From the ancient origins of the Isu through to the stories of Desmond Miles and Layla Hassan in the modern day, via the Renaissance-set Ezio Auditore trilogy, this video breaks down the long and dense timeline of the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
The Assassins Creed franchise has a huge, sprawling timeline that spans well over 75,000 years, and plays out across a whopping 20-plus games… and counting. It truly is a colossal chronology, and its epic narrative of an ongoing war between the Assassins and the Templars spans from the myths of ancient Greece in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey to the present day sections of Assassin’s Creed 2, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag.
With Assassin’s Creed Mirage further expanding the timeline and detailing the origins of assassin Basim Ibn Ishaq, what better time to dive back into the rich lore lurking behind this epic franchise.
This is the Assassin’s Creed franchise fully explained.
#TimelineExplained #AssassinsCreed #GameSpot
Timestamps:
00:00 - INTRO
00:59 - THE ISU - UNKNOWN BCE
02:28 - THE GREAT CATASTROPHE - 75,000 BCE
05:02 - ORDER OF THE ANCIENTS - 14TH CENTURY BCE
05:47 - THE FIRST BLADE - 465 BCE
06:29 - ASSASSIN’S CREED ODYSSEY - 451-422 BCE
10:39 - ASSASSIN’S CREED JADE - 3RD CENTURY BCE
11:13 - ASSASSIN’S CREED ORIGINS - 49-38 BCE
13:57- ASSASSIN’S CREED MIRAGE - 852 AD
15:20 - ASSASSIN'S CREED VALHALLA - 872-889 AD
20:15 - ASSASSIN’S CREED - 1190-1193 AD
23:16 - THE SECRET CRUSADE - 1189-1257 AD
25:42 - ASSASSIN’S CREED UNITY - 1307-1314 AD
26:30 - ASSASSIN’S CREED LINEAGE - 1476 AD
27:11 - ASSASSIN’S CREED II - 1476-1488 AD
29:45 - ASSASSIN’S CREED (MOVIE) - 1492 AD
30:53 - ASSASSIN’S CREED 2 - 1499 AD
31:52 - ASSASSIN’S CREED BROTHERHOOD - 1500-1507 AD
33:49 - ASSASSIN’S CREED REVELATIONS - 1511-1512 AD
36:24 - ASSASSIN’S CREED EMBERS - 1524 AD
37:35 - ASSASSIN’S CREED CHRONICLES: CHINA - 1526-1567 AD
38:41 - ASSASSIN’S CREED 4: BLACK FLAG - 1712-1722 AD
41:26 - ASSASSIN’S CREED FREEDOM CRY - 1735-1737 AD
42:34 - ASSASSIN’S CREED ROGUE - 1752-1760 AD
45:04 - ASSASSIN’S CREED 3 & LIBERATION - 1760-1784 AD
49:35 - ASSASSIN’S CREED UNITY - 1776-1808 AD
51:48 - ASSASSIN’S CREED CHRONICLES: INDIA - 1841 AD
53:01 - ASSASSIN’S CREED SYNDICATE - 1868-1916 AD
55:43 - ASSASSIN’S CREED CHRONICLES RUSSIA - 1918 AD
57:01 - DESMOND MILES - 2012 AD
01:01:16 - ABSTERGO ENTERTAINMENT - 2013-2015 AD
01:03:43 - CALLUM LYNCH - 2016 AD
01:05:22 - LAYLA HASSAN - 2017-2020 AD
There are tons of folks who criticize this series because they accuse the stories of not connecting. They all absolutely connect. There are a lot of moving parts...but it actually is a single story.
To me the first 4 games were for the Humans while the ones from Origins to Valhalla were for the Isu, that's why the characters were more powerful, I think I read somewhere that newer generations had less Isu blood flowing through them making their blood more diluted, but I think Kassandra and Eivor where more powerful because they were directly Descended or Reincarnated from the Isu.
A lot of people just won’t take the time to understand it as for it is complicated and takes time to understand
Nah they ain’t connected the last ac game that was connected to the previous was unity
One that continually stretches the goal posts to stay relevant. And bases it’s story on a lot of ideas that are just like those of conspiracy theories, that are pretty racist.
