Glyphs are encrypted messages that appear when using Eagle Vision in various locations in Assassin's Creed II. They also appear as Cryptic Messages in the original Assassin's Creed as part of the cliffhanger ending, and in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (in modified form) as Rifts. They were created by the late Subject 16 as his final message to the world, an apparent attempt to stop Abstergo from achieving their goal.
In Assassin's Creed II, before Lucy Stillman and Desmond Miles fled from Abstergo Industries, Lucy stole a memory core containing data from the Animus, to be used in the Animus 2.0, the Animus version utilized by the Assassins. It was later discovered that Subject 16 had hacked into the Animus to place the glyphs, and they had been accidentally copied into the Animus 2.0 by Lucy. Coincidentally, it was also discovered that Subject 16 and Desmond shared a common ancestor: Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
In order to ensure security, Subject 16 locked each file with a series of puzzles, with each set of puzzles relevant to the content of the encoded message within the glyph.
Each of the glyphs contain a hidden message, which is encoded within image or voice files placed within the puzzle sequence. These messages contain snippets of information about the Templars and the roles that the Pieces of Eden have played throughout human history. Each glyph also contains a small piece of a video that combine after successfully unlocking all of the glyphs, revealing a final video that Subject 16 calls "The Truth."
Regardless of the order in which the glyphs are located, the order of the puzzles required to unlock each one will remain the same. As areas with glyphs are discovered, they will be added to the Animus 2.0 database, with specific symbols in a manner similar to the Assassin's Tombs.
From left to right are the maps for; Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Romagna and Monteriggioni.
Subject 16 states that "everything we've been brought up to believe is a lie" and explains he has proof. This proof has been split into 20 encrypted pieces and hidden in the Animus software as the Glyphs.
The puzzle to solve involves finding the "core similarity" in each painting. Identify and select the pictures with apples: The Fall, Hercules in the Garden of Hesperides, Atalanta and Hippomenes, Judgement of Paris and Idun and the Apples.You must solve 3 picture rings: spin the various rings in turn until they form an image. The centre circle of the puzzle is fixed, so work you way from the inside out. Sometimes rotating the thickest circles first makes understanding the correct positions of the smaller ones easier.
Each picture is of a famous historical leader who held an Apple of Eden during their career. These leaders are Queen Elizabeth I (Piece #2), Napoleon Bonaparte (Piece #1) and George Washington (Piece #3).You are presented with a series of pictures, which you will see normally and then under a red light. When the picture is under the red light, you'll have to search the images for the hidden Apple of Eden. While you're searching the paintings, you will also uncover some hidden Morse or Mason Pigpen symbols that contain a hidden message.
Subject 16 explains that each photo subject was murdered by the Templars and their Piece of Eden stolen.
Like the previous glyph, you need to find the Apple of Eden in each photo.
Like the first Glyph, you need to select the pictures that share a common theme. There are two sets of pictures to solve.
This is a slightly more difficult variation of the picture rings, last seen in Glyph #2. As you spin a specific ring, another ring in the puzzle will also move. There are 4 rings to solve, each depicting the story of Cain and Abel.
The quote is from the Book of Mormon (Moses 5:29-31) and the Morse Code reads "Templar texts adapted by Mr. Smith".
Subject 16 then proclaims the Templar emblem (technically a Maltese Cross) is actually the Mark Of Cain.The first part of this puzzle is a 'common picture' puzzle. Identify the paintings with a person wearing a red robe: Joseph, Egypt c. 1700 BCE; Jason, Greece Prehistory; Jesus Christ, Jerusalem c. 30; David and Goliath, Valley of Elah c. 970 BCE; Christ Disrobed, Jerusalem c. 30. Each of them once held Piece Of Eden #66, The Shroud.
