Step into the shadows of ancient Baghdad with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, where stealth and precision reign supreme. Before you embark on Basim’s journey from street rat to master assassin, master these essential tips to navigate the city’s rooftops, outsmart relentless guards, and strike unseen. With combat tougher and stealth more critical than ever, these guides will ensure you survive and thrive in the most authentic Assassin’s Creed experience yet.
Mirage is every bit as dense, complex, and (at times maddeningly) enigmatic as its predecessors. Here are eight tips you should know before starting Assassin’s Creed Mirage. And if you find yourself lost at the start, check out our guide on what to do first in Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
Your eagle is your best friend
Your eagle, Enkidu, is an indispensable ally in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, acting as your best friend throughout your stealthy journey. Enkidu helps you scout ahead, marking enemies and revealing objectives before you enter dangerous or restricted areas, allowing you to plan your approach carefully. Upgrading Enkidu’s abilities via the Predator skill tree enhances this scouting power, making it easier to track foes and uncover opportunities. While archers can sometimes block your eagle’s vision, taking them out restores your ability to use Enkidu effectively. This trusty companion significantly boosts your situational awareness and is key to mastering the game’s stealth mechanics.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage pairs you with an eagle BFF named Enkidu. By pressing up on the D-pad (on console), you’ll assume control of Enkidu, automatically revealing nearby objectives. Any enemies you hover the cursor over will get tagged, allowing you to keep tabs on their location. Down the line, mid-level skills allow you to highlight keys (for chests and doors) and secret entrances while controlling Enkidu.
Before doing any mission, summon Enkidu and survey your surroundings. Tag every enemy you can, so you’re not caught off guard. Informally, see if there’s a more optimal route into an enemy base rather than the front door. (There usually is. And it’s usually via the adjacent rooftop.) You’ll want to get as much information as you can, because.
You can’t fight your way to safety
In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, combat is challenging and Basim is relatively fragile, so engaging enemies head-on is often a losing strategy. Instead of fighting your way out of trouble, it’s crucial to rely on stealth and escape tactics. If you find yourself overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to run-climb walls, break enemy line of sight, and use environmental hiding spots like hay carts or benches to disappear and reset the situation. This approach not only preserves your life but also disrupts enemy patrols, giving you a tactical advantage when you return to your mission. Prioritizing stealth and strategic retreat over direct confrontation is key to surviving and succeeding in the game.
If you haven’t played an older Assassin’s Creed game in a while, you may have forgotten the old ways.
The previous three Assassin’s Creed games – Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla – were full-on action RPGs, and as such featured full-on action RPG combat. You’re exponentially more delicate in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Not only do you die in a few hits, but you also deal minimal damage. The easiest way to kill enemies is via assassination – a move you can only perform when you haven’t been spotted.
In short, if you find yourself facing more than two guards, run, hide, don’t fight.
Guards will track you down
In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, guards are relentless and will actively track you down if you are detected, making stealth your best defense. Avoiding direct combat is crucial since guards are tough and Basim can be taken down quickly. Use tools like sleeping darts, smoke bombs, and environmental distractions such as red dye clouds or lamp oil pots to evade or silently eliminate enemies. Always scout ahead with Enkidu to mark enemies and plan your route strategically, prioritizing the elimination of lookouts and archers to reduce the risk of being spotted. Mastering stealth tactics and patience is essential to avoid drawing the attention of guards and getting overwhelmed in combat.
When you commit crimes in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, your wanted level – called “notoriety” in the game’s parlance – will go up. There are three levels of notoriety, with each one ramping up how intensely guards will hunt for you. You can reduce your notoriety a few ways, but the easiest is to tear down wanted posters. If you’re having trouble finding them, tap left on the D-pad to activate eagle vision, which highlights key objects in orange.
Photo mode is great for scouting
Photo Mode in Assassin’s Creed Mirage is an excellent tool not only for capturing stunning visuals but also for scouting your surroundings safely. By activating Photo Mode (pressing both thumbsticks on console or F3 on PC), the game pauses, allowing you to freely move the camera around without alerting enemies or NPCs. This lets you survey the area, spot hidden details, and plan your next move while enjoying a customizable view with options like zoom, filters, and depth of field adjustments. Eagle Vision remains active if enabled before entering Photo Mode, enhancing your ability to detect points of interest and threats discreetly.
You can activate photo mode at any time by pressing in both thumbsticks (on console). You can even access photo mode while controlling Enkidu for an even wider birds-eye view of Baghdad. This is great for scouting out the solutions to Enigma puzzles, which usually task you with parsing an incoherent drawing to figure out a hyper-specific location.
Also the photo mode is just great.
The pickpocketing skill is the best skill
The pickpocketing skill in Assassin’s Creed Mirage stands out as the best skill due to its significant utility and rewards. Mastering pickpocketing allows players to discreetly steal valuable items such as money, trinkets, and crucial Tokens from NPCs, which can be sold or used to gain favors and discounts throughout Baghdad. This skill not only provides a steady income but also enhances the stealth gameplay experience, aligning perfectly with the game’s emphasis on subtlety over direct combat. Additionally, players can unlock the Pickpocket Master skill to increase their success window, making the process even more efficient. The option to enable Guaranteed Pickpocket further streamlines this mechanic, allowing for quick and less risky thefts. Overall, pickpocketing is essential for progressing smoothly and enriching the immersive assassin experience in the game.
