What Exactly Happened in that Mind-Blowing Assassin’s Creed Mirage Ending?
Every ending is a new beginning.
With Assassin’s Creed Mirage, returning character Basim gets an upgrade to franchise protagonist. Acting as an origin story for Basim before the events of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Mirage charts his journey from thief to master assassin. While new and old fans may expect Mirage’s ending to lead cleanly into Valhalla, the reality is much more complicated — and confusing. If you find yourself scratching your head as you watch the credits roll, then fear not. Here is exactly what happened at the end of Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and what it means for the franchise’s future.
[Major spoilers for the endings of Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Valhalla]
Basim comes to terms with his true self in Mirage.
What Happened at the End of Assassin’s Creed Mirage?
Basim’s mission in Baghdad comes to a head as he discovers the identity of the Snake, the head of the Order of the Ancients in the city. It is revealed the Snake is Qabiha, the wife of the Caliph, whom Basim murders in Mirage’s opening while attempting to steal an Isu artifact. Basim hesitates to assassinate her as she cryptically talks about the truth of his identity and suggests he should seek out a hidden Isu temple underneath the Hidden One’s home base of Alamut.
Before Qabiha can reveal more, Basim’s mentor Roshan assassinates her to keep the truth from Basim. This reveals Roshan is also in the know about Basim’s true identity. Roshan warns Basim to stay away from Alamut, which he promptly ignores and heads to his home base.
Inside the main chamber of Alamut, where we saw Basim officially join the Hidden Ones in the game’s early hours, he comes face to face with Roshan once again. Roshan cannot let Basim pass and instead fights him. Basim overpowers her but spares her life. At the back of the chamber, Basim stands before an Isu door and uses his blood to open it, which leads him below Alamut to a secret chamber with another door, which he also opens. Within this final chamber lies an Isu sarcophagus that opens to reveal Basim’s friend Nehal.
After going through a dream-like trance to face off with the Jinni that has haunted him his entire life, Basim realizes that Nehal is a figment of his imagination that represents the side of him that knows the truth — he is a reincarnation of the Isu Loki. He merges with Nehal to regain the memories of Loki and exits the Isu temple a changed man.
Disgusted by Basim’s transformation, Roshan leaves the Hidden Ones. Enkidu, Basim’s trusty bird, claws at Basim and scars his face before fleeing, recognizing that the personality of Loki has taken over and that the Basim he knows is gone. Remembering his past and how he was wronged by Odin and Týr as the Isu Loki, Basim sets out on a new mission of revenge.
How Does the Assassin’s Creed Mirage Ending Set Up a Sequel?
We already know what happens to Basim later in life, but what about the in-between years or after Valhalla?
In the case of Mirage, there is already a sequel that continues the story of Basim because we first meet Basim in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, only older and already aware of his identity as Loki. Basim’s quest for revenge comes to fruition in the plot of Valhalla. And since Mirage is a prequel to Valhalla, players have insight into how Basim became the older man we see. But that doesn’t mean we have seen the last of Basim in the Assassin’s Creed franchise.
Mirage takes place in 861 CE, while Valhalla takes place in 872 CE, which leaves 11 years during which Basim was still an active and well-respected member of the Hidden Ones. Valhalla, as well as the novels Assassin’s Creed: The Golden City and Assassin’s Creed: The Silk Road, gives us insight into what Basim got up to in those 11 years.
The biggest event that a sequel to Mirage could tackle would be Basim’s time in Constantinople with his apprentice Hytham. In 867 CE, the two were tasked with stopping Emperor Basil I from assassinating his son Leo. By 870 CE, Basim became the leader of the Hidden Ones’ bureau in Constantinople. A follow-up to Mirage set during this time in Basim’s life would also give the franchise a chance to return to the city of Constantinople, which serves as the setting of Assassin’s Creed: Revelations.
The ending of Valhalla also offers another path for a sequel focused on Basim. Valhalla reveals Basim was imprisoned for hundreds of years until players freed him at the game’s conclusion. In doing so, Basim seemingly takes over the mantle of the modern-day protagonist. While Mirage did not involve the modern-day story of the franchise, there are still unanswered questions about what the present-day Assassins and Basim will do in the aftermath of Valhalla. We already know that another game currently under the code name Red is in development, which will follow the RPG style of Valhalla in Japan, but modern-day elements could continue Basim’s story.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is available now for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
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