Assassin’s Creed Rogue Beginner’s Tips – Eagle Vision, Air Rifle and More

With Assassin’s Creed Unity receiving a good amount of attention on newer consoles, players shouldn’t forget about theother Assassin’s Creed adventure making the rounds.

In Assassin’s Creed Rogue, you play as Shay Patrick Cormac, a former Assassin who joined the ranks of the Templars and sets out to destroy his Brotherhood by any means necessary. As Edward Kenway did in Black Flag, Cormac has the ability to travel freely across the world, whether it’s on foot or in his powerful ship, the Morrigan.

There’s a lot to do in this world, so we put together some basic tips that will help you make a killing.

Always use Eagle Vision

The first thing you’ll want to utilize over the course of your journey is your Eagle Vision. In previous Assassin’s Creed releases, it helped you keep track of your targets from afar, while also spotting other goods like treasure chests. However, with Rogue, it serves an entirely unique purpose – hunting Assassins.

Assassins are sneaky devils that aren’t so easily caught, between their combination of athletic skills and killing techniques. When you sense that one may be close by, you’ll want to switch on your Eagle Vision so you can get a better idea where they might be located.

One word of advice: keep moving if you can. Standing around in one place while using Eagle Vision could make you an easy target. While scanning during movement can be a bit trickier, you’ll be better prepared if an Assassin jumps out at you from the shadows.

Lock and load with your Air Rifle

For close range combat, your hidden blade remains quite a useful weapon for stabbing targets in a hurry, and your selection of swords will also have you ready to react to charging adversaries. However, with Rogue, one key weapon you’ll want to make sure you have on hand is your Air Rifle.

This gun is particularly useful for hitting enemies from a distance. However, it serves a different purpose than that, as you can use it to fire different types of ammunition at foes, some for distraction-based purposes, as well as lethal.

First up, Poison Darts, which can eventually kill a target as soon as it hits them. You’ll want to save these for stronger targets, rather than just wasting them on routine guards you can easily take out with a close-range attack.

Next up are Rope Darts. As seen in previous AC games, these enable you to shoot a rope that allows for additional climbing ability to get closer to a target. In some cases, you can also shoot them at foes and prepare for a quick hanging from a nearby tree or other spot – but only save that for when they aren’t surrounded by their peers.

Berzerker Darts are quite awesome if you want to create a huge group distraction in a hurry. Launching one of these into an opponent will force them to go mad and attack anyone in their vicinity – even their own peers. This enables you to turn the tide on a group and clean up on the leftovers quite handily.

Finally, firecrackers are excellent distraction tools. In some situations, you can also use them with explosive items to create a big bang. Stick to your main Darts for now, or just use conventional swordplay and stabbing to get the “point” across.

Secondary Weapons

Finally, when it comes to using secondary weapons, two in particular prove useful.

The first are Smoke Bombs. With these, you can create a blinding field in which your enemies will lose sight of you. If you need to make a getaway or force your way into a heavily guarded entry point, these are perfect, as they will cause guards to cough and lose focus – and you’ll be able to jump right in and get a few kills.

If you prefer something lethal from a distance and the Air Rifle isn’t quite getting the job done, make sure to pick up some Throwing Knives. Cormac is excellent when it comes to hitting an out-of-range enemy with these, although you’ll need to work on your aim. Hitting them in a lower spot doesn’t always guarantee you’ll kill them, and could raise some attention as a result. Aim for upper body if you can, and make sure there aren’t a large group of guards nearby when you pitch it.

Tomorrow, we’ll cover more of the advanced tactics for the game, like using your ship for sea battle and finding items through side missions, including buried chests and Templar keys.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue is available now for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and coming soon to PC.