Assassin's Creed Shadows marks the latest installment in the renowned Assassin's Creed series, set in the intriguing historical backdrop of feudal Japan. This setting positions Shadows at the midpoint of the series' expansive timeline, which doesn't follow a chronological order but rather jumps through various historical epochs, from the ancient Peloponnesian War to the dawn of the First World War.
With over 14 mainline games, the Assassin's Creed timeline has grown increasingly intricate. To help fans navigate this complexity, IGN has meticulously analyzed the lore to construct a comprehensive timeline that chronologically arranges the key events of the series. This timeline not only tracks the historical narrative but also weaves in the overarching story that connects all the games.
The Isu Era
75,000 BCE
To understand the Assassin's Creed timeline, we must first delve into the lore. Long before the historical settings we explore in the games, the earth was ruled by the Isu, a highly advanced civilization with god-like powers. The Isu engineered humanity as their workforce, controlling them with powerful artifacts known as the Apples of Eden. However, humans, led by the rebellious figures Adam and Eve, stole an Apple and ignited a revolution against their oppressors.
This conflict lasted a decade but was abruptly ended by a catastrophic solar flare that wiped out the Isu. In the aftermath, the remnants of humanity rose from the ashes, inheriting the earth and the legacy of their former masters.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
431 to 422 BCE - Peloponnesian War
During the tumultuous Peloponnesian War, the protagonist Kassandra uncovers the Cult of Kosmos, a secretive group manipulating the war from the shadows. Kassandra's journey is deeply personal; she discovers that her brother Alexios, kidnapped by the Cult as a child and transformed into a weapon, is among its ranks. The Cult targets Alexios for his lineage, tracing back to the legendary Spartan King Leonidas, a direct descendant of the Isu.
Kassandra's mission to thwart the Cult's domination of Greece leads her to an Isu device capable of predicting future events, which the Cult uses to control the war. She ultimately dismantles the Cult by eliminating its key members and destroying the device, ending the conflict. Her journey also reunites her with her father, Pythagoras, another Isu descendant, who entrusts her with the Staff of Hermes, granting her immortality and the duty to guard Atlantis.
Assassin's Creed Origins
49 to 43 BCE - Ptolemaic Egypt
Set during Cleopatra's reign, Assassin's Creed Origins follows Bayek, a peacekeeper whose son is kidnapped by the Order of the Ancients, a group allied with the Cult of Kosmos. The Order seeks to unlock an Isu vault using Bayek's bloodline but fails. In a tragic turn of events, Bayek accidentally kills his son during an escape attempt, fueling his quest for vengeance.
Bayek and his wife Aya uncover the Order's global conspiracy to control politics and religion using the Apples of Eden. To combat this, they establish the Hidden Ones, a secret society of spies and assassins that evolves into the Assassin Brotherhood. Their efforts lead to the downfall of the Order's influence in Egypt and Rome.
Assassin's Creed Mirage
861 - Islamic Golden Age
A century later, the Hidden Ones have established strongholds worldwide, including Alamut in Iran. Basim, a street thief from Baghdad, is trained as an assassin and tasked with investigating the Order of the Ancients' activities. His mission reveals the Order's pursuit of an Isu temple beneath Alamut, leading to a confrontation where he discovers his own past life as the Isu Loki, imprisoned within the temple. Driven by revenge, Basim aligns with the assassins to thwart the Order's plans.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
872 to 878 - Viking Invasion of England
In the subsequent decade, Basim joins a Viking clan in England to hunt down the Order of the Ancients. The clan's leader, Sigurd, and his sibling Eivor, establish a settlement in Ravensthorpe while uncovering the Order's influence, particularly through King Alfred's quest to impose a Christian regime.
Sigurd's discovery of an Isu artifact leads to visions of his divinity, prompting a return to Norway. There, Basim reveals that Eivor and Sigurd are reincarnations of the Isu Odin and Týr, respectively, and attempts to exact his revenge. Eivor survives and traps Basim in a simulated world within an Isu computer. Sigurd, traumatized, hands leadership to Eivor, who returns to England to defeat King Alfred and cement their legacy.
