Desmond Miles

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Lore & Background

Desmond Miles is the series protagonist who uses the Animus to relive the genetic memories of his Assassin ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features Desmond using the Animus to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. In Brotherhood, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any given time to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base, and find hidden secrets. He can also access virtual training missions via the Animus, which test the player's skills in combat and free-running. The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control.

In Their Own Story

The air inside the Animus chamber hummed with the weight of centuries. Desmond Miles sat in the machine, his consciousness slipping into the memories of Ezio Auditore da Firenze during the Italian Wars, spanning the years 1500–1507. He was searching for a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse, a threat that loomed over the modern world. For the first time, he could step out of the Animus at almost any moment to explore Monteriggioni, the Assassin base, uncovering hidden secrets and testing his skills in virtual training missions. Each memory he relived brought him closer to the truth—and closer to the moment when he would have to act.

Reader's Guide

Desmond Miles is the modern-day protagonist of the Assassin's Creed series, featured in the framing story of Brotherhood. He uses the Animus to relive the memories of his ancestor Ezio Auditore da Firenze, with the goal of finding a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. For the first time in the series, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any given time to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base, and find hidden secrets. He can also access virtual training missions via the Animus, which test the player's skills in combat and free-running. The game's plot follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The main narrative takes place during the Italian Wars, spanning the years 1500–1507, and continues from the events of Assassin's Creed II, as Ezio takes the fight against the Templars (led by the powerful Borgia family) to Rome, where he attempts to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood in Italy and liberate the city from the Borgias' control.

Did You Know?

• Desmond Miles can leave the Animus at almost any given time in Brotherhood to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base, and find hidden secrets.
• Desmond can access virtual training missions via the Animus, which test the player's skills in combat and free-running.
• The framing story is set in the 21st century and features Desmond using the Animus to find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse.
• Brotherhood is the first game in the main series to feature a multiplayer mode, where players assume the role of Templars in training.
• The game shipped 7.2 million units by May 2011 and won a BAFTA award for Best Action Game.

Desmond Miles' Modern-Day Role

In the framing story set in the 21st century, Desmond Miles uses the Animus to relive the memories of his Assassin ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse. For the first time in the series, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any given time to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base, and find hidden secrets. He can also access virtual training missions via the Animus, which test the player's skills in combat and free-running. The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control.

The Ezio Auditore Narrative

The main narrative takes place during the Italian Wars, spanning the years 1500–1507, and continues from the events of Assassin's Creed II, as Ezio takes the fight against the Templars (led by the powerful Borgia family) to Rome, where he attempts to rebuild the Assassin Brotherhood in Italy and liberate the city from the Borgias' control. The game's plot is set in a fictional history of real-world events and follows the millennia-old struggle between the Assassins, who fight to preserve peace and free will, and the Templars, who desire peace through control. The framing story is set in the 21st century and features series protagonist Desmond Miles using a machine known as the Animus to relive the memories of his Assassin ancestor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and find a way to avert the 2012 apocalypse.

Revolutionary Gameplay Mechanics

Brotherhood features an open world and is played from the third-person perspective, with a primary focus on using Desmond's and Ezio's combat, climbing and stealth abilities to eliminate targets and explore the environment. The game introduces a multiplayer component to the series, in which players assume the role of Templars in training. For the first time in the series, Desmond can leave the Animus at almost any given time to explore Monteriggioni, where the Assassins have set up base, and find hidden secrets. Desmond can also access virtual training missions via the Animus, which test the player's skills in combat and free-running. The series' combat system has been modified in Brotherhood, with striking first and offensive actions being more deadly than in previous games where counter-attacks were the most efficient. The game introduces the titular Brotherhood system, which allows the player, as Ezio, to recruit new Assassin initiates after destroying any of the twelve 'Borgia towers' around Rome where Papal troops are stationed, and then rescuing disgruntled citizens from being harassed by city guards.

Critical Reception and Legacy

Brotherhood received critical acclaim, with praise directed at its setting, new content, gameplay improvements over its predecessor and the new multiplayer mode. The narrative was also positively received, although it was generally seen as inferior to that of Assassin's Creed II. The game won multiple awards including a BAFTA award for Best Action Game. It was also commercially successful, shipping 7.2 million units by May 2011. A remastered version of Brotherhood, along with Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Revelations, was released as part of The Ezio Collection compilation for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 15, 2016, and for the Nintendo Switch on February 17, 2022.