The goal of this guide is to provide a concise “before you play” overview with key gameplay and progression points. This guide should be most helpful for people like me who’re playing through all Assassin’s Creed games in chronological order for the first time, focusing on the story and aiming at full game completion.
 
 

Intro

The goal of this guide is to provide a concise “before you play” overview with key gameplay and progression points. This guide should be most helpful for people like me who’re playing through all Assassin’s Creed games in chronological order for the first time, focusing on the story and aiming at full game completion.
 
 
Why I made this guide: there’s a lot of information about AC games on the web, but it’s either scattered through message board posts or spread over long-winded walkthroughs. My guide aims to remedy this — it collects all information that I deemed important to know before playing the game. I avoided spoilers or details like “how do I complete this mission”. If you’re stuck, Google/Youtube the solution.
 
 
What this guide is:
 

• Overview of available game content with progression details
• Key gameplay changes compared to the previous game in the franchise
• Hints & tips for comfortable gameplay experience

What this guide isn’t:
 

• Note: if I’ve encountered an issue w/o an proper solution on PCGamingWiki, I’ll mention it as an exception

I will be using Xbox controller mappings for reference, since the game is best played with a controller (as is the case with all Assassin’s Creed games).
 
 
 

Game Content / DLCs

Base game now includes the following content for free:
 

• Underground Armory Pack — no story content, 2 gear items, 2 outfits, 5 weapons
• Dead Kings DLC — story expansion

Content purchased separately:
 

• Revolutionary Armaments Pack — no story content, six weapons. Skip
• Secrets Of The Revolution Pack — 3 extra missions, 6 gear items, 8 weapons. Buy for the missions

Content purchased via Helix credits:
 

• Paris Stories map
   
   
   
• Murder Mysteries map
   
   
   
• Cockades & Chests map
   
   
   
• Nostradamus Enigma map

 
 
 

Technical Issues

Issue:
 

• Using DualShock 4 v2 controller with DS4Windows causes an issue where Arno regularly drops smoke bombs whenever your press R1 (High Profile)

Solution:
 

1. Exit DS4Windows
2. Open game config file (ACU.ini) and replace the bindings under the [Wireless Controller DefaultBindings] section with the corresponding bindings from this document – [pastebin.com] 

 
 
 

Progression Sequence

1. Main story: complete Sequences 1 & 2
2. Purchase all four time saver packs
3. Unlock Cafe Theatre hideout
4. Purchase lockpicking lvl 1
5. Complete all available side content: unlock chests, gather collectibles, purchase Cafe Theatre renovations, complete side missions
6. Travel to Versailles to unlock all chests and collectibles there
7. Main story: complete Sequence 3
8. Complete the first 2 Helix Rifts
9. Main story: complete Sequence 4
10. Complete Marquis De Sade side missions & “The Body In The Brothel” Murder Mystery
11. Main story: complete Sequence 5
12. Purchase lockpicking lvl 2. Note: I recommend skipping lvl 2 chests now until you have lockpicking lvl 3 to avoid combing the whole map for the third time
13. Main story: complete Sequences 6 & 7
14. Complete the second 3 Helix Rifts
15. Complete Sequence 8
16. Complete the final bunch of Paris Memories missions
17. Complete Sequence 9
18. Purchase lockpicking lvl 3
19. Complete the rest of available side content: unlock lvl 2 & lvl 3 chests, gather leftover collectibles, collect leftover sync points from coop side missions, complete “The Red Ghost of the Tuileries” Murder Mystery
20. Complete Sequences 10 & 11
21. Complete the last 2 Helix Rifts
22. Complete Sequence 12 to finish the main game
23. Travel to Franciade to start Sequence 13 (Dead Kings DLC) and complete the first 4 Memories
24. Complete all DLC side content: unlock chests, gather collectibles, complete side missions, free outposts
25. Complete the last 2 Memories of Sequence 13

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Changes

What’s changed since Assassin’s Creed: Rogue?
 
