Social stealth
Social Stealth, or how inconspicuous one can remain in public environments, is a key ability to master in order to become a successful Assassin.
Philosophy
A true Master Assassin knows that people cannot appropriately prepare themselves to an invisible strike. Remaining unexposed is the safest way to move about without catching the city guards' attention, arousing the crowd or alerting the target. Therefore, avoiding attention at all times is key to an Assassin's survival during an assassination mission.
Based on the second tenet of The Creed, remaining anonymous is a top priority at all times within the Assassin's Order; since investigations and assassinations have a much larger chance of success when no one knows from where comes the blunt. The key is to understand the people, and use them and other surrounding elements to one's advantage. One must allow the crowd to mask an approach, create distractions during assassinations, and reveal oneself only when absolutely necessary.
Whether performing silent executions or public assassinations, one must strike at the most appropriate moment, where one can not only hit, but also run or hold one's ground if necessary. Whether approaching someone from behind and putting a hidden blade between their ribs, or gently pushing past a crowd before bursting through the guards on a rampage charge at the target's head, social stealth mastery is indispensable. Though mastering the kill is a priority, mastering the approach should be one as well.
Assassin's Creed
In this game, the player's current social status is displayed on the HUD, either via the social status icon or witness indicator. The social status icon switches to the witness indicator under context - they are never displayed simultaneously. The witness indicator is only used when Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is in the presence of guards who are not in open conflict with him, and in all other cases, the social status icon is visible.
The social stealth system keeps track of how much attention is being paid to Altaïr and his actions. Citizens and guards will react differently, depending on how you treat or interact with them. While walking around the city and Kingdom, you can either force people out of the way and to the ground, or you can gently push past them. Though the first will attract a lot of attention and may prompt some citizens to shove you in retaliation, you are able to pass through the crowd much more quickly. Gently pushing or moving past people will attract no attention, but will take more time.
Any socially unacceptable behavior will also increase the attention that people pay you. Remaining anonymous, completely avoiding arousing suspicion and publicly expressing only socially acceptable behavior will allow for safe travel through city streets. Should Altaïr be chased by guards, the following places can be used as Hiding Spots:
- Groups of Scholars
- Benches (if occupied by two people)
- Piles of hay
- Rooftop gardens
Remaining anonymous will also refill your sync bar. If you attract too much attention, the omnipresent guards will recognize you as an Assassin, and try to kill you; ruining your anonymity, and forcing you to hide. An important and dependable (though slow paced) way to assure anonymity is to Blend. As Assassins are dressed similarly to religious scholars, a change in Altaïr's mannerisms to mimic one (folding the hands and assuming a prayerful stance) ensures slow, yet safe passage.
Social Status Icon
| Icon | Status | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
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Anonymous | When Altaïr is not visible to any guards whatsoever, he is Anonymous. Represented by a white social status bar, this status is the ideal one to be in. |
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Exposed | If Altaïr draws too much guard attention to himself, he will become Exposed. The social status icon changes shape and color, flashing red. He can either kill all the guards (instantly returning to Anonymous status) or flee. |
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Unseen | If Altaïr chooses to flee, and is able to break the line of sight of pursuing guards, the social status icon will flash yellow and an audible beeping may be heard, signifying Unseen status. At this point, Altaïr should find a Hiding Spot and hide. If the player chooses to instead keep running, Altaïr may eventually outrun the pursuers and skip immediately back to Anonymous status. |
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Vanishing | If, while in Unseen status, Altaïr hides in a Hiding Spot out of sight of the guards, he will enter Vanishing status. After a few seconds, the guards will approach, but if they are unable to find Altaïr, they will give up the search. |
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Vanished | When the guards give up the chase, Altaïr has Vanished. While Vanished, he cannot be Exposed again. He will remain in this state for as long as he remains in the hiding spot. Once he leaves, he is again able to be Exposed. |
Witness Indicator
The witness indicator distinguishes between the different awareness levels of guards near Altaïr. Shaped differently from the social status icon, it has an eye in the center that glows either yellow or red, depending on soldiers' level of awareness.
- Unaware: A yellow witness indicator (though in the manual, it is said to be white) means that the guards near the player are either unaware or suspicious. An unaware soldier has his hands to his side, unaware of the danger posed by Altaïr.
- Suspicious: A suspicious soldier is slightly cautious of Altaïr, but not enough to attack or draw his sword. Instead, he rests his hand on his sword hilt, with the blade drawn slightly. Unaware or suspicious guards are not very likely to attack, unless provoked. The witness indicator is yellow both while soldiers are suspicious of Altaïr, or if they are unaware of him.
- Informed: A red witness indicator means that guards near the player are very suspicious, and ready to attack Altaïr. An informed soldier has his sword fully drawn, ready to fight. He is either very suspicious of Altaïr, or has seen a dead body on the ground. When in this state, guards are very easy to provoke. Escape either by blending, or killing the soldier. Note that all guard patrols in Middle Districts of cities are always Informed, as are those within the Kingdom.
Assassin's Creed II
The social stealth engine of Assassin's Creed II has been largely improved. You can now blend just by walking into any crowd. You can also bribe Heralds, and hire Courtesans or Thieves to distract targets. You can now pickpocket for money, and also run the risk of being pickpocketed. You can hide in carts of hay, flower petals and autumn leaves, as well as underwater. Doing this will not save you all the time, however, as Seekers can now search for you if you are hiding. Evading guards can be far easier, as you are able to leave a hiding spot anytime you wish, and you can easily evade guards just by running away.
Notoriety System
Notoriety is indicated on the frame of a notoriety icon, set next to the Synchronization Bar. If you are caught doing socially unacceptable deeds, your notoriety increases.
Decreasing
It can be reduced by:
- Ripping down Wanted Posters. Ripping off a poster will lower notoriety by 25%, unless you are seen by guards while doing so.
- Bribing Heralds. Once bribed, notoriety lowers by 50%.
- Assassinating Officials. Kill off the corrupt officials giving false witness, or selected key guards. Once the official is assassinated, notoriety will lower by 75%.
Increasing
Notoriety can increase due to any of the following actions.
- Killing or fighting civilians
- Becoming detected by guards in a restricted area
- Bumping into a stationary guard
- Pickpocketing
- Being caught looting bodies
- Knocking into Minstrels
- Hiding in a hiding spot and being found by Seekers
- Causing Guards to flee from fights
- Killing guards in open conflict
- High-Profile assassinations
- Killing borgia messengers or pickpockets
Notorious and Incognito
When the Notoriety meter is full, guards are on constant lookout and are always suspicious of Ezio. However when the notoriety meter is empty, guards will not pay attention to him unless he's in a restricted area or breaking the law.
Using especial capes will make Ezio permanently incognito. Those capes can be obtained either by completing main storyline missions or by finishing certain tasks.
Social Status Indicator
The new, additional system referred to as SSI is divided into two parts:
NPC Arrows
An arrow above a guard's head informs you whether or not you're at a risk of being detected.
- If you're Incognito, the guards will only notice you if you engage in illegal actions, such as killing, looting or pushing.
- If you are notorious or in a restricted area, guards will notice you on sight
- When the arrow turns yellow, it means that the guard has started investigating, and is alerted to his surroundings. The time needed to a guard recognize you depends from the type of guard watching you and also your actions while being watched.
- When the arrow turns red, the guard has recognized you.
Mini-Map Frame
The Social Status Indicator, instead of being located to the left of the Sync Bar, is now a frame that surrounds the Mini-Map on the bottom right. The Indicator's colors are the same from Assassin's Creed:
- White: You are Anonymous
- Red: You are in an Open Conflict with guards
- Yellow: You are in an Open Conflict with guards, however you have broken the line of sight
- Blue: You are Vanishing (ie. you are unseen, though the guards are still searching for you)
- Green: You are Hidden (ie. in a hiding spot)
Trivia
- In Assassin's Creed II: Discovery, there are additional hiding spots, such as in large barrels and boxes, behind certain walls, and the inside of doorways.
- Brutes will take a lot more time to recognize Ezio.
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