@@trriston4490 Yeah it’s still a mess. The writers keep moving the scope and such to make it resemble any sort of sense.
Whenever an Assassin's creed came out , after finishing it, i always watch videos like this to jog up my memory. It is like being a detective joining the strings coming to breathtaking conclusions.
You couldn't be more right.
Exactly that!
Bayek from AC origins is my favorite character. He want vengeance but he also helps people and his funny interactions with kids was sweet.
I agree ☝️
I aslo agree. Im replaying origins again and I have to say after Ezio, Bayek is best character in the story.
Thank you for making this timeline video. It makes me want to play them all over again.
Just finished Mirage. Tomorrow I am going to start playing through the whole series again. I am installing it all over night tonight. Edit : Finished 1 through Black Flag
@@klevinsmum2157how did you like mirage if you don’t mind me asking?
@@REV4N24 I thought it was a solid AC game. It isn't my favorite in the entire series, but it is miles ahead of Odyssey and Valhalla. I don't think it really excelled in any particular area besides the setting, which I thought was fantastic. Out of all the AC games, I felt it was most similiar to Origins. The story wasn't as good as Origins, but the gameplay and missions were much better than Origins. Overall I would probably consider it "Average" for an AC game. However since we haven't had a decent AC game in a very long time, It felt like a real breath of fresh air. Even if the game isn't perfect, I think any long-time AC fan will consider this game to be a massive leap in the right direction for the series.
@@klevinsmum2157🎉
Yeah I am in the process of buying all of them. I almost have all of them. Going to play through all of them.
I have a feeling that Layla and Desmond are just Adam and Eve
me too! desmon and precursors always said find her find eve, and then william found her
I say Desmond’s Jesus Christ, cuz he died for the world
That actually makes alot of sense
“You have a feeling” its pretty obvious, its like saying “ I have a feeling that Ezio, Altair, Eivor and all the others are assassins”
@@Francesco26.94 as someone who hasn't played anything past Origins, yes indeed it may be obvious but not to me
The film's Animus would serve as the inspiration for Yggdrasil in Valhalla. Ubisoft loved what the film did for the Animus enough that they wanted to put it in a future game. I remember playing Valhalla and finding Yggdrasil myself. I immediately went "I know this! This is the Animus from the movie!"
I thought the Animus from the movie was really cool, I never would have thought of that connection.
@@carlweaselbear534 I remember reading about how Ubisoft loved the film Animus and wanted to put it in a game. So when I saw Yggdrasil, I made the connection instantly
I miss Unity co-op. When people knew what to do, it was how I imagined AC to be played. Really hope their live-service multiplayer idea is still in the works.
unity multiplayer might go down as one of the most underrated game modes of all time
But i mean... Rogue better
@@KrakenMannsrouge is more of an "assassins creed" game, but unity is far better in story and gameplay
It was the greatest thing ever
@@maxclark4957 ik, but it's too overshadowed 😭
Really liked mirage despite it being a smaller game, can’t wait for that Japan one. Japan is one of those locations that I hope can rival Egypt from origins and Italy in 2. Those 2 places are by far the best places imo
No please that will just ruin the franchise
@@swapnil_sharmahate to break this to you bro but it was already announced a year ago. Don’t see how Japan will ruin a franchise
@@swapnil_sharmafeudal Japan always made more sense to me than an American revolution or industrial revolution British timeline. Weapons make sense and stuff
@@swapnil_sharmaAC fans have been whining that franchise will be ruined or already is ruined for years now….
That’s a mobile game tho right ?
This is the best timeline video i've watched. Just finished playing Mirage and I just keep falling in love with the AC universe after every game! Really want to play through all the games I've missed.
Revelations was my favorite of this series. It wrapped up Ezio’s storyline in a beautiful way while showing the fate of Altir. Amazing story.
