Assassin’s Creed Identity Beginner’s Guide

Assassin’s Creed Identity is out now for iOS devices, bringing players back to Renaissance Italy for a mission-based, loot-collecting, portable action-RPG. While the action might look familiar, Assassin’s Creed Identity streamlines the classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay formula while also adding new elements that may take even veteran fans by surprise. Let’s take a quick look at some of what’s new, and share a few tips on how to bend it to your advantage.

Pick the right class for you

At its outset, Assassin’s Creed Identity asks you to pick from one of three classes: Berserker, Shadowblade, or Trickster (and also Thief, although you won’t be able to unlock that without a lot of Hero Tokens, which we’ll touch on below). Each comes with different bonuses to different attributes – Berserkers get a boost to health and strength, for example, while Tricksters are better at evasion and Shadowblades come with stealth bonuses, but the biggest difference is in the skills you’ll be able to unlock.

Note that you won’t get these cool outfits right off the bat, but they’re something to work up to.

Do you prefer to misdirect enemies by tossing around fistfuls of coins, whistling from hiding places or donning disguises? Then you’ll want to be a Trickster. If you plan to fight your way through most encounters, then you’ll probably be happiest as a Berserker, which gives you access to melee attacks that can stun opponents, destroy their armor, or hit multiple foes at once. And if you’d prefer to keep your distance and throw knives, well, the Shadowblade class is for you.

Additionally, each class can eventually unlocks bombs. Berserkers carry deadly splinter bombs, Shadowblades get smoke bombs, and Tricksters can wield timed sticky bombs and a noisemaking, enemy-attracting Jack in the Box.

If you’re still having a hard time deciding, bear in mind you can always create more Assassins (although unlocking new character slots costs coins), or assign your Assassin a second class. But again, diversifying costs coins, and spreading your limited skill points across two different skill sets means slower progression toward higher-tier skills.

Don’t Forget To Use Your Skills

Compared to their console cousins, fights in Assassin’s Creed Identity aren’t very complicated. There’s a single attack button, and things like dodging and parrying are left to a combination of random chance and your Assassin’s stats. If you’re playing as a Berserker or Shadowblade, pulling up your skill wheel in the middle of a fight enables you to bust out special moves that can rapidly turn the tables on tough opponents, and if you fill the meter at the bottom of the screen by landing enough attacks, you’ll be able to tap it to execute a killing strike.

Pay Attention to the Parkour Helper

While you can easily climb buildings and leap between rooftops in Assassin’s Creed Identity, it’s not always obvious which walls can be climbed and which gaps are jumpable. To that end, the Parkour Helper – which is turned on by default – is invaluable while you’re starting out, as it draws a white line showing where you can parkour to, and where you’ll land if you jump off ledges. If you want to be doubly sure of where you’ll land, swallow your pride, set aside your controller or virtual thumbsticks, and simply tap where you want to go.

Bring a Hireling

One of Assassin’s Creed Identity’s social features, Hirelings – which is to say other players’ Assassins – can be called on once per mission to attack or stun enemies you don’t want to deal with directly. However, they’re useful whether you decide to use them or not, as bringing a friend along imparts a passive, class-specific buff. Shadowblades raise your chance at scoring critical hits, Berserkers boost your health, and Tricksters make it likelier that enemies will flee from a fight. Just be aware that as soon as you use them, those benefits vanish for the remainder of the mission.

Level Up with Contracts

If you’re playing primarily for story, the shorter contract missions might seem like a distraction – they don’t advance the story, after all – but their short, direct nature makes them a great way to grind out experience points, buff your skills, and earn some extra coins. They also take on added importance once you’ve finished the campaign, largely because of…

Hero Tokens

Hero Tokens are Assassin’s Creed Identity’s secondary currency, which can only be earned through gameplay and are the only way to unlock new locations, contract mission types and upper-tier character options (like the Thief class). You won’t start earning them until you’ve finished the 10-mission introductory campaign, A Murder of Crows, but once you do, you’ll be awarded tokens every time you successfully complete a contract mission.

Assassin’s Creed Identity is available for $4.99 through the iOS App Store.

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