These Assassin’s Creed Mirage tips will help you master a more classical AC game focused on stealth and parkour over recent RPG elements. Assassin’s Creed Mirage ditches a lot of the character development of recent games for simplified skill trees, upgrade resources to chase, more stealth and tougher combat There are lots of changes to get used to and while those who've played the earlier Assassin's Creeds might be at home in Mirage straight away, there’s a lot to learn for fans of the more recent games. Here are some Assassin’s Creed Mirage tips to help you master the ways of the Hidden Ones.
1. Always scout ahead with Enkidu to see what's there
Enkidu, your eagle companion, will be available as soon as you reach Baghdad proper and start your investigation. Always use Enkidu’s sight before you go into any sort of fortified or restricted area to mark enemies and reveal objectives or opportunities. It's all valuable information you can use to better plan your routes. You can also upgrade Enkidu’s abilities via the Predator skill tree, which will make marking enemies even easier.
In some later missions Enkidu can be blocked by marksmen soldiers. There’s usually only one in an area, typically high up, so taking them out should always be a priority. Basim can still mark enemies by looking at them while aiming with a tool, such as the Throwing Knife, but this is a much more limited way to track things.
2. Stealth will help you avoid dangerous fights
Stealth is well and truly back in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and you should always try to stay hidden as long as possible in restricted areas because open combat against multiple enemies is dangerous - health elixirs are rare and Basim can be pretty fragile, so you’ll want every advantage you can get. Tools that can help you remain hidden or eliminate enemies with easy one-hit kill assassinations are incredibly useful, for example.
Since you can only lock onto and parry one enemy at a time, combat becomes much harder fighting more than one enemy at once. Two enemies are manageable, but if you're facing three enemies or more of varying types, you’d be better off running away and trying to get back into stealth.
3. Parrying is key to winning a fight
The combat system in Assassin’s Creed Mirage can be tricky to get to grips with if you’re used to the RPG-style combat of recent titles. Mirage’s system relies on you being defensive and reactive with parries and dodges, rather than relentlessly slashing with your sword or unleashing special abilities. Any enemy attacks that can be parried will glow bright yellow and typically have very little windup so you'll need to react quickly. Tougher enemies also require multiple parries to fully break their guard and leave them open for an assassination. So it's a skill worth mastering rather than avoiding.
4. Always be ready to run from a fight
Never be afraid to run from a fight in Assassin’s Creed Mirage if it looks like you might lose. There are a range of tools to help you escape and stay alive which is usually preferable to dying and having to restart from a checkpoint.
To lose enemies try to climb over walls and other obstacles as you run to slow them and, most importantly, break their line of sight. The second you lose them you can use the nearest cart of hay, flower pile, bush, bench, or other hiding spot to regain your anonymity after a while and try again. Getting chased can also break up the patrol routes of some guards, allowing you to pick them off or avoid them more easily off when you go back to your mission.
5. Focus on the Trickster skill tree for the best abilities
The Trickster tree is the best option to invest in by far out of the available options. You can unlock every skill for Basim eventually, but I recommend focusing on this skill tree first. Doing so will unlock and improve all of Basim’s most useful tools, which you’ll want as early as possible to really make the most of them during the game.
This will get you things like Knife Recovery, Pickpocket Mastery, and Engineer - some of the best skills in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. You don't even have to worry about making any permanent changes as you can freely respec your skill points whenever you want if you fancy other options.
6. Throwing Knives are very versatile
Throwing Knives are the first tool you get access to in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and I think they’re one of the best ones. It’s a crucial ranged weapon in Basim’s arsenal, allowing for ranged one-hit headshot kills, particularly with the right upgrades. However, you can also use them to interact with environmental objects - need to blow up an oil pot from afar? Throwing Knife. Need to unlock a barred door but guards are nearby? Throwing Knife. Need to temporarily blind some guards with a spice sack? Throwing Knife. Even if you're not planning to actually kill anyone with them they're far too useful to not have to hand.
7. Smoke Bombs should be the tool you unlock when you have the option
Once you get your first tool unlock for the Banu Musa brothers, definitely pick Smoke Bombs out of the five available options. They're a powerful and versatile tool that act as a good distraction, escape opportunity, and a way for getting easy assassinations. Enemies caught in Smoke Bombs can’t move, attack, or detect Basim, which means you can just walk up to them and assassinate them as though you were in total stealth, and it works even if enemies were actively fighting you.
8. Look for Gear Chests to get new weapons and armor
Assassin’s Creed Mirage locks most of its weapons, outfits, and upgrades within hidden Gear Chests found around Baghdad. When you explore any sort of restricted area, especially fortified buildings, it’s a good idea to look out for the gold Gear Chest icon on your compass and track down any large chests in Eagle Vision.
Due to their value Gear Chests, usually require you to overcome some sort of puzzle to actually reach them. Things like carefully carrying an oil pot to blow a hole somewhere, moving shelves around, or throwing a knife through a window to open a door - the Assassin's Creed Mirage Bazaar Gear Chest is particularly tricky example of this sort of thing.
9. Pickpocket and loot as often as possible for more money, tokens and resources
Pickpocketing civilians and looting chests are crucial for gathering essential resources in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Always keep an eye out for the pickpocket prompt, or use eagle vision to spot pouches hanging on the belts of passersby ripe for snatching. When you’re in any sort of building, use Eagle Vision to highlight lootable chests in gold for resources or supplies.
Doing all this means you can quickly amass valuable trinkets, Dinhars, and useful Tokens. Sell trinkets to traders, then use your Dinhars to buy Steel Ingots, Leather, and Components to upgrade your weapons, armor, and tools early in the game. Tokens have all sorts of uses depending on their type. For example, Assassin's Creed Mirage Merchant Tokens can get you trader discounts, while Scholar Tokens are especially useful later in the game.
10. Save Scholar Tokens for the Cartographer
You can find a Cartographer in the central Round City region of Baghdad who sells maps leading to all sorts of collectibles, in exchange for Scholar Tokens. If you’re keen to find some Gear Chests, hunt down a few elusive Lost Books, or find some Enigmas (the Assassin's Creed Mirage Left Behind Enigma is an especially tough one) the Cartographer can help you out. However, be aware that the Round City is a high-level area that’s hard to get into and is full of tough guards. You’ll reach it naturally in the story, but only towards the end, so be careful if you’re desperate to find the Cartographer as early as possible.
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