The Characters Of Assassin’s Creed Revelations

We examine the heroes, allies, enemies, and multiplayer characters that will bring life to the next installment of AC.

Assassin’s Creed has always been a franchise deeply rooted in characters and their evolving storylines. Revelations will be no exception to the rule, though there will be fewer familiar faces this time around. Instead, Ezio’s adventures in Constantinople introduce a new cast of compelling characters, many of whom are based on real-life historical figures.

We’ve pulled together info about some of the most significant characters in the new story, as well as what you’ll want to know about their role in the upcoming drama. In case you missed out, we highlighted one extremely important character last week, in our dedicated feature on Desmond Miles. In addition, later this month we’ll have a more in-depth look at the true-life events and characters that fuel the Revelations plotline. For now, take a look at these central characters and how they fit into the fiction of Assassin’s Creed.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze

The main character of Assassin’s Creed II, Brotherhood, and Revelations, Ezio has passed through birth, boyhood, and into maturity before our eyes. Early on, the character’s path through life was governed by the desire for vengeance. Much of his family was killed. Later, his beloved Uncle Mario was brought down by the Borgias. Until now, Ezio’s actions have been a response to these terrible crimes.

In Revelations, we see Ezio for the first time beginning to question his role in life. Murder has been his path for most of his existence, but what about the desire to have a family of his own? By 1511, when Revelations is set, Ezio is seeking purpose and direction, particularly in his role at the head of the Assassin’s Order. He looks to his own ancestor to help find the answers – a man named Altaïr. 

Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad

The main character of the original Assassin’s Creed remains something of a mystery. While the PSP game Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines helped to clarify some of the events that occurred after the end of the first game, much of Altaïr’s life remains shrouded, including both his early life and his eventual discoveries described in the codex of Assassin’s Creed II.

Revelations will reveal new details about the life of Altaïr through playable game sections. For the first time, these sections won’t be about Desmond living through the events of Altaïr’s life. Instead, Ezio encounters objects in his quest that allow him to look back and experience Altair’s memories for himself. While it’s unclear exactly what story points will be uncovered in these sequences, Ubisoft has promised that we’ll finally get a clear picture of exactly what Altaïr discovered all those centuries ago.

Next up: What new characters join the cast this time around?

Between Desmond, Ezio, and Altaïr, Assassin’s Creed Revelations will juggle three distinct heroes. In addition, the game introduces a mix of new faces that play a big part in the conclusion to Ezio’s story arc.

Manuel Palaeologos

This real-life historical figure might once have been an emperor if the Byzantine empire had not been brought down by the rising tide of the Ottoman empire. Instead, Palaeologos ended up as a wealthy man living a life of indolent luxury, but without any of the political power that might have otherwise have been his.   

Within the Assassin’s Creed universe, Palaeologos is still tied to the Byzantine remnant that remains within Constantinople, but he also has some mysterious ties to the Templar order. Ubisoft has suggested that a major plot point in the new game will revolve around figuring out whether his loyalties lie first with the Byzantines, or if the Templar cause is his true calling.

Sofia Sorto

Many characters in the Assassin’s Creed universe are based on actual historical figures, but Sofia Sorto will be one of the first based purely on a piece of art. The basis for her character is a painting by Albrecht Durer entitled Portrait of a Young Venetian Woman.

Sorto is Ezio’s love interest in Revelations. Like Ezio, Sofia Sorto is a transplant to Constantinople from Italy. She came from Venice to help spread learning and knowledge to the people there. With the recent invention of the printing press, books are far more common that just a few years earlier. Knowing that, she opens a bookstore in the metropolis. There, a customer comes into her shop named Ezio – an intriguing and handsome man with an air of mystery and excitement. Over time, the two will become closer. The catch? Ezio can’t manage to tell her about his sordid past and his connection to the Assassins.

Prince Suleiman

Many historically-minded readers will recognize the name: Suleiman the Magnificent is one of the most well known rulers in history, acclaimed for his over forty years of rule of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power.

In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, we meet Suleiman as a young man of 17, some nine years before he will rise to the throne. Suleiman is in a complicated political situation as the game begins. His family is at war with itself to determine the next ruler of the Empire. His grandfather, the current sultan, has designated his eldest son, Ahmet, as the heir. Suleiman’s father, the younger brother, feels differently, and military conflict looms surrounding the issue. As the game begins, the situation has yet to be decided.

As Suleiman comes to terms with this precarious situation, he meets Ezio – a strange foreigner with impressive leadership capabilities, and intriguing philosophies. Suleiman has a great deal to learn from the older man.

Yusuf Tazim

While Ezio Auditore has risen to the rank of grand master within the Assassin’s order, he has counterparts in other cities around the world. One of these masters is Yusuf Tazim, the master assassin in Constantinople.

Though Ezio is technically of higher rank within the order, the two men are close companions and friendly rivals. While Ezio has a great deal of wisdom to bring to Constantinople’s assassins, it is Yusuf that first introduces Ezio to the hook blade, the unique device that will change the way that Ezio fights and navigates his environment.

Next up: Learn about the multiplayer characters of Revelations

Story will play a much more important part in the multiplayer game of Revelations than it did in the previous installment. Some character skins in multiplayer will unlock by playing through the single-player game. Similarly, some of the multiplayer characters may play an important part in the single-player game.

Ubisoft told us about four of the main multiplayer characters we’ll see in the new game.

The Vanguard

The Vanguard is a Cossack from Odessa. She joined the military to help hold the Ottoman Empire off from her homeland. Eventually, the Templars recruited her with promises of money and power. After years as a scout and spy, she is striking more directly at the center of the Ottoman empire.

The Guardian

This intriguing character is the estranged cousin of the first Sultan of the Sennar Sultanate. He was driven from his home in 1505 by his own family, and ended up in Alexandria, where he began to encounter the Templar philosophy. He now calls himself the Guardian of Truth, as he aims to enact the Templar mantra of peace through order and stability.

The Bombardier

The Bombardier is part of the Ottoman artillery corps, but that isn’t where his true loyalties lie. He is actually a member of the Quizilbash, a group of anti-Ottoman rebels. The Bombardier thinks that working for the military is beneath him – a weakness exploited by the Templars, who use him to get weapons and information in exchange for wealth and access to powerful men.

The Sentinel

The Sentinel’s similarity to the garb of an Assassin isn’t coincidental. He was once part of the Assassin order. Born a Wallachian noble, he joined up with the Assassins as a teenager. He stayed with them until the Assassins established a truce with the Ottomans. Enraged, the Sentinel betrayed and left the order to join the Templars. The Ottomans had invaded and conquered his lands – a sin the Sentinel could not forgive. He now uses his insider knowledge of the Assassins to bring down both his former compatriots and their Ottoman allies.

For more info and pictures of the characters in Asssassin’s Creed Revelations, check out the June issue (218) of Game Informer. For additional articles and videos throughout this month, click here or on the banner below to visit our Assassin’s Creed Revelations game hub.