Who Is Altair in Assassin’s Creed?

There are few characters in gaming more recognisable than Altair – Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, to give him his full name. He’s one of the defining characters of the Assassin’s Creed series, and he’s where it all began – and almost where it ended. In this guide, we’ll learn everything we could ever need to know about the man, and we’ll answer the question: “Who is Altair in Assassin’s Creed?”

If you’ve never played an Assassin’s Creed game, it’s a good chance that you’ve still heard of Altair. He has existed for almost two decades in gaming, and he brought about the birth of one of the most popular franchises in history – Assassin’s Creed. So, who is Altair in Assassin’s Creed, why is he so impressive, and what exactly did he contribute to the wider universe present throughout the games?

Let’s find out.

Who is Altair in Assassin’s Creed?

Altair was the joint protagonist of the first Assassin’s Creed game, which was released way back in 2007. In terms of his impact on that front, he was the first glimpse the real world got at the Assassin Brotherhood and its eternal fight against the Templar Order, and he set the scene for the series ahead.

In Assassin’s Creed, we learn that Altair has risen through the ranks of his Assassin Brotherhood in Masyaf remarkably fast. He’s one of the youngest Master Assassins ever known, but his talents are overshadowed by his overconfidence and cocky attitude. Following a ghastly error in judgement, he’s demoted to the bottom rung of the Brotherhood’s ranks, and forced to undertake a dramatic task in order to regain his stature: assassinate nine individuals that populate the Templar Order in the Holy Land.

Ultimately, Altair’s journey leads him to an Apple of Eden, an ancient and powerful relic left behind by a race of demigods that shaped the modern world. We learn that he’s a direct ancestor of Desmond Miles, the present-day assassin that we meet in Assassin’s Creed (2007), and through successive games, we also understand how his impact drove the Assassin Brotherhood.

He became a Mentor, training the next generation of assassins, establishing guilds around the world, and dedicating his life to the exploration of knowledge and the fight against the Templar Order.

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Why is Altair So Important in Assassin’s Creed?

In Assassin’s Creed Revelations, which features Ezio Auditore, we learn just why Altair was such an important character. Firstly, he protected an Apple of Eden – a device capable of terrible things – up until the moment he passed away, still fighting against the Templar Order at the age of ninety-two. He was born to be an assassin, and his life was dedicated to furthering the Brotherhood’s operations and stature in the world at large.

With the Apple of Eden in his possession, he started building an epic library, packed to the seams with invaluable knowledge for future generations. He was able to look through time using the Apple, seeing the future and compiling documents that would eventually become a ‘Codex’ for the Assassins. In a strange time loop, Ezio Auditore, years after Altair had passed away, would use this Codex to build weapons that he would wield in his fight against Templars.

But it’s a time loop – he builds these weapons because Altair documented them in his Codex, but he documented them because he looked forward in time and saw Ezio building them.

Ultimately, Altair was the ‘founding father’ of the modern Assassin’s Brotherhood. He was the compiler of the Codex, a Mentor over a series of decades, and a Master Assassin like no other. He wielded the best weapons, wore the most unbreakable armour, and was rich in knowledge that enabled him to travel the world and thwart malicious Templar plans time and time again.

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