10 Worst Missions In Assassin's Creed Games
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VOICE OVER: Josh McLean
WRITTEN BY: Josh McLean
Most missions in "Assassin's Creed" games are great, but these stray far from the path. For this list, we'll be looking at levels in the series that gamers either dreaded playing the most, or which almost ruined the entire experience for them, be it due to frustrating design, absurd requirements, or annoying companions. Our list includes Den Defense from "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" (2011), Encyclopedia of the Common Man from "Assassin's Creed III" (2012), Sibrand of Acre from "Assassin's Creed" (2007), and more!
Script written by Josh McLean
Most missions in "Assassin's Creed" games are great, but these stray far from the path. For this list, we’ll be looking at levels in the series that gamers either dreaded playing the most, or which almost ruined the entire experience for them, be it due to frustrating design, absurd requirements, or annoying companions. Our list includes Den Defense from "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" (2011), Encyclopedia of the Common Man from "Assassin's Creed III" (2012), Sibrand of Acre from "Assassin's Creed" (2007), and more!
If Assassin’s Creed was a sitcom, one episode might include dressing up as a guard to deliver a box of money. Except, Ezio doesn’t know where he’s going, and has to play it off in the silliest of ways. Well, wouldn’t you know it, despite sporting completely different facial hair and an entirely different voice than this NPC, that’s exactly what happens.The thing about this mission is that you will be given no map marker and must rely on the comments of your fellow troops to figure out where you need to go. Neat idea on paper, until you try deciphering what “I hope they let us go inside means” in terms of A direction! You’ll only earn 100% sync if beaten in under three minutes, while some dudes repeatedly call you “foolish” for picking a direction, and make you as the player feel like a proper ass for just sitting through this.
Revelations introduced assassin and templar bases in the form of dens that could be raided for control over the map and access to different quests.If your notoriety is high, expect having to run across the city to be met with a drawn out sequence, in which a seemingly unending wave of enemies one-shots your barricades and captures your base. While the tutorial makes this seem like a fun tower-defense at first, the reality will set in that losing dens will be a constant nuisance. You spawn right next to it, and even if you reclaim the base, it will be attacked in the next ten minutes.This gave players the "revelation", that it was just better practice to keep your notoriety down throughout the game so they didn't have to deal with it. A+ idea, C- implementation.
Welcome to memory block five, Altair. Today we’re taking out a grand master templar… the usual. Funny thing though… He’s on… A boat. It doesn’t sound so bad, except that Altiar can’t swim. To make matters worse, I present exhibit A: sparsely placed posts. Due to the insta-death nature of this level, losing tens of minutes to a simple misstep can be hair-pulling. Sibrand hides away on the back of his ship, surrounded by archers. At least there are a couple different methods of reaching him, but all can be cut short by being spotted even once, e.g. exhibit A: the slippery pillars. Not to mention all the hoops you have to jump through prior to locating him. This mission is in dire need of fine tuning to this day.
Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this mission will cause you to start throwing hands yourself. Connor is instructed by two kiddos to break up a fight between the homestead lumberjacks. To do so, however, the player is given a new, weird meter, that doesn't make any sense at all. There’s a Connor logo in the center, two wiggling coloured lines that change from green to yellow to red, and some analog stick icons to move. It is entirely unclear where or which way to tap the sticks, and even worse, the icons are so far apart that you either need to go crosseyed to work them both, or have someone else tag team it with you. Connor is just as confused, as anytime the coloured lines stay red too long, the woodsman will land a punch on the other and reset the minigame. After maybe ten minutes of wiggling and tapping, all which give you no indication that you are succeeding, you’ll probably stumble onto the right spot to hold the sticks if you’re lucky. But all that follows is some stiff dialogue that has no bearing on the story, and it’s never mentioned again. Hey, better idea for a mission, your assassin has to stop whatever they’re doing and go play timed QWOP.
