Summary
InAssassin’s Creed Mirage, players will adventure across the beautiful city of Baghdad as Basim. InAssassin’s Creed Mirage, Basim won’t just have to rely on his trusty Hidden Blade to take out outposts and assassinate key targets. This is where Tools come in, different pieces of equipment that are designed to make Basim’s missions much easier and more manageable, while these have been a staple of theAssassin’s Creedgamessince the very first entry, Ubisoft has made sure to include the most important ones this time around, while also introducing an upgrade tree for each of them.
Nearly every single one of Basim’s Tools can be enhanced in one way or another to make them a little more effective which can be done by speaking to Ibn Musa after unlocking the Tool tree and joining the Hidden Ones. Some of this equipment can end up being a little easy to forget about though, while others are absolutely essential forclearing out areas without being detected.
6Torch
How to unlock:Unlocked by default after unlocking the Tool wheel during the Prologue.
The torch does a lot more than just illuminate dark areas, it can also be tossed from afar to draw guards away from an area. Still, though, it’s the only Tool that cannot be upgraded and isquite easy to forgetabout entirely since players are going to be spending most of their time enhancing the rest of their equipment throughout the course of the game.
However, while its uses are a little limited to begin with, it can actually synergize with the Smoke Bomb once it has received the Flammable Smoke upgrade. By throwing the torch into the smoke, it will cause a giant explosion which can either take out multiple targets from the shadows or simply create a noisy distraction to make sneaking around a little easier and far less risky.
5Blowdart
How to unlock:Can be obtained from Ibn Musa in the Assassin Bureau after gaining a new Tool slot from the Trickster skill tree.
The Blowdartwas first introduced back inAssassin’s Creed 3: Liberation, and while it’s just as fun to use inMirage, it really is a Tool that only becomes truly effective once it’s been upgraded. This isn’t to say it won’t have any uses for the first few hours, but that putting a single target to sleep doesn’t achieve too much since they can easily be woken up later on by another guard, and it will also cause enemies in the surrounding area to become suspicious and be more alert.
Where it really shines is when it’s able to poison enemies, especially when it causes them to become enraged which creates a perfect distraction that can also damage a few enemies in the process. The Berserker Darts are restricted to Tier 3 of the weapon’s upgrade tree, so it’ll definitely take some time to get there, but it’s well worth it in the end due to how much chaos it is capable of causing.
4Throwing Knife
How to unlock:Unlocked by default after unlocking the Tool wheel.
Probably the most recognizable weapon in the entire series next tothe Hidden Blade, the Throwing Knife is a deadly projectile that, in the past, could take enemies out from what felt like miles away, but the range is a lot shorter this time around. Basim will also only be able to carry 4 of these lethal blades with him, to begin with, so they will need to be used with caution, but considering that the very first upgrade adds 2 more to his arsenal, this issue can be negated very quickly.
The speed and power of the Throwing Knife make it great for taking out single targets and a lot more reliable than the Blowdart, and it also has some of the most fun and unique upgrades in the entire game. Aside from enhancing the distance and damage of the knives, there are also upgrades that allow them to pierce through armor, apply poison, andeven disintegrate corpsescompletely so that there’s no evidence left behind. The base Throwing Knives may feel like a slightly nerfed version of what fans are used to, but they become absolutely devastating when working through their upgrade tree.
3Trap
Since it is essentially a slightly quieter proximity mine, Basim’s Trap will incapacitate any enemies who get too close, but this does meanthe player will need to be strategicabout where they place it to make the most out of it. It very much favors a slow approach where Basim is able to detect the enemy’s patrol patterns so that he can catch them off guard, and while this might be a little too slow-paced for some players, it’s much better using this way than throwing it down randomly.
It’s a great Tool for creating a big and loud distraction to allow Basim to slip by, but it’s also one of the best getaway Tools in the entire game, all Basim needs to do is place a trap or two on his escape route, and the enemies won’t know what hit them. It’s already extremely effective on its own, but vital upgrades that should be considered include increasing the ammo capacity, replacing the non-lethal blast for a fiery explosion, and extending the knockdown duration.
2Noisemaker
The Noisemaker will prove very useful from the moment players retrieve it from Ibn Musa, being the best gadget in the game forcatching the guard’s attentionand leading them away from an area for Basim to continue his trespassing. What makes it especially efficient though is the fact that Basim will start with 7 of them at once which essentially allows him to control an entire fortress just by using this one simple Tool.
One of the first upgrades in Tier 1 will even increase the total ammunition by 3, so even if one is thrown a little too out of range, Basim still has plenty of others to use instead. The only real drawback is that the duration of the explosion caused by the Noisemaker can be a little short to begin with which does mean Basim will need to act fast if he wants to avoid detection. Luckily, the duration can be upgraded to last much longer in Tier 2, and once it reaches Tier 3, it’s even able to daze targets or cause them to run away in fear.
1Smoke Bomb
The reason Smoke Bombs stands out from its competition is because of just how versatile this Tool is since it can be used in more or less any situation Basim finds himself in. Of course, they’re first and foremost designed as a way to escape from enemies, but because ofthe multitude of ways they can be upgraded, it also means they can be used offensively or defensively. For example, if the player wants the smoke to heal Basim when he’s within it, they can do that, or if they want enemies to completely forget that they saw Basim upon entering it, this is also possible.
It’s by far the most customizable Tool in the entire game and can really fit any kind of playstyle, making it useful in literally every situation. Even before it’s been upgraded though, the Smoke Bomb will always be the go-to gadget for either blinding groups of enemies to sneak past them, or for breaking their line of sight if they do manage to spot Basim. The Smoke Bomb is incredibly effective and is a Tool that players can tinker exactly to their liking thanks to itsextensive upgrade tree.