What’s not mentioned here is that the Norse gods who give themselves the special mead and live in the life tree along with Loki , Odin and Tyr are not just random gods . In fact they are the Isu we have met continuously throughout the series but in Norse form . The reason they are in Norse form is so that Evior it’s the gods that Evior understands therefore it’s the easier way to contact her and the Odin inside . Hyrrokin is Juno as she can be seen trying to mix her husbands ashes with her part of the special mead ( Juno does something similar ) trying to create the her husband to reincarnate as the sages throughout history . The sage in Ac black flag is Juno’s husband . Gunlodr is Minerva there’s a special little scene in Valhalla were she shows Odin how she’s trying to contact future generations of what is to come . She is looking into a mirror asking for the prophet. The mirror resembles the eye . When she asks the prophet she says she hears no one answer . As they walk away we here the voice of Ezio ask” Who are you ? “ linking back to Minerva contacting ezio in AC2 for the very first time
Oh wow - that's wonderful! So Minerva and Odin don't hear him reply?
It still blows my mind how well Orgins is to be fair mirage went back to the old roots and it feels good like the orginal games but origins is rounded from story, gameplay, main character, astethtic, etc. Also, it really fixed the real world time with Layla because after Desmond it had no linear story and Valhalla and Odyssey built on it
The Originas/Odyssey/Valhalla stories (and now Mirage) did such a good job of setting up a solid 'lore' foundation that was established with Desmond. I think they're set up really well for future games now!
To me from Origins to Valhalla I felt where stories for the Isu and those who had more Isu blood flowing through them and how powerful they could be. Like Kassandra and Eivar for example they both were as close to Isu a human could be and look how powerful they were. Plus Kassandra had an Isu weapon and all the attacks she had where from that weapon.
I really love Origins
@@carlweaselbear534 the isu and pieces of eden wasnt even magical/powerful beings in the timeline until the four latest titles. the isu was just smarter and could see/sense time better than humans. so getting magical powers and being super human because of isu dna and the piece of eden spear doesnt make sense in the ruleset of the original ac universe that ubisoft created. the amount of isu blood/dna only made your mind not as likely to be corrupted by the isu tech so that you could wield the pieces of eden and couldnt be controled as easy.
@@tozkal96you’re telling me in AC the OG game my mentor dude wasn’t teleporting in the endgame boss battle because of isu tech
The whole Isu story melts my dyslexic brain
im not dyslexic and i have no idea what was happening
Man, this is an AMAZING overview of everything. Thank you so much for making this!
The fact that Eivor was able to beat Basim enrages me. The fact that at that point in time, Basim had already fully accepted his reincarnated self as Loki 20 years ago but lost to Eivor, who hadn't even fully realised himself as Odin yet. A 20-year veteran master assassin god lost to a viking.
I thought the same thing after the fight but the realization that basim stands over eivors grave 1000 years later…. Who really beat who
@@pmoneysign3416what do you mean by that
@@mohammedmiah822Valhalla's RL ending
I thought that was Basims plan all along? He wanted Eivor to believe she has beaten him, but in reality, Basim had planned to get stuck in the tree and be brought back in modern times
well Basim is really good at making plans, and he is the one alive on present day, not Eivor...
Best video game timelines on KZhead.
Masterful timeline video! I just finished Mirage and wanted to listen to the whole story over again. Thank you!
Great job tieing all the games together and editing it so well! This was a treat to watch!
Huge respects for putting this together. Thank you!
You just rekindled my love for this franchise. I played all of the games (except the spinoffs) until Odyssey. I got burnt out of the open world setup but I am now starting with Odyssey again. I'll probably play the spinoffs after catching up on the main line series. Kudos to the great writing of this video! Love the content
While Desmond and Layla are working in some other dimension (idk how to put it lol)... Sean and Rebecca are still the only modern assassins we know off left to save the world right?... Until Loki eventually betrays them. I guess other ISU's will somehow make a return to level out the playing field
Simulation
Desmond is on life support at Absertgo so they can harness his memories that way. He’s not in another dimension. Basim trapped Layla in that machine to get at the staff
Damn, this video must have been a lot of work. Granted, I skipped the sections pertaining to the games I haven't played (yet), but I enjoyed catching up on the lore of the games I've played (and liked). Thanks!