Modern day segments are always a divisive topic. While some add a unique identity to the series, others feel like pointless padding to an already lengthy game. The solo Desmond missions in Revelations are, frustratingly, a bit of both. They serve to reveal the memories and past of a beloved character, but shortly become preachy nonsense over top of a strictly first person puzzlathon. You won’t find many creative solutions, other than pressing big glowing buttons and building bridges in a straight line. The entire block placing mechanic felt like it belonged in a separate game, with less than thrilling physics. The general reception was that most people didn’t want to halt all the momentum of Ezio’s story for these basic walking sims, when they were just parkouring an intricately crafted city as an assassin.
AC3 can’t catch a break, but this has to be one of the greatest of their sins. This mission BLOWS, as Master Assassin Connor is lectured into creating a log book of the locals’ everyday activities. Who, I ask, wants to spend their playtime following around NPCs and stalking them until they do things? SO MANY THINGS. 49 times, you’ll have to watch the computer perform such thrilling animations as: “Idle Behind Bar”, “Shovel Hay”, or “Refuel Oil Lamp” throughout the course of the game as there's no way to influence what they choose to do that given day. I also ask, how is it in character for Connor to be waiting outside of someone’s house just to catch a glimpse of them milking a cow!? Whoever came up with the gold-medal for “most tedious way to pad a mission” is glowing red in my eagle vision.
You’re thrown into an aerial mech. Only two rules: Don't get hit and don't get seen. Easy, right? What could go wrong with a 10 minute segment where one touch means starting the level over for 100% sync? Now if that were all, I’d say “pish posh”, except for the fact that the final challenge involves chasing a messenger on a horse that is three times faster than you, and the machine is constantly losing altitude, which you can only regain by creating heat courses with your cannons, which of course, can get you killed… Alright, maybe not such a walk in the park after all. Especially because the clunky winged machine turns worse than a Mario 64 Wing Cap when trying to line up some of these sniper shots.
SHHHH! THE REDCOATS, CONNOR! TO THE LEFT, CONNOR! GET BACK ON THE HORSE! GO RIGHT! THE LEFT! WHY DON'T YOU JUST DRIVE, PAUL!?! Imagine that money box mission from Brotherhood, except instead of jovial guards, you have this inept bothersome dingus, shouting directions directly into your ear canal. What’s worse, he can get lost. Great co-pilot you gave us here, game. There is no reason this mission had to be this dreadful. All we’re doing on paper is driving to some houses and pressing a button, but you’re glued to Paul who will complain about it, AND you, the entire time. You’re not even allowed to throw hands or be detected for 100% sync. Throw me a bone, man!
“Sink three ships by firing on their powder stores.” It sounds straightforward. But there are more than a few wrinkles. First off, there are only three ships for you to sink in total, meaning, once again, for 100% sync you can make no mistakes, lest you load back to the open water. Couple that with the “weak spots” of powder reserves being somewhat random, and that shooting at them has a chance of setting them off. Repeating this process three times in a row means that your success is solely based on luck, so even with a video walkthrough, the game may just decide not to work as intended. Now, there are workarounds such as the “fireshot”, which will significantly improve your chances of lighting the powder, but the game doesn't explicitly state this very well. What an incredibly problematic quest that wasted countless time just due to stipulations.
Here it is, the one many of you have been waiting for: the tank mission. Leonardo is at it again! And we’re set up in our new machine to go toe to toe with a legion of goons who operate a few tanks of their own. Now, please explain to me how it is that to earn 100% sync, we as Ezio are expected to blow through six cannons, several arenas lined with explosive barrels, and a two on one confrontation inside these narrow pathways WITHOUT taking a single point of damage. This is made with an even worse cherry on top, as when you reset, you still are expected to play through the section of acquiring the tank since the mission has no checkpoints to speak of. Being that you move slow as molasses in a giant wooden box, it’s obvious that getting through this canyon with your sanity intact is a feat in itself. Being that neither us, nor Ezio, had been in the thing before, this mission feels unfair, and asks the most of you for trying to play it properly.
