Sequence 04

Practice What You Preach: A short yet instructive Memory, this unlocks new assassination techniques. Practice each one in turn (and as often as you like), being sure to try both the high and low profile variants of Assassinate from Ledge and Assassinate from Hiding. When ready, return to Leonardo to complete the final objective and receive the Double Hidden Blades.

Fox Hunt: The Mercato Vecchio contains a common street pest: the Harasser. These infuriating individuals can recognize Ezio and will draw unwanted attention with their songs and shouts. For the same reason, you should also avoid individuals bearing crates. They will steer towards you but won’t collide with you if you stand still. Once you locate your target with Eagle Vision, move in close to trigger a cutscene. During the chase that follows, the biggest challenge is to avoid colliding with guards (and, to a lesser extent, common citizenry). Once you draw close, tap the Empty Hand Button to tackle your quarry. Do not, under any circumstances, use your weapons-this will cause immediate desynchronization.

See You There: A free running exercise en route to Santa Maria Novella. The Memory ends once your companion leaves, but there is still the question of how to deal with the guards blocking the route to your next objective. Courtesans or Mercenaries both have their merits if your funds allow it, though a short free running session over the wall with the arches or an honest brawl will be just as effective in securing access to the catacombs.

Novella’s Secret

1: Use the lever to open the first gate, then climb up and take the left-hand exit. Free run over the exposed poles and beams to reach a second lever, then head through the central passage. Again, use the beams to free run to a broken platform where a third and final lever can be found to open the gate at the waypoint marker. Perform a Leap of Faith from the ledge into the pile of straw below to quickly return to the bottom level. Note that should you accidentally fall to the lower level (and survive) before activating the second lever, you can climb a ladder to reach a path that leads back to the starting point.

2: Free run over the broken wall sections (to your left as you enter the room) to reach the upper level. There are Templar guards on either side. Use the Assassinate from Ledge move to kill the first on your left, then sneak up on the second. Free fun over the poles extending from the wall above the locked gate; for the final jump, aim for the hanging rope to swing around to safety. Activate the glowing switch mechanism.

3: Still on the upper level, leap over to protruding stones on the east wall, then climb to the wooden platform and jump to the adjacent balcony. Hop over to the sarcophagus raised by the mechanism, then turn left and use the pole to reach a second balcony. Here, operate the device to open the gate. Jump to the pole left of it after the cutscene, then perform a Leap of Faith from the ledge to return to the lower level.

4: Templars enter the room and begin investigating, but you can ignore these and make a break for the individual just through the gate. Approaching him triggers a frantic chase through ruined corridors. You can’t “fail” during this sequence, so feel free to take risks. The athletic Agile Templar will do everything in his power to curtail Ezio’s pursuit, but every blocked route has an alternative path next to it.

5: When you reach a long set of stairs leading to a tunnel with a raised path on the left, you have a choice. If you choose to follow him on the low ground, you won’t catch him before he reaches the door. The Templar then warns four of his associates, leading to a fight. If you take the high ground, though, it’s possible to perform a spectacular jumping execution at the end, thus preventing him from raising the alert and avoiding the battle entirely. Move to the waypoint to find a switch. After the cutscene, head down and open the sarcophagus. Don’t forget to open the nearby Treasure Chests before you exit to the outside world.

Wolves In Sheep’s Clothing: Wound Francesco to drive him away (it’s not possible to kill him here), then defend Lorenzo de Medici from a large wave of assailants. Once these are defeated, escort him through the chaos in the streets until you reach his residence. You will be attacked by other enemies as you travel: judicious use of Counter Kills is the trick to keeping each battle suitably short. As all this combat may take a toll on Ezio’s health, armor and supplies, be sure to restock, repair and heal starting the next Memory. Throwing Knives could be especially useful.

Farewell Francesco: Head up to the rooftops and travel to the waypoint where de Pazzi seemingly awaits your arrival. Climb the back end of the Palazzo della Signoria and study the positions of Francesco’s men. His archers are your foremost priority. If you can discretely kill these first (ideally with the low-profile Assassinate from Ledge move), the combat that follows will be far less fraught with danger. Your target flees once you reach the upper level, so give chase immediately-losing him will send you back to the previous checkpoint. Francesco is an accomplished free runner. Concentrate on keeping up with him at first, only taking risks to close the gap when you are confident that the consequences for any mistakes will be small. Once you draw sufficiently near, ready the Hidden Blade and wait for the right moment to strike.