The Da Vinci Disappearance

The Da Vinci Disappearance is a downloadable content (DLC) addition for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, bundled alongside Animus Project Update 3.0. It was released in March 2011 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC, and is automatically included in the remastered version of Brotherhood as part of The Ezio Collection.

Set in 1506, the storyline of the DLC focuses on Ezio Auditore's investigation into the disappearance of his friend Leonardo da Vinci, which is connected to the mysterious Cult of Hermes. The memories included in the DLC can be started at any point after completing "Double Agent" (though to complete the entire sequence, "High-Stakes Negotiations" also needs to be completed), but chronologically take place between Sequences 8 and 9 of the base game.

Plot

In 1506, three years after the fall of the Borgia in Rome, Ezio learns that Cesare Borgia has escaped his imprisonment in Spain and visits Leonardo at his workshop to ask for his help in securing a ship to leave Italy. Leonardo offers to take Ezio to meet a friendly ship captain, but before that, he asks him to go retrieve his apprentice, Salaì.

Ezio and Salaì followed by the Hermeticists

Finding him at La Volpe Addormentata, Ezio brings Salaì to the workshop after a run-in with the Hermeticists, only to find the place wrecked and no sign of Leonardo. Deducing that Leonardo has been kidnapped by the Hermeticists due to his knowledge of the Temple of Pythagoras, Ezio and Salaì begin looking for clues. Eventually, they find some writing on the floor that suggests they should seek out five of Leonardo's paintings, which were lost during the Siege of Monteriggioni.

Ezio travels to Delizia di Belriguardo to retrieve the paintings from Lucrezia Borgia, now the Duchess of Ferrara. Infiltrating the estate, Ezio confronts Lucrezia, who reveals that she has only one painting left in her possession, Annunciation, as the rest were taken after the fall of her family. Ezio then seduces Lucrezia as a distraction to tie her up and escapes with the painting.

Back in Rome, Ezio tails one of Lucrezia's former lovers, Patrizio, who was given one of Leonardo's paintings, Portrait of a Musician. Patrizio attempts to sell the painting to the Hermeticists, but they kill him and take it. Ezio chases the Hermeticist tasked to transport the painting and manages to retrieve it.

Ezio interrogating Duccio

To recover the final three paintings – Lady with an Ermine, St. Jerome in the Wilderness, and Adoration of the Magi – Ezio visits the home of Francesco Colonna, only to find that the house has been seized by the bank and the paintings sold to a merchant. Near the Mausoleum of Augustus, Ezio confronts the merchant, none other than Duccio de Luca, who provokes him into a fight by insulting his sister Claudia. Ezio beats Duccio and his henchmen and recovers Lady with an Ermine from Duccio's boat, but learns the other two paintings have been sold to a cardinal, who is displaying them inside the Castel Sant'Angelo. After stealing an invitation, Ezio infiltrates the Castel and marks the paintings in order for Claudia's courtesans to steal them.

With all five paintings in his possession, Ezio uses Eagle Vision to find hidden markings on each of them, which put together form a map leading to the entrance of the Temple of Pythagoras. Ezio heads there and kills the Hermeticists holding Leonardo hostage to rescue his friend. Their leader, Ercole Massimo, tries to reason with Ezio, claiming he would use the knowledge inside the Temple to pacify humanity, but Ezio remarks that one must choose to search for the truth, not have it forced upon them, and kills Ercole.

Ezio and Leonardo inside the Pythagorean Vault

As Leonardo decides to investigate the Temple, Ezio agrees to accompany him. After solving several puzzles, the pair eventually reach the final chamber and are shown a set of numbers and letters repeating themselves: 43 39 19 N 75 27 42 W. Leonardo dismisses them as meaningless, but Ezio, understanding their true purpose, claims they are not intended for them. The two then leave the Temple, preparing to begin their pursuit of Cesare Borgia in Spain.

In the modern day, William Miles and Harlan T. Cunningham, who have been supervising the comatose Desmond Miles while he relived Ezio's memories in the Animus, can be heard reacting to the numbers. Claiming they indicate the location of another temple, the Assassins prepare to track it down.

Content

The DLC contains eight new memories, two locations, the Hazard dice game at La Volpe Addormentata, and ten achievements. Upon release, it came bundled with the Animus Project Update 3.0, which added two Animi training modes (Escort and Assassinate), a simulated location (Alhambra), and four Animi Avatars (the Dama Rossa, the Knight, the Marquis, and the Pariah).

Additionally, the console versions also included the Harlequin and the Officer Animi Avatars, the Helmschmied Drachen Armor outfit, and two Templar Lairs; all of which came with Brotherhood's Limited Codex Edition.

Memories

1. A Roll of the Dice
2. The One Who Got Away
3. Memento Mori
4. Bon Voyage
5. Last Minute Invite
6. The Ezio Auditore Affair
7. Decoding Da Vinci
8. The Temple of Pythagoras

Templar Lairs

• Trajan's Market
• Tivoli

Availability

The Da Vinci Disappearance was released on March 8, 2011 for the Xbox 360 version of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, costing 800 Microsoft Points. It was also released for the PlayStation 3 and Windows on March 9 and March 17, respectively, for the price of £7.99 or $9.99. The DLC is included for free in the remastered version of Brotherhood released as part of The Ezio Collection for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in November 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch in February 2022.

In October 2022, Ubisoft ended all online services for Brotherhood, meaning The Da Vinci Disappearance is no longer available for purchase on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. However, players who have already bought and installed the DLC on these platforms can still play it.

Gallery

• 
  Promotional screenshot
• 
  Ezio and Leonardo looking at an unfinished Mona Lisa
• 
  Ezio at Delizia di Belriguardo
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  Ezio with Lucrezia
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  Patrizio attempting to sell a painting to the Hermeticists
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  Ezio meeting with Claudia
• 
  Ezio marking a painting
• 
  Ezio and Salaì looking at the map to the Temple of Pythagoras
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  Ercole Massimo holding Leonardo hostage
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  Ezio and Leonardo inside the Temple of Pythagoras

References

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood