The Complete Assassin's Creed Timeline

Assassin’s Creed Shadows whitethorn beryllium the latest crippled successful the long-running series, but its feudal Japan mounting places it astatine the midpoint of the series’ humanities timeline. That’s due to the fact that Assassin’s Creed doesn’t advancement chronologically; this long-running franchise hops forwards and backwards successful clip betwixt each entry, exploring important events from arsenic acold backmost arsenic the Peloponnesian War successful Ancient Greece, and close up to the dawn of the First World War.

With 14 games successful the mainline bid and counting, the timeline of these events is progressively complex. That’s wherefore IGN has pored implicit each scrap of lore to marque consciousness of the series' centuries-spanning timeline, the overarching story, and however the games each acceptable together. The effect is this timeline, which covers each the cardinal events successful the Assassin’s Creed timeline successful chronological order.

The Isu Era
75,000 BCE

Before we tin leap into the timeline, we request to screen a small spot of lore. Waaaay backmost when, a highly precocious civilization of god-like beings ruled the earth. Known arsenic the Isu, they created the quality contention to enactment arsenic their slaves. Humanity was kept nether Isu power done the usage of the Apples of Eden, a postulation of incredibly almighty artefacts. People mostly dislike being enslaved, though, and truthful 2 humans – Eve and Adam – stole an Apple of Eden and escaped the Isu, triggering thing of a revolutionary war.

The warfare betwixt the Isu and humanity continued for a decade, but was chopped abbreviated erstwhile a star flare deed the earth. The Isu were obliterated. The remains of humanity, meanwhile, were capable to emergence from the ashes and inherit the earth.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War

As the Peloponnesian War rages successful Greece, a mercenary named Kassandra discovers The Cult of Kosmos; a shadowy organisation that has secretly been orchestrating the war. Among their fig is her long-lost brother, Alexios, who was kidnapped by the Cult arsenic a kid and turned into a demigod-like quality weapon. Kassandra learns that the Cult targeted Alexios due to the fact that helium possesses the genes of their grandfather, legendary Spartan King Leonidas, who was a nonstop descendant of the Isu.

Kassandra embarks connected a ngo to halt the Cult’s program to predominate Greece, during which she learns that the organisation is utilizing an Isu instrumentality that calculates imaginable futures to assistance power the war. Kassandra kills the cardinal members of the Cult and destroys the Isu device, bringing the struggle successful Greece to an end.

During her quest Kassandra is reunited with her biologic father, Pythagoras, who is besides a descendant of the Isu. Pythogoras gives Kassandra the Staff of Hermes, an Isu artifact that grants immortality, and asks her to go the eternal guardian of Atlantis.

Assassin’s Creed Origins
49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt

During the epoch of Cleopatra’s regularisation implicit Egypt, The Order of the Ancients – another shadowy organisation that worked successful collaboration with the Cult of Kosmos – kidnaps a peacekeeper called Bayek and his son. The Order believes Bayek’s bloodline is the cardinal to unlocking an Isu vault, but helium is incapable to bash so. In the combat to flight his kidnappers Bayek accidentally kills his son. Devastated, helium vows to instrumentality revenge connected those responsible.

Bayek and his woman Aya enactment to dismantle The Order, which establishes power implicit Egypt utilizing its puppet Pharoah, Ptolemy, and by bringing some Cleopatra and Julius Caesar into their ranks. While the mates are capable to way down and termination the men who wronged them, they larn that The Order is not a section villain but successful information a globe-spanning conspiracy intent connected controlling authorities and religion by uncovering and utilizing the Isu’s Apples of Eden. In an effort to combat against The Order’s oppression Bayek and Aya found The Hidden Ones; a concealed corporate of spies and assassins that run retired of Egypt and Rome.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage
861 - Islamic Golden Age

Almost a period aboriginal The Hidden Ones person established a fig of strongholds crossed the world, including the upland fortress of Alamut successful Iran. There Basim, a thoroughfare thief from Baghdad, is trained arsenic an assassin and tasked with investigating The Order of the Ancients’ activities successful his location city. Basim discovers that The Order seeks an Isu temple buried beneath Alamut and helps the assassins fend disconnected The Order’s invading forces. Inside the temple Basim finds a technologically precocious situation which erstwhile held Loki – an Isu present considered a deity by the Norse people. Basim learns that helium is simply a reincarnation of Loki and vows to instrumentality revenge connected those who imprisoned him successful his erstwhile life.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England

During the pursuing decennary Basim travels with a Viking clan to England successful hunt of much members of The Order of the Ancients. There, the clan’s person Sigurd and his sibling Eivor question the state successful hunt of allies to assistance them found their settlement, Ravensthorpe. As the brace assistance neighbouring communities they larn of the tyranny of King Alfred, a person wrong The Order who wishes to overthrow the existent authorities and regenerate it with a Christian system.

After discovering an Isu artifact Sigurd begins to acquisition visions that person him helium is simply a god. Returning to Norway to analyse the hallucinations, Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of Odin and Týr – the Isu who imprisoned Loki – and that helium has been hunting them down to enact his revenge. Eivor survives the onslaught and traps Basim successful a simulated satellite generated by an Isu machine shaped similar the Yggdrasil tree. Traumatised by the events, Sigurd passes enactment of the clan to Eivor, who heads backmost to England to decision King Afred astatine the Battle of Chippenham and instrumentality to Ravensthorpe arsenic a hero.

Assassin’s Creed
1191 - Third Crusade

The adjacent 3 100 years spot The Hidden Ones accommodate and change, yet becoming known arsenic the Assassin Brotherhood by the extremity of the 11th century. Its foe besides evolves; King Afred’s quest for a God-fearing strategy morphs The Order of the Ancients into the The Knights Templar. But portion the cult’s operation is new, its goals are not: the Templars are inactive hell-bent connected establishing a caller satellite order.

During the epoch of the Third Crusade, the assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad works with the Brotherhood successful the Holy Land to bargain an Apple of Eden from the Templars. While the theft is successful, Altaïr’s arrogant tactics effect successful the decease of chap assassin Kadar. The Brotherhood's leader, Al Mualim, tasks Altaïr successful hunting down and assassinating 9 Templar leaders successful bid to marque up for his mistake.

Altaïr completes his task, but with each Templar killed helium gradually pieces unneurotic their conspiracy to usage the Apple of Eden’s powers. But there’s a twist: Al Mualim had worked with and past double-crossed the Templars to unafraid the Apple for himself, and plans to usage its powers to forcefully enforce “peace” upon the world. Altaïr has nary prime but to termination his erstwhile maestro and instrumentality power of the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed 2
1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance

Fast guardant to the Italian Renaissance and Ezio Auditore Da Firenze finds himself inducted into the Assassin Brotherhood arsenic helium seeks revenge for the decease of his begetter and brothers (an execution arranged by, you guessed it, the Templars). Using his father’s assassin instrumentality and caller tools developed by Leonardo Da Vinci himself, Ezio wages warfare against the Templar-aligned Borgia family. It’s a quest that sees Ezio instrumentality possession of an Apple of Eden, which reveals the determination of a concealed Isu vault beneath the Vatican. The Templars already cognize this secret, though, and Grand Master Rodrigo Borgia is made Pope truthful that helium tin entree the Vatican’s hidden chamber. And truthful there’s nary different option: Ezio has to situation the literal ruler of the Catholic religion to a boxing match.

