Armor

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Ezio Auditore retrieving the Armor of Altaïr

Armor is a cover designed to provide protection to the wearer from physical harm. Throughout antiquity and the Middle Ages, armor was typically composed of metal plating or leather pieces, and was widely utilized by soldiers until the advent of firearms, which made it virtually obsolete since it was not designed to defend against bullets. In modern times, bulletproof armor is worn by certain soldiers and policemen, though it is far less widespread.

During the Renaissance, armor was commonly available for purchase at blacksmiths, making it more widely accessible to civilians, as well as Assassins. Throughout much of their history, Assassins prefered utilizing light armor as to not hinder their mobility, which was typically worn over their robes. For this reason, the Assassins' armor could not sustain much damage and could be quite easily broken, leaving the wearer vulnerable until it was repaired or replaced.

History

Peloponnesian War

During the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan misthios Kassandra acquired and wore many different sets of armor throughout her travels across Greece.

Third Crusade

Altaïr's plain robes

During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad wore a standard Assassin combat uniform that primarily consisted of vambraces, greaves, shoes and a protective belt, all made in leather. The main vambrace, which was always worn on an Assassin's left forearm, concealed the Hidden Blade with a series of metal plating arranged in formation for combat protection.

As an Assassin was promoted through the ranks of the Brotherhood, their waist belt would also be upgraded to reflect the new-found status. Altaïr and Malik Al-Sayf both bore the highest level of combat uniform in the Assassin Order, with the most prestigious three-layer waist belts.

Codex

Using an Apple of Eden, Altaïr created a personal Codex as well as a new suit of armor for himself; one that was almost impervious to damage. This new armor would be passed down to each of his descendants, eventually being hidden away in the Sanctuary beneath the Villa Auditore.

Other

Guards during the Third Crusade also commonly wore armor, which varied in design depending on the city where they operated.

The guards in Damascus could be found in either lamellar, leather, or ringmail armor. Guards in Acre could be seen in brigantine armor and chain mail, some complete with coifs, while guards in Jerusalem were often found wearing scale or splintmail. Each of these guard types also operated in the Kingdom, near their respective cities.

The Knights Templar uniformly wore full suits of chainmail, covered in a white tabard with a red steel helm covering their face. Accompanying this, they wore their signature red cross openly, possibly due to their public image, whereas future Templars wore the symbol more subtly, as the Templar Order faded into obscurity.

Spanish Renaissance

While hiding in the Sierra de Cazorla mountain range during the Reconquista in Spain, the Spanish Brotherhood crafted various types of armor for use in their fight against the joint forces of the Spanish Templars and the Spanish Inquisition.

Italian Renaissance (15th century)

Ezio's plain robes

In the late 15th century, Ezio Auditore da Firenze could purchase different types of armor from blacksmiths found throughout the various cities of Italy. There were four main sets of armor to purchase, and a fifth—the Armor of Altaïr—which could be gained through acquiring all of the Assassin Seals. Each set consisted of four individual pieces: chest plates, greaves, spaulders or pauldrons, and vambraces.

The Leather Armor was the first available set, which provided little protection from attacks. Later, Ezio could purchase the Helmschmied Armor, which was a variant of leather with metal inlays. Some time after, Ezio also bought the Metal and Missaglias armor sets, both composed mainly of metal, with the Missaglias set sporting stylized decoration.

With the exception of the Leather Armor, every set offered both health fortification and resistance bonuses, but considering that armor could be damaged through combat or by falling from large heights, it was necessary to repair it at blacksmiths regularly.

During Desmond Miles' session reliving Ezio's memories in the Animus, each armor was represented with a set number of circles, displaying the amount of damage it could sustain before becoming broken. In general, when twenty squares of damage was inflicted to the synchronization bar, it would remove one circle of resistance from every piece of armor Ezio had equipped.

Armor of Altaïr

After collecting the seals from the tombs of six legendary Assassins, Ezio could unlock Altaïr's improved armor from behind a gate in the Sanctuary. It consisted of black cloth with specially made armor integrated into it, akin to the mythical properties of the Golden Fleece.

