Rebuilding Constantinople

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Though you can complete the main story without involving yourself in this metagame, spending Akçe on Shops, Faction Buildings and (to a far lesser extent) Landmarks can provide a huge amount of income for comparatively little effort.

Start building Ezio’s property portfolio at an early stage, and the dividends you gradually accrue can be used to bankroll further investments and expensive equipment purchases.

General Information

The ability to renovate buildings and businesses is unlocked early in Sequence 02, when Ezio will earn his first payment. You are awarded with one Bank, Blacksmith, Tailor, Doctor and Book Shop automatically, and these will lead to small dividends right from the start.

To collect income, visit a Bank and select the Withdraw Money option. The Bank interface also enables you to view information on your progress in the Rebuilding Constantinople metagame.

Though more expensive than other businesses, opening Banks increases the maximum Vault Capacity. If you do not make regular withdrawals from Banks, any Akçe held over this threshold will be lost. Bank deposits are made at intervals of every 20 minutes of play time – which represents an in-game “day” – with the clock frozen whenever an interface screen is open, such as the Pause menu or Mediterranean Defense interface.

Shops and Banks provide by far the best profit return on your initial investment, but the cost of opening them increases with each successive site. Though Banks are necessary to increase the maximum Vault Capacity, opening shops also offers the convenience of always having a vendor nearby when you need to pick up supplies.

In addition to providing a modest income, Empty Faction Buildings enable you to choose a Faction to inhabit the premises. Based on your decision, groups of Thieves, Mercenaries or Romanies will be made available to hire in the area surrounding the restored Faction Building.

Landmarks are by far the most expensive property purchases and, given the relatively small payments Ezio receives from them, are best left until last.

On the main map and mini-map, icons representing buildings that you have purchased are a bright white; those that are available for investment are gray. Ezio can only restore shops and buildings in regions free of Templar influence. Until the local Den has been captured, all potential renovations in its vicinity are represented by a padlock icon. If an Assassin Den is Contested or falls back into Templar hands after a failed Den Defense, no income can be accumulated from its surrounding region until you assert Assassin control.

Investing in each building leads to a 20% increase in the Templar Awareness meter. When it reaches full Aware status, there is a small chance that each further renovation can trigger a Templar attack on an Assassin Den.

In practice, though, the likelihood of causing a Den Defense situation is significantly lower than it is for starting a fight. It’s often possible to renovate all buildings in an entire district without repercussions if you can also avoid open conflict.

Though some might see it as cheating, leaving the game running with Ezio standing safely in a Den will enable you to make a large Bank withdrawal on your return.

Restoration Strategy

The strategy that we present here is designed for players seeking to achieve 100% completion in the most orderly and time-efficient manner possible.

Though it requires a not inconsiderable degree of extra time and effort, purchasing Treasure Maps from Book Shops and methodically working your way through the city to open the majority of them while liberating each Templar Den in turn will fund the early expansion of Ezio’s business empire. You can efficiently combine this undertaking with other optional tasks, such as the Mediterranean Defense metagame, completing Secondary Memories and collecting Animus Data Fragments. Though the sums of hard currency you accumulate from Treasure Chests are rarely spectacular, the additional crafting ingredients you find can be sold for a substantial profit. If you also loot the Bomb Stashes you encounter during your journey, each district can lead to a comfortable five-figure return when you sell the raw materials to Piri Reis.

Treasure Chests: Per District Profits

Sequence 02, Memory 02: The end of this Memory marks the first occasion when you can head out and begin purchasing properties in the Galata district, and there is a benefit for doing so: at this point, the Templar Awareness system is disabled. Head to the open Book Shop and purchase both Treasure Maps for the Galata district. These make it easier to hunt Treasure Chests, as you can pinpoint their precise location and elevation with a Custom Marker on the Map screen. You will receive Bank deposits while you hunt for them, which will enable you to afford all but the Galata Tower Landmark before you continue. This will raise your 20-minute dividends to 2,850 Yarins.

Sequence 03, Memory 03: Once the Mediterranean Defense system is unlocked, visit Piri Reis to sell your stock of crafting ingredients, send your first Recruit on a mission, then purchase both Treasure Maps for the Imperial district and begin opening all available business premises and the sole Faction Building. Ignore the Templar Awareness Meter entirely for now: Galata Den cannot be attacked, while the Imperial North Den is granted temporary immunity until the completion of Memory 04. Once you have finished, your dividends will have increased to 6,500 Florins every 20 minutes.

Before the end of Sequence 03: Ideally, you should invest the time to conquer each Templar Den in turn, methodically unlocking all shops and Faction Buildings that you can afford after each success, and recruit Assassins to gain further income from the Mediterranean Defense game. With eleven Recruits working on contracts (Ezio’s first Recruit is unavailable until the end of the Sequence), you can both generate plenty of income and work towards unlocking the Master Assassin Missions while you complete the Core Memories of this Sequence.

Sequence 04: Unlock all remaining Banks, shops and Faction Buildings early in this Sequence. Once Ezio is receiving the lion’s share of potential income from Constantinople, begin to purchase Landmarks as and when you can afford them.

Sequence 08: This is your last opportunity to purchase buildings in Constantinople before the end of the story, so spend the funds accumulated during Ezio’s stay in Cappadocia on any remaining Landmarks.

Reference Tables

Renovation Bonuses

Landmark Restorations

Landmarks

Shop & Building Restorations

Blacksmiths

Doctors

Tailors

Book Shops

Banks

Faction Buildings

Investment Returns per Building (%)