Emerging victorious, Ezio uses the Apple to unseal the vault. Inside he’s confronted by a imaginativeness of the Isu Minerva, who informs the assassin of an impending doom owed to befall the world successful 2012. She reveals that a web of Isu vaults hidden crossed the satellite could beryllium the cardinal to surviving this aboriginal disaster.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood
1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance

Ezio whitethorn person defeated the Pope successful a fistfight but helium didn’t termination him, a determination that backfires erstwhile Borgia’s Papal Army besieges Ezio’s Monteriggioni villa and steals the Apple of Eden. In retaliation Ezio helps the weakened Assassin Brotherhood physique up its spot and numbers, a quest that sees him go the person of the Italian Bureau. The Assassins dismantle the Borgia authorities successful Rome and reclaim the Apple of Eden, which Ezio hides successful an Isu vault beneath the Roman Colosseum, harmless from the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Revelations
1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War

In hunt of much accusation astir the mysterious Isu, Ezio travels to the erstwhile Assassin Brotherhood headquarters, Masyaf, to analyse a room built by Altaïr. Annoyingly, the Templars person already discovered the room and begun to cod the 5 keys required to unlock it. To halt their progress, Ezio travels to Constantinople wherever helium allies with the Ottoman Assassins against the section Byzantine Templars. His efforts disrupt the Templars' extremity to re-establish the Byzantine Empire and unafraid the room keys it had claimed.

Inside the Masyaf room Ezio discovers Altaïr’s remains. The erstwhile Assassin person had locked himself wrong with his ain Apple of Eden successful an effort to support it retired of the hands of the Templars. The Apple projects a connection from Jupiter, different Isu, who reveals that important information that could assistance humanity past the apocalypse has been collected successful the Grand Temple. Understanding that this cognition is not meant for him but alternatively a mysterious observer, Ezio leaves the room and keeps the Apple locked wrong arsenic Altaïr had intended. He retires from his work but soon thereafter dies owed to the injuries accumulated implicit his 3 decades moving with the Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows
1579 - Sengoku Period

We presently cognize precise small astir the storyline of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but what we bash cognize is that successful the 16th period an African mercenary travels with a Catholic Jesuit missionary to Japan. There helium meets Oda Nobunaga, a almighty lord successful the process of politically unifying the country’s warring clans. Nobunaga makes the African antheral 1 of his samurai. Taking the sanction Yasuke, the African antheral helps invade the Iga state successful 1581 arsenic portion of Nobunaga’s campaign. Iga is location to Naoe, the girl of shinobi maestro Fujibayashi Nagato. Despite coming from opposing sides of the conflict, Yasuke and Naoe yet unite successful pursuit of a shared goal.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy

During the Golden Age of Piracy, scoundrel Edward Kenway finds himself caught up successful a caller Templar conspiracy aft sidesplitting an Assassin and taking their place. He attends a concealed gathering wherever helium learns that the Templars person arrived successful the Caribbean successful hunt of The Observatory, an Isu instrumentality susceptible of spying connected immoderate human. With it they anticipation to blackmail satellite leaders. However, lone the ‘Sage’ tin unlock the Observatory; a quality reincarnation of the Isu Aita. The Templars question the existent reincarnation of Aita, a pirate named Bartholomew Roberts.

Seeing an accidental to usage The Observatory for profit, Edward embarks connected a quest to find Roberts and disrupt the Templars. He allies with a radical of pirates and helps found an autarkic pirate republic earlier yet uniting with Roberts. The brace unlock The Observatory but disagree connected what to bash with it. Edward is soon betrayed by Roberts, who takes the skull-shaped artifact powering the instrumentality and locks Edward inside. Proving savvy capable to escape, Edward soon tracks down Roberts to retrieve the stolen skull and instrumentality his bloody revenge. He past returns to The Observatory, wherever helium assassinates Templar person Laureano de Torres y Ayala and seals the skull away, deciding the information of the satellite is much important than his idiosyncratic quest for riches. His warfare against the Templars concluded, Edward returns to his location successful England wherever helium lives retired his days with his daughter, Jennifer, and son, Haytham.

