Basics

With a wide range of new features, functions and destinations, the Assassin’s Creed Revelations multiplayer suite may seem a little daunting to a first-time player. In this chapter, we provide a wealth of tips, tricks and tables that will help you to play at a competitive level from your very first foray into this engrossing play mode.

Game Principles

First things first: it is points, not kills, that are used to determine winners in Assassin’s Creed Revelations multiplayer. While a high kill count is certainly an accomplishment, performing well in each match is a matter of how you perform your assassinations – not your final body count. With special bonuses acknowledging noteworthy feats, particularly those that involve stealth and subtlety, there is a definite onus on playing the mode in the way its creators intended.

While time spent inside the Animus completing the single-player adventure will certainly help to familiarize you with certain multiplayer concepts, it is important to recognize that this is a very different experience. The focus here is on free running, social stealth and assassinations, with a greatly simplified combat engine. Instead of open brawls, you will use a range of unlockable skills known as Abilities to hunt and kill targets, or evade aggressors.

Once a multiplayer session has been launched, your character will appear somewhere on the chosen map. You will notice that all citizens around you resemble one of the many playable characters, or “skins” (referred to as Persona in the game). In most Game Modes, some will look identical to you. All you know at first is that other human players are out there, hiding among the crowds, and you will be assigned a contract to kill one of them.

However, you will regularly find yourself cast in the dual role of hunter and prey. As you walk the streets in search of your contract, other Agents are likely to be tracking you. Naturally, stealth is of paramount importance. The new Approach Meter (situated in the upper right corner of the screen) starts at Discreet and can fluctuate between Incognito and Reckless in accordance with your actions. The former is always the most desirable state to operate in. A covert approach can be employed to evade the attention of your victims and potential executors, but you must always be ready to adapt your tactics and flee or hide if a rival assigned to kill you is closing in fast.

Another factor that you must take into account is that you may not be the only assassin hunting your prey. Multiple contracts can be awarded on the same target, so you will lose out if a rival beats you to the kill. This also means that you can be stalked by more than one competitor at once.

Finally, try to plan your assassination to get the best bonuses but always be ready for improvisation, and it is imperative that you keep moving at all times. Never linger in one place for too long, or think that you can lurk in wait for your target. Somebody, somewhere, is moving towards your location, and drawing closer by the second…

Onscreen Display

Player Data: 1

The number shows your current scoring position. Victory is handed to the player with the most points at the end of the round.

The number of red markers indicates how many Agents are stalking you.

An Escape sequence begins when your pursuer reveals themselves.

Target Data:2

This portrait shows the skin (referred to as Persona in the game) of the Agent you have been contracted to find and kill. Beware of lookalikes and disguises. It will take a little while to become acquainted with all characters, but you’ll soon gain the ability to recognize your target with a brief glance at his or her picture.

The outline around the portrait becomes blue when your target is in your line of sight – but this may also mean that your victim can see you as well. The background of the portrait becomes blue when you are close to your target.

The players hunting your target appear as blue markers below the picture. One arrow means that you are the only pursuer on this target.

The Approach Meter shows your level of discretion and directly affects your kill bonus. The more careful the approach, the greater the bonus. Subtle, Low Profile actions (such as walking or hiding) gradually fill up the Approach Meter – from Discreet, to Silent and then Incognito. Conversely, performing High Profile actions (such as running) will cause your Approach Meter to empty to the Reckless level. A Chase sequence will ensue when your Approach Meter is fully depleted.

Compass:3

The primary function of this directional indicator is to show the approximate position of your contracted target. The width of the “fill” arc increases as you approach your target, becoming a full blue disc when you are in close proximity. It will turn bright blue whenever your target is in sight.

Arrows may also appear on the outer edge of the Compass, indicating secondary targets in team missions (blue), and enemy pursuers (red).

There is no Compass in Easy Deathmatch and Deathmatch modes.

Assassinate Button and Lock Button Icons:4

A contextual visual prompt over a character’s head ( ) indicates
when a kill can be performed by pressing the Primary Weapon button.

You can also lock on to a target by pressing the Target Lock button when the corresponding symbol appears over their head ( ). The lock lasts while your target is in your line of sight, or until manually disabled. It will break if you lose sight of the target for more than a few seconds.

Abilities and Streaks:5

Icons in these slots show which Abilities and Streak bonuses are currently available to you.

Abilities in Cooldown (that is, recharging after use) are replaced by a timer until available.

Session Information:6

This shows the countdown to the end of the round.

You will also find information specific to your game mode here, such as team scores.

Players List:7

This shows the list of players in the current session, as well as their score. The list will disappear after a few seconds.

Session Events:8

This provides rolling news of Kills, Session Bonuses and other events as they occur.

Controls

Control Notes:

The Fast Walk command (hold Legs button) enables you to increase your movement speed by a barely perceptible degree, which can be invaluable for closing the gap on a victim, or pulling away from a would-be aggressor. This incurs no Approach Meter penalties.

If you are forced to flee, the Empty Hand button can be held to bash through civilians in your path as you run.

While walking through crowds, you will notice that the Assassinate button icon can appear above any civilian when you face them in close proximity. Killing innocents leads to the loss of your contract, so this is where the Lock function comes in useful. Press Lock when your suspected target is in your immediate sight, or hold Lock to aim at the target from a distance. A blue padlock ( ) will then appear over your target’s head ( fig 01). The advantage of the Lock function is that the Assassinate icon only appears for this individual, meaning that you cannot accidentally strike an innocent. The Lock will break if you lose sight of a target for more than a few seconds.

