Free running and climbing are the skills that lie at the very heart of the Assassin’s Creed experience. Though effortlessly scaling buildings or leaping from rooftop to rooftop may seem like demanding feats, you will find that these are not activities that require great finesse with a controller.
Instead, it’s your skill as a navigator that really matters: to be able to recognize the pattern of a free run course with a single glance, or instantly identify the fastest climbing route on a tall building. Once you acquire the ability to plan in advance, the physical inputs that enable you to actually guide Haytham on your chosen route become an instinctive activity.
In this section, we look at the many ways that you can exploit Haytham’s extraordinary agility and athletic versatility. We also examine alternative forms of travel, such as horse riding: an essential method of crossing great distances at speed.
Walking & Running
Use 
to move Haytham, and 
to control the camera. Note how Haytham’s movements are made in relation to the direction that the camera is facing. Tilting 
forward will always cause him to move “into” the screen.
While walking with 
, hold 
/
to activate the Fast Walk function. Haytham will move at a slightly faster pace, and automatically reach out to steer people out of his path or gently push them aside, making it extremely useful for navigating crowds. It is also an essential technique during challenges that encourage or necessitate the use of stealth.
Use 
+ 
/
to make Haytham run. The degree to which you tilt 
and the extent to which you hold down 
/
governs his movement speed. A slight extension results in a jog; full extension leads to a sprint. Try to avoid colliding with civilians or other NPCs while running, as this can cause Haytham to lose pace as he stumbles or falls.
Climbing
To begin a climb, simply run Haytham into a solid surface with obvious handholds within his reach. Experienced Assassin’s Creed players should note that it is no longer necessary to press 
/
to achieve this feat. Buildings in urban areas invariably offer several potential climbing routes to a destination (as demonstrated by the dotted line route in this picture); identifying the quickest and most direct of these (solid line) is a talent you acquire with practice. If you do not want Haytham to begin climbing while running, be careful to steer him away from potential start points.
You can actually release 
/
once a climb begins, though there’s no direct harm in holding it. Use 
to ascend, traverse to the left or right, or descend. Employing 
to adjust the camera and see the route ahead is a vital skill.
To make Haytham release his grip on a surface while climbing, tap 
/
. He will begin to fall to the ground. To perform a “catch back” on another ledge as he falls past, press 
towards the surface.
To begin a descent from a standing position on a high vantage point, hold 
as you approach a suitable edge and Haytham will peer down. Press 
/
to make him drop to a hanging position on the ledge, initiating a climb.
While climbing, hold 
/
and tap 
/
to perform a Back Eject. This will cause Haytham to spring away from a surface, automatically grabbing a ledge behind him or dropping to the ground. This is a highly useful move when you accidentally begin a climb with adversaries hot on your heels, as it enables you to skip the awkward pause that ensues when you perform a simple drop.
Free Running
Boiled down to its very essence, free running is performed by holding 
+ 
/
, and directing Haytham on a course that he might reasonably hope to follow. In the screenshot here, we illustrate a very simple rooftop route where Haytham will make the requisite jumps and brief climbs as you steer him to his destination.
When you need to override Haytham’s caution to make a leap that lies just outside his default range – or may result in injury – press 
in the required direction, hold 
/
, then tap 
/
.
Urban areas feature a multitude of free run “courses” that begin at ground level. These can be used to ascend quickly and safely to higher elevations, which can be a real boon during pursuits.
An essential lesson to learn with free running is that Haytham will only perform jumps when a suitable surface or hand-hold is within his range. Run him to the edge of a tall building, and he will come to an abrupt halt. In the above screenshot, one route leads to an effortless jump; the other a dead stop.
Any jump where Haytham falls a distance greater than a single story can lead to injury. To reduce the damage sustained – and, in chase situations, preserve forward momentum – hold 
in the direction of motion to make him roll on contact with a solid surface.
Haytham will automatically swing from poles (and similar objects) on free run courses while you hold 
+ 
/
. If you should pause for any reason while he is hanging from a pole, Haytham will need to briefly build up momentum before making the next jump. You can also turn him around to swing and jump in the opposite direction, if required.
Whenever you can see a hiding place comprising leaves, hay, branches or a similar “soft” landing position, the quickest and most convenient way to reach a lower level is to perform a Leap of Faith. Tilt 
in the direction of the required landing position, hold 
/
, then tap 
/
to perform a spectacular swan dive. Though you can perform a Leap of Faith from any position within reasonable range of an appropriate hiding place, the presence of a suitable landing point below is often signposted by the location of birds or bird droppings.
One drawback to rooftop travel is that some buildings are guarded by rooftop sentries. After initial warnings, these adversaries will open fire and potentially give chase. As a rule, it’s wise to pay them a wide berth, employing stealth or a detour to avoid conflict.
As the 
+
/
combination either initiates a climb or partially “locks” Haytham to a free run course on contact with solid objects, the act of climbing over a fence or equivalent low obstruction can lead him to pause briefly as he hops onto the surface. To vault such objects in a more fluid (and slightly faster) fashion, press and hold 
/
or 
/
as you approach them.
With free running and climbing, route recognition is the key to everything. The real challenge isn’t the use of 
to move: it’s judicious use of 
to command the camera, enabling you to identify, plan and adapt your route throughout any given pursuit, escape or journey. In short, the essence of becoming a master at climbing and free running is being able to read your environment clearly. As this screenshot illustrates, you shouldn’t just see the world in terms of doorways and windows, or barrels, boxes and stalls, but in a more pure sense as ledges and stepping stones that combine to form routes.
Horse Riding
Riding on horseback is the best way to make longer journeys between Boston’s districts (
01), and is outright essential once you begin to explore the Frontier. Though later supplanted by the Fast Travel network as a means of travelling quickly while not actively engaged in a mission, taking to the saddle to move between distant waypoints is always significantly faster than travelling on foot.
- Press
/
to mount a horse, and 
/
to dismount. You can take any horse not occupied by a rider without consequence; those fastened to carts are off-limits. - Use
to trot, and hold 
/
to accelerate to a gallop. It’s easy to alternate between the two speeds to steer around obstructions. Colliding with civilians leads to nothing more than entreaties and occasional choice epithets, though it pays to avoid Redcoats and other prospective hostiles. - While galloping, hold
/
to have Haytham be ready to leap from the saddle; release the button and press 
in the required direction for Haytham to jump. If you pass under a low beam or branch while holding 
/
, Haytham will automatically jump up to grab it - While in the Frontier, you can also tap
/
to spur the horse for greater speed; space these out to avoid tiring your steed. This ability is not available in cities. - Though it’s little more than showmanship, tap
/
while the horse is moving at a walking pace to rear up. This will startle nearby civilians and draw attention to Haytham. - Select the Horse Whistle tool (see page 57) and press
/
to call Haytham’s horse instantly.
Swimming
Though you will have little direct cause to take to water during the opening hours of play, Haytham is a capable swimmer.
- Use
to move in water, and hold 
/
to increase Haytham’s stroke rate (
02). - Press and hold
/
to dive beneath the surface, disappearing from view. You can still move with 
, though at greatly reduced speed. This is perfect for evading the gaze of sentries while infiltrating guarded areas via water, or to avoid gunshots during an escape. - Haytham will automatically switch to wading in shallow water. To climb onto a surface above his position but within his grasp, either hold
+ 
/
and steer Haytham in the appropriate direction, or just tap 
/
in close proximity.