Save Citizen

Save Citizen quests are optional missions in which Altaïr or Ezio save a helpless citizen who is being harassed, taunted,

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Guards harass a woman in Damascus

and shoved by guards. The guards are accusing them of crimes they most likely did not commit and they are threatening to hurt them. The objective of a Save Citizen mission is to engage the guards in combat and kill them. The outcome of this depends on whether Assassin's Creed or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is being played.

Assassin's Creed

In Assassin's Creed, Save Citizen missions are a simple affair. Guards harass a citizen, while other guards stand around the scene, scaring away any resistance to the wrongdoing going on behind them. Enter Altaïr to save the poor, tormented citizen...

Once all the guards taking part in the harassment, plus any more that see the conflict occurring, have been killed off, Altaïr must speak with the citizen he has saved to gain his reward.

If a guard is locked onto and Altaïr doesn't take any action for a few seconds, he will taunt them under his breath in Arabic, causing the guards to immediately engage him.

There are usually between three and five guards around the citizen. Two or three are in the process of actively shaking the citizen, while the remaining guards stand as lookouts. These lookouts will Altaïr away if he gets too close.

Outcomes

Once all of the guards (including any other ones that have joined the fight) are killed, talk to the citizen you just saved. They'll thank you profusely, and as a reward, a group of either Vigilantes or Scholars will help out Altaïr out in different ways...

Citizen Saved	Reward
Female	A group of Vigilantes will become allied with Altaïr. If he is being chased by guards and he runs by a group of vigilantes, the Vigilantes will grab the guards and delay them, giving Altaïr a chance to escape.
Male	A group of four Scholars in a diamond formation will become allied with Altaïr. The Scholars act as a moving Hiding spot. If the player presses the Feet button, Altaïr will blend in among them.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

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Ezio saving a citizen

In Brotherhood, Save Citizen side-quests return, with a new addition; citizens saved by Ezio will be given the opportunity to join Ezio's Apprentices and fight for the freedom of Rome by breaking the corrupt and ruthless Borgia influence. Save Citizen missions are only encountered if an Assassin Recruit slot is open, which is relative to how many Borgia Towers have been destroyed.
When encountered in the game world, the citizen is usually surrounded by 4 to 5 guards in a standoff. A few different situations can be seen:

• The citizen, as well as the guards, have their swords drawn and frozen in a standoff.
• The citizen has taken a guard hostage and has pressed blade to his throat in attempts to make the other guards back down.

Outcomes

As mentioned above, Ezio can gain new Apprentices by saving citizens from guards.

Engaging the guards

How the guards are killed does not matter, in Assassin's Creed or Brotherhood. The Assassin could charge in, sword at the ready, or use low-profile assassinations (e.g. using the Hidden Blade or Throwing Knives) to pick off one or two of the guards before the remaining ones notice and engage the player — any way that is chosen to kill the guards works.
The guards should not be difficult to kill, they should always be low-level infantrymen. However, any number of guards of any rank who happen to pass by as the fight is going on, will join in.

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"I truly thank you, my brother..."

Trivia

• In Assassin's Creed,as Altaïr approaches Damascus for the first time in the game, there will be a citizen to be saved near market outside the main gates. This one Save Citizen is mandatory - it must be done and cannot be skipped. It is the only mandatory Save Citizen mission in the game.
• In Assassin's Creed, save Citizen missions are only available in the three cities - Damascus, Acre, and Jerusalem.