first step? Carlos: Be an actor first. Study and prepare. That was where it started for me. Col: Have you ever cosplayed as Leonardo. If not, would you ever consider doing so? Carlos: I would! But it would have to be perfect. I’m that guy. LOL I’m blown away by the craftsmanship cosplayers around the world have brought to Leonardo and Ezio. It’s beautiful. Col: Have you been following the more recent games, and where would you like to see the series to explore next? Carlos: I keep up. There was an Assassin’s Creed inspired art exhibit in Paris some time ago. There were Assassins in every time and from every country, it seemed. I remember loving a female Assassin flying through the air with laser hidden blades. I think the sky’s the limit. Literally. We would like to say a huge thank you to Carlos for joining us for this interview, and to Kim Beacham for making it possible! You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram You can also book a personalised message from Carlos on Cameo 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)

Why Pirate Assassin's Creed Worked Breakdown Share 28 Jul 2024 Written By: Edited By: Hayden Bird Colum Blackett Back To Database When ‘ Assassin’s Creed’ visited the Golden Age of Piracy back in October 2013, it was an entirely different genre the series had ever touched on. They were facing a hefty challenge in creating an ‘ Assassin’s Creed’ game that stayed faithful to both their franchise, and the history of the pirate era in history, and thankfully, Ubisoft quite literally struck gold with this game. Many fans were initially skeptical of this historical setting, as they weren’t sure a pirate ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game could work in the standards of the franchise. Naval Combat in the series was briefly introduced in 2012’s ‘ Assassin’s Creed III ’, which was in a way the birthplace of what ‘ Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag ’ became to be. Ubisoft released a unique reveal trailer for the game which showed the infamous pirate legend Blackbeard telling a story to other fellow pirates inside their ship. This is where main character Edward Kenway was introduced. The trailer showed him in combat by boarding an enemy ship and wielding dual pistols. This trailer quickly attracted gamers who were uncertain about the game and some fully embraced a pirate themed ‘ Assassin’s Creed’ game. Capture by Col_96 The protagonist, Edward Kenway, had connections to the previous game in the series. The main playable characters in ‘ Assassin’s Creed III ’, Haytham and Connor, both featured in the prior game in the series, were both a part of the Kenway family tree. Haytham was the son of Edward, and Connor was the son of Haytham, making him Edward's grandson. The connection between the two games was interesting, and it was fun to explore the Kenway family tree from the perspective of both the games, and all three perspectives. Edward Kenway, however, was unlike his descendants. He was reckless, daring, and greedy for the majority of the game. Edward was more interested in treasure and personal gain compared to compassion for others and his own moral standards. This made ‘ Black Flag ’ very different compared to previous games in the series, as he was not a part of the Assassins Brotherhood for almost all of the game. This was what made this game different from others in the series, it was okay taking risks. Ubisoft likely knew that a pirate themed ‘ Assassin's Creed ’ game would initially receive mixed opinions upon the announcement, as fans had grown accustomed to the traditional format of previous games in the series, always having a respectable and honorable protagonist that was faithful to the Assassins Brotherhood. This was a polar opposite with ‘ Black Flag ’ as Edward was resentful of the Creed and even mocked them at times. It was a gamble in storytelling from Ubisoft, as they knew likely a portion of fans would find Edward’s disrespect towards the Assassins to be a mockery of the standards previous protagonists had held. Luckily, Ubisoft trusted their writers and had faith in their vision for the game, and it paid off big time. ‘ Black Flag ’ also faced high expectations from fans and industry personnel because it would also be the first ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game to launch on the new PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. The game, of course, still did release on the PS3 and Xbox 360, it ran great graphically and was smooth to play, as it was a very polished game. After the successful launch of this game, Ubisoft went on to create a very empowering DLC, which means downloadable content for those unfamiliar with the term, and made a story set in the same map but this time playing as one of the main side characters from the original game, Adewale. The point of this DLC was Adewale was born a slave in the country Trinidad and Tobago , and after he became an Assassin and part of the West Indies brotherhood,, he went on a mission to free slaves across the West Indies. Fans saw this as powerful and very moving, considering the dark history behind enslavement and the courage it took to stand up for yourself, and help those who are unfairly trapped. The DLC was a major hit, and is even sold as a separate game, labeled ‘ Assassin’s Creed Freedom Cry ’, and because of its scale and how big of a DLC it was, it was able to merit a standalone release. Ubisoft clearly took major