Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a return to form for Assassin’s Creed – a reimagination of what made the franchise great all those years ago. It’s a smaller-form adventure that promises to keep fans entertained for less time overall than the most recent games, but it’s still guaranteed to be a memorable adventure nonetheless. With that in mind, what is Assassin’s Creed Mirage about, and where will the story take us when the game is released in October 2023?

Fortunately, the Assassin’s Creed Mirage timeline isn’t difficult to understand. It’s designed to be a much more accessible game from the get-go, and as it was once built to be an expansion to Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, it’s not overly complex or large. It’s a standalone game now, of course – but what is the Assassin’s Creed Mirage story? Where will the campaign take players?

Let’s find out.

Where is Assassin’s Creed Mirage Set?

In Assassin’s Creed Mirage, players will explore Baghdad in the year 861, some twenty years before the events of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. It’s a much smaller map than in the most recent AC titles, but it’s much more dense. It’s comparable to Unity’s Paris map or Syndicate’s London map, for example. That’s by no means a bad thing, as those games were brilliant and equally as enjoyable as everything that came before.

If you want to learn more about the setting for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, we wrote an entire location guide.

What is Assassin’s Creed Mirage About?

So, we’ve established the Assassin’s Creed Mirage time period and setting, but what’s the game actually about? Once you’ve purchased the game, what’s the Assassin’s Creed Mirage story that’s waiting to be explored?

Well, in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, players assume control of Basim – the Hidden One that they may have met in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. He’s an old-school Assassin with intense skills and a mysterious backstory that will be explored in Mirage. It’s essentially a ‘coming-of-age’ story, which means that we’re seeing Basim’s journey to becoming a Hidden One. He starts off as a petty criminal – a street thief – and those transferable skills roll over into becoming a Hidden One.

We’ve highlighted that it’s a ‘return to form’ for Assassin’s Creed, and that’s true in multiple ways. There are many vibes in Assassin’s Creed Mirage that are memorable of the first ever game, released way back in 2007. For instance, it’s set in a similar location, it features a similar story, and it has elements that were present all the way back in the first game, which was simply titled ‘Assassin’s Creed’.

There are heightened stealth mechanics, social notoriety features, crowds to blend into, and a deeper focus on parkour and being able to escape and take flight rather than stand and fight. It has been said that Assassin’s Creed Mirage boasts a faster pace than prior titles and that the entire story can be wrapped up in just twenty hours – thirty-five with all extra side content.

Read More: Assassin’s Creed Locations Guide

Where Does Assassin’s Creed Mirage Fit Into the Timeline?

We met Basim in Valhalla, but we’ll learn his story in Mirage (Image Credit: Ubisoft)

Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a spin-off to Valhalla, but it’s also a prequel. In Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the story runs to around 880 AD, while Assassin’s Creed Mirage is set in 861 AD. By contrast, 2007’s Assassin’s Creed is set in 1191 – and by that time, the Hidden Ones had transformed into the Assassin Brotherhood.

It’s expected that Assassin’s Creed Mirage will be an ‘open and shut’ kind of game. There are no plans for extra content or any DLC at present – but never say never. Regardless, it’s a much shorter game with less to do overall than the previous open-world RPG-styled games that were Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla. There’s a solid story in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, but don’t expect it to take more than a few days to complete it.

So, we hope that answers the question, ‘What is Assassin’s Creed Mirage about?’ Are you excited to pick up the game and start playing?

For more Assassin’s Creed news, check out the rest of our coverage of the series.