Florentine Fiasco

Navigate the chaos of Florence in Assassin's Creed II's 'Florentine Fiasco' mission. Protect Machiavelli and take down targets.

Alright, so you've got to get into Florence, but the guards are being real jerks about it. Just head in from the east gate and take out a few of them. Don't worry about wiping them all out, just make 'em scatter. Once you're in, you'll see a glowing circle. Step on it, and a blue marker will pop up way down south. That's your next destination.

Florence is a mess right now, just like Forli was. Expect fighting everywhere, and any guards you bump into will attack immediately. Your best bet is to try and sneak past 'em, but you'll probably draw a crowd near the bridge. When that happens, just deal with them. I personally like using Hidden Blade counter kills because they're quick and don't need you to weaken enemies first, but do whatever feels right for you.

Once you're on the bridge, find Niccolò Machiavelli and have a chat. After that, you'll walk with him through the southern part of Florence – your first time seeing this area! Stick with him until a cutscene kicks in. Then, your job is to escort Machiavelli to a yellow marker.

Be ready for some small groups of guards to try and stop you along the way. Your main priority is keeping Machiavelli safe. He's a bit tougher than Caterina Sforza was, but you still need to keep an eye on his health bar. Once you reach the plaza-like area and find the marker, you'll wrap up this mission.

Now, you've got nine targets scattered all over Florence, with three of them right here in this new southern district. Before you dive in, I highly recommend climbing a viewpoint in this area. It'll give you a much better lay of the land and help you plan your route. You'll also want to ditch your notoriety so you don't have guards constantly on your tail.

When you're all set, you can tackle those nine targets in any order you like. For my playthrough, I decided to go clockwise around the city, starting with the mission that's furthest southwest. It felt like a good way to systematically clear the map.