Assassin's Creed
1191 - Third Crusade
Over the next three centuries, the Hidden Ones evolve into the Assassin Brotherhood, facing a transformed adversary in the form of the Knights Templar, who seek to establish a new world order using the Apples of Eden. During the Third Crusade, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad is tasked with stealing an Apple from the Templars. His mission, marred by arrogance, leads to the death of a fellow assassin, prompting a redemption quest to eliminate nine Templar leaders.
Altaïr uncovers a Templar plot involving the Apple but learns that his own mentor, Al Mualim, betrayed the Brotherhood to control the artifact's power. Forced to confront Al Mualim, Altaïr takes leadership of the Brotherhood, securing the Apple and thwarting the Templar's plan.
Assassin's Creed 2
1476 to 1499 - Italian Renaissance
Ezio Auditore Da Firenze's journey begins with a quest for vengeance against the Templars responsible for his family's execution. Equipped with his father's tools and innovations from Leonardo Da Vinci, Ezio battles the Templar-aligned Borgia family, ultimately gaining possession of an Apple of Eden.
This artifact reveals the location of an Isu vault beneath the Vatican, which the Templars, led by Pope Rodrigo Borgia, seek to access. Ezio confronts Borgia, defeating him and uncovering a message from the Isu Minerva about an impending apocalypse. Minerva suggests that a network of Isu vaults could be humanity's salvation.
Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
1499 to 1507 - Italian Renaissance
Despite sparing Borgia's life, Ezio faces the consequences when the Papal Army, led by Borgia, attacks his villa and steals the Apple. Ezio rebuilds the weakened Assassin Brotherhood, leading them to dismantle the Borgia regime in Rome and reclaim the Apple. He secures it within an Isu vault beneath the Colosseum, out of Templar reach.
Assassin's Creed Revelations
1511 to 1512 - Ottoman Civil War
Seeking more Isu knowledge, Ezio journeys to Masyaf to explore Altaïr's library. The Templars, already aware of the library, are collecting keys to unlock it. Ezio allies with the Ottoman Assassins to thwart the Byzantine Templars' efforts, eventually entering the library to find Altaïr's remains and an Apple of Eden.
The Apple projects a message from the Isu Jupiter about data vital for humanity's survival. Realizing this knowledge is meant for a future observer, Ezio leaves the Apple secured within the library, retiring from his duties and succumbing to his injuries soon after.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
1579 - Sengoku Period
Set during Japan's Sengoku period, Assassin's Creed Shadows introduces Yasuke, an African mercenary who becomes a samurai under the powerful lord Oda Nobunaga. Alongside Naoe, the daughter of a shinobi master, Yasuke navigates the conflict between opposing factions, eventually uniting with Naoe in pursuit of a common goal.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
1715 to 1722 - Golden Age of Piracy
Edward Kenway, a rogue during the Golden Age of Piracy, becomes entangled in a Templar plot to control The Observatory, an Isu device capable of spying on anyone. Edward seeks to exploit the device for personal gain but ultimately shifts his focus to thwarting the Templars' plans.
His alliance with the pirate Bartholomew Roberts, the current Sage, leads to a falling out over the Observatory's use. Edward escapes after being betrayed, retrieves the device's key, and assassinates the Templar leader, choosing humanity's safety over his own ambitions. He returns to England to spend his remaining years with his family.
Assassin's Creed Rogue
1752 to 1776 - French and Indian War
Shay Patrick Cormac, initially sent by the Assassin Brotherhood to retrieve an Isu artifact, causes a devastating earthquake in Lisbon, prompting his defection to the Templars. Shay rises through their ranks, targeting Assassins and thwarting their attempts to find more Isu temples.
His actions lead him to confront his former mentor, Achilles, in the Arctic, and later suggest a revolution in France in response to the Assassin-led uprising in America.
Assassin's Creed 3
1754 to 1783 - American Revolution
Haytham Kenway, Edward's son, seeks to unlock the Isu's Grand Temple, but his efforts lead him to father a child, Ratonhnhaké:ton, with a Mohawk woman. Years later, after the destruction of his settlement, Ratonhnhaké:ton, now Connor, joins the Assassin Brotherhood to seek revenge.
Connor's journey during the American Revolution leads him to confront his father, Haytham, whose Templar ambitions clash with Connor's ideals. Connor ultimately kills Haytham and buries the Grand Temple key, thwarting the Templars' plans.