If an enemy makes a High Profile move while in plain sight, a Lock button icon will appear over their heads to enable you to focus your attention with ease.

fig 01

Chases and Escape

In all modes but Deathmatch, Easy Deathmatch and Steal the Artifact, a Chase sequence begins when a pursuer’s Approach Meter is fully depleted. This is usually caused by performing High Profile actions while in the target’s line of sight.

Pursuer: Once you trigger a Chase, the Chase Timer appears on your HUD. You must now kill your target before they can hide from you. If you can keep your target in sight, they will be unable to hide. However, as soon as they turn a corner or disappear from view, the Chase Timer will begin to fill. If it fills up completely, they will have achieved an Escape – and you will have lost both the Chase sequence and the contract.

fig 02

Once a Chase begins, it’s often a good idea to start free running and ascend to higher ground. Not only will your target have to work harder to hide, but you’ll also increase the effective range of assassination through free running tackles and aerial kills. You could also try to use shortcuts whenever you have a good idea of where your target intends to run next ( fig 02), or employ relevant Abilities at your disposal, such as Closure. You only have to regain sight of your target for a moment to refill the Chase Timer completely. As exhilarating as a Chase can be, note that protracted pursuits will waste valuable match time.

fig 3

Target: When you are made aware that an assailant is closing in to assassinate you, an Escape Timer appears and the race begins. You must now attempt to leave your opponent’s line of sight by turning corners, entering buildings or dropping out of view. Use Chase Breakers to gain distance ( fig 03). If you succeed, the Escape Timer will turn yellow and begin to recede. When this occurs, you can slip into a hiding spot to turn the bar blue. The blue bar will decrease rapidly while you are hidden. If the assigned killer fails to catch you before the Escape Timer expires, you will have achieved an Escape and your hunter will lose the contract on your head. Successful Escapes earn extra points.

Even if a pursuer is hot on your heels, hope remains right up until they hit the Assassinate button. With a little luck, good reflexes or tactical sense (if you lure them to a hiding spot, for example), you can strike them first with your character’s Stun move. This will incapacitate them for a few seconds, earning you a momentary reprieve – and extra points.

Chase Breakers

Each map features a number of Chase Breakers to enable competitors to briefly evade opponents in pursuit. There are three types to look for, readily identified by the white shimmer of their Animus matrix outline. Chase Breakers are triggered by any High Profile activity such as running, so you can pass them stealthily without incident. They also reset after a short period of time, so you must always make good use of the valuable seconds of grace they offer.

Lifts: Collide with the front of these devices to trigger them, and the counterweight will propel you instantly to roof level. Note that you can also drop onto a Lift from above – a tactic of great merit when a rival is almost directly behind you.

Closing Gates: Running through these passages will cause doors to swing shut or portcullis grates to fall. Time your entry carefully, and these Chase Breakers will slam shut in the face of your would-be assassin and force them to take another path.

Corner Helpers: As you bound over beams and balconies, these swinging handholds will not only break a vital element of the free running route behind you, but will often slip you immediately into the yellow “out-of-sight” status as you round the corner.

Hiding Spots

Hay-filled carts and straw piles are the most obvious hiding spots featured in the multiplayer game, and completely remove you from view when you jump inside. All kills made from such places of concealment lead to generous bonuses
( fig 04), but with the obvious drawback that you must remain stationary while another Agent may be closing in on your position. Furthermore, entering and leaving these hiding spots is clearly not the behavior of a civilian: such acts telegraph your intentions to anyone who happens to glance in your direction.

fig 04

Social stealth is the most common method of finding a hiding spot, either by blending with a crowd of bystanders or by sitting on a bench. It is easy to make Low Profile transitions from one group to another, and you need only move briefly through a passing crowd when closing in on your target to earn a related kill bonus. Use the Fast Walk move to catch up with groups of citizens walking ahead of you.

A good hiding spot is the fastest way to end a Chase. Your judgment on whether to stay put or flee in such situations should be dictated by the time left on the Escape Timer, and the likelihood of whether your opponent can reach your hiding spot before it expires. If you successfully escape after a pursuit, it will not matter if your pursuer knows your location or even approaches you, as they will have lost the contract on your head.

Game Modes

Introductory Session 1 & 2

Manhunt

Training Ground

Assassinate

Wanted

Corruption

Deathmatch

Artifact Assault

Easy Deathmatch

Steal the Artifact

Escort

Chest Capture

Simulation Categories

Simulation Categories are Game Modes or combinations of Game Modes linked thematically.

Playable Characters & Customization

Though weapons and animations may differ between each avatar, there is no functional difference between them. Your choice of Persona, therefore, is very much a matter of personal preference – and, as you unlock further options, an opportunity to show off your experience with items that aren’t immediately available. Level progression rewards you with custom packs that enable you to alter the in-game appearance of every character with different costumes and colors. Use the Characters section in the Data Hub to change or customize weapons (some unique to a character, and each having specific animations), appearance, clothes, colors and animations – including Taunts and Stun moves. Note that selecting your character’s favorite weapons triggers special animations when used in matches.

The Count

The Vanguard

The Guardian

The Vizier

The Deacon