Assassin’s Creed Rogue
1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War

Shay Patrick Cormac is sent by the Assassin Brotherhood to retrieve an Isu artifact from a temple successful Lisbon. Shay’s disturbing of the temple causes an earthquake that astir wholly destroys the city. Struck down with guilt, Shay decides to permission the Brotherhood and bargain their representation of Isu temples. The Assassins effort to termination Shay for his betrayal, but helium is rescued by Templars who instrumentality him to New York.

Over a fig of years Shay gradually climbs the ranks of the Templar Order, sidesplitting a fig of salient Assassins arsenic helium does. His enactment puts him connected the way of his erstwhile master, Achilles, whom helium tracks to the Arctic successful anticipation of halting the Brotherhood’s hunt for much Isu temples. There, helium and chap Templar Haytham Kenway – yes, lad of Edward Kenway! – injure Achilles but halt abbreviated of sidesplitting him, leaving him live to guarantee helium prevents the Assassins from unearthing immoderate much Isu temples.

In 1776, connected a travel to Versailles to destruct an Assassin, Shay suggests that the Templars commencement a gyration successful France successful effect to a caller uprising sparked by the Assassins successful America.

Assassin’s Creed 3
1754 to 1783 - American Revolution

The Templars acceptable their sights connected unlocking the Isu’s Grand Temple. Haytham Kenway murders a antheral successful London to get the key, and past travels to the Mohawk-guarded tract of the Temple successful the American Colonies. Haytham fails to enactment retired however to unlock the Temple, but finds himself falling successful emotion with a Mohawk pistillate named Kaniehti:io. Together they person a child, Ratonhnhaké:ton, but Haytham yet abandons his caller family.

Years later, the Mohawk colony is burned to the crushed and Kaniehti:io is killed. Seeking revenge, Ratonhnhaké:ton renames himself Connor Kenway and trains with a reluctant Achilles to go an Assassin. Against the backdrop of the American Revolution, Connor eliminates the Templars hidden wrong the British forces. His quest yet reunites him with Haytham, with whom helium hopes to enactment with to found immoderate benignant of peace. However, Haytham believes it’s captious that the Templars power the nation, and the pair’s conflicting ideals extremity successful a lad sidesplitting his father. Connor takes the Isu Grand Temple cardinal and buries it, denying the Templars their extremity goal.

Assassin’s Creed Liberation
1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana

Occuring successful parallel to Connor’s journey, New Orleans-based assassin Aveline de Grandpré learns of a Templar crippled to power Louisiana. Following the trail, Aveline learns that the crippled is portion of a overmuch larger conspiracy organised by the ‘Company Man’, who is utilizing slaves to unearth an Isu temple. On her crusade to disrupt the Templars and escaped the slaves, Aveline collects 3 components that nexus unneurotic to signifier a Isu instrumentality called a ‘Prophecy Disk’.

Aveline yet discovers that the Company Man is her ain stepmother, who has been grooming her with the intent of inducting her into the Templars. Aveline kills her stepmother and past activates the Prophecy Disk, which tells the communicative of Eve; the person of the quality rebellion against the Isu.

Assassin’s Creed Unity
1789 to 1794 - French Revolution

Arno Dorian is orphaned arsenic a kid erstwhile Shay Cormac murders his begetter successful Versailles. He’s taken successful by François de la Serre, the Grand Master of the French Templars, and grows up alongside his caller sister, Élise. As an adult, Arno is framed for the execution of de la Serre and imprisoned successful the Bastille. There helium meets a subordinate of the Assassin Brotherhood who offers to assistance Arno way down his adoptive father’s killer.

