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AC Mirage
AC Mirage
simpler roots? That’s true—but it’s not nearly the whole truth. Ubisoft’s latest
installment fundamentally reimagines how to tell a story within a franchise that’s
a dozen mainline installments old. It’s creative, but it also takes some getting
used to.
In this Assassin’s Creed Mirage guide, we’ll walk you through this great
reimagining, from how the story unfolds to the way quests work. We’ll also spend
time on Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s Skill trees, explaining how they’re designed and
recommending the best early-game skills.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage transports players to Baghdad in 861 CE. You play as Basim
Ibn Is’haq, starting at the very beginning of his journey from street rat to proto-
Assassin. The emphasis is on that story—on story as much as (stealth) combat, in
fact. Assassin's Creed Mirage is a heavily narrative-driven adventure through the
twisting, bustling streets of ninth century Baghdad, complete with mosques,
marketplaces and colorful characters like caliphate guards and bandits. It’s
against this backdrop that the Middle Ages’ best detective straps on his utility
belt and sets out to solve mysteries in a city that reacts to his every move.
The loop goes like this: You’re the world’s greatest detective. You hear about
problems. You investigate. Every clue you uncover unravels a bit more of the
mystery until you piece it all together. At that point, you have your target, and
it’s time to end the investigation by doing the thing, which is often killing the
bad guy. And only then do you reap the rewards like skill points.
This isn’t problematic, but it is unexpected. Put differently, you aren’t racking
up numbers (experience points) for each kill or by doing side quests. You’re
playing your way through a story, and the skills that you earn reflect and parallel
Basim's narrative growth. It’s simple and linear.
The world’s greatest detective dresses in a costume and wears a utility belt full
of techy gadgets. This is Baghdad and not Gotham City, but it’s still full of
mysteries for this ninth century detective.
Unlike many of its predecessors, Assassin’s Creed Mirage doesn’t have a quest log.
You’re not doing big and little things to gain experience. You’re solving mysteries
—and the Investigation Board is where you manage your investigations. It is, in
effect, Assassin’s Creed Mirage’s quest board.
It felt like it had to be more complicated, but it isn’t. The sooner you embrace
that, the clearer your path forward will be.
Combat is actually super simple. You’re really just meant to parry or dodge away
from attacks. None of Basim’s Skills will make him an incredible fighter. Most of
them will make him a sneakier attacker.
There’s a practical reason to go the stealthy route, too: You’re just making it
harder on yourself when you walk around killing everyone in plain sight. The good
people of Baghdad will give you infinite side-eye. Someone will make it their
mission to print wanted posters in your likeness and hang them on walls around the
city. The stealthy who do their dirty but necessary work in the shadows don’t earn
a reputation for being killers (even if they are).