Everyone remembers the first time they leaped off that Florence cathedral. It wasn't just about the height. It was about the guy you were playing. Ezio Auditore da Firenze didn’t start as a killer; he was just a teenager with a nice cape and a punchable face who got his world wrecked. When we talk about Assassin's Creed 2 assassins, we aren't just talking about a group of NPCs in hoods. We're talking about a massive shift in how video games handled secret societies.
The Brotherhood in this game felt like a living, breathing underground. It wasn't just a quest hub.
Honestly, the way Ubisoft built the support network around Ezio is something the modern "RPG-style" Assassin’s Creed games totally lost. Back then, being an Assassin meant something specific. It had rules. It had a weird, ritualistic vibe that felt grounded in History—even if you were technically fighting a Pope who had magical space-alien technology.
The Men Behind the Hood: Who Were the Real Assassin’s Creed 2 Assassins?
You can't talk about the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins without starting with Mario Auditore. "It's-a me, Mario!" Yeah, the meme is legendary, but the character was the glue. He wasn't some mystical grandmaster living in a cave. He was a mercenary. He ran a dusty villa in Monteriggioni and spent his time worrying about bills and city defenses.
That’s the secret sauce.
The Assassins in this era were integrated into society. Think about Paola in Florence or Teodora in Venice. One runs a brothel; the other is a literal nun. This wasn't some isolated monk order. They were the people the Renaissance ignored. Ubisoft’s writers—shout out to Corey May—nailed the idea that a resistance movement needs to be invisible to work.
Mario Auditore and the Mercenary Factor
Mario represents the "muscle" of the order. While the later games make the Brotherhood feel like a bunch of superhero clones, Mario’s Villa showed us that the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins were essentially a struggling family business. You had to spend your own florins to fix the pipes and buy paintings just to keep the lights on. It made the stakes feel personal. When the Pazzi family attacked, they weren't just attacking a political ideology; they were kicking in your front door.
The Courtesans and Thieves
People forget that La Volpe and Paola are technically part of the "Assassins" ecosystem. They aren't just mission givers. In the lore of 1476, the Assassins were spread thin. They relied on the "fringe" elements of society. La Volpe is particularly interesting because he’s the only one who seems to actually be a better Assassin than Ezio for most of the game. He’s cynical, fast, and completely untrusting. He’s the guy who reminds you that this isn't a fairy tale—it's a bloody, messy shadow war.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Non-Assassin MVP
Is Leonardo one of the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins? Technically, no.
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But he’s more important than half the people on the Council.
Without Leo, Ezio is just a guy with a broken blade and a grudge. The relationship between these two is the emotional heart of the game. It’s not about "Ancient Ones" or "Precursors" for most of the runtime. It’s about a genius inventor helping his friend get revenge. The way Leonardo deciphers the Codex pages—written by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad—connects the golden age of the Crusades to the vibrant, colorful Renaissance.
It’s genius world-building.
You’re literally reading the diary of the first game’s protagonist through the eyes of a historical polymath. It makes the world feel old. It makes the Brotherhood feel like it has layers of dust and blood on it.
Why the Brotherhood Felt Different in 1476
In the first game, the Assassins were a public entity. They had a fortress. Everyone knew Masyaf.
By the time we get to the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins, they’ve gone completely underground. This is a massive plot point that people often overlook. The shift from a public militia to a secret society happened because they were losing. The Templars (The Borgia and their cronies) had already won. They controlled the banks, the church, and the government.
Ezio wasn't joining a winning team. He was joining a desperate insurgency.
The Initiation Scene (The Leap of Faith)
That scene on the tower in Venice where Ezio finally "officially" joins the order? It’s iconic for a reason. You see all the characters you’ve met—Mario, Paola, Volpe, Teodora, Antonio—standing there in hoods. It’s the "Avengers Assemble" moment of 2009. But look closer. These aren't warriors. They are a group of middle-aged professionals who decided to fight back.
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The "Leap of Faith" isn't just a game mechanic here. It's a metaphor for Ezio finally giving up his personal life for the cause.
The Gear that Defined an Era
We have to talk about the Hidden Blade. In the first game, you had to cut off your ring finger to use it. Hardcore, but kinda bad for blending in.
The Assassin's Creed 2 assassins fixed this. Leonardo modified the design so you could keep your fingers. This small detail changed everything for the franchise. It allowed the characters to be "hidden in plain sight."
- The Poison Blade: A sneaky, cruel addition that highlighted the shift toward "Italian" styles of assassination—subtle and terrifying.
- The Hidden Gun: This was the "game-breaker." It showed that the Assassins were willing to use the very technology the Templars wanted to control.
- The Dual Blades: Because why kill one guard when you can kill two?
The Legacy of the 1488 Council
The climax of the game sees the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins confronting Rodrigo Borgia in Rome. This is where the historical fiction goes off the rails in the best way possible. You have a bunch of Italians in white robes infiltrating the Vatican.
But here’s the thing: they don’t actually "win" in the way you’d expect.
Ezio spares Rodrigo. This is a huge point of contention for fans. Why? Because the Assassins of this era weren't just about killing; they were about the philosophy of "Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted." Ezio realized that killing the Pope wouldn't fix the systemic corruption. It was a moment of maturity that you rarely see in modern action games.
Where the Modern Games Lost the Plot
If you play Assassin’s Creed Valhalla or Odyssey, the "Assassins" (or Hidden Ones) are basically just flavor text. They give you a quest and disappear.
In Assassin’s Creed 2, the assassins were your family. You lived in their house. You upgraded their town. You protected their secrets. There was a sense of place. The game didn't need a map 500 miles wide because every street corner in Florence felt like it belonged to your allies or your enemies.
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The nuance of the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins lay in their humanity. They were flawed. Mario was stubborn. Volpe was paranoid. Ezio was a bit of a womanizer. They weren't statues; they were people.
Actionable Tips for Reliving the Experience
If you’re going back to play this classic or just want to appreciate the lore more deeply, here is how to actually engage with the "Assassin" side of the game beyond just mashing the square button.
Read the Codex Pages as you find them. Don't just skip the text. These pages are written by Altaïr and explain why the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins changed their tactics. It explains the philosophy of the Hidden Blade and why the order had to move into the shadows. It’s some of the best writing in the series.
Focus on the Monteriggioni Upgrades Early. The more you invest in the Villa, the more the "Brotherhood" feels real. You start seeing more guards, more life, and more prosperity. It anchors the story. It makes the eventual move to Rome in Brotherhood feel earned.
Use the Factions. Don't play Ezio like a solo tank. Use the Thieves and Courtesans. The game was designed for you to be a "manager" of these sub-groups of the Assassin's Creed 2 assassins. It makes the stealth much more rewarding when you realize you’re part of a larger machine.
Explore the Assassin Tombs. These are essentially the "puzzles" of the game, but they also provide the history of the legendary Assassins who came before. From Amunet to Iltani, these tombs show that the 15th-century Brotherhood was just one link in a very long, very bloody chain.
The Assassin's Creed 2 assassins weren't perfect, but they were the most "human" version of the order we've ever seen. They had jobs, they had homes, and they had a sense of humor. That’s why, even fifteen years later, we’re still talking about them while we’ve already forgotten the protagonists of the last three games.
Stop treating the game as a checklist of icons. Start looking at the people in the hoods. The Renaissance wasn't won by a guy in a cape; it was won by a network of people who decided that the status quo wasn't good enough anymore. That's the real legacy of the Auditore family.