inspiration from all aspects of history of the old West Indies and Nassau, as many features were historically accurate. Naval combat for one was very accurate to what life would have been like back then in the 1600’s, such as passing the time with sea shanties or stopping the ship in a designated area to go harpooning against some of the ocean's greatest prey. ‘ Black Flag ’ had quite a lot of historical elements that were accurate and faithful to this era in history. A good example of this was the difference in historical accuracy of the more modern ‘ Assassin’s Creed’ games, which have generally slightly strayed away from pure accuracy, which is understandable considering the scope of the recent games, but ‘ Black Flag ’ was likely the most recent and surely one of the most historically faithful ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ games when it comes to honoring the era of the Golden Age of Piracy. In general, this period in time was extremely rich with source information for Ubisoft to use, with infamous pirates such as Blakbeard or Stede Bonnet, and life on the sea with naval combat. It was true that during that time the oceans were a hostile place, with the majority of ships out during that time flying different colors, and supporting different nations. For one, the Spanish had a strong presence in the West Indies, with Havana nearby, as did the Royal Navy from King George I of Great Britain, which was his formal title, and of course the ones who flew the infamous black flag The ever-daring pirates, whose main goal was to plunder and steal anything they could from anyone else on the seas, whether they be another pirates’ ship or other naval systems from different nations. Ubisoft was right to take a gamble and trust their internal studios by creating this magnificent game. It was understandable for fans to have their doubts at the time of announcement, as previous ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ games have mainly followed the same path of remaining on dry land, and only in the water to swim or to hide from enemies. Fans who gave the game a chance at launch helped some of the skeptical fans who had some major doubts about Ubisoft’s ability to pull off a pirate ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game. However, the rave reviews and positive fan feedback clearly sold the skeptical fans, as ‘ Black Flag ’ went on to sell millions of copies and become a massive success for Ubisoft. Many fans today, including myself, still consider ‘ Black Flag ’ to be the best ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game to date. It is ironic that one of the more popular Assassin’s Creed games, only had the gamers playing as an actual Assassin towards the last hour or two of the game. All the time played before then, the protagonist Edward Kenway was a full fledged pirate of Nassau, and was internally full of self-greed and personal gain. Ubisoft was smart with creating character development in this game, meaning Edward Kenway drastically changed his personality throughout the course of the game. From spoiled and greedy to a good honest man who became a Master Assassin. This aspect of the story alone is one of the main reasons ‘ Black Flag ’ is considered the best ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ games, and also easily the best pirate themed game ever created. Looking back on this game, now almost eleven years since release, it changed the tone of the ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ series permanently. Ubisoft proved they could be creative and take risks with the franchise, instead of becoming basic or unoriginal. Ubisoft’s decision making in this game alone to take a huge gamble has reflected on modern ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ games as well. The recent major shift in the games formula from the classic stealth action genre to more RPG based, which RPG stands for role playing game to be clear, and this choice was a very big gamble, along with the decision of the idea of a pirate themed ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ game. I can believe their initial risky decision making for the franchise made the choice to reinvent ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ as an RPG game a lot simpler. We can forever be grateful to Ubisoft for trusting their creation and releasing a game as legendary and important as ‘Black Flag’ . Fans and all gamers alike can appreciate Ubisoft’s dedication to the ‘ Assassin’s Creed ’ franchise, and proving making great games sometimes requires a big risk. 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

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TOWCB Channel Trailer Released Other Share 29 Mar 2024 Written By: Edited By: TOWCB Team Colum Blackett Back To Database We are pleased to present the new and updated channel trailer for The Ones Who Came Before. edited by Team Leader Colum Blackett (@ Col_96 ), featuring music by Gustav Poulsen (@ Gargudon ). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARTZOV4OpCQ We hope that this trailer represents the relationship between the Core team and our Isu_Network, a global network of content creators around the world During the editing process, Col included two references that he hoped fans would pick up on. The first was the timing of the footage showing UbiCypher (Joe), Twitter lead admin for @ Isu_Network , which airs as the narration says that our content includes 'lore analysis and facts'. This is a nod towards Joe's daily posting schedule which includes Assassin's Creed lore and trivia. The second is right at the end, as Gargudon's narration says 'make sure to subscribe and follow us on socials', Col added footage of Ezio following a target on a rooftop. We hope that you enjoyed our new channel trailer! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. You can find links to all our our social media platforms below. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author A collection of articles from The Ones Who Came Before team. TOWCB Team

Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Claws of Awaji DLC Review – Worth the Hype? Breakdown Share 17 Sept 2025 Written By: Edited By: Zephryss Colum Blackett Back To Database Ubisoft finally released the much-awaited Claws of Awaji DLC for Assassin's Creed Shadows on September 16. I have already played the full Claws of Awaji DLC early. Big thanks to Ubisoft and the Assassin's Creed team for providing me with 5 days of early access to the DLC. Here is my spoiler free review of the DLC for Assassin's Creed Shadows. STORY & PLOT The story starts right after the ending of the main game. You will need to complete a quest first before traveling to Awaji Island. After avenging her father, Naoe learns Tsuyu is alive. Tracking rumors of a hidden-blade wielding shinobi, She journeys to Awaji in search of her mother. With his vengeance complete, Yasuke also travels to Awaji to honor his vow. The main focus of the story is on finding the third regalia and defeating the Sanzoku Ippa. There are 4 major narrative arcs in Claws of Awaji. While there is a strong core story in the game, many of the objectives, quests and opportunities can be tackled in a non-linear fashion. You can track the main targets in pretty much the order you want and through your exploration, you will discover new opportunities and challenges across the island. Each arc contains 2 to 3 hours of content, which is why the whole DLC adds up to more than 10 hours of gameplay. NEW AWAJI ISLAND The atmosphere of Awaji Island is very cosy yet dark. The forests are dense, with very few areas where sunlight breaks through. The seasonal changes are also quite different from those in the main game. The weather shifts between calm, foggy, stormy, and rainy conditions. This DLC was created by the same studio that developed the Wrath of the Druids DLC for AC Valhalla, and they wanted to give it their own touch by designing this unique, eerie environment. You will often notice movement in the grass and trees, as the island is full of traps and ambushes by Shinobis and other enemies. That’s why you can’t freely travel like in the main game, you have to be careful every time you explore the island. When you use scouts to uncover an area of the map, you’ll notice some red zones. In those areas, you’ll face the highest number of Shinobi ambushes. Here are some important locations in the DLC: Iwaya Castle, Eshima Rock, Kamaguchi Village, Sumoto Town, Sumoto Castle, Yura Town, and Fukura Village. There are also several temples and shrines in the DLC. There’s a cool Naruto easter egg in the DLC. I won’t say anything more about it, I’ll leave it to you to discover. DUAL PROTAGONIST SYSTEM Ubisoft Bordeaux did a really good job designing the dual protagonists system in the DLC. The teamwork between Naoe and Yasuke feels natural and well executed. There’s a mission in a castle where you truly get to understand this mechanic. This isn’t like in the main game, where one character suddenly pops up out of nowhere. SANZOKU IPPA Like Shinbakufu in the main game, here in this DLC you will find a new enemy faction called Sanzoku Ippa. But these new enemies are much better than the Shinbakufu. There are 4 of them. Each character is designed with a good story, and each one has unique capabilities different from the others. Each boss offers different gameplay perspectives on Awaji Island. You can't use the same technique on each member, you will have to use different techniques to defeat them. There is a boss fight that I think is one of the best Ubisoft has designed in a long time. The mechanics of this fight are inspired by the Fear and Quiet missions from the Metal Gear Solid games. You have to face this boss in a large arena on a foggy night in a forest, with traps scattered everywhere. You’ll need to adopt a different approach to defeat the boss, use the observe mechanic, eagle vision, stay stealthy, and be patient, because it will take some time to defeat the boss. NEW BO WEAPON & NEW ABILITIES The combat system is much improved in the DLC, especially with the new Bo weapon for Naoe. The animations with this weapon look pretty good, and there’s even a tutorial mission for it in the DLC. The Bo is a versatile multi-range weapon. It focuses on controlling opponents via pushbacks, knockdowns and other similar effects rather than inflicting raw damage. This weapon has its own mastery tree with new abilities and three stances. Here are three new abilities for this weapon: Windstep, Grab & Throw (my favorite), and Flurry of Blows. The Bo weapon is free for everyone in Assassin's Creed Shadows. However, if you want a legendary Bo staff, that will only be available in the DLC. There are also gear vendors across the map who sell epic Bo weapons. There are also new abilities for Yasuke in the DLC. There are five different abilities connected to his weapons: Hurricane Stance (Naginata