The Brotherhood’s probe uncovers a rift wrong the Templars led by the extremist François-Thomas Germain – the antheral down de la Serre’s murder. Germain plots to revolt against France’s monarchy and ignite revolution. As Paris falls into chaos, Arno and Élise enactment unneurotic to way down Germain. They prosecute him to an underground Templar crypt wherever helium attempts to usage a Sword of Eden, a almighty Isu weapon, to termination Arno. However, the sword unexpectedly explodes, sidesplitting Élise and wounding Germain. In his last moments the Templar reveals that helium is the existent Sage. Arno aboriginal seals Germain’s remains successful the Paris Catacombs, ensuring they enactment retired of scope of the Templars.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
1868 - Victorian England

In 1868, duplicate assassins Jacob and Evie Frye get successful London successful hunt of The Shroud, different Isu device. They soon observe that the Templars person seized implicit power implicit the metropolis done usage of manufacture figures, governmental leaders, and organised crime. The twins divided up to implicit parallel goals: Jacob focuses connected assassinating the Templars’ leadership, portion Evie attempts to bushed the Templars successful the contention to find The Shroud.

While each of his lieutenants are killed during Jacob’s bloody spree, Templar person Crawford Starrick inactive manages to larn that The Shroud is being held successful a vault beneath Buckingham Palace. He steals the device, but his plans to termination Britain’s leaders are halted erstwhile Jacob and Evie assassinate him. The twins instrumentality The Shroud to the vault, netting different triumph for the Assassin Brotherhood.

In the pursuing years, Jacob is made caput of the London Assassins and Evie manages to way down and assassinate grisly serial slayer Jack the Ripper. The brace aboriginal determination to the countryside, wherever Evie raises her daughter, Lydia, arsenic an Assassin. During the First World War, Lydia is tasked by Winston Churchill to analyse a German spy installation successful London, which conscionable truthful happens to beryllium staffed by Templars. Lydia’s ngo concludes erstwhile she kills the espionage network’s leader, who is revealed to beryllium the latest Isu Sage.

Transition Period
1914 to 2012

While the bulk of each Assassin’s Creed crippled is acceptable during a humanities clip period, the bid arsenic a full uses a framing communicative acceptable during the modern era. During the modulation play betwixt Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’s Victorian epoch and the commencement of the modern storyline, the Templars make Abstergo Industries. A pharmaceutical institution established successful 1937, Abstergo is portion of the Templars efforts to power the satellite done capitalism. In the precocious 1970s, Abstergo begins improvement of the Animus: a virtual world instrumentality susceptible of exploring the memories of a person’s ancestors. By exploring the past, Abstergo hopes to power the future.

Assassin’s Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, and 3
2012

In 2012, bartender Desmond Miles is abducted by Abstergo Industries and forced to usage the Animus. Abstergo intends to usage Desmond, who is descended from Altaïr, to find the Apples of Eden and different Isu artefacts. Thankfully for Desmond there’s an Assassin Brotherhood mole moving astatine Abstergo, Lucy Stillman, and she helps him flight from the facility.

Desmond is brought to a Brotherhood safehouse wherever helium works with Lucy and her teammates, Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, to research the memories of different 1 of his ancestors: Ezio. Desmond learns of the impending apocalypse via Ezio’s brushwood with Minerva beneath the Vatican, kickstarting the Assassins’ quest to forestall the extremity of the world.

By exploring much of Ezio’s memories, Desmond is capable to find the Apple of Eden that was hidden beneath the Roman Colosseum. Unfortunately, the Apple projects a imaginativeness of Juno, a villainous Isu who possesses Desmond and forces him to termination Lucy. The traumatic ordeal puts Desmond into a coma, but he’s inactive capable to research Ezio’s last memories contempt specified a aesculapian emergency. Through them helium observes Ezio’s find of Altaïr’s room and Jupiter’s connection revealing the beingness of the Grand Temple.

Awakening from his coma, Desmond travels with Shaun and Rebecca to the Isu Grand Temple successful New York wherever they conscionable with William Miles, Desmond’s begetter and the person of the modern Assassin Brotherhood. By reliving the memories of Connor Kenway, Desmond is capable to find the cardinal to the Temple. Inside, the radical observe that the Isu exertion tin forestall the apocalypse but astatine the outgo of sidesplitting Desmond and unleashing the imprisoned Juno, who plans to power humanity. Desmond decides to sacrifice himself, believing humanity volition beryllium capable to decision Juno.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
2013

Abstergo uses samples taken from Desmond’s assemblage to proceed their hunt for Isu exertion via his ancestor’s memories. In hopes of discovering the determination of The Observatory, Abstergo assigns “The Noob”, an unnamed researcher, to research the memories of Edward Kenway.

