User:Alientraveller/Sandbox

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15th century Italian guards.
From left to right: The Agile, the Archer, the Brute, the Militia, and the Seeker.

"Ein Assassine! Haltet ihn auf!"

―A German guard upon seeing Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.

Guards were the most commonly found opponents of the Assassins. While reliving the memories of his ancestors, Desmond Miles saw various types of guards from the Third Crusade, the Renaissance and the Ottoman Empire.

Archetypes

Guards were mostly divided into the following archetypes:

Regular Guards

Regular guards were found almost everywhere on the ground and wielded a large variety of swords, maces and war hammers. They were further subdivided into three ranks: Militia, Elite and Leaders. They were not especially agile, but could climb up to the rooftops to follow the Assassins. Also, they could recognize Ezio Auditore da Firenze while he was sitting on a bench.

• Militia were the lowest ranking guards and wore very little armor. They also had the lowest morale and were likely to be the first to flee a battle they were losing. Also, they were the only guard archetype to pick up money thrown by Ezio.

• Elites were stronger, wore a moderate amount of armor and were capable of dodging Ezio's attacks. Elites were also more courageous than the Militia, but could still be forced to retreat, especially if their Leader was killed.

• Leaders were the best fighters and the most tenacious of all the regular guards. They wore slightly more armor than the Elites and were harder to disarm than the others. Also, like Brutes, Leaders were resistant to being grabbed.

There were also three specialized types of units, who were trained to combat the Assassins in their three respective fields of stealth, freerunning and combat:

• Seekers, also called "Paranoid Guards", were constantly checking hiding spots for Ezio's presence. They were armed with long weapons, and could only be countered with the Hidden Blade, another Long Weapon or a Heavy Weapon. They wore slightly more armor than a Leader-ranked regular guard, but not as much as a Brute, and were easily disarmed. When unarmed, they occasionally approached Ezio from behind and then would grab him while the other guards continued to attack.

• Agile guards were a very fast and lightly armored guard archetype. They could run faster than Ezio, wielded short blades and were extremely good at dodging attacks, but could become tired should Ezio constantly attack them and dodge their attacks, causing them to dodge less.

File:Brute.png

• Brutes were both heavily armored and equipped, wielding heavy weapons. Their armor covered almost every part of their bodies, which made them difficult to bring down, but also made them cumbersome and slow. Ezio could not deflect or counter their attacks, but he could easily disarm them after dodging them. Brutes had the highest morale of any guard archetype and only fled if they were disarmed and could not obtain another weapon.

Lastly, there were the rooftop guards:

File:Archer.png

• Archers were guards that patrolled and defended the rooftops. They were armed with long-ranged bows and a large variety of swords, maces and war hammers, and would always be suspicious of Ezio, regardless of his social status. As they were lightly armored, and always on the rooftops of buildings, Archers were fairly easy to dispatch in melee combat. Another good way to dispatch them was to simply throw them off the roof, resulting in an instant kill if they fell from more than two stories or if they landed in water.

• Riflemen began to phase out and replace the archers in the 16th century. They were easier targets because they were only armed with a rifle and their shots only partially damaged an armored Assassin.

• Bombmen were located in Constantinople and wielded Thunder Bombs, as well as a dagger. They wore scarves and gloves.

High Middle Ages

"Hashshashin!"

―A Saracen guard, upon seeing Altaïr.

A Guard Sergeant in Acre.

During the course of the Middle-Ages, there were two main types of guards: Soldiers and Archers. The archers were mostly similar, while there were three ranks of soldiers, all of whom were armed with swords of varying styles.

The ordinary Crusaders spoke English, Crusader Captains and Sergeants spoke French or German, Saracens spoke Turkish or Arabic, and the Templar Knights spoke all of the dialects (but only spoke Arabic in Altaïr's fight against Robert's imposter).

The following were the different guard ranks, as well as certain special types of guards:

Regular Guards

Regular Crusaders didn't wear helmets (Saracens wore turbans) and were only equipped with leather armor or light lamellar armor. They weren't able to grab or break a grab, couldn't combo attack and couldn't counter attack. They could only deflect attacks, with a 25% chance of dodging a light attack. Archers were on par with ordinary guards, except that they were only found on rooftops, wore a hood and used bows for ranged attacks.