ability), Kanabo Throw, Wind Burst, Spread Shot (Bow ability), and Tezutsu Burst (Teppo Ability). They deal good damage and have pretty cool animations. I liked them. NEW IMPROVEMENTS One thing I really like about this DLC is that when looting a legendary chest, you have to find clues and notes in the open world and from NPCs to open it. It’s not like in the main game, where you just go to a place and open the chest. This encourages players to explore more areas and interact with different NPCs. The cutscenes in the DLC are much improved compared to the main game. Side activities also return in the DLC. While many are the same, some have been improved and redesigned, especially the hidden trails and Sumi-e paintings. AREAS OF CONCERN One feature I didn’t like is that you can’t travel to Awaji Island by boat from the mainland. Instead, you have to use a fast travel point between them to go to Awaji, and then from Awaji to your hideout. This is probably a restriction for players who don’t own the DLC, preventing them from traveling to the island. Then I think there should be more legendary gears in the DLC, as there are only a few of them. The Awaji map is not fully open-world. There are mountains and large trees that block your path while exploring, and you cannot climb them. This is something I also didn’t like in the main game, that you can’t go everywhere freely. The level cap should not be increased to 100 for the DLC. It was recently raised from 60 to 80 for NG+. Even after completing NG+, you won’t easily reach level 80, you’ll need to do lots of contracts and other activities. Many players still haven’t reached level 80 in Shadows. I think the cap should be increased only to 85 or at most 90. Raising it to 100 makes the game feel too grindy, forcing players to do more NG+ runs or complete many contracts daily just to reach level 100. The rarity enhancement system isn’t that good. You need lots of mons, resources, and especially gold to upgrade it to the max level. This means you’ll have to spend many more hours in AC Shadows just to fully upgrade your gear to Artifact level 9 rarity. Although Ubisoft mentioned that these powerful enhancements are designed as long-term goals, they support players through the increasing difficulty of subsequent New Game+ cycles and other upcoming challenges. CONCLUSION Overall, I am impressed with the Claws of Awaji DLC for Assassin's Creed Shadows. Ubisoft Bordeaux really put in a lot of effort to make this DLC stand out. I even enjoyed it more than the main game. It doesn’t feel like a simple, forced expansion of the main story; instead, it’s designed in a unique way to give players a different experience from the main game. I still need to explore 100% of the map, and there are more secrets and Easter eggs left to discover. I’m giving the Claws of Awaji DLC an 8.5 out of 10. If you did not pre-order Assassin's Creed Shadows, the DLC is now available for purchase on all platforms for $25/€25. Have you already played the Claws of Awaji DLC? What are your thoughts on it? Share them in the comments down below. Promo image by Charlie Cooper comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Zephryss is a passionate social media manager based in India who joined TOWCB's Social Media Team in Summer 2024 to help the team prepare for coverage of Assassin's Creed Shadows news and updates. Recently, he completed his Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and is now preparing to take on a PhD. He loves video games very much, and since childhood has enjoyed playing various types of games in different genres He also has 3 gaming channels (Zephryss, Assassin Zephryss & Spider Zephryss) where he uploads gameplay videos regularly. Zephryss

Aztec Empire: Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game Wishlist Share 26 Jul 2022 Written By: Edited By: Finn Fletcher Ashlea Blackett Back To Database Since the release of Assassins Creed II, one of the most exciting aspects of the franchise has always been fantasising about how the creed could apply to different places in history. Although many websites have created drawn out listicles, I want to try something different, creating a detailed pitch for a games setting. Discussing the true history, the style of the story, and the type of unique gameplay that could be applied to this period. One of the most important factors when choosing a setting is applying themes relevant to the turmoil and struggles of the time. AC III used the American Revolution to discuss freedom and corruption, while Black Flag used piracy to discuss greed and inequality. So today, I'm going to take the opportunity to pitch a game in what is currently one of the most heavily rumoured settings, the Aztec Empire. Now simply saying "Aztecs" is pretty broad, covering a people and Empire who existed for centuries. First things first then, a little history. The legend goes that the Aztec people founded their capital city of Tenochtitlan under strict instructions of one of their gods Huitzilopochtli. He told the settlers to build a city where they find a giant eagle eating a snake while perched on a cactus (a symbol which is now used on the Mexican flag). Supposedly, this strange event was seen in the marshy land of Lake Texcoco around 1325 CE, and construction began. The city's construction was a technical marvel, consisting of multiple connected artificial islands, that allowed for irrigation of gardens as well as construction for towering