During the course of the Middle Ages, there were two main types of guards: Soldiers and Archers. The archers used to be mostly the same, while there were three ranks of soldiers, all of whom were armed with swords of varying styles.
The ordinary Crusader and Muslim guards spoke English. Crusader Captains and Sergeants spoke French or German. Muslim Captains and Guards 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 ranks of a soldier guard, as well as certain special types of guards:
Regular Guards
The ordinary guards didn't wear helmets (or wore turbans instead, for those in Muslim cities) and were only equipped with leather armor or light Lamellar armor. They weren't able to grab or break a grab, could not combo attack and couldn't counter attack. They'd only deflect attacks, with a 25% chance of dodging a light attack. Guard 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
These Guard Sergeants were equipped with helmets, the Crusader variant wearing chain mail tabards, and Saracen Sergeants possessing medium Lamellar armor. They could grab with a 50% chance of them being able to break a grab attack, as well as a 50% one of countering or dodging a light attack. There was also a 25% chance of breaking one's defense, but they could not perform a combo attack.
Guard Captains
Guard Captains were the most powerful guards besides the Knights Templar. The Muslim Captains wore Baidah helmets and heavy Lamellar armor while Crusader captains wore chain mail tabards with surcoats, chain mail mittens and varying knight helms (with faces usually covered, due to helmet size). They were also able to grab with a 75% chance of them being able to break a grab attack and counter or dodge a light attack. There was also a 50% chance of breaking through defense. If a successful heavy attack was delivered, they would perform a combo attack.
Templar Knights were a special variation of guard, of which only 60 could be found throughout the
A Knight Templar
accessed cities. They were similar to the Crusader guard captain, except possessing higher stats and a special armor, most notably a version of helmet that always appeared bloodstained. They also provoked a fight when seeing Altaïr, no matter what social status, ordinary guards always standing back while Altaïr and the Templar Knights engage each other. Strangely enough, Templar Knights could be found in many places, including mountain paths and Muslim cities.
In the Xbox 360 version of the game, killing all 60 Templars will award the player the 'Personal Vendetta (40G)' achievement.
Masyaf Guards
The guards of Masyaf, despite being marked as an ally via Eagle Vision, function exactly like normal ones. They are equipped with robes similar to Altaïr's, but they only have a long sword and their robes are shorter. The ordinary guards wear no hoods, the elite guards wear hoods, and the guard captains wear hoods and cloth face masks, leaving only their eyes visible. They all speak English and have all five fingers, indicating that, though members of the order, they are not Assassins themselves, instead serving as the "Common Soldiers" of the Assassins.
Thugs were people hired by Vieri de' Pazzi. While not officially or technically guards, they function in a remarkably similar manner. They would attack Ezio even as he was Incognito, and fought with fists, making them the easiest to counter. Sometimes they would pick up weapons on the ground such as broomsticks. They also noticed Ezio more easily than other guards did. Much like civilians who had discovered you pickpocketing, Thugs fled shortly after Ezio drew a sword, and could be killed with just a single strike. After assassinating Uberto Alberti, they could no longer be found in game, except for in the Courier mission 'Casanova'.
Standard guards
Regular type of guards could be found almost everywhere on the ground. However, they used a large variety of swords, as well as with maces and war hammers. These regular troops were divided into three ranks themselves: Militia, Elite and Leaders. The Regular Guards were not especially agile, but were able to climb up to the rooftops in order to follow Ezio (though are not as fast as him). Also, they recognized Ezio sitting on a bench, but could be assassinated before spreading word of his presence.
Militia were soldiers of the lowest rank. They wore little armor, and could easily be killed (with one counter-kill). They were also the most easily frightened during combat, and were consequently, the first guards to flee from a losing battle.
They were the only guard archetype to pick up money when Ezio threw it.
Elite guards were stronger, wore a moderate amount of armor, and needed 2-3 counter-kills to be defeated. Elites were also more courageous than Militias, although if killing the leader, they would still retreat.
Leaders were the best fighters and most tenacious of all the regular soldiers. They wore slightly more armor than their Elite counterparts. The Leaders would last slightly longer than Elites during Ezio's counter-attacks. They also hardly gave up their weapons unless significantly damaged, making them harder to disarm than the others. Also, like Brutes, Leader guards could not be grabbed very easily.