Thank you so much for doing this!! I have been a fan of the franchise for a long time but I cannot keep with the cost of it. This clears up a lot of question lol. I was getting too confused. I appreciate your hard work guys, thank you!
The kenway saga is probably the most complex and interesting arc in ac I’d love another game visiting that era of the Americas brotherhood
Fantastic job my friend! Thank you for putting it all together !
I want a game set during the real life downfall of the Assassin order at the hands of the Mongols. Maybe even let us play as Altair himself again as he was canonically very involved in those events. Could tie Mirage's story into the Altair story properly and also let us know what the Templars were doing when an independant party with a Sword of Eden took over a quarter of the planet. They wouldn't be particularly happy about that either.
How is it in the lore? Is it sure that the mongols weren't Templars or used by the Templars?
@@brotbrotsen1100 Can't find anything to say Genghis was a Templar or allied to them in any lore I can find
it’d be interesting to see how the templars would react to that. their whole philosophy being that the world needs control to stop chaos but if they’re not one’s controlling it would they be okay with it? or would it have to be them in control for it be “okay” to them? someone like the mongols probably wouldn’t align themselves with them because of similar ideas rather they just want what they want, it’d be a cool matchup of philosophies.
might be a little goofy but a templar/assassin team up would be neat to destroy a common enemy. since their conflict is apparently the balance of power and some other group interfering might be tipping the scales too extremely
This is a truly great video Thanks for including everything
You know its a combination of a good franchise and a good person to explain it all when it makes you research all history of all empires
5:29 I’ve been having so much fun playing Origins. This is the first Assassins Creed game I played.
Thanks for this. Having played these over 15 years as they came out, it's hard to remember everything. Now makes me wish we could get an updated version of all of them.....maybe a compilation of some kind with new graphics.
YES!!! I've been waiting for this!
Here's hoping they revisit Kassandra again in the future. Either with more DLC or, ideally, another game set in a different timeline.
The worst protagonist of the entire series? No thanks
@@crowxar your opinion, not mine. Let’s agree to disagree. I mean, it’s not as if the title sold millions of copies and is the most popular installment of Assassin’s Creed to date in terms of sales volume or anything… oh wait.
@@infidel1993cassandra is the worst thing ubisoft have created, that shit is cringe
i agree. basically showing what she did all those years until she hands over the staff
@@infidel1993 Most popular installment because of sales doesnt take away from the fact that it has nothing to do about assassins and is hated by many but sure... I also own AC Odyssey and hate it so im part of that *millions of copies* you talk about. AC 1-4 including revelations are the best in the series. honestly rogue, unity and origins are pretty good as well. Odyssey is far from being a real Assassins Creed game, same with Valhalla, both trash.
Nice video, thanks! Good to have a refresher before starting mirage.
Oh they _really_ tried to hit that 10-minute mark, huh
KZhead changed that "rule", you only need to hit 8:10 now
I will enjoy knowing all this - like your other timeline videos - for the 4-5 days I remember it. And then I will forget everything and play the next game anyway
I've been waiting for a comprehensive video on Assassin's for awhile. Also, it makes sense this is your longest timeline video yet. You need it for AC.. 💨
Love your video and keep up the great work you are awesome
Some lore that is never told in any media in the franchise but is made indisputably canon by the first mission of the first game, King Solomon of Israel supposedly between 970 BCE and 931 BCE used an Apple of Eden to help build his temple. The Lesser Key of Solomon says he captured 72 demons in a brass orb. Well in Assassin's Creed, those 72 demons was probably more like the knowledge of 72 Isu contained within the Piece of Eden. And that temple is built over an Isu vault. Why am I going with the Lesser Key version? Because 72 demons fits perfectly with the theme of 72 throughout the first 4 main line games. Anyway, Solomon's temple was destroyed around 586 BCE by the Babylonians. Altair and co would later casually enter this lost temple and find the artifact used to build it and retrieve this very Apple. Again, nowhere in the entire franchise are these specifics mentioned, aside from the temple being built over an Isu vault. I was just lucky to have stumbled across this information thanks to my interest in a completely different fandom.