Most missions in "Assassin's Creed" games are great, but these stray far from the path. For this list, we’ll be looking at levels in the series that gamers either dreaded playing the most, or which almost ruined the entire experience for them, be it due to frustrating design, absurd requirements, or annoying companions. Our list includes Den Defense from "Assassin's Creed: Revelations" (2011), Encyclopedia of the Common Man from "Assassin's Creed III" (2012), Sibrand of Acre from "Assassin's Creed" (2007), and more!
#10: When in Rome
“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (2010)If Assassin’s Creed was a sitcom, one episode might include dressing up as a guard to deliver a box of money. Except, Ezio doesn’t know where he’s going, and has to play it off in the silliest of ways. Well, wouldn’t you know it, despite sporting completely different facial hair and an entirely different voice than this NPC, that’s exactly what happens.The thing about this mission is that you will be given no map marker and must rely on the comments of your fellow troops to figure out where you need to go. Neat idea on paper, until you try deciphering what “I hope they let us go inside means” in terms of A direction! You’ll only earn 100% sync if beaten in under three minutes, while some dudes repeatedly call you “foolish” for picking a direction, and make you as the player feel like a proper ass for just sitting through this.
#9: Den Defense
“Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” (2011)Revelations introduced assassin and templar bases in the form of dens that could be raided for control over the map and access to different quests.If your notoriety is high, expect having to run across the city to be met with a drawn out sequence, in which a seemingly unending wave of enemies one-shots your barricades and captures your base. While the tutorial makes this seem like a fun tower-defense at first, the reality will set in that losing dens will be a constant nuisance. You spawn right next to it, and even if you reclaim the base, it will be attacked in the next ten minutes.This gave players the "revelation", that it was just better practice to keep your notoriety down throughout the game so they didn't have to deal with it. A+ idea, C- implementation.
#8: Sibrand of Acre
“Assassin’s Creed” (2007)Welcome to memory block five, Altair. Today we’re taking out a grand master templar… the usual. Funny thing though… He’s on… A boat. It doesn’t sound so bad, except that Altiar can’t swim. To make matters worse, I present exhibit A: sparsely placed posts. Due to the insta-death nature of this level, losing tens of minutes to a simple misstep can be hair-pulling. Sibrand hides away on the back of his ship, surrounded by archers. At least there are a couple different methods of reaching him, but all can be cut short by being spotted even once, e.g. exhibit A: the slippery pillars. Not to mention all the hoops you have to jump through prior to locating him. This mission is in dire need of fine tuning to this day.
#7: The Fight
“Assassin’s Creed: III” (2012)Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this mission will cause you to start throwing hands yourself. Connor is instructed by two kiddos to break up a fight between the homestead lumberjacks. To do so, however, the player is given a new, weird meter, that doesn't make any sense at all. There’s a Connor logo in the center, two wiggling coloured lines that change from green to yellow to red, and some analog stick icons to move. It is entirely unclear where or which way to tap the sticks, and even worse, the icons are so far apart that you either need to go crosseyed to work them both, or have someone else tag team it with you. Connor is just as confused, as anytime the coloured lines stay red too long, the woodsman will land a punch on the other and reset the minigame. After maybe ten minutes of wiggling and tapping, all which give you no indication that you are succeeding, you’ll probably stumble onto the right spot to hold the sticks if you’re lucky. But all that follows is some stiff dialogue that has no bearing on the story, and it’s never mentioned again. Hey, better idea for a mission, your assassin has to stop whatever they’re doing and go play timed QWOP.
#6: Desmond's Journey
“Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” (2011)Modern day segments are always a divisive topic. While some add a unique identity to the series, others feel like pointless padding to an already lengthy game. The solo Desmond missions in Revelations are, frustratingly, a bit of both. They serve to reveal the memories and past of a beloved character, but shortly become preachy nonsense over top of a strictly first person puzzlathon. You won’t find many creative solutions, other than pressing big glowing buttons and building bridges in a straight line. The entire block placing mechanic felt like it belonged in a separate game, with less than thrilling physics. The general reception was that most people didn’t want to halt all the momentum of Ezio’s story for these basic walking sims, when they were just parkouring an intricately crafted city as an assassin.