Because it was virtually unbreakable, the armor could not sustain damage from normal attacks and required no repairs. As revealed in his Codex, after realizing the danger the armor could pose should it fall into the wrong hands, Altaïr destroyed the written formula to prevent it from being recreated, making the Armor of Altaïr one of a kind.

Others

All soldiers in Italy during the Renaissance wore armor to varying degrees, with archers as the lightest units, followed by Agiles, regular soldiers, Seekers, and finally Brutes. Elite soldiers wore heavier armor than regular soldiers, making them more resistant to Ezio's attacks and counter-attacks.

Italian Renaissance (16th century)

Ezio's plain robes in Rome

During the siege of Monteriggioni, Ezio lost the Armor of Altaïr underneath the rubble caused by a cannonball striking the Villa Auditore, forcing him to run into battle clothed in a simple shirt, trousers, and boots.

Without any substantial protection, Ezio was left extremely vulnerable. The Borgia soldiers successfully took advantage of this by arranging for a squad of arquebusiers to shoot at him from the ramparts, severely wounding the Assassin as their bullets tore through his shoulder and abdomen. Later on in Rome, Ezio's new robes and armor were anonymously given to him by Niccolò Machiavelli through Margherita dei Campi, the woman who had nursed his injuries.

Ezio's newer attire resembled the clothes of Altaïr, with longer robes and a longer hood, while his new armor came only with a spaulder and a single vambrace. Just like in previously visited cities, Ezio was able to purchase armor upgrades from a blacksmith shop, though it was also possible for him to complete specific quests for the blacksmith on Tiber Island, in order to unlock parts of the Seusenhofer Armor.

The only set that could not be purchased from any blacksmith in Rome was the Helmschmied Drachen Armor, which was instead acquired by Ezio through unknown means.

In Rome, armor designs had changed to the degree that they were given metal inlays during the second and last set of purchasable armors. The Roman Armor set was made of leather, while the Rondelle Armor set had the same design with metal inlays. The Plate Armor was an unstylized version of the Seusenhofer Armor with metal inlays, whereas the Seusenhofer set was more decorated than its predecessor.

Later, once Ezio had obtained all six Keys of Romulus, he was given access to the Armor of Brutus, which was an unbreakable armor contained behind a gate underneath the Palatine Hill.

Others

Guards in Rome were armored similarly to those stationed in other Italian regions, with the addition of the Papal Guard as the most heavily outfitted opponents. Of the new guard archetypes, the crossbowmen were equal in defense to archers, while arquebusiers matched standard guards.

Ottoman Empire

Ezio's plain robes in Constantinople

During Ezio's travels in Constantinople, he encountered a new variety of armor. From blacksmiths, he could acquire the Azap Armor, which was made of leather and thus the weakest available set, followed by the Mamluk and Sepahi Armors, both of which were made of metal and more resistant.

Additionally, upon initiating the advanced training of seven Assassins into becoming Master Assassins, through the first part of their specialized mission, Ezio acquired the Master Assassin Armor.

After finding all ten of Ishak Pasha's memoir pages, Ezio journeyed inside the Hagia Sophia and completed a harsh climb to a secret room within the mosque, where he obtained the Armor of Ishak Pasha from the Assassin's tomb. Due to rumors of the armor being cursed, most guards would become terrified upon seeing it and would run away if Ezio killed enough of their comrades.

Recruits

Ezio's Assassin apprentices in Rome and Constantinople could also wear armor, which was upgradeable as the apprentice progressed along the ranks of the Brotherhood. At first, a recruit started with no armor, but could acquire leather pauldrons, leather greaves, a leather chest guard, and finally a full set of plate armor, which would replace their previous leather pieces.

Once they had obtained the plate armor, the recruits would be able to last longer in battle and were less likely to get killed. On reaching the rank of Assassin, they would gain new robes resembling Ezio's Master Assassin outfit, with Assassin armor even stronger than plate armor. In Constantinople, the recruits would gain robes similar to those of Yusuf Tazim, along with the armor of a fully-fledged Assassin, including a removable mask.

