Stealth

Though more than capable of distinguishing himself in any kind of fight, there are many instances where Arno’s interests are best served by avoiding open conflict. You will often take part in scenarios where stealth is mandatory or could lead to a more rewarding outcome.

Low Profile & High Profile

The first lesson you should learn about stealth in Assassin’s Creed Unity is that if you can’t stay out of sight, you should at least do your utmost to be as unobtrusive as possible until you can disappear. There is a clear distinction made between the types of actions you can perform. Those that are described as High Profile – such as sprinting, free running and attacking – are likely to draw attention, whereas Low Profile behavior pretty much entails acting like a nondescript citizen or staying well out of sight. As a general rule of thumb, actions performed while holding the / belong to the High Profile category, and are often incompatible with stealth approaches.

Detection Icons & Enemy Behavior

A distinctive icon appears above the heads of potential hostiles – or, if they are currently off-screen, in the HUD belt that surrounds Arno, with the icons representing their approximate position – whenever Arno is arousing their suspicion (). These visual indicators are accompanied by distinctive audio prompts, and appear under the following basic conditions:

If Arno performs antisocial or extravagant, High Profile actions – such as acts of violence, or theft.

Whenever Arno is seen trespassing in a Restricted Area, highlighted in red or blue on the mini-map, or if his current objective leads him to a place where his presence is unwelcome.

If Arno is known to potential assailants. For example, there are Templar-funded Extremists on the streets of Paris who may recognize the Assassin if he lingers in their vicinity. Many missions feature situations where guards or hirelings will attack without fail once they identify him.

Special conditions that determine that certain individuals are set at a high state of anxiety or alertness – for example, a target that you must follow as a mission objective.

Detection Icons are extremely easy to interpret.

A Detection Icon with a yellow hue appears when Arno is positioned within an enemy’s field of vision. Retreating calmly to a safe distance, hiding, or just breaking the direct line of sight between Arno and potential assailants will eventually cause the notification to disappear. This first stage of detection is something to respect, but not fear – especially when enemies are distant. In a sense, it represents the kind of casual curiosity or suspicion that can be allayed instantly.

When the Detection Icon turns orange, potential hostiles will actively pay attention to Arno, and will approach him to investigate. The best way to evade this heightened scrutiny is to move out of sight and put at least one additional corner between you and Arno’s “Last Known Position” (more on which shortly). If potential hostiles find nothing there, or within the immediate area, they will soon return to their posts or patrols. In Restricted Areas, this step is skipped and Detection Icons turn directly from yellow to red.

When the Detection Icon turns red, Arno is identified, which will cause all nearby antagonists to attack. Once hostilities commence, all potential adversaries in the vicinity will seek to engage Arno in combat, or give chase

if he attempts to flee the scene. You can resolve the situation by killing all active hostiles, or escaping. When Arno vanishes from the eyes of pursuers, they will eventually abandon their search, but won’t immediately forget about him. As long as their Detection Icons remain red, gradually shrinking to a smaller size, this means they still remember Arno and will attack on sight.

Detection Tips

The rate at which the Detection Icons progress from yellow to red is determined by Arno’s actions and the proximity of potential aggressors. High Profile actions such as climbing accelerate the process, so it’s usually wise – unless flight is necessary – to walk out of sight or into a suitable place of concealment (such as a crowd). Suspicion rises slowly at a distance, but speeds up significantly when a guard is closer. At very close range, detection can be instantaneous.

Many potential hostiles are less than vigilant, and will not respond to brief sightings. More dedicated enemies will actively stop their current activity (such as a patrol or guard duty) to investigate a brief glimpse of Arno. After a pause where they peer in his direction, they will approach him – or, should you wisely move him out of sight, their last sighting of him. As long as they cannot see Arno, they will return to their original post or patrol.

In some situations, particularly when Arno is trespassing or seen in a Restricted Area, the initial suspicion phase is greatly accelerated – and there are even times where guards practically attack on sight. In such instances, ensuring that you do not clearly enter their field of view is of paramount importance.

As Detection Icons can be seen through solid surfaces (and on the HUD belt that surrounds Arno), you can use them to track the movement of an enemy and judge where to hide, or when it is necessary to reposition the Assassin to avoid detection.

During escape sequences, look around carefully before you emerge from your place of concealment. Even though combat may have effectively ended, some aggressors in the area may still have red Detection Icons. In these instances, even a brief glimpse will be sufficient for hostilities to be resumed. If you wait, you will eventually see the icon disappear as the enemies in question go about their former business.

Last Known Position

A new feature in Unity is the Last Known Position device, which gives a clear (and extremely useful) indication of the exact moment when Arno disappears from the view of all engaged hostiles. The Last Known Position is represented by a frozen blue “ghost” of Arno () that appears at the very moment that aggressors lose sight of him. Pursuers will rush to that position if they can and search for Arno in the vicinity. If an enemy spots Arno again, the “ghost” will disappear immediately.