Guard Sergeants

Sergeants were equipped with helmets, with the Crusaders wearing chain mail tabards and the Saracens possessing medium lamellar armor. They could grab and had a 50% chance of breaking a grab attack, as well as a 50% chance of countering or dodging a light attack. They also had a 25% chance of breaking defenses, but could not perform combo attacks.

Guard Captains

Captains were the most powerful guards besides the Templar Knights. Saracens wore Baidah helmets and heavy lamellar armor while Crusaders wore chain mail tabards with surcoats, chain mail mittens and varying knight helms. They were also able to grab and had a 75% chance of breaking a grab attack, as well as countering or dodging a light attack. They also had a 50% chance of breaking defenses. If a successful heavy attack was delivered, they could perform a combo attack.

Templar Knights

A Templar Knight

Main article: Templars

Templar Knights were a special variation of guard, of which only 60 could be found throughout the Kingdom and its cities. They were similar to the Crusader Guard Captain, but with higher stats and unique armor, including helmets that were always bloodstained. They also always provoked a fight if they spotted Altaïr, regardless of his social status. If they were present, ordinary guards would always stand back while Altaïr and the Templar Knights engaged each other.

Strangely enough, Templar Knights were present in many places where it would have been unlikely for them to have been, including mountain paths and Saracen-controlled cities. They were typically located in front of chests, making it difficult to assassinate them from behind.

Renaissance

"Assassino!"

―A guard in Venice, upon seeing Ezio.

There were several types of guards during the Renaissance:

Papal army

The new Guard archetypes of the 16th Century.

In addition to the guards of the 15th century, there were several new guard types to reflect the changing location and time period. Guards were also more aggressive and had new moves of their own, such as being able to grab Ezio.

Compared to the previous century, there were no Elite-ranked standard guards, Brutes were harder to disarm, Seekers could not be countered with heavy weapons, Agiles were not exhausted by constant attacks and both Militia and Seekers could throw sand at Ezio.

Crossbowmen

File:Crossbowguard.png

Main article: Crossbowmen

Similarly to archers, Crossbowmen patrolled and defended the rooftops, but were more deadly; crossbow bolts caused more damage and were more accurate. Unlike archers, Crossbowmen had no melee weapon and if their enemy closed, would start walking backwards to create some distance. They had increased free-running ability and if investigating, could leap over towards where they had detected Ezio.

Horsemen

File:512px-Horseman.png

Main article: Horsemen

Horsemen patrolled the streets of Rome and were deadly at both short and long range, being able to slash at Ezio while on horseback. They could also shoot Ezio with their crossbow, or in some cases, their throwing knives, if he attempted to flee.

Leader-ranked regular guards sometimes mounted horses and acted as Horsemen, but only those that spawned as Horsemen (already on horseback) count towards the Guild Challenges.

The easiest way to kill a horseman was to take a long or heavy weapon and counter attack, or use a spear's special attack; usually this resulted in them being pulled off the horse, where it's easier to finish them off. Otherwise a ranged or thrown weapon would kill them while on the horse.

Arquebusiers

Main article: Arquebusiers

The Arquebusiers were firearm-wielding soldiers who served and protected the pontiff during their tenure. They acted similarly to Crossbowmen, but used more powerful but shorter-ranged rifles.

They were usually found on the rooftops near the Pantheon or patrolling in pairs near Guard Posts.

Papal Guards

Main article: Papal Guard

The Papal Guard were elite soldiers commanded by the Papacy to serve and protect the pontiff during his tenure. The armor worn by these guards was quite heavy, but did not affect their movement (they had the same movement speed and free-run ability as Agiles). They combined the best qualities of all the other guard archetypes and were also able to dual-wield a pistol alongside a medium weapon, though they could not do so with a long or heavy weapon.

Captain

Ezio disguised as a Borgia Captain

The Borgia Captains were only found leading the guard contingent of Borgia Towers. There were only 12 of them throughout Rome, one for each Tower. They fought similarly to Leaders, but were even more heavily armored, wore a white cape with the Borgia symbol on it and could counter Ezio's attacks. However, some were "Coward" types, and would flee if they detected Ezio.

French soldiers

File:Gatekeeper12.jpg

French Soldiers

Up until the French general Octavian de Valois was killed, French soldiers were stationed in military camps (referred to as Guard Posts) throughout the Campagna district of Rome. These small camps consisted of ten soldiers each. The main French camp was the most heavily guarded and was where Octavian was located before his death.

