1: Ignorance is Bliss

Assassin's Creed II Guide - Walkthrough

Sequence 1: Ignorance is Bliss

Memory 1: Boys Will Be Boys

When you gain control over Ezio, press LT/L2 to lock on to an enemy and then use the X/Square button to punch. Hold RT/R2 to Deflect; press A/X while holding RT/R2 at the right time to dodge an enemy's swing. You can also grab hold of an enemy by pressing the B/Circle button and follow up with a Punch (X/Square), Knee (A/X), Headbutt (Y/Triangle), or Throw (B/Circle). Be careful though, as getting hit while holding an enemy will cause Ezio to release him.

Defeat your rivals!

Beat the first batch of enemies to trigger a cutscene. Afterwards, another group of enemies will appear. You can't lose the fight at this point, so just take out as many of them as you can. When your rivals retreat, move on to looting the downed enemies. To Loot, stand over a downed enemy and hold the B/Circle button until the icon fills to collect some florins. Collect a total of 200 florins this way to complete the memory.

Memory 2: You Should See the Other Guy

Speak to Federico to begin this memory. You just need to follow him to a doctor. Hold RT/R2 and A/X and Sprint and Free-Run after Federico to reach the nearby doctor. Approach the doctor to trigger a brief cutscene.

Memory 3: Sibling Rivalry

You must beat Federico in a race to the marker on top of the church. During the countdown, turn to face the stack of crates behind Federico; as soon as the race has started, hold RT/R2 and A/X and Free-Run up to crate at the top of the stack. Hop across the beams and onto the curved roof at the other end. Once on the roof, jump and climb up onto the roof above. Free-Run toward the suspended, wooden platform between the two buildings, then jump to the other side and leap down to the mid-section of the church. Jump to grab hold of the upper roof and hit the marker before Federico does to win the race.

Winning the race against Federico

After the cutscene, follow Federico as he scales the tower. Reach the top of the tower to trigger a cutscene and complete the memory.

Memory 4: Nightcap

Move onto the highlighted plank attached to the top of the tower and press the Y/Triangle button to Synchronize the Viewpoint. Synchronizing a Viewpoint uncovers a portion of the map, as well as one or more additional Viewpoints. You can then travel to, scale, and Synchronize these Viewpoints to uncover even more of the map, revealing the location of additional Viewpoints in the process.

Note that currently you only have access to one of Florence's districts. An additional district will be unlocked at the start of each Sequence.

After Synchronizing the Viewpoint, while still on the edge of the plank, hold RT/R2 and the A/X button and push the Left Stick forward to perform a Leaf of Faith. You'll land safely in a pile of hay below. Pigeons and scattered feed on rooftops indicate where a Leap of Faith can be performed, so keep an eye out for pigeons if you're ever trying to lose an enemy or a group of enemies in the future.

You must visit Cristina Vespucci at her home to complete this memory. You must be Anonymous to see Cristina, which means you must not be spotted by enemies on your way to the target, otherwise you'll have to lose them to become Anonymous again. Red blips on the Mini-Map denote enemies; there are relatively few enemies en route to the Vespucci residence, but it would probably be best to travel along the rooftops to avoid any trouble.

Synchronize Viewpoints to uncover more of the map.

Stand in the marker below Cristina's bedroom window while Anonymous to trigger a brief cutscene. Then, hold RT/R2 and Free-Run toward the two windows below Cristina's bedroom window and continue holding the Left Stick to climb up into her bedroom.

After the cutscene, lose the guards by travelling outside of the yellow circle marked on the Mini-Map and remaining there for a short while, or by hiding in a pile of hay or roof garden or on a bench between two people once the guards have lost sight of you (the edges of the Mini-Map outlined in yellow). Hiding spots appear as light-blue blips on the Mini-Map.

Escape the guards to complete the memory. Completing this memory will unlock a Race, which is one of the types of optional events you can participate in. While completing the events is not essential, they can be a good way to earn some florins.

Memory 5: Paperboy

Speak to Giovanni in front of Palazzo Auditore to begin this memory. You just have to deliver a letter to Lorenzo de' Medici, whose home is in the southeast corner of the district. The Pazzi are still on the lookout for Ezio, so steer clear of red blips as you make your way to Lorenzo's home. Pazzi are blocking the way to the house, so you'll have to scale the building and drop down into the area to avoid being spotted. Follow the green marker on your radar to reach Lorenzo's palazzo. Speak to the servant standing outside to deliver the letter.

Deliver Giovanni's letter.

After delivering the letter, climb back up to the rooftops and make your way back to Palazzo Auditore. Speak to Federico outside and then approach the highlighted door and press the B/Circle button to trigger a cutscene. Completing this memory unlocks a Courier event in Florence.