(Note: this is not an exhaustive list)
 
 

Things changed

 

• You can now use Eagle Vision in High Profile

Things added

 

• Skills unlock assassin abilities (like Double Assassination) and certain items/gadgets (like Bombs: Money Pouch)

Things removed

 

• No whistling to lure enemies
• No ships, no ship combat, no naval missions
• No optional minigames
• No sleeping darts
• No kill streaks
• Certain types of side missions, collectibles, and activities were removed
• Cannot pick up enemy weapons anymore
• Cannot pick up, move, and hide bodies anymore

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Economy

There are four types of currency:
 

• Standard boost lasts 3 minutes
   
   
   
• Premium boost lasts 5 minutes

After Cafe Theatre is unlocked, you gain access to a chest that provides you with passive income
• Income capacity is limited. It can be increased by completing 5 Cafe Theatre missions, purchasing 5 Cafe Theatre renovations, and purchasing 7 Social Clubs
• You receive 1/4th of your total income capacity every 20 minutes. Maximizing your passive income will net you 10798F each 20 minutes with total chest capacity of 43192F that’s reached in 80 minutes.
• Time passes by even when you are in the pause menu or looking at the map

Medicine cost scales with your health skills
• With all health skills maxed out, 1 medicine costs 2500F
• Try looting the corpses if you don’t want to spend too much money on medicine

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Combat

• Hitting Parry when enemy health bar is flashing yellow results in perfect parry which break down enemy’s guard, allowing you to immediately go on offensive

Enemy types

 

• Dodge officers’ strong attack, then relatiate
   
   
   
• Use Eagle Vision if blinded by bomb
   
   
   
• Parry their combos, then retaliate
   
   
   
• Break their guard with Strong Attack, then go on offensive

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Parkour

For a detailed explanation of Assassin’s Creed Unity parkour, check out
 

 
.
 

• When you need to free run down the building, you don’t need to press a direction, Arno will climb down as long as you hold both Free Run Down and High Profile

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Gear

• Ignore “Melee / Health / Stealth / Ranged” indicators on armor, they don’t apply these stats to armor — they indicate the focus of the armor based on skills the armor boosts

Recommended gear

 

• Sans-Culottes or Military belts are also very good choices, depending on which tools you’re using the most

 
 
 

Gameplay & World: Skills

• Co-op skills take up a special co-op skill slot. You can only have one active co-op skill at a time (in a slot)
   
   
   
• Co-op skills affect other players in co-op missions
   
   
   
• After activation, these skills have a lengthy cooldown

Most useful skills

 

• If you’re using long or heavy weapons, choose a different “weapon master” skill instead
   
   
   
• Break enemy blocks when you press & hold the attack button

Moderately useful skills

 

• Also heals Arno
   
   
   
• Can be useful in emergency situation when on a mission

Least useful skills

 

• If you’re using one-handed weapons, this skill is useless

 
 
 

Story Content: Main Story

Note (applicable to main missions and side missions): Do not quick travel if you need to “Escape The Area“, you will fail your mission
 

• These make “Women’s March” and “The Tournament” co-op missions a bit easier solo, but these missions can be completed before these unlocks

 
 
 

Story Content: Side Stories

• Have optional objectives
   
   
   
• Can be replayed
   
   
   
• Stay on the map after completion

Paris Memories – 52 story missions

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2
• Some missions are a part of mission chains (you have to finish the first mission in a chain in order for another one to appear)
• Marquis De Sade missions are unlocked after finishing Sequence 4. Finishing these side missions unlocks “The Body in the Brothel” murder mystery
• Final bunch of Paris Memories missions is unlocked after finishing Sequence 8

Murder Mysteries – 15 “detective” story missions

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2
• “The Body in the Brothel” murder mystery is unlocked by finishing Marquis De Sade memories
• One piece of evidence in “The Body Politic” murder mystery is locked in a level 3 chest
• “The Red Ghost of the Tuileries” murder mystery is locked behind level 3 door
• Two murder mysteries (“The Body Politic” & “The Red Ghost of the Tuileries“) have a clue location that is not highlighted on a map
• If you accuse the wrong person, you won’t get a monetary bonus at the mission completion

Nostradamus Enigmas – 18 “riddle” missions

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2
• Completing these missions unlocks puzzles that guard Thomas de Carneillon Master Assassin outfit in the basement of Cafe Theatre
• First basement puzzle is unlocked after completing 4 Nostradamus Enigma missions
• Second basement puzzle is unlocked after completing 10 missions
• Third (last) basement puzzle is unlocked after completing all 18 missions

Cafe Theatre missions – 5 story missions

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2 and discovering Cafe Theatre
• Complete ASAP to increase your Cafe Theatre income

Companion Missions – 24 basic tasks

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2
• No longer require the companion app

Social Club missions – 20 story missions

 