French soldiers behave exactly the same as Borgia guards in combat, patrols and ranking. However, there were no French arquebusiers outside of the final mission of Sequence 6, and they were colored a dark blue instead of the Borgia red.

Viana guards

Viana soldiers attack Ezio.

During the Siege of Viana, Vianan soldiers battled the invading army of King John. They would also attack Ezio on sight. These guards behaved the same in combat, patrols and ranking as Borgia guards, and their clothes and armor were dyed yellowish-green.

Navarre soldiers

These soldiers served King John III of Navarre and only appeared in Sequence 9 under the command of Cesare Borgia, as he tried to retake Viana Castle from the Count of Lerin. They would attack both Ezio and Vianan soldiers on sight. They behaved exactly the same as any other regular guard in terms of combat, ranking and patrols. Their clothes and armor were colored red and yellow.

Coloring

The coloring of the guards uniforms identified whom they served, whether it be a city or a person:

• Black caps and red sleeves meant they served the Pazzi family. These guards disappeared after Sequence 5, but before then, were only found in Florence and Tuscany.
• Dark red caps and black sleeves with red going down the side indicated they serve the Borgia. They were usually guarding Codex pages and appeared whenever Rodrigo Borgia was encountered outside of Rome. They were also present in the northern strip of Venice.
• Dark yellow caps and sleeves with black armor plates were the guards that served the Medici Family. These guards first appeared helping fight the Pazzi during Sequence 4, and were found in Florence and San Gimignano.
• Green caps and sleeves meant they were serving the city of Forlì. They aided Ezio in Sequence 12 and were found only in Forlì.
• Blue caps and sleeves with gold armor plates meant they served the city of Venice. They had much better armor than any other regular guard in the game, and were only found in Venice.
• Black caps, sleeves and armor plates indicated they served Girolamo Savonarola. They only appeared in Sequence 13, were as heavily protected as Venetian guards, and could be seen fighting Borgia guards throughout the city.
• White caps with red and white sleeves were the guards of the Vatican. They could only be seen in Sequence 14 in Rome, and were the most heavily protected class of guards.

Ottoman Empire

Byzantines

A group of Byzantine Templars.

Main article: Byzantines

After driven from Italy by Ezio, the Templars seized control of the remnants of the Byzantine Empire. Byzantine Templars wore small grey capes over their shoulders and had dark red and white uniforms, as well as bearing the Palaiologos Dynasty emblem on their uniform, most noticeably across their chest. They were always suspicious of Ezio, except in Cappadocia. They were enemies of the Ottomans, and would attack them on sight.

The Byzantine Templars consisted mainly of Militia, who carried a large variety of weaponry, including swords, maces and axes. They had slightly different clothing depending on their rank, such as some having longer robes, capes or different helmets. The Byzantines did not have Agiles, but had Almogavars, Varangians and Riflemen as their equivalent of Brutes, Seekers and Arquebusiers, respectively.

Ottomans

Main article: Ottomans

The Ottomans were the rulers of Constantinople during the 16th century. They were neutral towards the Assassins, only attacking them if they had committed criminal acts or were in a restricted area. They were enemies of the Byzantines, and would attack them on sight.

The Ottomans consisted mainly of Leaders, who carried a large variety of weaponry, including swords and maces. They were immune to being grabbed and could break defenses with a kick. The Ottomans did not have Militia or Seekers, but did have Agiles, Janissaries (Papal Guard equivalent) and Gunmen. They also had Bombmen, rooftop guards equipped with short blades and Thunder Bombs.

Janissaries

Main article: Janissaries

Elite soldiers and guards to the Sultan, Ottoman Janissaries were highly trained soldiers. During the early 16th century, Ottoman Janissaries wore golden masks covering all of their face. Their uniform consisted of colorful robes with many patterns embroidered on them. Janissaries also wore hats over their masks.

Modern Times

Desmond only encountered the Abstergo Guards twice; when escaping from the Abstergo Building with Lucy and upon leaving the Hideout. They were armed with asps, which could be disarmed for Desmond's own use. They fought similarly to Militia-ranked regular guards, but never retreated from battle and fought to the death or until they were unconscious.