The second part of the puzzle involves scanning a picture of the crucified Jesus Christ for a Piece of Eden. You will hear a beeping sonar that becomes more rapid as you approach your target. Located around Jesus's legs is the red Shroud. Hidden amongst this picture is the Templar cross, the SPQR logo and the words "They took it".Martyrs
Solution: You need to select and ID certain portions of each picture. Use the beeping sound as a guide to the exact location where you need to scan.
For the first, look around the center of the staff; for the second, search the lower portion of the sword. Once that is done, use the cursor to pick up the flame and then move onto the Joan of Arc painting in the lower left. Finally, move together the remaining two images in the upper right to complete this glyph.
Information: The photo of Czar Nicholas II has a message written in Binary that reads "17th July 1918." This was the day the Czar and his entire family were murdered. There is another Binary message on the painting of Jeanne d'Arc that reads "30th May 1431;" the day she was burned at the stake.
This glyph reveals that the Templars stole the Sword of Eden from, and then killed, Jeanne d'Arc. It also states that Rasputin stole the Staff of Eden from Czar Nicholas II. Without the staff to control the populace, the Russian Revolution occurred.
Hat Trick
Solution: Find the hidden objects in two pictures then crack the code.
Move the cursor over Houdini's abdomen to reveal a hidden Piece of Eden and scan it. You'll hear a heart beat race as you get closer. Then move the cursor over Gandhi's heart to reveal another Piece of Eden. Scan it. Lastly, enter the password 312 to complete this puzzle.
Information: According to the letter, JFK (John F. Kennedy) was planning on expanding the franchise to all citizens of the United States (likely referring to the Civil Rights Act of 1964), something the Templars opposed, prompting them to kill him and take his Piece of Eden in one fell swoop.
Oswald was trained in the use of the first two "Pieces of Eden," which he used to make a "Phantom" in order to create a distraction (the phantom was made to appear on a part of the map marked with an X; the infamous "Grassy Knoll"). The letter also poses another man being in the conspiracy by the name of "Z", possibly Abraham Zapruder.
Apollo
Solution: Solve three puzzles. First you need to find the hidden lunar lander. It's located out in the blackness of space, just to the lower left of the moon.
Then you have to complete a spinning image puzzle. Twist the rings in the follow order (inner ring is called Ring 1, outermost ring is called Ring 5): Twist Ring Five 6 times to the left; twist Ring Two 4 times to the left; twist Ring Four 3 times to the right; twist Ring Three 5 times to the left. Then rotate Ring One around until the puzzle is complete.
Once that is done, find the Piece of Eden which is hidden in the shadow of the flag on the left.
Information: A Pigpen Cipher reads "Johnson was one of them. The bee's drone too. Follow the money." "Johnson" likely refers to Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy's Vice-President and immediate successor. Him being "one of them" seems to imply he was a Templar. The title of the Moon photo reads "Apollo 11 photograph released to public." Underneath it reads "Original unreleased negative." When scanned, the US Flag contains the Abstergo logo, and the white flag contains the Templar Emblem. This means that the Templars went to the moon for some reason, likely for a Piece of Eden.
The Inventor
Solution: Begin by moving the cursor across all the light bulbs to turn them all on. Now complete the next two puzzles.
For the first puzzle, highlight the small picture directly above the center door. For the second, turn Infrared on and then scan Tesla's lap to find the Piece of Eden.
Titans of Industry
Solution: For the first puzzle, enter the password "240" then touch all the light bulbs with the money cursor to deactivate them. For the second, simply ID the glowing orb in Mark Twain's hands. For the third, enter the following Symbols:
Information: A message in Morse Code reads "They used it [the Piece of Eden] to make Tesla go insane. The organization took his research. Alien Property Custodian Office." The second letter says that Henry Ford sent the fourth PoE to a man by the name of "H," which appears to be Hitler, since there is mention of a war starting soon. It also implies Ford and the Templars organized the Holocaust, as he says "Lord knows, that kind of purge will be good for Europe." Ford was well known as an anti-Semite.
I Am Become Death, The Destroyer of Worlds
Solution: Enter the password below. Then ID the red button with the cursor. After that, move the highlighter around to the bottom of the screen and use the sound to locate the code just above the bottom, just to the left of the middle.