During their duty The Noob is tasked by the company’s caput of IT, John Standish, to hack Abstergo’s computers successful hunt of accusation connected the Assassins. Standish is yet revealed to beryllium the modern-day Sage, and helium intends to usage The Noob arsenic a big for Juno. However, it turns retired that Juno is not yet acceptable to look into the world, and truthful Standish attempts to execution The Noob to support her beingness secret. Unfortunately for him, he’s killed by Abstergo security, who judge him liable for the hacks.

Assassin’s Creed Unity
2014

In a bold effort to way down the remains of erstwhile Sages, Abstergo releases “Helix” to the public; a video game-like bundle that allows players to acquisition familial memories. Guided by an Assassin called Bishop, an unnamed initiate relives the beingness of Arno Dorian successful hunt of the remains of François-Thomas Germain, a Sage from the 1700s. Learning that Arno sealed Germain’s bones distant successful the Paris Catacombs, Bishop believes the Sage’s remains are harmless from Abstergo’s grasp.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate
2015

The pursuing year, the initiate is tasked with uncovering The Shroud, an Isu instrumentality hidden successful London. By exploring the memories of Jacob and Evie Frye the initiate learns that The Shroud is hidden beneath Buckingham Palace. Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane are sent to retrieve it but Abstergo beats them to it. By hacking a elder Templar’s computer, the Assassins larn that Abstergo intends to usage The Shroud to make a surviving Isu. It is revealed that Juno besides has her eyes connected The Shroud, and has been manipulating Abstergo employees successful an effort to sabotage the Templar’s plans.

Assassin’s Creed Origins
2017

Layla Hassan, a researcher for Abstergo, has ambitions of joining the company’s Animus Project. In an effort to beryllium her endowment she develops a caller mentation of the Animus susceptible of exploring memories via a DNA sample, wholly skipping the request to find a biologic descendant. On a travel to Egypt she discovers the mummified remains of Bayek and Aya and uses their DNA to relive the origins of The Hidden Ones. Layla is past contacted by William Miles, who offers her a presumption successful the Assassin Brotherhood.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
2018

Using DNA samples recovered from the Spear of Leonidas, Layla is capable to relive the memories of Kassandra and observe the determination of Atlantis. In the mythical metropolis she comes look to look with the Greek mercenary, kept live for centuries acknowledgment to the Staff of Hermes. Kassandra explains that the satellite needs equilibrium betwixt the Templars and Assassins to forestall disaster, and reveals that Layla is prophesied to bring that balance. As her last act, Kassandra gifts Laya the Staff of Hermes. Relieved of her work to defender Atlantis, she dies successful Layla’s arms.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
2020

After observing fluctuations successful the Earth’s magnetic field, Layla and the Assassins retrieve Viking remains successful New England and usage them to research the memories of Eivor. Through them Layla discovers the beingness of the Yggdrasil machine which is located successful an Isu temple successful Norway. Simultaneously, the Assassins larn that the magnetic tract disturbances are a effect of the apocalypse-preventing Isu exertion that Desmond Miles activated successful 2012.

Laya travels to the Norway temple and uses Yggdrasil to participate its simulation, hoping to find a mode to stabilise the magnetic field. Inside she meets Basim, trapped determination by Eivor, and a fig called “The Reader”, a manifestation of Desmond’s mind. Abandoning her mortal form, Layla works with The Reader to forestall aboriginal apocalypses. Basim, meanwhile, escapes the simulation and claims the Staff of Hermes, which is revealed to incorporate the consciousness of Loki’s lover, Aletheia. He past joins the Assassin Brotherhood and uses their Animus to statesman his quest to way down Loki’s children.

Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.