Assassin's Creed: Revelations - third play through

[PZ]

Started out a bit differently this time.  First, I did all of the thief challenges so I could unlock their faction ability which is to steal from everyone in sight.  It is funny to walk down the streets hearing that cash register ringing  :-()

Second, I attacked each Templar den to allow the recruitment of two assassin recruits.  It was very easy to keep my notoriety low by visiting the heralds, so other than the initial den attack mission, I have not had a single Templar attack to deal with, and I made it all the way to the Assassin's armor level and am still only at the beginning of sequence 3.

[mandru]

 :)  :-X

[PZ]

It was interesting - I have done so few missions that I had no good armor (only leather spaulders) and only basic weapons.  However, the next moment, my health bar indicator was maxed out due to donning of the master assassin's armor, plus some of the good weapons.  One moment a pauper with no experience and the next I'm all set to do major battle.   :-()

[mandru]

I like that about this game.  You can choose your priorities and set yourself up.

Push the story line and pick up the side missions later on and all those other sets of armor come into play before getting the two sets that never require repairs.  On the other hand if you push the acquisition and establishment of assassin dens and opening shops while buying up landmarks you can play as a rich collector so that when you dive deeper into the storyline missions you are equipped with the best armor and weapons.

I'm in my second time through the game and this time I went after getting all the bomb challenges out of the way first which has really given the game a different feel going through it this time.  My first time through I was just clearing up sync points to finish up the game and had already unlocked shrapnel at the bomb shop before I started really using them.  This time at the point I've reached I've not unlocked Shrapnel yet so I have had to learn to w@&k with the Datura bombs for poison gas clouds instead in places where I wouldn't have even considered using a bomb before.

An example of that creative bomb use is probably demonstrated with my efforts to meet the mercenary challenge to complete 10 chain kills of 5 or more guards.

I use the memory sequence 4:3 where Sophia has a parcel on the ship that has been seized at the port as a repeatable sandbox to find enough guards in one place with the complete absence of Janissaries.  I brashly blow in over the 4 guards protecting the entrance of the area using a hook and run and dash to the back right hand side of the area drawing them along with me in hot pursuit to where there's a couple other guards to give me enough potential victims present to attempt a chain kill of five of them.

The one problem that I continued to encounter though was out near the ship on the pier there is a rifleman who jumps into the fray and while standing back at a safe distance literally shoots holes in my chain kill efforts.  To combat his efforts I tried using the free running start point to the right of the initial guards and the beams out of the side of the building there to reach a rooftop above and behind the rifleman where I would put an arrow into him then quickly leave and re-enter the area as I described just above.  However I found that the rifleman kept re-spawning because of the distance I had to travel away from him and the time involved that my efforts to get out of the area and come busting back in.   :D

Then the thought occurred to me that the Datura bomb doesn't kill instantly giving me a few extra seconds to reposition for my dash through and when I tried it it worked like a charm.   :-D  :-X

It only involved two and a half hours to complete the 10 chain kill requirements for the challenge this time instead of the ten hours my last time through ate up.   ;)

[PZ]

What a great technique!  I too did the bomb crafting challenges very early in the game and have found them to be very useful.  Now with that arsenal of explosives added to my bag of tricks, it is lots of fun to assess any individual situation to see what kind of bomb and tactic will be successful in any particular circumstance.

There are literally dozens of different ways to tackle almost any situation in the game, and that embodies exactly what I like about open world games.  :-X

[PZ]

Managed to play a bit more today, and completed all of the master assassin missions so now all my dens are locked against further Templar attack.  Now I can roam the streets with my thugs and cause all kinds of mayhem without any fear of retribution.  :-()

[PZ]

I just finished the mission where you enter the arsenal, which gives access to the last Ishak memory page.  After picking it up, I did the Hagia Sophia hidden area to get the Ishak armor (which looks the best in my opinion), so now I don't look like a skinny old man in a football uniform any longer.  :-()

I still have lots of the game to play, and have all the weaponry and armor that I need.

The only difficulties I have are with the Janissaries - they are difficult to kill.  Any weapon/tactic that is the best to use against those bad guys?

[mandru]

Part of the problem with Janissaries is that when you try to take a defensive posture to make a counter kill they stand back and shoot you.  When you go on the attack they have excellent defensive strategy though sometimes a kick will break that enough to allow a stray strike to get through but at best it's slow going.  :-\\  Three arrows or three thrown knives to take one out because even as their description says they will continue to fight even when mortally wounded.   ???

One bright spot is that they do die from bombs as quickly as any of the other guard.   :) :-X

The most lowly enemy guard in the game is the militia and they carry a mace but what can a good mace do in the hands of a superior warrior?