• Unlocked after finishing Sequence 2 and purchasing social clubs
• Each purchased social club has several missions tied to it

Helix Rifts – 7 instanced collect-a-thon missions

 

• The exact number of available Assassin Intel can be seen in the mission summary
   
   
   
• Helix Rifts cannot be replayed from the Progress Tracker — you need to start them visiting the rift in the game world

 
 
 

Story Content: Co-Op Missions

• Use “Play in private” option to play any co-op mission solo

Co-op missions – 11 story missions with an extra cutscene

 

• Contain sync points used for purhasing skills
• Completing a co-op mission gives you a specific piece of gear as a reward
• Each mission offers 3 different pieces of gear, so you need to complete each mission 3 times to get all gear

Heist missions – 7 “heist” missions

 

• Do not contain sync points or gear
• Provide monetary rewards on each completion
• Provide a minimum guaranteed payment plus a significant bonus that depends on how stealthy you are
• Useful for farming money
• Desynchronization (death) fully resets the memory

 
 
 

Story Content: Crowd Events

Crowd events are randomly generated events that ask you to complete a basic task:
 

• Throw a money pouch at them (requires Bombs: Money Pouch skill)

Crowd event rewards are given for completing a set of crowd events that increases the number of required events in the increments of 5:
 

• 5 event set: 500F
• 10 event set: Tailored Prowler Hood
• 15 event set: 2500F
• 20 event set: Improved Phantom Bracer
• 25 event set: 10000F
• 30 event set: Master Phantom Bracer
• 35 event set and further event sets: 25000F

 
 
 

Story Content: Dead Kings DLC Main Story

• Mission levels range from 1 to 5 regardless of district level

 
 
 

Story Content: Dead Kings DLC Side Stories

All side DLC stories are required for 100% completion
 

Stories of Franciade – 4 story missions

 

• All these missions except one are unlocked after completing Memory 1
• “The Unopened Rose” mission is unlocked after completing Memory 2

Murder Mysteries – 2 “detective” story missions

 

• Unlocked after completing Memory 2
• Require completing at least one murder mystery from the main game

Suger’s Legacy – 7 “riddle” missions

 

• Completing these two missions is required to unlock Memory 4 in the main story
   
   
   
• Completing these two missions unlocks the rest of Suger’s Legacy missions

Outposts – 3 area liberation activities

 

• Unlocked after completing Memory 2

Co-op missions – 1 story mission

 

• Does not contain sync points
• Unlocked after completing Memory 4

Heists – 1 “heist” mission

 

• Unlocked after completing Memory 2

 
 
 

Collectibles

• To visit Versailles, find a tear-shaped icon with letter V next to Cafe Theatre and use fast travel

Viewpoints – 23

 

• A number of missions and collectibles need to be discovered manually or by purchasing time saver packs

Sync points – 40

 

• Not all sync points can be collected from co-op missions immediately — you will need Lockpicking level 2 and 3 to open some doors

Chests – 294

 

• Reward a large sum of money or outfits
• Not locked
• Unguarded
• Do not require participation in the Initiates program anymore

Cockades – 128

 

• Collect all to reveal a new memento in Cafe Theatre

Artifacts – 60

 

• Each Helix Rift run will spawn one artifact, including already collected ones
   
   
   
• Restart Helix Rift checkpoints over and over until you get all artifacts in each Rift

Cafe Theatre renovations – 5

 

• Purchased at Intendant’s Study room in Cafe Theatre
• Purchase ASAP to increase your Cafe Theatre income

Social Clubs – 7

 

• Purchased by visiting the Social Club icon in the game world
• Purchase ASAP to increase your Cafe Theatre income
• Purchasing unlocks side missions specific for purchased social club

 
 
 

Collectibles: Dead Kings DLC

Viewpoints – 3

 

Artifacts – 14

 

Napoleon’s Bicorns – 26

 

• Take place of cockades from the main game
• Collecting all bicorns unlocks Napoleon’s artillery outfit

Chests – 61

 

• Chests provide significantly more money than in the main game

 
 
 

The End

That’s all I have. If I missed something that you feel belongs here, let me know.
 
 

 
 
This is all about Assassin’s Creed Unity – Basic Gameplay Tutorial for New Players; I hope you enjoy reading the Guide! If you feel like we should add more information or we forget/mistake, please let us know via commenting below, and thanks! See you soon!