Golden Age of Piracy

Edward's plain robes

During the Golden Age of Piracy, Edward Kenway could craft leather armor pieces for himself. New armor pieces became available for crafting after Edward obtained the hunting spoils required to craft a particular piece.

Additionally, during his time in the West Indies, Edward obtained a set of Templar and Mayan armors, by collecting Templar keys and Mayan keystones, respectively.

Seven Years' War

During the Seven Years' War, Shay Cormac learned to craft various pieces of leather armor after collecting various hunting spoils. Throughout his journeys, he obtained several other sets of armor.

The Native Armor was a treasure of the Oneida indigenous peoples, which Shay claimed after collecting all of the Native totems. Shay also secured the 11th century Templar Armor sealed aboard the wrecked HMS Sapphire after gathering all the Templar relics needed to unlock the suit. In addition, he assembled an ancient set of Viking Armor, and recovered the armor of the legendary Templar Sir James Gunn from a storehouse in Fort de Sable.

French Revolution

During the French Revolution, the Assassin Arno Dorian could wear different coats as part of greater gear sets, which provided varying degrees of melee or ranged damage protection.

Victorian England

In Victorian London, the twin Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye could obtain different outfits, some of which offered greater resistance to melee or ranged weapon damage. The Blackguard, Creature's Rags, and Maximum Dracula outfits for Jacob and the Defender's Garb, Lady Bloofer, and Aegis outfits for Evie were all crafted in such a way to provide extra protection from damage and thus acted as a sort of armor.

Armor statistics

Peloponnesian War (5th century BCE)

Head Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Odyssey Head Armor"}}

Name	Rarity	Armor (Lvl 99)	Attributes	Availability

*Only available after downloading Legacy of the First Blade
**Only available after downloading The Fate of Atlantis

Wrist Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Odyssey Wrist Armor"}}

Name	Rarity	Max Armor (Lvl 99)	Attributes	Availability

*Only available after downloading Legacy of the First Blade
**Only available after downloading The Fate of Atlantis

Torso Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Odyssey Torso Armor"}}

Name	Rarity	Max Armor (Lvl 99)	Attributes	Availability

*Only available after downloading Legacy of the First Blade
**Only available after downloading The Fate of Atlantis

Waist Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Odyssey Waist Armor"}}

Name	Rarity	Max Armor (Lvl 50)	Attributes	Availability

*Only available after downloading Legacy of the First Blade
**Only available after downloading The Fate of Atlantis

Leg Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Odyssey Leg Armor"}}

Name	Rarity	Max Armor (Lvl 99)	Attributes	Availability

*Only available after downloading Legacy of the First Blade
**Only available after downloading The Fate of Atlantis

Mobile Animus 4.38

Name	Tier	Defense	Modifiers	Requirements
Daeva Pelt {{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Daeva Pelt"}}
Scarlet Gown {{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Scarlet Gown"}}

Viking expansion (9th century)

Helmet

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Valhalla Helmet"}}

Name	Class	Arm	Eva	L-Res	H-Res	Wgt	Availability

Cloak

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Valhalla Cloak"}}

Name	Class	Arm	Eva	L-Res	H-Res	Wgt	Availability

Torso

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Valhalla Torso"}}

Name	Class	Arm	Eva	L-Res	H-Res	Wgt	Availability

Bracers

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Valhalla Bracers"}}

Name	Class	Arm	Eva	L-Res	H-Res	Wgt	Availability

Pants

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Valhalla Pants"}}

Name	Class	Arm	Eva	L-Res	H-Res	Wgt	Availability

Spanish Renaissance (15th century)

Heavy Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Rebellion Heavy Armor"}}

Name	Tier	Defense	Modifiers	Requirements

Medium Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Rebellion Medium Armor"}}

Name	Tier	Defense	Modifiers	Requirements

Light Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Rebellion Light Armor"}}

Name	Tier	Defense	Modifiers	Requirements

Italian Renaissance (15th century)

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"II Armor"}}

Name	Resistance	Health	Cost	Availability

Italian Renaissance (16th century)

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Brotherhood Armor"}}

Name	Resistance	Health	Cost	Availability

Ottoman Empire (16th century)

