Welcome to the ultimate walkthrough and strategy guide for Assassin’s Creed Mirage (AC Mirage). Whether you’re just starting Basim’s journey in 9th-century Baghdad or aiming for full completion, this guide is crafted to help you excel at stealth, parkour, gear progression and collectibles. You’ll find detailed step-by-step instructions, long-tail keywords naturally embedded (like “AC Mirage stealth gameplay tips”, “AC Mirage parkour navigation”, “AC Mirage gear upgrades”), and strategies designed for both beginners and hardcore completionists.
The game marks a return to the series’ roots — less RPG-focussed, more about fluid movement, one-hit assassinations, and classic assassin mechanics. Game Informer+1 We’ll cover everything from how to begin, how to use your tools, how to upgrade gear, to the best stealth tactics and parkour routes across Baghdad. By the end you’ll have a solid roadmap to dominate AC Mirage.
1. Getting Started: Core Mechanics & Early Moves
1.1 Understanding the New Basics
In AC Mirage, you’ll see a shift compared to recent Assassin’s Creed titles: emphasis on stealth, parkour, assassination rather than brute-force combat.
Key mechanics to master early:
- Use your eagle companion Enkidu to scout ahead and mark enemies/objects.
- Stealth matters far more: avoid open combat whenever possible.
- Parrying and dodging are major components of combat — you’re more fragile than protagonists from recent titles.
- Use your Assassin Focus ability to eliminate multiple targets quickly; learn how and when to trigger it.
1.2 Initial Steps & Key Controls
- After the opening sequence, take time to sync towers (or vantage points) to reveal the map quicker and fast-travel points.
- Familiarise yourself with the parkour and traversal: jumpers, poles, rooftops — AC Mirage brings back freer movement.
- Activate Enkidu (your eagle) in restricted zones: mark enemies, arrow-throwers, guard patterns.
- Practice pickpocketing, looting and scanning loot chests: these help you build resources for upgrades.
- Enter your first Bureau of the Hidden Ones and complete the tutorial missions — follow prompts to unlock tools (throwing knife, smoke bombs) and upgrades.
1.3 Early Stealth Tips & Mistakes to Avoid
- Tip: Always scout ahead with Enkidu before entering zones with high guard density. This gives you an “AC Mirage stealth gameplay advantage”.
- Avoid: Don’t rush into firefights or open combat. A user warns:
“Always take your time picking off enemies one by one and avoid combat as much as possible. Basim is much more squishy …”
- Use hiding spots, crowds, benches and hay carts to break line of sight.
- Don’t waste early resources on every tool upgrade — focus on core stealth/assassination tools first.
2. Parkour & Navigation: Traverse Baghdad with Style
2.1 Parkour Essentials
AC Mirage re-introduces a dedicated jump button and poles for wide-gap crossings.
- Always look for poles and beams: they let you cross large gaps fast and maneuver across rooftops.
- Use rooftops and high vantage points to avoid ground-level guard patrols and for stealth insertion.
- When you’re being chased, climb walls, use verticality, and break line of sight via rooftops rather than just running on streets.
2.2 Fast Travel & Synchronisation
- Sync all viewpoints you come across to unlock fast travel and reveal the map. This helps with completing side-quests, collecting gear chests, and revisiting areas.
- When exploring new districts (e.g., Abbasiyah, Harbiyah, Round City), use roof traversal to quickly unlock vantage points.
2.3 Navigation for Collectibles & Gear Chests
- Gear chests often hide in restricted or high guards zones; use rooftops to bypass ground patrols.
- Use Enkidu to spot gold chest icons through Eagle Vision; mark them and plan your path.
- Many collectibles (Lost Books, Mysterious Shards) are placed off the beaten path: traverse via parks, rooftops and inner-courtyards.
3. Stealth & Assassination: Play Like a Shadow
3.1 Approach Planning
- Before entering an area, use Enkidu to mark all guards and arrow-throwers.
- Identify a clean vantage point, ideally rooftop, for assassination or infiltration.
- Use tools like throwing knife, smoke bomb or distraction whistles to thin the guard numbers.
- Initiate your assassination when the target is isolated; remnants will panic and draw attention if you rush.
3.2 Combat & Parrying
- When stealth fails, you’ll face combat. But AC Mirage expects you to react rather than brute-force. Parry early and often.
- Do not try to take on 3+ enemies at once in open combat unless you have major gear upgrades. Stick to 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 maximum.
- If you’re overwhelmed, don’t fight — run, climb, hide. The game gives you routes to disengage.
3.3 Using Assassin Focus
- Build up your Assassin Focus meter via stealth assassinations. When full, trigger the ability: time slows, you tag up to five enemies, and Basim eliminates them automatically.
- Use it when you’re about to be detected or need to clear a heavily-guarded area quickly.
- It also works well before entering a restricted stronghold: sneak in, build the meter, then trigger.
4. Gear, Upgrades & Progression: Build Basim Right
4.1 Resources & Looting
- Collect Dinars, Leather, Steel Ingots via loot chests, pickpocketing and selling rare items.
- Tokens: Merchant Tokens, Scholar Tokens, Favor Tokens all unlock unique benefits (discounts, upgrades, contracts). Prioritise gathering them.
- Use blues-tool chests to refill tools for free — don’t overspend at vendors early.