Pickpocketing characters activates a quick-time event. Stealing coins and basic items from the hoi polloi is never too tough. But when you want to lift a higher-value item – Mysterious Shards off Order members, say, or Dervis’ Artifacts off wealthy citizens – your window of opportunity is, like, four pixels wide. The Pickpocket Master skill, which costs four skill points and is near the end of the Trickster skill tree, expands the window significantly (see the photo above). Get it as soon as you can.
The blowdart is the best tool
The blowdart is arguably the best tool in Assassin’s Creed Mirage for players who prioritize stealth and strategic takedowns. It allows Basim to silently incapacitate enemies from a distance by putting them to sleep, enabling safe passage or reducing the number of foes without raising alarms. Unlike other tools, the blowdart can be upgraded to increase its range, capacity, and potency, with some modifications even causing targets to go berserk and attack nearby enemies, creating useful distractions. These upgrades make the blowdart a versatile and powerful asset for mastering stealth gameplay, turning challenging missions in your favor through careful planning and precise execution.
Partway into the story, you’ll be able to select a new tool to add to your inventory: a smoke bomb, a blowdart, a trap, or a noisemaker. Go for the blowdart. It’s invaluable for taking enemies out from a distance, but it’s also one of the few tools that are effective in combat. You can shoot armored enemies – who are usually harder to deal damage to than normal enemies – with it, immobilizing them, and giving you an opportunity to kill them in one hit.
Sell everything
In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, selling everything you don’t need is a smart way to earn extra money early on. Trinkets and various valuables found throughout the game can be sold at shops to boost your funds, which you can then invest in better gear, upgrades, or other essentials. This simple but effective tip helps you maintain a steady flow of resources without missing out on important items, allowing you to focus on stealth and combat improvements as you progress.
There are no limits on inventory capacity in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but still, you should travel light – it’ll make you rich(er). As you loot chests and containers, you’ll pick up all sorts of random crap. If you don’t need it for crafting, it’s automatically designated as a “trinket.” You can sell all of your trinkets at once by visiting a vendor, tabbing over to the “sell” page, and holding down Square (on PlayStation).
Yes, you can pet the cat
In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, you can actually pet the cats you encounter throughout the game, adding a charming and lighthearted touch to the intense stealth and combat gameplay. These feline companions provide a delightful distraction and a moment of calm amid Basim’s dangerous missions in 9th century Baghdad. Taking a moment to interact with the cats not only enriches the immersive world but also offers a small, joyful break from the challenges of being a Hidden One. So yes, you can pet the cat, and it’s one of the little pleasures that make the game’s atmosphere so memorable.
What secret stealth techniques will help me master Mirage faster
To master stealth faster in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, focus on these secret techniques:
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Use Enkidu, your eagle companion, to scout ahead and mark enemies and objectives before entering restricted areas, helping you plan safer routes and avoid surprises.
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Exploit hiding spots to kill multiple enemies from one position without being detected, such as hay bales or gazebos, allowing you to thin out groups quietly.
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Utilize distractions like whistling to lure guards one by one, then eliminate them silently when others look away.
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Master the roll move both while crouched and sprinting to dodge line of sight and quickly reposition without alerting enemies.
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Use Assassin Focus not only for chain kills but also to reposition instantly to high ground or advantageous spots for stealth attacks.
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Always hide bodies in the same place to avoid raising suspicion and save before infiltrations to retry different approaches if needed.
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Early skill investments that enhance Enkidu’s perception and tagging speed, along with stealth-related skills like Chain Assassination and Kick Back, greatly improve stealth efficiency.
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Employ tools like smoke bombs and mind wipe to silently neutralize or confuse guards without killing, helping maintain stealth and full synchronization on missions.
Combining these techniques will make you a ghost in the shadows, allowing you to navigate Baghdad’s dangers with deadly precision.
How can I effectively use hiding spots to stay undetected longer
To effectively use hiding spots in Assassin’s Creed Mirage and stay undetected longer, follow these key strategies:
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Choose natural or architectural hiding spots that blend seamlessly into the environment, such as hay bales, gazebos, or shadowed corners, to avoid drawing attention.
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Use these spots to silently eliminate multiple enemies from a single location, reducing the risk of raising alarms by minimizing movement.
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Always hide bodies in the same or nearby hiding spots to prevent guards from discovering them and becoming suspicious.
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Position yourself in spots that offer quick escape routes or vantage points, allowing you to move swiftly if detected.
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Combine hiding with distractions like whistling or throwing objects to separate enemies and pick them off quietly.
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Use stealth skills and tools to enhance your ability to remain unseen while in hiding spots, such as Assassin Focus for quick repositioning or smoke bombs to cover exits.
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Be patient and observe enemy patrol patterns from your hiding spot before making a move, ensuring the timing is right to avoid detection.
These techniques will maximize your stealth efficiency, letting you navigate and control encounters in Mirage’s dense urban environments with precision and invisibility.
