Let’s be honest. If you played AC III New York Underground missions back in 2012, or even in the remastered version, you probably spent half the time staring at a blank stone wall wondering where the hell you were. It’s dark. It’s damp. Connor moves a bit clunky in tight spaces. Honestly, the whole fast-travel system in Assassin's Creed III is kind of a mess because of these tunnels. You want to get from the North District to the East Side, but instead of just clicking a map icon, the game forces you into a subterranean labyrinth that feels like a Victorian plumbing nightmare.
Most players just give up. They run around on the surface, dodging Redcoats and climbing rooftops, because navigating the New York sewers feels like homework. But here’s the thing: if you actually want to 100% the game or just stop wasting time running across the map, you have to deal with the AC III New York Underground. It’s the only way to unlock the fast travel points. You find a lantern, you squint at some faded symbols on a wall, and you pray you don't hit another dead end.
The Frustrating Reality of the New York Labyrinth
The developers at Ubisoft Montreal clearly wanted to emphasize the "hidden" nature of the Assassins. What's more hidden than a massive network of tunnels beneath a colonial city? The problem is the execution. The New York map is significantly larger and more complex than the Boston underground. While Boston felt like a tutorial, New York is a full-blown maze. You’re looking for eleven different fast travel stations.
Some are easy. You'll stumble upon the South Church or the Brewery almost by accident. Others? They’re tucked behind "Magic Lantern" puzzles that feel completely out of place when you just want to go stab a Templar. These puzzles require you to align light projections on a wall based on Masonic symbols. It’s a cool nod to the lore and the influence of Freemasonry in the American Revolution, but when you've been lost in a gray hallway for twenty minutes, the novelty wears off fast.
The layout is intentionally confusing. You’ll find yourself following a path that looks promising, only to find a locked gate that can only be opened from the other side. This forces you to backtrack, find a different entrance on the surface, and try again. It’s a gameplay loop that rewards patience, but let’s be real, most of us just wanted to get back to the naval missions or the main story with Haytham and Connor.
Solving the Magic Lantern Puzzles Without Losing Your Mind
If you’re stuck in the AC III New York Underground, you’re likely staring at a lens puzzle. These are the gatekeepers of the fast travel system. Basically, you place a lantern on a pedestal and it projects four symbols onto a circular door or wall. You have to rotate these symbols into the correct positions.
The game gives you clues in the form of documents you can find nearby, but who actually reads those? Most people just brute force it. Here is the logic: the symbols represent different branches of Enlightenment philosophy and Masonry.
For the New York puzzles, you’re usually looking at symbols like the Sun, the Scales, the Male/Female signs, or the Compass. If you're at the Trinity Church location—which is arguably the most important fast travel point in the game—you need to arrange them specifically. Usually, the "top" symbol relates to the most "divine" or "elevated" concept.
Don't just spin them randomly. Look at the shadows. If a symbol starts to glow or click, you’re on the right track. It’s also worth noting that Connor’s "Eagle Vision" is surprisingly useless down here. It helps you see the lantern, sure, but it doesn't highlight the path through the maze. You have to rely on the actual map—the one that only fills in as you walk. It’s old-school. It’s tedious. But completing the New York set is a massive weight off your shoulders.
Why the Underground Matters for 100% Sync
You can't get the "Completionist" trophy or achievement without these. Period.
- Fast Travel: Walking across New York takes forever. The streets are packed with guards, especially in the later sequences.
- Assassin Recruits: Some recruitment missions are significantly easier to reach if you have the underground exits unlocked.
- Lore: There are minor notes and environmental storytelling bits down there that flesh out the Templar influence in New York.
The Best Way to Navigate the Tunnels
Don't go down there without a plan. Seriously. The best way to tackle the AC III New York Underground is to do it all at once. Wait until you have access to all of New York in Sequence 9 or later.
Start at one entrance and just hug the right-hand wall. This is a classic maze-solving technique. If you always turn right, you will eventually hit every room in a connected system. When you find a lantern, pick it up. Connor moves slower with the lantern, but it’s the only way to see the markings on the floor that point toward the exits.
Wait. Did you see that?
A lot of people miss the rats. It sounds gross, but the rats in the tunnels actually move toward the exits. If you’re truly lost and can’t find the next door, watch the vermin. They’ll lead you to the cracks in the wall or the staircases you’ve missed three times already.
Also, keep an eye out for gunpowder barrels. Some paths are blocked by breakable wooden barricades or rock piles. If you see a barrel, there’s a 100% chance you need to blow something up nearby. Just stand back. Connor takes a lot of splash damage in those tight corridors.
Misconceptions About the New York Sewers
People think the underground is full of enemies. It’s not. It’s actually one of the safest places in the game, which is the irony of it. The surface is a war zone; the underground is just a lonely, quiet tomb. You won't find patrols of Redcoats down here. The only thing you're fighting is the camera angle and your own sense of direction.
Another myth is that you need to find all the entrances to "finish" the map. Technically, you only need to find the exits to unlock the fast travel points. Some entrances on the surface are hidden in back alleys or behind houses, but once you unlock the point from inside the tunnel, the surface location becomes visible on your main map.
The Technical Headache
Let's talk about the map. The mini-map in AC III is... not great for verticality. In the New York Underground, the map often shows you a path that looks clear, but it fails to mention that the path is actually ten feet above your head on a ledge you can't reach.
If you're playing the Remastered version, the lighting is a bit better. In the original 2012 release, the "darkness" was just a muddy gray filter that made everything look the same. If you're struggling, go into your settings and bump the brightness up. It’s cheating, sort of, but it saves you from a headache.
Essential Locations You Can't Miss
There are 11 fast travel points in New York. If you have 10, you’re going to be annoyed. The one most people miss is in the North District, tucked away near the edge of the map.
- The Brewery: Essential for getting around the mid-map.
- Trinity Church: The "big one." It puts you right in the heart of the city.
- The Old Post Office: Great for jumping into missions.
The rest are scattered, but if you hit those three, your quality of life in the game goes up exponentially.
Actionable Steps for Completion
If you are currently staring at a brick wall in the New York sewers, do this:
- Drop the Lantern: If you need to climb or parkour, drop the lantern. You can always go back and get it, or find a new one at a nearby station. You can't jump while holding it.
- Look Up: Many exits are reached by climbing ladders that are hidden in shadows. If a hallway seems like a dead end, look at the ceiling.
- Check the Symbols: For the Mason puzzles, remember the "Law of Opposites." If the Sun is at the top, the Moon is often at the bottom.
- Ignore the Combat: You don't need your hidden blades here. Switch to the lantern and keep it out.
- Finish Sequence 8 First: Don't bother trying to map everything out before you have full access to the city districts. You'll just hit "Area Not Available" walls that break your immersion.
The AC III New York Underground is a relic of a different era of game design. It’s slow, it’s methodical, and it’s frustrating. But once you crack the code and unlock those fast travel points, New York becomes your playground instead of a chore. Stop running through the streets and start owning the tunnels. It's the only way to truly master Connor's world.
To finish the New York Underground efficiently, enter the tunnels from the South District first. Work your way upward toward the North, unlocking the Trinity Church exit as soon as possible. This specific exit provides the most central hub for the final sequences of the game. Once all 11 points are unlocked, you will never have to step foot in the sewers again, allowing you to focus entirely on the Epilogue and the remaining side content.