Memory 6: Beat a Cheat

Speak to Claudia Auditore in the Palazzo Auditore courtyard to begin this memory. You must to find and punish Duccio -- with your fists. Make your way to the green marker on the Mini-Map to confront Duccio. Be ready to press the X/Square button when the prompt appears during the cutscene. Lock on to Duccio after the cutscene and start pounding him with the X/Square button. Grab hold of him with the B/Circle button, throw him to the ground with B/Circle and use the X/Square button to kick him while he's down. Deplete Duccio's health to complete the memory and unlock a Beat Up event in Florence.

Beat the tar out of Duccio to teach him a lesson.

Memory 7: Petruccio's Secret

Talk to Petruccio outside of Palazzo Auditore to begin this memory. You must collect three feathers within two minutes and 30 seconds and then deliver them to Petruccio at Palazzo Auditore. The three feathers are marked on your Mini-Map, so follow the markers and collect all three before time runs out. You have plenty of time to grab the feathers, and the timer stops as soon as you collect the last one, so this memory is quick and simple.

Once you have all three feathers, return to Palazzo Auditore, approach the highlighted door and press B/Circle to trigger a cutscene and complete the memory.

Completing this memory unlocks Feather Locations. There are 100 Feathers in the world; check out the “Feather Locations” section of this guide for maps and screenshots of each location. If you want start collecting the feathers now, be sure to mark which ones you have so you can continue using the maps once all 100 Feather Locations have been unlocked.

Collecting the feathers for Petruccio

Memory 8: Friend of the Family

Speak to Maria at Palazzo Auditore to begin this memory. She wants you to accompany her on an errand. Follow her to Leonardo da Vinci's home to trigger a cutscene. After the cutscene, hit the B/Circle button to pick up the box and then start toward the green marker on the Mini-Map -- Maria and Leonardo will follow you. You can Sprint while carrying the box, but bumping into another person while sprinting will cause Ezio to drop it. If this happens, just pick it back up and be more careful.

Make your way back to Palazzo Auditore, stand in the marker there, and drop the box to complete the memory.
 

Memory 9: Special Delivery

Knock on the front door of Palazzo Auditore to see Giovanni. He wants you to deliver two letters and retrieve a third from a pigeon coop. Travel to the green markers on the mini-map to deliver the letters and collect the letter from the pigeon coop. Complete all three tasks to complete the memory.

Collect Giovanni's letter from the pigeon coop.

Memory 10: Jailbird

Giovanni is being held in the Palazzo della Signoria, which is located at the east end of the district. You need to scale the tower to reach Giovanni's cell window. The guards are on the lookout for Ezio, so avoid the streets and take to the rooftops instead. Follow the green marker on the Mini-Map to reach the Palazzo della Signoria.

Walk around to the east side of the building, ensure no guards are watching, and then start climbing. There is a single guard patrolling the first level; you can wait until he has his back turned before pulling yourself up and running to the next climbing point, or you can simply beat him with your fists. Once you're past the first guard, climb up to the next level. The tower with Giovanni's cell is on this level. There are two guards patrolling the area. Again, you can either try to sneak past them or just knock them out.

Climb up the tower and onto the visible marker to trigger a cutscene, completing the memory.

Winning the race against FedericoClimbing to Giovanni's cell in the Palazzo della Signoria

Memory 11: Family Heirloom

Enter Palazzo Auditore to trigger this memory. Inside, activate Eagle Vision by holding the Y/Triangle button. Look at the northern wall to discover entrance into the secret room. Approach the wall and press the B/Circle button to lower it. Approach the highlighted chest and press the B/Circle button to open it.

After the cutscene, head back outside and you'll be confronted by two guards. These guards are agile and can Free-Run, so it's best to just kill them as they can be quite difficult to lose. Equip the Long Sword by pressing the right D-pad button. Lock on to one of the targets and press the X/Square button to swing the sword. You can counter an enemy's attack by holding RT/R2 and pressing X/Square at the right time, which is just before the strike is about to connect.

Use Eagle Vision to reveal the hidden room inside of Palazzo Auditore.

Once the guards have been dealt with, start following the blue marker on the Mini-Map. The guards in Florence are still on high alert, so it's best to travel along the rooftops. You must be Anonymous to speak to Uberto Alberti, so kill any guards following you and then approach the highlighted door and press the B/Circle button to trigger a cutscene.

Memory 12: Last Man Standing

Follow the green marker on the Mini-Map to trigger a cutscene. You must escape the guards. You've lost your sword, so fleeing is definitely the better option here. Sprint out of the square and try to climb up to the rooftops. Hide in a roof garden once the guards have lost sight of you (the Mini-Map is outlined in yellow) and remain there until they give up.

Note that some guards may inspect hiding spots in an effort to find you; as such, you may want to flee out of the yellow circle on the Mini-Map (which denotes the Last Known Position, where guards will actively search for you) instead.

Escape from the guards!

Lose the guards to complete both the memory and Sequence 1.