Warning: Spoilers for Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla and MirageUbisoft’sAssassin’s Creedseries has evolved greatly over the course of its 16-year history, especially in its expansive lore and overarching plot. Though small in scale originally, the franchise quickly turned into a millennia-spanning story involvingancient pre-human civilizations, conspiracy theories, and doomsday scenarios. As the series went on and introduced increasingly complicated threads, many either fell by the wayside or were stretched to the point of confusion and frustration in the eyes of many fans.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis the latest mainline entry in the series, and it promised a return to the narrower scope of earlier titles. While it mainly delivered on this, it also centers on a newer character; one with an already convoluted past. Basim is a more recent addition to the cast, and though this is only his second appearance, Ubisoft chose him as the protagonist forAC Mirage.Given the facts shown about him previously, there is one aspect to Basim’s history and personality thatMiragewas poised to flesh out, yet left entirely unaddressed.
One Big Question About Basim Isn’t Addressed in Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Basim’s Role in the Assassin’s Creed Universe
The Great Catastrophe inAssassin’s Creedwas a pivotal event that many threads followed from. It has cast a shadow over the plot of everyACtitle since being introduced inAC 2.This was the extinction event of the First Civilization, a precursor race who influenced humanity’s culture and religion before the Catastrophe destroyed their society. They split into two factions - the Isu and Aesir - and both made desperate attempts to escape their impending end. One of these saw a handful of Aesir upload their consciousnesses into an advanced machine, which would then distribute them into a human body in the far future.
InAC Valhalla, the major characters are all versions of First Civilization members. This is shown from a medieval Nordic perspective through the lense of established myths. The Aesir are the Norse pantheon, the Catastrophe is Ragnarök, and their histories are intertwined. Included in this are several key facts about Basim:
AC Mirage Forgets About Basim’s Children
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis a prequel toValhalla,and thus, Basim does not realize his true nature and history until its conclusion. Only after entering the First Civilization ruins does he regain his Aesir memories and recover his true self. Upon discovering who and what he really is, Basim then sets off on the path that will lead directly into his elaborate revenge plan against Eivor. Finally, when he reveals himself in the present timeline, his goal turns to continuing the search for his missing children.
It’s more than a little strange and disappointing, then, thatAC Miragedoesn’t seem to acknowledge or mention Basim’s family at all. He experiences visions and nightmares of Odin’s torment, filtered through Middle Eastern legends of evil jinni. But nowhere does he appear to see or remember his children, who inform a huge part of his personality and current motivation. By theending ofAC Mirage, there is no hint or trace of them, leaving their presence glaringly absent and creating yet another mystery that may or may not be answered in futureACtitles.