This was a much needed video for me, thanks!
just watched the whole thing. nice video
incredibly well put together
You should have made this available on audio for Spotify! I’d love to rewatch/relisten to this
Have not played ac since Syndicate. This was a great recap. May go back and play the games ive missed out on.
The first Assassins Creed I played was Origins. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Great video and well detailed. One thing to mention is Juno's arc is resolved in the comics, where she does come back to life with the shroud then gets murdered. Shame that wasn't explorered in the games.
Murked in Australia of all places too lol! They only time we get a mention in AC haha
So does this mean all remaining Isu(apart from their human descendants) are now in the Yggdrasil? And the original scientist trio of Juno, Minerva and Jupiter are gone for good?
@@captainace1277 those were different Isu fractions. I don't remember the Isu names for them, but only the Norse Isu would be in the life tree and it's possible other Isu are out there in other unexplored forms. I'd have to double check the wiki to remember what happened to Minerva and Jupiter tbh haha.
Amazing work! This is great!
The Metal Gear & Assassin’s Creed series has arguably the most intriguing and confusing stories! You’d have to play all the games in order to get the true context of the story. 🧠
yes
And they're both stealth games lol. Well assassin's creed isn't always stealth focused but you know what I mean.
one part regarding eivor , that he is the one who handed the isu artifact to Conner's ancestors from the first place , and you get to play that mission
Story writing is so cool because these people like basim and Cassandra were alive for centuries and sometimes I just think about being in their shoes. You play as them because people are digging through their memories or you play as characters they came across and coming back to present day their still alive even though eivor thought he killed basim it’s just fascinating
You missed the DaVinci DLC out where Ezio returns to Roma in 1507
Quite fantastic and through breakdown. Congrats 👏
Well done my love you are getting better and better
Fantastic video. Thank you so much!
You actually meet Hytham in AC Mirage when youre in Baghdad in a world event
Awesome break down of the timeline! One thing I do want to point out is Lucy was a Templar the entire time. They just barely touched on it so it was easy to miss.
Would’ve been dope if everything that followed after Ezios game that took place before him were games based on all the people statued in the vault at Monteriggioni!!
That’s what they should’ve done with Bayek and Amunet. Origins set them up for another trilogy and they fumbled it.
I’m still waiting for an ac set during the Roman Empire.
@@b71488 they legit had it perfectly set up too man
Great video thank you. The ISU part is still confusing but lets see what comes in the future
If the reader is Desmond,then there's a chance for him to be reincarnated as a modern day Assassin.Imagine a modern plot playing as Desmond Miles stopping the schemes of Juno.With all the abilities he gained from Altair,Ezio and Connor,he would be unstoppable.
Eivor is canonically a woman, the gender choice in-game is a result of the Animus having trouble distinguishing between Eivor and Havi/Odin, giving Layla a choice over which personality to project into the memories (this isn't explicitly spelled out in-game, but there's an option to "let the Animus decide," which will result in female Eivor in the Viking Age memories and male Eivor/Havi/Odin in the mythological sequences, whereas if you choose one gender Eivor will appear that way in both Viking Age and Mythological sequences. Eivor is also a woman's name, and her surname is also shown as "Varinsdottir" (i.e. Varin's daughter) in a letter regardless of what gender you pick). Also, Eivor never actually joins the Hidden Ones, they just get her to help them take down the Order of the Ancients without actually recruiting her.
So disappointed by Eivor rejecting Hidden Ones
Female eivor has to be the worst voice characters from all the other assassin creed games.
@@fernandocontreras1577 ...She sounds fine lol
@@fernandocontreras1577I distinctly remember having the opposite reaction but I haven’t played Valhalla since binging it the week it came out. It’s on the replay list just got done with AC3 starting liberations 👌
Oh god the female power fantasy
"it's Me Mario" was that really the line?
Yes, I died laughing even when I first played and noticed it 😂
I wish we got more info on the Olympian times, given the human monster hybrids and the greek gods own story. Given you gave the norse gods a big story
wow this was sick, stopped playing after ezio trilogy but always curious about the story
Thank you so much for your effort!
