In Ubisoft’s XDefiant, factions from across the publisher’s various video game franchises battle it out for supremacy using equipment and abilities unique to them based on the way they behave in their respective properties. But I’ve noticed a shocking lack of Assassin’s Creed factions, and I think they’d work incredibly well.
Since the original Assassin’s Creed, the Assassins/Hidden Ones and Templars/The Order of the Ancients have been battling it out for control over Pieces of Eden and, in the greater scheme of things, the world. While the sci-fi elements of these Pieces of Eden give someone the power to influence the world, these factions have been fighting on a much more grounded level for centuries.
Each game sees those who are part of or who work with both factions use weapons from the current time period to head into battle against one another or strike on a much more personal level. Even the iconic Hidden Blades are melee weapons that are ever so slightly altered over time to provide an advantage for that period or the protagonist wielding them.
The one aspect that many other fans and I think we don’t see enough of in the series is the modern-day Assassins and Templars going head-to-head. There are scenes where Templars are allegedly storming a building, or Assassins are coming to help, but we don’t often see the weapons they use or their tactics. XDefiant could change this.
Every faction in XDefiant exists in roughly the same time period. For example, The Division‘s Cleaners and Far Cry 6‘s Libertad are arguably on the low-tech end of the scale, while Echelon, the Phantoms, and DedSec all use high-tech equipment, but they’re all balanced when it comes to weapons and abilities so none of them has a clear advantage.
This means you can play as a guerrilla fighter with equipment held together with duct tape, hopes, dreams, and something sticky from the side of the road against modern-day ninjas who can become invisible. Each faction feels like it’s been pulled directly from its setting without being altered too much, and they feel as though they fit with their own lore but also bring the lore of their own games together.
With Assassin’s Creed, we have two factions to choose from. The Assassins are definitely the more interesting of the two, so that’s the one I’d like to see implemented most. While they’d need guns to stand a chance in any match, they could follow Echelon and specialize in smaller, quieter weapons but double down on abilities and gear.
For example, smoke grenades would provide a fantastic cover to get in close to enemies, especially if an altered camouflage can be used to hide them in their own smoke. From there, Assassins could use a stylized modern Hidden Blade to kill enemies, with a silenced pistol for close encounters that go wrong. At most, this faction should have a mid-range weapon, but it would need to be close-range focused to make the most of the Hidden Blade.
As for the Templars, they specialize in control, so a faction that somehow dominates the battlefield would be best. I imagine them using advanced weaponry, including sniper rifles, to give them an advantage no matter where they are. I also think that abilities that buff damage when surrounded by enemies would feel right because they’ve always attempted to topple civilizations in groups from within.
What would tie these factions together well are powerful abilities that mirror one another. For example, the Templars could have deployable spawn points for their allies, and Assassins could have an ability that draws their teammates to them and protects them as they approach, like Ezio whistling for backup before a kill.
Ubisoft could use dozens of potential abilities to bring Assassin’s Creed into the XDefiant universe, and I believe it would do a great job of it. Regardless of how they work, I know I would be incredibly excited to see and play around as a modern-day Assassin and/or Templar.
That aspect of the universe feels like the best storyline in a good novel, the one that’s told through a few pages every three chapters or so and ends up being the only reason you finish the book. I always desperately want to see a fight between an Assassin with a laser-edged Hidden Blade and a Templar with a high-tech sword in each game, but we never quite get to it.
I can understand developers wanting to keep that sort of thing out of a series that’s based on history, but XDefiant brings factions to life like never before. Just like how history is the playground for Assassin’s Creed, XDefiant could be the perfect playground for Assassins and Templars if Ubisoft is willing to take a leap of faith and throw them in.