pyramids. Moveable causeways connected the islands to the mainland, while also functioning as dikes that could separate the freshwater and saltwater of the lake. It truly was a floating marvel, like Venice on steroids, that at its height was the most populated city in Mesoamerica. Originally one of many city states in pre-colonial Mexico, the Aztecs' impressive military conquered the surrounding land, with the aid of an intelligent group of diplomats and traders. By the early 16th century, the Aztecs had come to rule 5 to 6 million people across 200,000 square kilometres. It was around this time that tragedy struck. The arrival of the Spanish led to the destruction of the empire and genocide of it's people. Through disgusting military tactics, and the spreading of diseases that the native people lacked immunity to, the Spanish managed to tear the entire civilization to the ground, destroying centuries of history and culture in the process. This is the period I believe the game should be set, during the final war of the empire against the Spanish. This period of tragedy could be used as a great foundation for a discussion of grief, loss and imperialism. What a perfect time for this story to be released, after we ourselves have come out of the biggest pandemics of our lifetime and are currently facing rising temperatures causing wildfires across the planet. If done well, this touching story of someone watching the destruction of everything they know, the whole world from their perspective, could allow for a relevant and inspiring journey for players. The story will follow Guatemoc (OC: name translates to 'attacks like an eagle'), an elite soldier of the Eagle Warrior guild. From a poor background, he worked in the military as all men were expected to at the time, showing great prowess and rising through the ranks. The greatest units of soldiers were the Jaguar or Eagle battalions, with soldiers having to take enemy captives to rise to this divine duty, a group Guatemoc rightly earned his place in. The opening of the game will be set before the Spanish arrived in Tenochtitlan, with NPC's discussing and questioning the rumours about new arrivals to the land. During this time the player will be sent on tasks for the Eagle warriors, acting as a gameplay tutorial, while the open world will give an opportunity for exploration of a still fully native Aztec world. The city of Tenochtitlan will be filled with different activities, allowing for full immersion in the period. Mainly I would love to see mini games (a fan favourite within the franchise, just think of Orlog), that would allow you to play Ullamaliztli, an Aztec sport, as well as Patolli, a board game of the time. Ullamaliztli would definitely be more difficult, a type of proto-basketball where two teams of seven players aim to get a rubber ball through a ring on either side of the court. If this is too difficult to create in gameplay, it would still be great to watch and potentially place bets on games played by NPC's. I believe the open world as a whole would benefit from remaining rather small, focusing mainly on the city of Tenochtitlan, which needs the same level of detail as Paris or London from previous titles. I do however believe it's important that the game isn't limited to a single city, with the surrounding area offering an important perspective for the period. Smaller towns and villages can provide quest opportunities and loot for players, whilst ancient ruins, functioning as tombs, unravel a larger mystery and provide access to late game armour. Veracruz, the Spanish headquarters in Mexico, needs to be a secondary city in the game that can be used to shine a better light on Spanish culture, and will also offer a completely unique setting to explore for this game. In terms of gameplay, I think it's important to return to the roots of the series somewhat, especially in regards to parkour. As much as I may enjoy the recent RPG games, the parkour has been undoubtedly lacklustre, providing nowhere near as much complexity and style as before. Traversing across rooftops shouldn't be a simple task, it needs to be challenging, where finding and successfully pulling off the best route will reward you with more speed, and some visual flair. I would also love to see the return of tree climbing from Assassins Creed III. The Aztecs lived among rich jungles that were difficult to travel across. It would be amazing to see a change from the usual use of horseback, in favour of full parkour, where in a seamless open world you can travel from city to city across tree branches while never touching the ground. Combat meanwhile needs to retain the grittiness of the newer games, especially Origins, while fine tuning to adjust for new weapon types. Aztecs used a variety of weapons, from short spears to clubs, and having the option to use them all would be incredible. Obviously when meeting the Spanish, players will also be introduced to early muskets, as well as more European weapons like lances and crossbows. These should definitely be usable by the players, though I would like guns to be temporary tools, similar to muskets in The Kenway Saga, where they can't be added to the players main arsenal. After completing these introductory tasks for the Eagle Warriors, the narrative will introduce Hernán Cortés, when he arrived at Tenochtitlan in November 1519; one of the most important moments in Aztec history. Cortès was a vile human, a bloodthirsty warmonger who's