The Assassin's Creed franchise is known for a number of great features: altered history narratives, innovative parkour mechanics, and of course the iconic Assassins wardrobe, which makes it perfect for cosplay fans. Each costume across the series is not only thematically appropriate to its time period but continues to display a few key features which make the character identifiable as an Assassin.
Despite wanting to blend in, these costumes stand out in a crowd for their exquisite detail, giving them the right vibes for cosplayers. For those new to cosplay, there are a handful of protagonists from Assassin's Creed who make for recognizable but easily producible costumes.
An Assassin's wardrobe often has four key features: the hood, flowing sleeves or coattails, an aspect of red, and the iconic Assassin logo. These features appear across almost every costume in the series. There are some exceptions, but for those looking to recreate a cosplay from the series or wanting to make something uniquely their own, these are the key components to keep in mind.
Aveline De Grandpré From Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
The first playable female Assassin, Aveline's costume is the most unique of the Assassin outfits. While Liberation offered a variety of costume options, Aveline's iconic Assassin outfit is not only recognizable but far simpler to reproduce. An off-white long-sleeved shirt with two leather bracers and thin fingerless gloves with a matching long sleeveless jacket already recreates most of the torso. Aveline also wears a second layer of leather armor about her shoulders not unlike a short robe or poncho, fastened in the front with two buckles.
Unique to her costume is her hat. Rather than a traditional Assassin hood with the peak to emulate a bird beak, Aveline wears a modest tricorn hat appropriate for the colonial era with the forward peak modified to resemble the beak instead. With dark brown leggings, thigh-high boots, and a red sash tied around the waist, the only piece missing is the Assassin insignia at the front of the sash. Much of this costume could already be found in colonial or pirate costumes readily available. There are a number of minor accents a cosplayer may wish to include, but these key parts make for a simple and recognizable depiction of Aveline.
Arno Dorian From Assassin's Creed Unity
While a somewhat controversial character in the popularity department, Arno's costume is arguably the best at blending its period-accurate attire with the function of the Assassins. The majority of his outfit is that of a simple French nobleman: black trousers with knee-high leather boots, a white doublet with brown leather jerkin overtop, and a partially unbuttoned white vest over that. His signature coat, the flowing blue duster with a more modest and cropped hood also features a slightly muted peak with each sleeve having a thick brown cuff. His piece of red is a small scarf or ascot worn about the neck.
What makes his costume so simple is its easy adaptability from any number of nobility costumes available. Unity introduced the series to a deeper customization system, and so long as Arno's coat and the scarf are present, there is a lot of room for creative alterations. The key to remember is that while many Assassin outfits are flowing robes, the French fashion of Arno's costume is more about being tight and close to the body.
Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad From Assassin's Creed
The first Assassin players were ever introduced to, Altaïr wears an iconic Assassins robe which comes only second to Ezio's in its recognizability. the most important part and the base piece for an Altaïr costume is the robe itself. Whether a single long white monk's robe or a combination of a white skirt and a form-fitting white hoodie, everything beyond this is simple accents. Dark leggings and knee-high brown leather boots finish off the bottom half while the arms need leather bracers and a few decorative plates of silver metal.
The midsection requires a thick red sash overlapped with a wide brown leather cummerbund of sorts, and the look is complete. It's iconic, familiar, and requires very little in the way of alterations, but it wouldn't hurt to add some fabric to the hood for the classic beak motif.
Evie Frye From Assassin's Creed: Syndicate
The more sensible of the Frye twins, Evie is under-rated for just how effective and smart she really is. Her costume - similar to that of Arno - is both functional and era-appropriate for her game. Evie's costume includes a thigh-length black leather jacket with an additional red trim on the bottom extending to her calves. Similar to Assassin's Creed series icon Ezio, she wears a red half cape on one shoulder as well as black leather trousers and knee-high boots.
Evie is also known for her black leather vest worn beneath the jacket and her white shirt with a popped collar. The hood of her jacket is missing the classic peak styling, and she wears only one bracer to house the hidden blade. Paired with some black gloves, this costume is as good as ready! Black leather isn't cheap and can easily be swapped for a more cost-effective material, but beyond minor alterations to the jacket, everything else should be an easy purchase to recreate the more clever of the twins.
Desmond Miles From Assassin's Creed 1-3
The single easiest protagonist to cosplay happens to be the one with the most appearances and is voiced by Nolan North. Desmond made many present-day Assassin's Creed fans, acting as the conduit through which many players got into the franchise. Obviously the most modern look, his appearance is still easily recognizable for fans of the series. His white zip-up hoodie might not stand out much, but the red trim and thin stripe which runs up the seam of the hood make it a dead giveaway as an Assassin's outfit.
With a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a messenger bag, the costume is already done. Adding a few optional leather straps for the hidden blade on the arm can be a nice touch, but not necessary if fans wanted to keep it simple.
For fans of the Assassin's Creed franchise who want to get into cosplay - or just have ideas for Halloween - these will be the best options to start with before tackling something a bit more complex like Edward Kenway or Eivor.