14 DAY TRIAL // Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag will have improved stealth mechanics, including new weapons for protagonist Edward Kenway, as well as plantations that can be raided, much in the same way as the outposts from Far Cry 3.
Assassin's Creed games have relied on stealth in the past, but recent titles have placed a pretty big emphasis on pure combat, exploration, or chasing.
In Black Flag, the team at Ubisoft Montreal wants to offer more choices to players and has just revealed the first details about a stealth conquest of one of the game's different plantations, which are built much in the same way as the outposts from Far Cry 3.
Players can take control of them either stealthily or through more violent means, but sneaking and triggering no alerts or alarms is rewarded with more money, so there's a big incentive to stick to the shadows.
The plantations are filled with different guards and enemies, ranging from regular foot soldiers, to sharpshooters stationed in towers that can really hurt Edward if he's caught in the open.
There are also alarm systems in the form of bells, and each must be disarmed so that reinforcements don't appear if Edward is spotted by enemies.
"Naturally, bells tend to have guards around them, so Kenway uses a non-lethal weapon to create some havoc: his blowpipe equipped with a berserk dart," the description on the UbiBlog reads.
"Edward then uses the cover of the ensuing chaos – with the one guard attacking his mates – to circle around the treetops, leap into a pile of hay, then run up to the bell and remove its ringer. (Keep in mind that there are multiple bells throughout a plantation, so you’re not off the hook if you disable just one of them.)"
The blowpipe can also shoot sleep darts, which is especially handy when guards tend to look at one another. If one of them falls asleep, the other will rush to his side but won't trigger an alarm immediately, giving players enough time to take both of them out.
Of course, plantations will have different items around to help in their conquest, such as powder kegs, so all sorts of play styles are supported.
Once they're conquered, players will receive a cash bonus, not to mention valuable goods like sugar, which are then stored on the Jackdaw.