4.2 Gear Chest Locations & Tiers
- Gear chests often require solving environmental puzzles (moving shelves, burning oil pots, etc.).
- The best gear often comes from hidden strongholds and the Round City — but guard level is higher.
- Mysterious Shards: collect them for high-tier ISU-themed loot later in the game.
4.3 Upgrade Strategy
- Prioritise upgrading your tools (throwing knife, smoke bombs) for stealth gameplay.
- Upgrade armor for survival in tricky zones — stealth still key, but higher defence helps.
- Upgrade weapons once you’re confident in combat engagement. Don’t rush this too early.
- Respec skill points when needed — the game allows flexibility, so pick what complements your play style (stealth vs aggressive).
5. Main Missions, Side Missions & Contracts: Plan Your Route
5.1 Follow the Main Storyline
- Progress through Basim’s main missions to unlock new tools, districts and abilities. Each mission introduces new mechanics (e.g., infiltration, assassination targets, escape sequences).
- Use each main mission as an opportunity to practice the stealth/parkour/assassination blueprint: scout → infiltrate → eliminate → exit.
5.2 Side Missions & Contracts
- Contracts: Target high-value objectives for tokens and loot, great for “AC Mirage gear upgrades guide”.
- Side Missions: Explore optional content to unlock more gear chests, XP, tokens and deeper story context.
- Avoid skipping side content entirely — it builds resources and improves your readiness for major missions.
5.3 Collectibles & Exploration
- Use Eagle Vision to mark lost books, artifacts, mysterious shards and enigmas. These support the “AC Mirage collectibles walkthrough” keyword.
- Solve Enigmas: two-part puzzles where you find a clue, then the treasure. Example: “Find What I Stole!” in Harbiyah.
- Map zones fully before moving on; returning later can be harder due to higher-level guards.
6. District by District: Tips for Baghdad Zones
6.1 Harbiyah District
- Early zone, good for practising stealth infiltration. Use rooftops and narrow alleyways.
- Watch for guard towers and arrow-throwers; eliminate threats to safely deploy Enkidu.
6.2 Abbasiyah District
- Contains the House of Wisdom and other dense guard locations. Upgrade your tools before tackling major chests here.
- Many Gear Chests with puzzles; use vertical routes for bypassing ground patrols.
6.3 Karkh (West Bank)
- More open-area patrols; use crowds and blending to move across streets.
- When chasing targets, use roof-to-roof and poles to keep gap ahead of guards.
6.4 Round City
- High-level zone, probably best later in the game once you’ve upgraded gear/tools.
- Excellent for high-tier loot and mysterious shards, but difficult early.
7. Advanced Tactics: Mastering Stealth, Escape & Efficiency
7.1 Efficient Route Planning
- Before entering a targeted stronghold: mark guards, pick path of least resistance (rooftops, vines).
- Use distraction tools (throwing knife, spice sack) to isolate guards.
- After the kill, retreat via rooftop, disappear into crowds or hide in bushes to reset notoriety.
7.2 Notoriety & Mercenary Threats
- When your notoriety meter hits level 3, elite enemies (“Shakiriyya”) appear. These are dangerous.
- Avoid high notoriety: move through quieter zones, hide, wait for the meter to drop.
- Use the environment (e.g., collapse scaffolding) to take out crusial enemies smartly.
7.3 Speed & Completionist Runs
- For a fast-completion or “100% run” you’ll want to sync all viewpoints, complete all contracts, solve all Enigmas, collect all gear chests and shards.
- Keep track of map icons: gold chest icons = gear, purple book icons = lost books, green tokens = scholar/merchant.
- Use your Assassin Focus strategically for clearing groups quickly and efficiently.
8. Mistakes to Avoid & Final Best Practices
- Don’t engage large groups of enemies in open combat early. Use stealth.
- Don’t upgrade every tool/weapon immediately — focus your upgrades based on play-style and need.
- Don’t ignore Enkidu — your eagle is a key part of “AC Mirage stealth gameplay”.
- Do make use of hiding spots and vertical routes rather than just moving on the ground.
- Do explore side territory before the story forces you into harder zones.
- Do use your resources (tokens, blue tool chests) wisely — they build the foundation for later difficulty.
- Do revisit older zones once you’ve better gear to uncover hidden gear chests you skipped earlier.
9. Summary & Recommended Route
Recommended progression:
- Complete opening missions and tutorial.
- Sync vantage points in Harbiyah and Karkh – familiarise with roof traversal.
- Upgrade stealth tools (throwing knife, smoke bomb) and practise assassination.
- Enter Abbasiyah, clear side missions and gear chests.
- Complete main storyline missions while exploring side content concurrently.
- Once you’ve mid-level gear, tackle Round City and start collecting mysterious shards.
- Use Assassin Focus for tougher zones, manage notoriety, avoid large-scale combat.
- For completionist goals: revisit zones, collect all lost books, gear chests, and solve all enigmas.
Bottom line: AC Mirage rewards patience, planning, stealth and exploration. If you approach every zone with your eagle scouting ahead, exploit parkour verticality, and upgrade systematically, you’ll transform Basim into the ultimate Hidden One assassin.
By following this detailed walkthrough, you’ll be well-equipped to master Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Whether you’re going for the story, stealth-only runs, full completion or speed-runs, these tips, long-tail keywords and strategies are designed to help you dominate the game. Happy assassinating, and enjoy your journey through 9th-century Baghdad.