#5: Encyclopedia of the Common Man
“Assassin’s Creed: III” (2012)AC3 can’t catch a break, but this has to be one of the greatest of their sins. This mission BLOWS, as Master Assassin Connor is lectured into creating a log book of the locals’ everyday activities. Who, I ask, wants to spend their playtime following around NPCs and stalking them until they do things? SO MANY THINGS. 49 times, you’ll have to watch the computer perform such thrilling animations as: “Idle Behind Bar”, “Shovel Hay”, or “Refuel Oil Lamp” throughout the course of the game as there's no way to influence what they choose to do that given day. I also ask, how is it in character for Connor to be waiting outside of someone’s house just to catch a glimpse of them milking a cow!? Whoever came up with the gold-medal for “most tedious way to pad a mission” is glowing red in my eagle vision.
#4: Flying Machine 2.0
“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (2010)You’re thrown into an aerial mech. Only two rules: Don't get hit and don't get seen. Easy, right? What could go wrong with a 10 minute segment where one touch means starting the level over for 100% sync? Now if that were all, I’d say “pish posh”, except for the fact that the final challenge involves chasing a messenger on a horse that is three times faster than you, and the machine is constantly losing altitude, which you can only regain by creating heat courses with your cannons, which of course, can get you killed… Alright, maybe not such a walk in the park after all. Especially because the clunky winged machine turns worse than a Mario 64 Wing Cap when trying to line up some of these sniper shots.
#3: The Midnight Ride
“Assassin’s Creed: III” (2012)SHHHH! THE REDCOATS, CONNOR! TO THE LEFT, CONNOR! GET BACK ON THE HORSE! GO RIGHT! THE LEFT! WHY DON'T YOU JUST DRIVE, PAUL!?! Imagine that money box mission from Brotherhood, except instead of jovial guards, you have this inept bothersome dingus, shouting directions directly into your ear canal. What’s worse, he can get lost. Great co-pilot you gave us here, game. There is no reason this mission had to be this dreadful. All we’re doing on paper is driving to some houses and pressing a button, but you’re glued to Paul who will complain about it, AND you, the entire time. You’re not even allowed to throw hands or be detected for 100% sync. Throw me a bone, man!
#2: The Giant and the Storm
“Assassin’s Creed: III” (2012)“Sink three ships by firing on their powder stores.” It sounds straightforward. But there are more than a few wrinkles. First off, there are only three ships for you to sink in total, meaning, once again, for 100% sync you can make no mistakes, lest you load back to the open water. Couple that with the “weak spots” of powder reserves being somewhat random, and that shooting at them has a chance of setting them off. Repeating this process three times in a row means that your success is solely based on luck, so even with a video walkthrough, the game may just decide not to work as intended. Now, there are workarounds such as the “fireshot”, which will significantly improve your chances of lighting the powder, but the game doesn't explicitly state this very well. What an incredibly problematic quest that wasted countless time just due to stipulations.
#1: Hell On Wheels
“Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood” (2010)Here it is, the one many of you have been waiting for: the tank mission. Leonardo is at it again! And we’re set up in our new machine to go toe to toe with a legion of goons who operate a few tanks of their own. Now, please explain to me how it is that to earn 100% sync, we as Ezio are expected to blow through six cannons, several arenas lined with explosive barrels, and a two on one confrontation inside these narrow pathways WITHOUT taking a single point of damage. This is made with an even worse cherry on top, as when you reset, you still are expected to play through the section of acquiring the tank since the mission has no checkpoints to speak of. Being that you move slow as molasses in a giant wooden box, it’s obvious that getting through this canyon with your sanity intact is a feat in itself. Being that neither us, nor Ezio, had been in the thing before, this mission feels unfair, and asks the most of you for trying to play it properly.