For the point you are at in the game PZ you should have a decent mace in your armory.  You could try picking the best mace you have and just one street to the South of the assassin hideout there is a patrol that has a Janissary as part of its compliment.  You can easily try a few strokes on him to see if that goes any better for you.

For the most part I try to avoid them whenever I can.   :-\\

[PZ]

I was afraid of that - thanks, I'll try the maces and see how they go.  I was hoping that there was a certain technique that would w@&k well.  For instance, the guys with the knives that are nimble are really easy to take out with the disarm maneuver, as are the guys with the maces.  The hidden blades are really effective against the mace guys, but not as effective on the knife-wielding guards.

Maybe I'll try combinations of things like hook and throw plus different weapons.  You never know - there might be a certain combination that works even against the Janissaries.

[mandru]

Have you been doing the Desmond Journeys out on animus island.  I'm interested in your thoughts on that activity.

[PZ]

I have tried a couple, but they do not seem to hold my interest much.  Perhaps it is because there is not enough "eye candy" to keep my interest - I'm kind of shallow that way.  There might be much more to them than I am aware, but the developers do not make it enticing.

I've not completed them to get the Desmond outfit.  If the young Ezio outfit was the "carrot" I would probably go for them, but I'm not too fond of the ghetto look.  :-()

[mandru]

I guess what pushed me on through the Desmond Journeys at first was the tidbits of back story they supplied and trying to get all awards and perfect sync to see if it changed the end game.

Once I got used to the controls (using the mouse wheel to quick select ramp or plank) and became familiar with how to read some of the trickier passages for proper navigation I like the challenges they provide.

For someone into the multiplayer aspects of the game there are unlockables on each of the five Desmond Journeys and while I've collected all of those I doubt I'll ever find out what they are.   

[PZ]

Same here - I have not even tried MP because it has never worked for me before.  I'm satisfied to focus on the SP aspect of the game.  In fact, completing this iteration of the assassin's creed series has me motivated to start some of the prior versions.

By the way, have you played the original AC game that came bundled with Revelations?  It is not a great game, but it certainly helps with the back story.

[mandru]

That didn't come as part of the PC version of Revelations.   ????

[PZ]

That's too bad - if you really like the story, then it might be worth the $5 on the bargain rack.  However, the game mechanics  will seem clunky when compared to ACR.  Playing the first game did put lots of ACR into perspective.

I just did one of the Sophia missions where Abass is talking about the brash action of Altair - it instantly took me back to the first part of AC1 where Altair behaved in a less than stellar manner.

[PZ]

I just got to the part in the game where you go to Capadocia, and was wearing Ishak Pasha's armor (the one with the mask).  However, as I started the mission, that armor was automatically removed, and I now look like my old ragged self - the same look I started the game with.  The interesting thing is that I have the same health level as with Ishak's armor, so I wonder I have the Ishak armor characteristics while wearing my old rags.

This would be consistent with other "skins" that have been applied.

[mandru]

Realistically I think the face mask would give you away during that part of the game.  There are other times where you are wearing the Ishak armor but because you are speaking in a cut scene (with say Sophia for example) the mask is put away.

On Cappidocia I noticed that you are wearing a large dark cloak and cape that covers your armor.  I suspect it is because you are there incognito with most of the missions being based on a "Remain Undetected" and "Receive No Damage" for 100% sync requirements.

You are trying to blend and go unnoticed not show up looking like the God of War.   ;)

[Art Blade]

Let's just hope that you won't start to sound like a bag full of cutlery once you speed up a bit.  :-D

[PZ]

You are trying to blend and go unnoticed not show up looking like the God of War.   ;)

Once I made it past the first mission where you are to remain undetected, I reverted to my old habits of pick pocketing everyone I encountered, just like in Constantinople - every person I bump into.

I was in a relatively populated area, the market, I think, where my activities drew the attention of the patrols, and the mini-map flashed red, the gong sounded, and they were on me like flies on stink.  My usual method is to pose in high alert status without a weapon, then disarm the first fool to come in too close - take care of him, and then dispatch the rest in a series of chain kills.

There were so many bodies I could stand on one place and loot 5-6 of them at a time, without moving, then step to the next pile.  The citizens boo'd and threw insults, but not one of them had the bollocks to give me a thrashing.

Let's just hope that you won't start to sound like a bag full of cutlery once you speed up a bit.  :-D

I seem to always sound like a cutlery vendor when I walk around.

[PZ]

It was fun to w@&k my way through Cappidocia - the part where you are to blow up the dynamite can be a challenge due to the many foes you must defeat.  However, with my dagger I was able to do hand-to-hand combat with all of them, and didn't even need to resort to bombs of any kind.

It pays to come to Cappidocia with strong armor, and a good combat skill set.  :-()