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Revelations Armor"}}

Name	Resistance	Health	Cost	Availability

Ming China (16th century)

Name	Tier	Defense	Modifiers	Requirements
Tiger Stalker {{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Tiger Stalker"}}

French Revolution (18th century)

Head Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Unity Head Armor"}}

Name	Level	Cost (Upgrade)	Modifiers (Upgrade)	Requirements

Chest Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Unity Chest Armor"}}

Name	Level	Cost (Upgrade)	Modifiers (Upgrade)	Requirements

Forearm Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Unity Forearm Armor"}}

Name	Level	Cost (Upgrade)	Modifiers (Upgrade)	Requirements

Waist Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Unity Waist Armor"}}

Name	Level	Cost (Upgrade)	Modifiers (Upgrade)	Requirements

Leg Armor

{{#section:AC:CST/Gear|"Unity Leg Armor"}}

Name	Level	Cost (Upgrade)	Modifiers (Upgrade)	Requirements

Trivia

• Assassin's Creed II was the only game in which armor took on a damaged appearance when broken.
• In Assassin's Creed II, a filler vambrace that offers no protection can be accessed in the memory "Practice What You Preach". If a vambrace is purchased during the memory it will be unequipped and replaced with the filler vambrace.
• In Assassin's Creed II, the Missaglias Vambraces had 1 more health square than the Vambraces of Altaïr.
• Ezio's initial spaulder in Rome was made out of leather, while the cover art of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood depicted him wearing a metal spaulder. His initial Hidden Blade bracer was the same as it was on the cover, however, like the metal spaulder, Ezio's second Hidden Blade appeared differently. Instead, it was a brown glove like his original second Hidden Blade used in the Assassin's Creed II E3 demo, and also on pre-release Assassin's Creed II pictures. Meanwhile, on the cover art for Brotherhood, the second blade was originally displayed as an identical blade and bracer to that of his primary Hidden Blade.
• The Armor of Altaïr's greaves had patterns similar to that of the Helmschmied Chest Guard and the Helmschmied Spaulders.
• Bracers for the second Hidden Blade could only be bought at a blacksmith once the Hidden Blade itself was purchased from Leonardo da Vinci.
• The Armors of Altaïr, Brutus, and Ishak Pasha, and the Master Assassin Armor all gave Ezio an additional 15 health points added on top of his base amount without the need of repairs. Provided he deciphered all Codex pages in Assassin's Creed II, or the player completed Memory Sequence 7 in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio can have up to a total of 25 health squares. However, in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Ezio can only reach a maximum of 20 health bars even with the Armor of Ishak Pasha or the Master Assassin Armor equipped, as there are no means for Ezio to increase his base unarmored health beyond the five he starts off with.
• There was a glitch in the second sequence of Brotherhood, where if Ezio visited a blacksmith before the memory "New Man in Town", the entire Seusenhofer armor set would be available for sale, although only the greaves were able to be bought since the bracers required the dual Hidden Blades, and the pauldrons and chest guard were unlocked through a shop quest.
• With the Master Assassin Armor equipped, Ezio's clothing color was returned to the default, "Original Grey", though it would stay that way until he unequipped the Master Assassin Armor. It would still be possible to dye his clothes, however, but this would not be noticeable until he had removed the armor. Additionally, like the Armor of Ishak Pasha, the hood would remain on in cutscenes.
• Ezio's Master Assassin Armor also had the hidden effect of not causing any footstep noise while running.
  • Likewise, the Armor of Ishak Pasha had the hidden effect of extra projectile resistance and had a small chance to deflect the projectile back at the shooter.
• In Assassin's Creed III, Achilles Davenport's outfit was said to be an armor, though it provided no extra health or protection to Connor.
• In Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed Rogue, Edward and Shay's crafted health upgrades take the appearance of pieces of armor in the crafting menu. However, as neither of these pieces of armor altered their appearances, it is likely that these leather pieces were worn under their respective outfits.
• The 'Eagle Bearing' Misthios Kassandra was able to adorn the same robes that legendary Italian renaissance Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze wore when he liberated Rome from the Borgia.

References

An image gallery is available for Armor