Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Clusters and 2012 Artifacts guide

By now, it's possible you've found every flag, feather and treasure chest Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has to offer. But there are 10 more hidden collectibles that aren't quite so easy to find - and are a whole hell of a lot more fun when you do. The Clusters are Brotherhood's answer to Assassin's Creed II's Glyphs - hidden puzzles left behind by Desmond's mysterious, possibly insane predecessor, Subject 16. And while they're not quite as numerous or as challenging as those were, they're still worth hunting down, especially since doing so unravels a little more of Assassin's Creed's weird, conspiracy-laden backstory. It'll also give you a much better idea of what this image means: 

Above: Ooh, cryptic

To help you find and solve every last Cluster - which, unlike the Glyphs, actually have to be climbed into - we've assembled videos and step-by-step instructions to (eventually) show you where every last one is hiding, as well as complete solutions for each Cluster puzzle in a separate section. And because it's easy to squeeze in, we'll also show you where to aim Desmond to find all five of the 2012 Artifacts scattered around modern-day Monteriggioni. If you're a true completionist, you may also want to check out our flags and feathers guide to save yourself some aggravation - and if you're still on the fence about whether to even buy Brotherhood, our super review might help you decide.

2012 Artifacts
• Artifacts 1-5

CLUSTER LOCATIONS: CAMPAGNA
• Video guide
• Caserma di Alviano
• Castra Praetoria 

CLUSTER LOCATIONS: CENTRO
• Video guide
• The Pantheon
• Palazzo Senatorio
• Santa Maria dei Miracoli
• Rosa in Fiore 

CLUSTER LOCATIONS: ANTICO
• Video guide
• Il Colosseo
• Aventino
• Acquedotto Claudia 

CLUSTER LOCATION: VATICANO
• Video guide
• Castel Sant'Angelo 

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS
• Cluster 1
• Cluster 2
• Cluster 3
• Cluster 4
• Cluster 5
• Cluster 6
• Cluster 7
• Cluster 8
• Cluster 9
• Cluster 10 

2012 ARTIFACTS

After the game's first hour or so, you'll gain the ability to pause and select "Leave Animus," at which point you can explore the modern-day version of Monteriggioni as Desmond. There are five (presumably priceless) artifacts you can find while exploring, which appear after Desmond and friends have settled into the Assassin Sanctuary. Assuming the back of the Auditore Villa is at the town's north and the town's front gate is south, here's where each one is hiding:

Claudia's Record Book

After you leave the strategy, you'll be just outside the door of Mario's old study. Before you head into town, turn around and duck back into the door (but not too far, or you'll be sent back to the Sanctuary). Look to the right, and you'll see Claudia's book just lying there.

Maria's Feather Chest

Clamber up to the roof of the Auditore Villa (the lift helps), and you'll find the chest nestled in a crater  near the northeastern corner.

Mario's Sword

Head down the steps from the Villa, and hang a right from the main street. The sword is planted vertically beneath a tree.

Ezio's Belt

Head to the southwestern corner of town, and you'll find this Ezio memento in a trash pile on a ledge.

Medici Cape

Finally, head over to the church in the southeastern corner of town. Head through the open door to find the Medici Cape sitting on the altar.

What purpose, if any, do all these serve? Aside from looking good on Desmond's shelf, we don't yet know. And to be honest, there's little incentive to find them all, since you'll only get an Achievement/Trophy for snagging the first one. Still, they're easy to get once you know where they are, so you might as well grab 'em.

CAMPAGNA DISTRICT

Caserma di Alviano

This one's near Bartolomeo's barracks, but not on the building itself. To find the Cluster, start by climbing up the portcullis gate structure that faces the buyable faction building.

From there, head east along the top of the wall until you're standing more or less where this arrow is pointing:

The Cluster entrance is on the compound's eastern outer wall; hit Eagle Vision to see it, then drop down to it while holding B/Circle to grab onto its ledge.

Castra Praetoria

The next Cluster in Campagna, which won't really be accessible until late in the game, can be found just outside the inner keep of Castra Praetoria, on the inside of the fortress' eastern wall.

To get up there, head over to the east and look for this little structure. Climb on top, and hop over to the beam pictured below:

Once there, hit Eagle Vision and the Cluster entrance will become visible. Run up the wall to climb in.

Next page: Cluster locations in the Centro district!