Enemy Archetypes

All opponents in Assassin’s Creed Unity belong to one of several enemy archetypes, and will exhibit behaviors, proficiencies and weaknesses specific to their class. In this section, we examine their strengths and vulnerabilities, and offer tips on how you can disable them. Though you can encounter them in different garb in accordance with their faction affiliation, each archetype is easily identified by certain distinguishing features – such as their build, or favored weapon.

■ Enemies clad in red are called “Extremists”. They tend to harass the population and are on the Templar payroll. They will recognize you and attack you on sight whenever you encounter them.

■ Enemies clad in blue are called “Guards”. Guards act as the police, and will only attack you if you commit reprehensible actions while in their line of sight.

When members of these two factions run into each other in the streets of Paris, they will regularly draw their weapons and fight until one of the two groups is exterminated. This happens irrespective of Arno’s own actions. You can actually exploit this and start faction fights to cause useful distractions, or in the spirit of pure mischief. A Phantom Blade hit from a concealed position will often be enough to cause Extremists and guardsmen to set about each other with abandon.

Just like Arno, enemies have a level, which is represented by a gauge with segments that appears above their heads during open conflict. The higher their level, the more dangerous they are and the more cautious you should be when facing them.

Enemy Levels

Soldier

Soldiers are by far the most abundant enemy variety you will encounter.

■ Soldiers have no resistances, and their attacks are easily parried. A Perfect Parry followed up by one or two full combos is generally all it takes to defeat them. They are also extremely susceptible to ranged weapons. Even quickshots are often lethal against them.

■ Soldiers have limited detection skills. They will spot you if you stand in their line of sight, but will lose you over medium ranges.

■ At high levels, soldiers can perform a quick feint when they attack, which makes the timing required for Perfect Parries slightly more awkward. You will have to learn to delay the command by a fraction of a second to be successful.

Key Attributes

Brute

Slow but powerful, Brutes are easily identified by their imposing stature.

■ Brutes have weak detection abilities, but are dangerous combatants. They can be hit with standard attacks, but are immune to Staggering Strikes (and, therefore, to follow-up Ground Executions).

■ Their standard attacks can be parried (but not Perfect Parried). However their charged blow (heralded by the icon) cannot be blocked at all – it inflicts massive damage and knocks you down, so make sure you dodge these assaults at all cost. As a rule, try to delay your evasive roll to the last second: if you don’t, Brutes will often adjust the aim of their most powerful attacks to compensate for Arno’s movement.

■ Though it is possible to grind down the health of a Brute with standard attacks, the process is far too time-consuming to be practical in most instances. The most efficient way to eliminate them is to use a ranged weapon, or to use Strong Attacks (which must first be unlocked and purchased). You can knock them down with the Strong Attack of a long or heavy weapon and follow up with a quick Ground Execution, but one-handed weapons are also extremely effective. By chaining two standard attacks and a follow-up Strong Attack repeatedly you can effectively incapacitate a Brute, leaving him with no time to block or strike back before he falls.

Key Attributes

Watcher

Watchers (also referred to as “snipers” throughout the guide) are most commonly encountered on rooftops, where they act as marksmen commissioned to punish trespassers, but you will also regularly find them in Restricted Areas, on balconies, and occasionally at ground level.

■ Watchers have unmatched detection skills. They can identify Arno over long distances, with their field of vision usually enhanced by the fact that they often stand on lofty vantage points that offer a commanding view of their surroundings.

■ Once they have detected Arno, Watchers will open fire with rifles at regular intervals while he remains within range. If you cannot avoid them entirely, try to move out of sight as quickly as you can. It also helps to use natural cover elements (sloped rooftops and chimneys in particular) to disappear from view.

■ Watchers will engage Arno in standard melee combat at close range – but this is clearly not their field of expertise. In these situations, their behavior is functionally identical to that of generic soldiers, which makes them easy to defeat. Ideally, the best way to deal with Watchers is to sneak up behind them for quiet Hidden Blade kills.

Key Attributes

Defender

Armed with spears, this archetype is specialized in melee combat.

■ Defenders aren’t especially gifted at detecting Arno. However, once open conflict begins, they become a very serious threat. Defenders pose several significant challenges. Perfect Parrying their attacks is very difficult (though possible within a tight timing window), and they have a very high amount of health, granting them a resilience that makes them particularly dangerous when you face large groups of enemies. They are also immune to Staggering Strikes unless you incapacitate them first. All of these factors mean that it’s difficult to fell Defenders quickly.

■ Defenders have a special leg sweep attack that, if successful, will knock Arno from his feet – usually enabling another enemy to step in and strike the Assassin while he is briefly incapacitated. Look for the tell-tale icon that indicates that this assault is imminent (), and dodge accordingly, or strike them to cancel it. They will also draw a pistol and fire on their opponents from a distance, which complicates your life in large brawls and during escapes.

■ While you can grind away at a Defender’s health bar with standard combos, this takes time and leaves you exposed to attacks from other opponents. To dispatch them swiftly, you have two main options. If you are a Perfect Parry expert and have progressed to at least Sequence 10, you can follow up each successful attempt with an immediate Staggering Strike and Ground Execution for an instant kill. Alternatively, you can opt for ranged weapons as a means to dispose of them quickly. Hitting them with a Berserk Blade to turn them against their allies is especially effective, as it instantly removes a significant threat, and technically gives you a powerful (though temporary and capricious) ally.

Key Attributes

Seeker & Officer

The Seeker and the Officer are the ultimate archetypes of their factions (Extremists and Guards respectively).

■ Seekers and Officers possess the various strengths of all the other archetypes. They deal vicious damage with each blow, they are fast and agile, they have a lot of health, they can shoot with firearms, and they can even perform Strong Attacks () and toss bombs to blind you (which is heralded with the icon). This makes them the most fearsome opponents in the game.

■ Normal attacks from Seekers and Officers can be parried or Perfect Parried. You can even follow that up with a Staggering Strike to knock them down. Unfortunately, they are immune to most lethal techniques: they will usually dodge shots from ranged weapons as well as Ground Executions. You can opt to grind their health bar down with standard combos, but this is a rather lengthy process.

■ The best way to shorten your duels against them dramatically is to follow up a Perfect Parry or a Staggering Strike with a Phantom Blade shot while they are incapacitated or lie prone. This moderately simple technique usually kills them instantly.

■ If you struggle to eliminate these archetypes, consider leaving them alone whenever you can. Avoid them as much as possible, and use tools to escape them if they detect you. If you can approach them undetected (or take advantage of a faction fight), you can assassinate them with the Hidden Blade, or alternatively switch to manual aim with a ranged weapon to strike them with a headshot for an instant finish. Hitting them with a Berserk Blade can also be enormously effective when you face large groups of foes, as it turns the greatest threat you encounter on the battlefield into an improvised ally.

Key Attributes: Seeker (Extremists)

Key Attributes: Officer (Guards)