Assassin's Creed Liberation
1765 to 1777 - Spanish Occupation of Louisiana
Aveline de Grandpré, an assassin in New Orleans, uncovers a Templar plot to control Louisiana using slaves to unearth an Isu temple. Her quest leads her to confront her stepmother, the Company Man, and uncover the story of Eve's rebellion against the Isu, using an Isu device known as the Prophecy Disk.
Assassin's Creed Unity
1789 to 1794 - French Revolution
Orphaned Arno Dorian, raised by the French Templar Grand Master, becomes an assassin after being framed for murder. His quest for justice uncovers a Templar faction led by François-Thomas Germain, intent on igniting the French Revolution.
Arno, alongside his sister Élise, confronts Germain, who attempts to use a Sword of Eden. The weapon's explosion kills Élise and wounds Germain, revealing him as the current Sage. Arno secures Germain's remains in the Paris Catacombs, preventing Templar access.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
1868 - Victorian England
In Victorian London, twin assassins Jacob and Evie Frye seek The Shroud, an Isu device. They uncover the Templars' control over the city and split their efforts: Jacob focuses on eliminating Templar leadership, while Evie races to find The Shroud.
After defeating the Templar leader Crawford Starrick, who steals The Shroud, the twins secure it back in its vault. Jacob leads the London Assassins, while Evie tracks down Jack the Ripper and raises her daughter, Lydia, as an assassin. During World War I, Lydia thwarts a Templar espionage network, eliminating its Sage leader.
Transition Period
1914 to 2012
The Assassin's Creed series frames its historical narratives within a modern-day storyline. During the transition from the Victorian era to the modern era, the Templars establish Abstergo Industries in 1937, a pharmaceutical company aimed at controlling the world through capitalism. By the late 1970s, Abstergo develops the Animus, a virtual reality machine to explore ancestral memories, hoping to control the future by understanding the past.
Assassin's Creed 1, 2, Brotherhood, Revelations, and 3
2012
In 2012, Desmond Miles, a bartender, is abducted by Abstergo to explore his ancestors' memories, including Altaïr and Ezio, in search of Isu artifacts. With help from an Assassin mole, Lucy Stillman, Desmond escapes and joins the modern Assassin Brotherhood.
Through Ezio's memories, Desmond learns of an impending apocalypse and the location of an Apple of Eden. Juno, a villainous Isu, possesses Desmond, leading him to kill Lucy and fall into a coma. Upon awakening, Desmond explores Ezio's final memories, uncovering the Grand Temple's existence.
Desmond sacrifices himself to activate the Isu technology within the Grand Temple, preventing the apocalypse but releasing Juno, believing humanity can defeat her.
Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag
2013
Abstergo uses Desmond's DNA to explore Edward Kenway's memories, seeking The Observatory. An unnamed researcher, "The Noob," is manipulated by the Sage John Standish, who aims to host Juno. However, Juno is not ready to emerge, and Standish is killed by Abstergo security.
Assassin's Creed Unity
2014
Abstergo releases "Helix," allowing the public to experience genetic memories. An Assassin initiate, guided by Bishop, relives Arno Dorian's life to find the Sage François-Thomas Germain's remains, securing them in the Paris Catacombs.
Assassin's Creed Syndicate
2015
The initiate explores Jacob and Evie Frye's memories, learning of The Shroud's location. Abstergo retrieves it first, but the Assassins discover their plan to create a living Isu. Juno manipulates Abstergo employees to sabotage this effort.
Assassin's Creed Origins
2017
Layla Hassan, an Abstergo researcher, develops a new Animus version to explore memories without a descendant. Using Bayek and Aya's DNA, she uncovers the origins of the Hidden Ones and joins the Assassin Brotherhood at William Miles' invitation.
Assassin's Creed Odyssey
2018
Layla uses DNA from the Spear of Leonidas to explore Kassandra's memories, discovering Atlantis. Kassandra, preserved by the Staff of Hermes, reveals Layla's role in balancing the Templars and Assassins, gifting her the Staff before dying.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
2020
Layla investigates magnetic field fluctuations, exploring Eivor's memories to locate the Yggdrasil computer. Inside the simulation, she works with Desmond's consciousness to prevent future apocalypses. Meanwhile, Basim escapes and joins the Assassins, seeking to reunite with Loki's children using the Staff of Hermes, which contains Aletheia's consciousness.