Information: The letter refers to an individual called "O," and implies that the Templars were behind the creation of the Atomic Bomb. Mr. "O" is most likely J. Robert Oppenheimer, a.k.a. The Father of the Atomic Bomb, meaning his is either a pawn of the Templars, or a Templar himself.
Bloodlines
Solution: Select the five paintings that portray a coupling between a god and a mortal: Danaë Visited by Zeus, Jupiter and Io, Leda and the Swan (Zeus), Cupid and Psyche, and Rape of Europa (by Zeus).
Information: Subject 16 indicates that Those Who Came Before were the original inhabitants of the Earth, and that the Assassins are the result of cross-breeding between the two.
Guardians
Solution: First, solve the ring puzzle by doing the following (inner ring is Ring 1, outermost ring is Ring 5): Twist Ring Three 2 times to the right; twist Ring One 4 times to the right; twist Ring Four 5 times to the right; twist Ring One 5 times to the left; twist Ring Two 5 times to the left; then twist Ring Five 5 times to the right. Then, simply move the cursor over the targets on the map to activate them.
Information: The message shows that the various Tyrants listed were killed by the Assassins (point of interest: Cleopatra was listed as one of the Tyrants, and she was the target of Amunet, one of the assassins in the Sanctuary). The Cipher painting, once solved, shows Ivan the Terrible, the first Czar of Russia, holding his dead son. Historically, Ivan killed his son in an argument by striking him on the head with his staff.
The Cavalry
Solution: For the first puzzle, place the cursor over the word "Tunguska," without hitting any other word on your way there; after that, place the cursor over the staff, then drag the staff to the portrait.
Information: It reveals that the Tunguska explosion that occurred in 1908 was caused by Nikola Tesla, working for the Assassins, who tried to destroy the Staff of Eden as a strike against the Templars.
The Bunker
Solution: Enter the following password:
Then locate the Assassin symbol on the upper right corner of the upper right building.
Information: One Cipher reads "His double was killed in his bunker." Near the bottom left of the picture, when highlighted, the letters RIP appear. The Templars were successful in their World Government Takeover after WWII. The "C" in the letter may be Winston Churchill, implying he is a Templar; though WWII seems to have been a huge victory for the Templars, the Assassins did manage to kill Hitler and take PoE 4.
Synapses
Solution: Enter the password below, then move the cursor over the eight neurotransmitters to light them up.
Information: The file shows that Those Who Came Before created humans as a slave race, genetically programmed to be susceptible to control by the Pieces of Eden.
The Fourth Day
Solution: Pick the five pictures that focus on the sun (Nazca Textile. c. 200; Aztec Calendar Stone. 1427; The Eastern Gate. 1816; Book of the Dead. c. 1310 B.C.E.; Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco. 1512). Then find the small image of Earth, located way between the middle and the lower left side of the sun.
Information: Indicates that a catastrophe involving the sun previously devastated the earth. Subject 16 states that the Pieces of Eden "were once part of a whole."
The Origin of the Species
Solution: Solve the ring puzzle (innermost ring is "Ring 1," outermost ring is "Ring 5"): twist Ring Five 10 times to the right; twist Ring Four 2 times to the left; twist Ring Three 2 times to the right; twist Ring Two 5 times to the right; and then twist Ring One 3 times to the left. After that, select the eye at the top of the picture. When asked to enter a password, use any three glyphs; there is no real password. Then, move the cursor over the skeleton to realign the bones into a man.
Information: The file indicates that the Templars planted false fossil evidence for human evolution, so as to hide the truth of humanity's history.
| Icon | Name | How to obtain | Points | Trophy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tip of the Iceberg | Use your Eagle Vision to scan a Glyph in the environment. | 10
|
Bronze |
|
Vitruvian Man | Unlock all 20 pieces of Subject 16's video. | 20
|
Bronze |
