Assassin's Creed Mirage: Beginner's Guide

Getting Started in AC Mirage

The story opens in 861 CE in Anbar, where Basim is a street thief. After the opening you reach Baghdad and are directed to the Assassins Bureaus. Basim is the only playable character.

The campaign is built on investigations. You visit the bureau in Harbiyah first, then Abbasiyah, Karkh and Sharqiyah. Each bureau's district forms an arc of Investigation Board tasks that leads to a main Order of the Ancients target. Tasks include exploring (following an NPC), eavesdropping (sitting on a bench when you see the ear icon), examining objects (highlighted in orange with Eagle Vision or the ping) and eliminating hostile guards.

Stealth Mechanics

Enkidu scouts areas ahead of you, but enemy marksmen can detect and shoot it, so eliminate them first. Assassin Focus stops time and lets you mark enemies, up to five with upgrades, for takedown; it recharges through stealth assassinations. Blending into crowds and hiding in haystacks return from earlier games.

Notoriety has three levels: citizens recognise Basim and point him out to guards, archers man the rooftops, and the Interceptor, an elite guard, hunts him down. To reduce it, first escape pursuing guards, then tear down wanted posters, pay a Munadi a Power Favor Token, or defeat the Interceptor. Power Favor Tokens can be pickpocketed.

Tools and Skills

Basim has six tools: throwing knife, noisemaker, trap, smoke bomb, blowdart and torch. The Bana Musa brothers upgrade them at any Hidden One's Bureau using resources from loot containers and contracts. There are three skill trees: Phantom, Trickster and Predator. Recommended early perks in a stealth guide include Extra Tool Capacity (tool capacity from 3 to 6), Chain Assassination and Pathfinder (Enkidu marks extra objects).

Essential Tips

1. Scout with Enkidu before entering a guarded area, but watch for marksmen.
2. Manage notoriety. Escape pursuers, then tear down posters or bribe a Munadi.
3. Use the noisemaker to lure nearby guards, and the blowdart to put a target to sleep silently.
4. Use contracts and loot containers for tool upgrade resources.
5. Expect repeating task types across investigation arcs; they are the same four types (explore, eavesdrop, examine, eliminate).

First Major Target: Start in Harbiyah

The first bureau district is Harbiyah. Its arc is a set of Investigation Board tasks leading to the first main Order of the Ancients target. Guides name the main targets as the Slaver, Great Scholar, Treasurer, Warlord and Head of the Order, but we have not verified which target belongs to which bureau, so this guide does not name a specific first target or walkthrough.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to play Valhalla before Mirage?
A: No. Mirage is set about a decade before Valhalla and works as a standalone game, though Basim also appears in Valhalla.

Q: How long is AC Mirage?
A: About 15 to 20 hours for the main campaign. HowLongToBeat averages on Deku Deals are 16 hours main story, 23 hours with extras and 31 hours for completionists.

Q: Is there DLC?
A: Yes. The free Valley of Memory expansion, set in al-Ula, was released on 18 November 2025 and is estimated at about six hours. Free updates added New Game Plus (12 December 2023) and a permadeath mode (20 February 2024).

Q: Which platforms is it on?
A: PS4, PS5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S (5 October 2023), and iOS and iPadOS (6 June 2024).

Q: Can you play it with Arabic voice acting?
A: Yes. It is the series' first Arabic dub; Eyad Nassar voices Basim in that version, and Lee Majdoub voices him in English.