Trivia

Assassin's Creed

• The quickest way to defeat any guard is to counter kill with the hidden blade. This requires reflexes and timing, however, as the counter kill window is only a fraction of that of a sword or dagger, unless you are playing Brotherhood, where it is much easier to counter kill.
• The amount of counter attacks needed to kill a guard does not affect counter kills with heavy weapons, long weapons or the hidden blade. For all of these, the guard being countered is unable to block or parry.
• In the Xbox 360 version of the game, killing all 60 Templar Knights will award the player the 'Personal Vendetta (40G)' achievement.
• The Assassins in Masyaf behave like normal guards and have five fingers, an error corrected in Revelations.
• In Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles, there is another guard archetype which is the shield guard.
• In Altaïr's Chronicles, Altaïr disguises himself as a guard to gain access into the Crusader camp that is besieging Acre.
• In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, there are several guard archetypes never encountered in any other game of the series. I.e. the duelists, the unnamed archetype carrying large shields (similar to modern riot police), a mysterious masked shirtless archetype and another shirtless archetype wearing a robe and carrying maces.

Assassin's Creed II

• In Assassin's Creed II, the taunts Ezio says to brutes are different from the taunts he says to the other guards, mainly insulting them about their weight. For example, the taunt, "Well, you're certainty well fed!"
• In the mission "Play Along," Ezio assassinates an Agile so he can disguise himself as a guard, but instead of having an Agile's outfit, he wears the outfit of a Leader guard.
• In the memory "The Cowl Does Not Make The Monk", the guards were disguised as monks. The guards fight like normal militia guards.
• In the cut scene where Ezio's Flying Machine crashes on the Doge's Palace in Venice, you can see a Brute and a Seeker stationed on the rooftop. They are the only guards who can't climb, or free run.
• In the mission "Clothes Make the Man", Ugo tells Ezio that the thieves are to impersonate the archers. Yet in the next mission, "Everything Must Go", after Ezio kills the archers on the rooftops, the thieves wear the armor of Leader guards instead of archer armor.
• In Florence, Borgia guards are often seen guarding treasure. If you go up to them and start a fight, then run into a group of Medici guards, the two groups will start fighting each other, making this an effective escape tactic. The Borgia guards will nearly always win, unless there is a massive number of Medici guards fighting them. After the fight, they will then return to guard the treasure (Borgia) or patrol the city (Medici).
• In the mission "Having a Blast" when you pickpocket the mask from Dante Moro, you will find a massive number of archers on a certain rooftop. Unlike most archers, they will ignore you, but if you enter a fight with all of them, they will not give chase if you flee.
• In early concept art for Assassin's Creed II, Abstergo guards were shown with the company of guard dogs.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

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A militia guard wielding a Arqebus

• In the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood E3 trailer, early designs such as a militia guard is seen wielding an arquebus, and the original Papal Guards can be glimpsed. The Assassin's Creed II seeker design is also used.
• In the mission "French Kiss", Ezio kills twenty guards of different archetypes. However, in "Trojan Horse" (the mission after) the mercenaries are equipped with only Leader suits of armor, while Ezio wears one similar to a Borgia Captain (albeit in French colors despite the fact that no such guard was ever encountered).
• In Assassin's Creed II and Brotherhood, Ezio can successfully loot dead rooftop guards even if they slide off the roof; as long as Ezio begins looting when the guard is still on the roof, this can be done on any deceased body.
• An extremely rare glitch occurs with a group of four guards. They will stand in place and will not pay any attention to you, even if you killed someone nearby. You are free to attack them, in which case an execution will be performed, but it will not kill them. Instead they will simply stand back up. You can do this until eventually the guards will begin to die from your attacks. This glitch usually ends in the game freezing, and has a danger of crashing the entire console system.
• The French guards speak with Italian accents.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

• On the minimap the Ottoman Guards appear as a yellow dot while Byzantine soldiers appear as a red dot on the minimap.
• For a reasonable gameplay experience in Cappadocia, Byzantine guards will only attack if you anger them, because they are the only guard faction present.
• Janissaries are a reskin of Papal Guards, albeit with additional health (they cannot be killed by a single blow during a killstreak).

Other

• In PlayStation home, you can purchase the design of a Seeker for your avatar, which also comes with a spear.
• On Xbox Live, you can purchase the outfit of one of the Militia guards.