only thought was who to kill next. He even directly defied the orders of his higher ups in his determination for nothing short of genocide. These historical accounts provide a clear path for Cortès to be the main villain of this title. His arrival in Tenochtitlan however, was unusually peaceful as he entered the city as an honoured guest of King Montezuma. This diplomatic invitation was quickly upended, when Cortès slaughtered his way out of the house he was staying in, entered the Royal Palace and took the king hostage, claiming the city as his own. I imagine this event being a major set piece for the game, with Guatemoc acting as a guard for the Montezuma and Cortès, allowing peaceful interactions with the villain prior to the conflict. Additionally, for the keen eyed players, a white hooded figure can be seen skulking in the shadows, watching the ensuing events. The conquest of the palace will then play as a drawn-out action sequence, where Guatemoc fights his way through the burning city, barely escaping after failing to kill Cortès. It would be obvious to make Cortès a Templar, however I feel that his cartoonishly evil behaviour doesn't fit with the more sympathetic Templars we've come to expect. Instead, I would make him a failed Templar candidate, someone aware of the ancient struggle who was denied entry to the Templar Order due to his brash attitude and uncontrolled rage. Since that point, he has aimed to surpass the Templars, his ego getting the best of him as he hopes to someday show the Order what they missed. By taking over Tenochtitlan, he effectively became the Spanish ruler of the land, leaving him somewhat in command of even Templar officials. Meanwhile, the loss of his home will leave Guatemoc in the worst position of his life, and it is here that we will be introduced to the Assassins. Alejandra is a Spanish master Assassin, born to wealth and finding the Brotherhood after her curious young mind spent too many hours searching through the inconsistencies of historical texts. She's a devout follower of the creed, loyal to her core. When learning of the "new world", she snuck aboard a ship, hiding away to attack the Templars who have already settled in America. After the attack on Tenochtitlan, she would follow Guatemoc, a clearly skilled soldier closer to the king and culture than she will ever be. Finding him passed out in the dirt, she will wake him and introduce him to the creed, giving him the hidden blade. Despite being deep within the rainforest, Alejandra needs to be perfectly clean, with every inch of her robes in place. Her upbringing left her with a posh sensibility; she speaks well and even as an Assassin, looks down on others. Guatemoc only earn her respect because he is useful to her. It is then through her, that the player will learn more enhanced stealth techniques, as Guatemoc becomes a blend of Aztec warrior, and ancient Assassin. This game could finally provide a return to the much beloved stealth of older Assassin's Creed games which has been missing from recent titles. Stealth will be vital for our Aztec Assassin, with a return to tools and a need for fleeing from battle when outnumbered. Spanish Conquistadors will be unstoppable in open combat, heavily armoured with better weapons. Attacking from the shadows will be the only option, with in-depth social stealth mechanics playing a key role. As an Aztec soldier, appearing in Spanish controlled areas will instantly attract attention, meaning a hood and crowd blending approach will be the only effective way to travel safely. I would also love to also see the option to raise and lower the hood at will, just for the aesthetic. A range of new and exciting tools will be available to players, I personally would like a range of poisons that cause different effects to enemies. These can be deployed through atlatls, Aztec dart and spear throwers that would be a historically accurate and unique weapon for this outing. Additionally throwable smoke bombs and the bows of Origins are a must. This will provide the basic foundation for the rest of the game, as Guatemoc assassinates Spanish Templars across the land, working his way to Cortès. Each target needs a solid reason for invading, with some being completely opposed and trying to take down the manic Cortès, while others have become corrupted by his actions. Historically speaking, it was decades after the invasion that Cortès died in Spain after fighting dysentery. Part of me wished to change this to allow for a final battle to the death in Tenochtitlan, possibly atop one of their incredible pyramids, however after reflection I don't think this is the best solution. That fight could still take place as the climactic action scene of the game, but there's something more tragic about Cortès escaping and living a full life despite his despicable behaviour. This made me reconsider, with Cortès' death still taking place during the epilogue of the game set at a much later date in time. In 1547, having spent his life trying to save his people and culture, Guatemoc is a bitter old man. His people have been killed, his history tarnished, and Mexico is now nothing more than an extension of the Spanish Empire. Having tracked Cortès down, the man whose actions he cannot forget, Guatemoc approaches him while he's stuck in bed worsening from his illnesses. Even after all these years, Cortès recognises the old Aztec and smiles. They have a discussion about what's been lost. Having mellowed somewhat in age, Cortès does admit to regretting some of his actions, having children of his own now from Aztec heritage who he truly cares for (according to historical accounts). Still, he can't help but smile when thinking back to those days, clinging on to the moments where he "ruled the world". Angered, Guatemoc finally finishes off Cortès, knowing full well it means little now. Everything he knew is gone, and the killing of an old man is the only compensation he can get. Throughout the story, Alejandra, while an ally, will grow into a more antagonistic role. Her self determination and snooty attitude contrasts with Guatemoc's humble beginnings, and the further she pushes him to her own ideals, the more he feels distanced from his cultural beliefs. This could even progress into her initiating plans which include the destruction of Aztec monuments, rigging them to blow with Templars inside. In the end, even the Assassins in this story are colonisers, judging the Aztec culture as primitive and in need of their guidance to progress. This may cause contention with some fans, but I believe this story would be most effective if by the end Guatemoc disowns the Assassins, turning his back on all those who's petty political and philosophical struggles led to the destruction of his home. He, like us, is the everyman, watching as titans battle with little care for those they claim to protect. And so that's it, my pitch for Assassins Creed Aztec. I've tried to provide something different, while not forgetting what made the series great. I hope you enjoyed it, and we would love to hear your ideas for future Assassin's Creed games in the comments. A special thanks goes to all the artists whose work continues to amaze, especially BQoverlord0 who's work helped create a visual inspiration for our original creation. comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Finn is a creative writer from Rotherham, UK who has previously supported TOWCB's Fundraising events, and raised awareness surrounding Men's Mental Health. Finn's writing covers a wide scope, with releases including reviews, interviews and stories. He is known in the AC Community for his 'Pitching an Assassin's Creed Game' series, all of which you can find here on TOWCB website! In February 2026, he left the team to focus on real-world opportunities as a journalist, writing for a newspaper! We're thrilled to see Finn using his skills to build a career! Finn Fletcher

“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

Brad is a video creator and editor based in Arizona (USA) who joined TOWCB's Video Content Creation Team in August 2026. Brad has followed TOWCB content for many years, and previously ran the Assassin's Creed Fan Videos Youtube Channel. He was brought onboard to assist the team with the creation of shorts and videos for TikTok and Youtube. He is a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series, and has podcast editorial experience after 6 years working on a baseball podcast, invaluable skills which can be used to boost our Rally the Creed podcast. By joining the partnership program, we aim to provide Brad with opportunities to grow and further his relationship with the AC Community and Ubisoft. Previous Next Video Content Creation Team Member Brad Curnow Brad is a video creator and editor based in Arizona (USA) who joined TOWCB's Video Content Creation Team in August 2026. Brad has followed TOWCB content for many years, and previously ran the Assassin's Creed Fan Videos Youtube Channel. He was brought onboard to assist the team with the creation of shorts and videos for TikTok and Youtube. He is a big fan of the Assassin's Creed series, and has podcast editorial experience after 6 years working on a baseball podcast, invaluable skills which can be used to boost our Rally the Creed podcast. By joining the partnership program, we aim to provide Brad with opportunities to grow and further his relationship with the AC Community and Ubisoft. YouTube Work

Rally The Creed Podcast: Episode 2 - October Round-up Podcast Share 29 Oct 2020 Written By: Edited By: Ashlea Blackett Back To Database https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLI3iAj5fPeAqqYuUi2aMnnLfFsKd4C_Tw&v=NjfTQVvkq1Q comments debug Comments Write a comment Write a comment Share Your Thoughts Be the first to write a comment. About the Author Ashlea is the Editor/ Charity Project Coordinator for The Ones Who Came Before on its wide variety of social media platforms. Her main responsibilities for TOWCB involve creating and editing articles, organisation of events and coordinating our charity fundraising, as well as hosting the Rally The Creed Podcast. Ashlea Blackett

Ben is a Digital Analyst working alongside TOWCB Core Team to assist with SEO, branding, and social media to increase our overall digital presence. By joining the AC Partnership Program, Ben hopes to gain experience he can use in his future marketing career. He is a driven behind-the-scenes Assassin doing great work helping the admin team grow our online community. Previous Next Digital Analyst Ben Weal Previous Partner Ben is a Digital Analyst working alongside TOWCB Core Team to assist with SEO, branding, and social media to increase our overall digital presence. By joining the AC Partnership Program, Ben hopes to gain experience he can use in his future marketing career. He is a driven behind-the-scenes Assassin doing great work helping the admin team grow our online community. Instagram Work