You’re standing in the middle of a forest in the 1700s. It’s snowing. Your character, Connor Kenway, is a literal master assassin, a guy who can take down a whole squad of Redcoats without breaking a sweat. But instead of hunting Templars or stabbing someone with a hidden blade, you’re crouched behind a wooden fence, staring intensely at a guy named Big Dave while he hammers a piece of hot iron. You've been here for ten minutes. You're waiting for him to do something "unique." This is the Assassin's Creed 3 Encyclopedia of the Common Man, and honestly, it’s one of the weirdest, most frustrating, and ultimately rewarding side quests Ubisoft ever dreamed up.
It’s easy to miss. Most players just want to finish the main story. They want to see the Revolution. But if you ignore the Homestead, you’re missing the actual heart of the game.
The Encyclopedia of the Common Man isn't just a checklist. It’s a simulation of life. Basically, Achilles—the old mentor who lives in the basement and grumbles a lot—wants a record of how people actually lived back then. Not the generals. Not the kings. Just the regular folks building a life in the middle of a war. To complete it, you have to "record" the activities of the artisans living on your land. It sounds simple. It is not. It requires a level of patience that most modern games simply don't ask for anymore. You have to watch these NPCs live their lives until they do something specific. It’s essentially colonial birdwatching.
The Struggle of the Scan
To get started, you use Eagle Vision. You look at a worker—say, Lance the woodworker—and if he’s doing something "encyclopedia-worthy," he glows gold. You L1 or LT him, and boom, one entry down. But the game doesn't tell you when they’re going to do these things. You might catch Lance planing a piece of wood. Great. Then you might wait fifteen minutes while he just walks around, leans against a tree, or talks to a neighbor. You can’t force it. You can’t trigger the animation. You just have to be there.
There are three activities for each profession. Some are easy to find. Others? Absolute nightmares.
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The hunt for these entries creates a strange bond between you and the NPCs. You start to learn their routines. You know that the miners, Norris and... well, mostly just Norris, usually start their day by checking the mine shaft. You know the farmers, Warren and Prudence, spend a lot of time in the fields, but sometimes they’ll go and mill grain or tend to the bees. If you catch them with the bees, that’s a win. Honestly, the frustration of waiting for a specific animation is part of the charm. It forces you to slow down in a game that usually rewards high-speed parkour and split-second counters.
Why the Homestead Matters More Than the War
Assassin's Creed 3 gets a lot of hate for Connor being "boring" or "stoic." But if you play the Assassin's Creed 3 Encyclopedia of the Common Man and the associated Homestead missions, that characterization completely flips. Connor is a man without a home, a man whose village was burned and whose people are being pushed out. On the Homestead, he’s building something. He’s a protector. He’s a neighbor.
When you’re scanning Big Dave the blacksmith, you aren't just completing a quest for a trophy. You're documenting the growth of a community. These people aren't just random NPCs. They have names. They have backstories. You helped Big Dave escape the British. You helped Norris find the courage to ask Myriam the huntress on a date. By the time you’re finishing the Encyclopedia, the Homestead feels like a real place.
Most open-world games today feel like theme parks. You go to a spot, you do a thing, you get a reward. AC3, for all its technical jank and weird design choices, tried to make the world feel lived-in. The workers don't just stand there waiting for you. They have schedules. They go to the tavern at night. They argue. They work. Recording them feels like being a digital anthropologist.
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Common Mistakes and Glitches
Let's talk about the bugs. Because there are many. Even in the Remastered version, the Assassin's Creed 3 Encyclopedia of the Common Man can be a bit of a mess. Sometimes a worker will get stuck in a loop of "non-scannable" activities. You’ll see Lance checking his inventory for the tenth time in a row, and your Eagle Vision will stay red, meaning it doesn't count.
Kinda annoying, right?
The trick—and this is something long-time players swear by—is to fast travel away and come back. Or, better yet, hide. If the NPC "senses" you standing right in their face with your hood up, they sometimes stop their routine. Treat it like a stealth mission. Sit on a bench nearby. Lean against a wall. Use the "blend" mechanic. It’s hilarious that the same mechanics you use to assassinate a Templar are the ones you use to watch a guy make a chair.
Also, keep in mind that you can't complete the entries for some characters until you've progressed their specific Homestead missions. You can't record the doctor doing "advanced" medical stuff if he hasn't even moved into his clinic yet. It’s all tied together.
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The Full List of Artisans
To wrap this up, you need three entries for everyone. Here’s who you’re looking for:
- The Blacksmith (Big Dave): Look for him sharpening an axe, shoeing a horse, or using the forge.
- The Doctor (Lyle White): Watch him reading on a bench, tending to a patient, or picking herbs.
- The Farmers (Warren and Prudence): Look for them plowing, milking cows, or baking bread.
- The Huntress (Myriam): Catch her cleaning a musket, sharpening a knife, or setting a trap.
- The Innkeepers (Oliver and Corrine): Usually found butchering a pig, trampling grapes, or cleaning the bar.
- The Lumberjacks (Terry and Godfrey): They’ll be sawing wood, loading a wagon, or sometimes having a contest.
- The Miner (Norris): Watch him mining, sifting for gold in the stream, or sharpening a pickaxe.
- The Tailor (Ellen): Catch her measuring a customer, sewing, or washing clothes.
- The Woodworker (Lance): Look for him planing wood, checking a fence, or examining a chair.
It takes time. A lot of it. But when that notification finally pops up saying the Encyclopedia is 100% complete, it feels better than any boss fight. You’ve documented the foundation of a new world.
How to Actually Finish This Quest
If you’re stuck at 2/3 for someone and you feel like you're losing your mind, stop staring at them. The game's AI seems to trigger animations more naturally when you aren't actively hovering. Go do a naval mission. Hunt some beaver skins. Come back at a different time of day. The lighting engine in AC3 actually affects NPC schedules—they won't be out farming in a torrential downpour, they'll be under cover.
Check your logbook frequently. It tells you exactly how many "valid" scans you have for each person. Don't rely on your memory. If you scan someone and the "Entry Added" text doesn't appear, it didn't count. Sometimes you'll get a message saying "Target already scanned," which means you’ve already caught that specific animation. Move on.
The Assassin's Creed 3 Encyclopedia of the Common Man is a testament to a time when developers weren't afraid to make something slow. It’s the ultimate "vibe" quest. It’s about the quiet moments between the chaos of the American Revolution.
Actionable Steps for Completion
- Sync your progress with the story: Don't try to finish the Encyclopedia in Sequence 6. You won't have enough artisans. Wait until Sequence 10 or 11 when everyone is settled and their missions are done.
- Use the "Distance Reset": If an NPC is stuck, run roughly 100 meters away and come back. This often resets their AI pathing and forces them to start a new task.
- Watch from a distance: Use your Eagle Vision from a roof or a bush. It keeps the NPC from entering their "idle" interaction state where they just acknowledge your presence.
- Time of day matters: Artisans usually work from roughly 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM in-game time. If it's night, they’re either at the tavern or sleeping. You can't scan a sleeping farmer.
- Check the "Extra" NPCs: Remember that some professions have two people (like the Farmers and Lumberjacks). You can scan either person to get an entry for that category. It doesn't have to be the same person every time.