The Last Known Position feature can be exploited to lure assailants to very specific positions: for example, to draw sentries away from a doorway. While they investigate Arno’s apparent avenue of escape, you could then double-back via a different route to pass through the entrance without further incident. It is also a great way to set up ambushes in secluded areas.

Blend

When in close proximity to groups of three or more civilians, Arno will automatically “Blend” in with them, enabling him to hide in plain sight. In bustling urban areas, Blending is the most common and effortless method of avoiding detection. The process of entering and exiting a Blend situation is always accompanied by visual and audio effects.

During a Blend, a distinct blue circle appears on the ground to indicate the borders of the effect (), which can be useful when you attempt to make seamless transitions from one group to another on a busy street.

Arno must be standing still or walking to Blend. While Blending, he is effectively invisible to most potential enemies and individuals that he must follow or avoid.

Entering a Blend will often allay the suspicions of nearby hostiles. More alert enemies, however, may walk over to investigate and disperse the crowd, in which case the subterfuge falls apart instantly. In these instances, you will usually need to quickly move between different groups – or leave a public thoroughfare in favor of a back alley – to evade the potential assailant.

When Arno exits a Blend, there is a short period of grace where he remains effectively invisible. You can exploit this to transfer between different groups of citizens, or move safely out of sight.

Illegal or reprehensible actions can immediately break a Blend. In open conflict, citizens will often back away or flee from Arno as he approaches them, which makes Blending impossible.

Stealth Mode

Use / to activate Stealth Mode (). You can either hold the button then release it to deactivate Stealth Mode, or tap the button to toggle the mode on and off. Stealth Mode reduces both Arno’s visibility and the level of noise he generates while moving. With this ability, you can even pass directly behind a guard without attracting their attention. It can also enable you to remain concealed behind low obstacles (such as furniture, crates, walls and fences) to avoid the eyes of nearby sentries and passing patrols.

Using Cover

If you approach any suitable flat surface and press /, Arno will press his body against it. This will also partially “lock” his body to the surface until you press the Cover button again, or pull away from the surface with . This can be useful to stay completely out of sight behind a low obstruction as you move neatly along its length, for example, or to press against a corner and study the path ahead without moving into plain view (). You can even assassinate nearby guards while behind cover. This doesn’t render Arno entirely invisible, however, as anyone approaching from certain angles may see him clearly: common sense applies with this feature.

There are instances where Arno can make swift transitions between cover elements in close proximity. Press in the direction of the next piece of cover in line. If the “Swap Cover” command appears in the Controls HUD in the top right-hand corner of the screen, tap / to make Arno crouch-run to the new position without standing up.

Hiding Places

When Arno needs to survey his surroundings without potential interruptions, execute a silent assassination, or escape a pursuing mob, entering a hiding place is often the best course of action. There are many different varieties of hiding place, which we will introduce after these tips and guidelines:

Piles of leaves, soft branches, hay or produce are the most common forms of hiding place.

Outhouses are perfect hiding places, as they are usually found in alleyways and at the backs of houses.

Direct Arno into a hiding place to make him disappear. With “soft” hiding places (such as piles of leaves or hay), you can also enter via a Leap of Faith or a standard jump from above.

If you can break a clear line of sight between Arno and his pursuers, entering a hiding place and remaining still will usually enable you to end open conflict. If Arno is seen entering the hiding place, however, he will immediately leap out: you cannot use them while hostile witnesses can see him.

Handily, hiding places appear as blue triangles ( ) on the mini-map whenever Arno is in open conflict.

Hiding places are also used for some of the most efficient stealth assassination techniques.

Benches often offer a spare seat from which Arno can seem entirely unobtrusive, as long as there are other civilians sitting on them.

Knock Out

During stealth sequences, you will often encounter lonely guards or sentries that can thwart your plans or put you in danger. As skirting around such threats is not always an option, you will sometimes need to eliminate them. This can be achieved by performing either assassinations with / or non-lethal takedowns with / (make sure you hold the button until the target is fully incapacitated, otherwise he will raise the alarm). Knocking out enemies takes more time than killing them, but can be very useful if your objective in a mission is to avoid slaying any adversaries ().

Vanish

Even the most carefully planned stealth infiltrations can go awry. Whenever Arno is identified and conflict begins, fighting can be a valid strategy – but flight is often the most practical solution.

The first step to escaping is naturally to turn tail and run, moving Arno out of sight of his chasing opponents. At this stage, Smoke Bombs can be highly effective.

The moment your pursuers disappear from the mini-map or you vanish behind a solid obstacle, the blue “ghost” that indicates Arno’s Last Known Position will appear (). If you can move further away or find a secluded place of refuge (such as a hiding place) without being seen, the hostiles will eventually give up the chase. If Arno is spotted by an alert opponent, however, the pursuit begins anew.

Using free run courses and taking to the rooftops can be an effective way to put distance between Arno and the soldiers on his tail, but be careful to look out for sentries positioned at elevated vantage points and pay them a wide berth. From a rooftop, a Leap of Faith into a hiding place often works well to end a chase.