Very comprehensive account of the ac story.But you did miss a few things in Valhalla 1.Eivor was never an official member of the hidden ones 2.Eivor also went to Vinland where he came into contact with Connor's tribe a thousand years before ac 3, giving them the apple of eden which is seen in ac 3.
He covered your 2nd point
Loved these adverts 👍 the video in between was okay at best
Thank for this great video!
i listened to this while playing Rebirth on my second run... even as a casual AC fan (who's played every main entry since Syndicate) I couldn't understand a thing. and that's why i love AC!!
Dude thankyou so much for this
Pretty sure Eivor sets sail for Vinland (America) and not Finland 😅 Also I'm sure the devs meant for Eivor ro canonically be female since Eivor is a female name here in the Nordics. Only reason you can play as the Odin version of the character all the time is probably because some suits didn't think the game would sell as well with just a female protagonist. Just like what happened when they were forced late in development to make it possible to choose Alexios as the protagonist
In the game I believe it’s explained that they find male and female dna because of her connection to odin, though in the real world you are probably right abt sales
@@Overlord_BEANS Oh yeah the male/female DNA is definitely meant to be due to Odin. If you "let the game decide" you are female but male when playing as Odin so obviously that's how they meant it. Devs clearly wanted to make a female protagonist for a while but we're always forced to compromise
If you play the boy Eivor Odin is a girl and a lot of the dialog is scuffed and still says She played it with a friend (both PlayStations same room) he played the boy version and it cracked me up whenever the voice lines said she cause he was convinced boy version was cannon
Kinda makes you wonder of where the modern story is heading now, and if their gonna makes sure to give us, long time AC fans, of still playing the game and keeping it close of the old school with new storylines.
No matter how many assassins come and go, Ezio remains the one and only GOAT
It wasn’t a fever dream it was more of the apple showing Connor and Washington an alternative timeline
Great video. Thanks
Assassins creed 3 was my absolute favorite, followed by Odyssey. Love all the games though!! This was such a cool video to watch
ahhh finally now i can get up to datye info since i didnt play cronicals or finish the dlc the 3 games before mirage
An absolute gem of a video. Well done.
...and they killed Juno in a comic.
You missed Eivor handing over a piece of Eden to Connor's ancestors in the Vinland DLC for Valhalla. Also you missed the Watchdogs Legion x AC crossover though Darcy is non cannon I think.
As syndicate was free a bit ago, i was wondering what the lore behind this series was. Thanks for the comprensive explainer!
I need to say I loved odyssey for the story telling of the old civilization and all and that we could even visit Atlantis and all those really pretty places what I enjoyed because the scenery was to beautiful 😍
Awesome video! loved it
I love these games, not started mirage yet so i am hoping it will not disapoint
In case you were wondering As it turns out, the tribe Eivor encounters in Vinland is the Kanien'kehá:ka tribe, the one Ratonhnhaké:ton (also known as Connor) is from in Assassin's Creed 3. Prior to becoming an Assassin, Connor learns that his tribe was protecting both the artifact and an Isu temple that was hidden in the region
i only played the games here and there and had a basic understanding of the universe, never had much intrest in the new games. but now i got to play them
awesome video loved it
I hope Basim becomes the new protag, seems like they're setting him up to be that way. Honestly he's my favorite besides Ezio and Shay
💀
i have second hand embarrassment from reading that
Great video! thanks!
Wouldn't have to make a video this long if they didn't kill of Desmond miles, and the outside storyline being tied to one person and not being all over the place.
Damn I remembered stuff I totally forgot.
finally I know everything thank you guys
The legendary Altair. The greatest overall assassin of all time.
Is no one gonna talk about how uncle Mario said "It's a me Mario"?
My biggest flex is saying i can understand 50% of the Ac lore
under appreciated video
It was over before I realized it was an hour long. Quite the rabbit hole of information
Nice vid🔥
the grand temple was able to protect earth when Desmond sacrificed himself but why couldn’t it before during the first solar flare and also how was the now forgotten villain sealed inside ?
I loved the movie. I'm glad it got a mention.❤
very impressive well done
Absolutely fantastic!