Seekers, also called "Paranoid Guards", were constantly looking in hiding spots (such as the haystacks, benches, crowds and wells) and checking them for Ezio (although Ezio could assassinate the seeker from his hiding spot if this occurred). They were armed with long weapons, giving them an increased reach so that they could also perform "Sweep attacks" which required a wind up and resulted in them sweeping Ezio off his feet. This attack affects anyone in range of the long weapon, including fellow guards. The Long weapons main attacks could only be countered with the Hidden Blade, another long weapon/Polearm or a Heavy Weapon. They wear slightly more armor than a Leader-ranked Standard, but not as much as a Brute. When unarmed, they occasionally approached Ezio from behind and then held him while the other guards assaulted him. Disarming the Seeker will give you an advantage, as you can effectively use his own weapon against him. They also had a morale rate of 80% which made them the second bravest fighter after the Brute.
One of the new guard archetypes was the Agile, which, as the name suggests, was a very fast, light enemy. These guards were more fragile than Militia-Ranked Standards, making them very weak to a combo attack. They ran faster than Ezio and also had adept Free Running abilities, which could lead to chase sequences. They wielded small weapons such as daggers and other short blades. Agiles were extremely good at dodging attacks, thus the best way to kill an Agile was by tiring them out or assassinating them before being spotted, which could be done by constantly attacking and dodging his moves, however, simply countering an attack performed by the Agile results in a instant kill, just as with the Militia. Agiles have a morale rate of 40% which makes them the third-most cowardly after Militia guards and archers.
The Brutes were both heavily armored and equipped, wielding two-handed weapons such as heavy swords and axes. Their armor covered almost every part of their bodies, making them tough to bring down, but also making them cumbersome and slow. They were not very intelligent, and wouldn't be able to tell Ezio from anyone else in a crowd.
When deflecting a short weapon, Brutes would not take damage (while all other guards do), but can still be damaged with a counter. A good way to make short work of them is to disarm them and counterattack, as they were very easy to disarm. Brutes have two types of attack: one quick, and one special, which began with a wind-up during which they stirred their weapon slightly in mid-air. The latter attack cannot be deflected or countered, and must be dodged. Ezio had to possess a Brute's weapon to counter the wind-up attacks of another Brute. Also, the Brutes were the only type of enemy that wouldn't flee a battle; they only ran away if disarmed and if they weren't able to find another weapon. Easiest tactic: taking out a Brute by using the Hidden Blade, either in combat (As it was possible to execute them in a 3 hit combo) or by stealth assassinating them. When facing multiple guards who were unaware of your presence, killing the brute first was most efficient.
Archers were guards that patrolled and defended the rooftops. They were armed with long-ranged bows and short-ranged melee weapons (such as swords or maces), and warned Ezio on sight to leave the place, no matter the notoriety. Approaching them would force them to warn you, then draw their weapon and commence a fight. Archers were seemingly just of Militia-ranked standard, with only the additional capability of attacking at a distance with their longbows, however their arrows were very slow and easy to dodge. However, the Archers in the Vatican were Leader-ranked Standards.
While Florentine and Tuscan Archers could be killed with a single Throwing Knife, archers in the other cities and regions (such as Venice and Romagna) would need two Throwing Knives to be taken down. Since they were almost always on the rooftops of buildings, Archers were fairly easy to dispatch in melee combat, as they had the skill and hardiness of a Militia-ranked standard. 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. The archers also had a morale rate of 30% which made them a little braver than the average guard.
15th Century
Guard archetypes in the 16th Century.
In addition to the guards the 15th century, there were several new guard types to reflect the changing location and time period. Guards would also be more aggressive and had new moves of their own, such as being able to grab Ezio, though this was counterable by flipping them to the ground.
Compared to the previous century, there were no longer Elite-ranked Regular guards, only Militia or Leaders, and both Militia and Seekers now had the ability to throw sand at Ezio.
Similarly to archers, Crossbowmen patrolled and defended the rooftops, but were more deadly; crossbow bolts causing more damage and increased accuracy thus hitting Ezio faster than arrows fired from a longbow. Unlike the Archers, the Crossbowmen had no melee weapon, and if being closed in, would start walking backwards to create distance. However, compared to the Archers they had increased free-running ability, and if investigating, they would leap over towards where they detected Ezio.
Horsemen patrolled the streets of Rome and were deadly in both short and long range, being able to slash Ezio while on a horseback. They also tried to hit Ezio with the arrows from their crossbow, or in some cases, their throwing knives, if he attempted to flee.
Amongst the Regular guards, the armored ones 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.
The Arquebusiers were firearm-wielding soldiers who served and protected the pontiff during their tenure. They acted similarly to Crossbowmen, but were able to fire faster shots that caused more damage.
They usually found in the rooftops near Pantheon, or patrolling in pairs near Guard Posts.
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 is heavy, though seems largely ceremonial in design. They also combined the best qualities of all the other guards, like speed and combat abilities (dodging reflexes), and they were also able to dual-wield a pistol alongside their primary weapon. Their weakness was that they were unable to freerun, a vulnerability also found in Seekers and Brutes.
On very rare occasions, mostly at night, sunset, or at dawn, masked thieves would attack Ezio in addition to the guards. In appearance, they wore hats similar to that of the militia, clothes of a civilian or thief, and a bandanna over their faces. They attacked with small daggers and throwing knives. They could not be seen or picked out of a crowd, as they appeared to jump into the battle randomly to support their Papal overlords. They each carried large amounts of money and a trade item, similar to a Borgia Courier or a pickpocket. They also appear in the High-Stakes Negotiations memory. They can dodge attacks much like the Agile and can only be killed by counter attacks and attacks from behind.
Up until after Sequence 6 after the French general Octavian de Valois was killed, French guards appeared in the Campagna district in Rome. They were stationed in military camps (referred to as Guard Posts) throughout the Campagna district, the small camps consisted of ten soldiers guarding their territory. The main French camp was the most heavily guarded, and was where Octavian was located before his death. French soldiers would 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 guards only appeared in Sequence 9, during the Siege of Viana. They engaged Ezio in a fight if he was seen, or they would either attack the invading soldiers of King John's army. These guards acted the same in combat patrolling and ranking, and their clothes and armor were dyed yellowish-green.
Navarre Soldiers
These guards served King John III of Navarre and only appeared in Sequence 9 at Viana, under the command of Cesare Borgia as he tried to retake the Viana Castle from the Count of Lerin. These guards would attack Ezio on sight or fight Viana guards. 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.
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. These guards are usually protecting Codex pages and appear whenever encountering Rodrigo Borgia outside of Rome. They could be found at the north 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 give aid 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.
Taunts
The following are examples of taunts that Ezio uses to anger the guards, and to provoke them into an easily countered attack:
"It's a fight, fesso (fool)! Start fighting for a change!"
"Come now! You bore me!"
"Come on! There's only one of me!"
"Are you afraid?!"
"Bring it on!"
"Your mama can't help you this time!"
"Hurry up! I need to meet a lady friend!"
"Shall we dance?"
"I hate these awkward moments! Will you come to me, or should I go to you?"
"Generally they are made for swinging at people, yes?"
"Never had to actually have use it?!"
"They send bambini (children) to do a man's job?"
"Your nonna (grandma) is coming".
"Hai paura?" (Are you afraid?)
"Sai, l'armi serve a duellare!" (You know, weapons are made for fighting!)
"What, diarrhea got you stuck? Try leeches!" (only to Brutes)
"Let's see what you've got, metal man!" (only to Brutes)
"Can you even hear me in there?" (only to Brutes)
"Come on, you fat pig!" (only to Brutes)
"Well, you're certainty well fed!" (only to Brutes)
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 own use. They were quite weak to fight and were easily dispatched even when in larger numbers. They can be killed even more easily as Desmond couldn't be killed. Lucy would also be fighting, so it was an option to leave them to her. They would never run away from a battle and fought to the death or until they were unconscious.
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 Assassin's Сreed: 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 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.
Similiarly in the mission French Kiss from Assassin's Creed:Brotherhood, 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 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, it will cause intense lag, but they will not give chase if you flee. It is unknown why they are there or if this is simply a glitch.
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.
At the end of the memory Follow The Money, (Assassins Creed Brotherhood) a papal guard is seen with a sword very similar to the Sword of Altaïr.
Earlier In the same mission, a Militia-class guard is seen threatening Senator Troche with another sword resembling the Sword of Altair.
In Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: 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 (you can do this with any dead body, actually).
In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, there are several guard archetypes never encountered in any other game in 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.
In early concept arts for Assassin's Creed II, Abstergo guards were shown to be with guard dogs.
In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, 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 system.
