It’s safe to say that Assassin’s Creed Mirage is a huge game. Ubisoft’s newest release has miles and miles of map for players to explore and hours upon hours of questlines to keep players busy as they, playing as Basim, take down the Order of Ancients. For players who ordered the game ahead of time, however, there’s one additional questline: The Forty Thieves. A loving homage to the Arabic folk tales of The Thousand and One Nights, this quest introduces players to new allies and new enemies in equal measure in search of a king and his treasure.
How to Begin the Pre-Order Bonus Quest (The Forty Thieves)
The Forty Thieves Pre-Order Bonus questline in Assassin’s Creed Mirage can be started at any point after you’ve eliminated Al-Ghul, aka Mas’ood Al-Ya’qoob, in the main story quest “First Order.” After Al-Ghul is dead and after a quick detour to visit Nehal in Anbar, you’ll be directed to meet Roshan in the Harbiyah Bureau in the quest “Branching Out.”
Once you arrive at the Bureau and speak to Roshan, Fuladh, and the Banu Musa, make your way over to the wooden table just to the right of the Banu Musa. There’s a letter on the table – read it, and you’ll discover it’s from Murjana, the daughter of Ali Baba, the famous (and wealthy) merchant. She needs your help finding her father and tells you to meet her outside Baghdad’s southern gates.
The Forty Thieves Quest: Dance With Thieves
In order to find Murjana and start the Pre-Order Forty Thieves quest, make your way to the Pomegranate Gate on the southern side of Baghdad, not far from the Monastery of the Virgins viewpoint. Once you arrive at the gate, you can use Enkidu to find Murjana, but she’s not hard to find on foot. Simply follow the sounds of her arguing with a merchant.
Approach Murjana, and a short cutscene will play, where she introduces herself and explains that her father has been taken by The Forty Thieves, a group of thieves thought to be mythical. Tell her you’re ready to go, and Murjana will lead you to the thieves’ hideout.
Follow Murjana on the road south until you get to the thieves’ hideout in the middle of a rocky enclosure. