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Altaïr on a View Point in Jerusalem.
View Points were structures high enough for an observer positioned on its tallest point to view the surrounding terrain. They ranged from church towers and roof beams on the city's landmarks, to watchtowers and guard posts. They were essential in allowing an individual to better understand their surroundings.
View Points could be found in the cities of Damascus, Jerusalem, Acre and also in the Kingdom, but not in Masyaf. Each city contained 10 to 12 view points located on the highest buildings, such as a cross on top of a Catholic cathedral, the top of a lighthouse in the port-city of Acre, or a palace guard tower in the city of Damascus. View Points could be located by watching the skies for the eagles that nested nearby. Climbing atop one of these structures allowed Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad to synchronize with the View Point, allowing him to gaze over a vast area.
Because of this, View Points enabled Altaïr to observe the layout of the terrain and rooftops around him, along with watching the movement of its people. After the first View Point in a map was "activated," it revealed the location of the remaining View Points and objectives within a certain radius.
Some View Points had archers defending the position, or guards set around and below it, who could either fire arrows or throw rocks to prevent anyone climbing from reaching the top. At the very bottom of the View Point carts or piles of hay were conveniently positioned, providing safe locations for the performance of a Leap of Faith.
Renaissance
15th century
A View Point in Venice.
During the 15th century, View Points functioned much the same as during the Third Crusade, and some were located on famous landmarks of Italy. Ezio Auditore da Firenze would not only be able to dive into carts and stacks of hay, but also into carts of flower petals, leaves, and bodies of water. There were 73 View Points (66 excluding downloadable content) divided among the cities.
16th century
A View Point in Rome.
During the 16th century, View Points functioned in the same way as before, and there were 24 of them scattered throughout Rome. Half of these View Points were Borgia Towers, and some of them were located on famous monuments, such as the Colosseum and Pantheon.
Constantinople
A View Point in Constantinople.
View Points served the same function in Constantinople and Cappadocia during Ezio's travels to the Ottoman Empire. There were 22 of them scattered around Constantinople, as well as one in Cappadocia. Much like the Borgia towers, seven of these View Points were Assassin Dens, and once again, some of them were located on famous monuments, such as the Hagia Sophia and Topkapı Palace.
In Assassin's Creed, the "Fearless" achievement refers to View Points as "Reach High Points". However, in other areas of the game, they are referred to as "Eagle Points".
Also in Assassin's Creed, you may activate Eagle Vision once you have synchronized with the View Point. However, in Assassin's Creed IIand Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, attempting to hold Y/Triangle will simply have the player "interact" with the View Point, showing the camera spinning cutscene once more.
In each game, the highest point is either inaccessible or not a View Point: in Assassin's Creed it's located in fortress of Masyaf; in Assassin's Creed II it is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore; in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood it is the Castel Sant'Angelo and in Assassin's Creed Revelations it is the Galata Tower, or one of the Hagia Sophia's minarets.
Throughout the Assassin's Creed series, you can be on the View Point the same time the eagle is, causing the eagle to clip through the main protagonist.
You can obtain an achievement "I Like the View" by synchronizing with ten View Points in Assassin's Creed II.
You can also get the achievement "High Dive" for Assassin's Creed II when you perform a Leap of Faith on top of the Campanile di Giotto in Florence.
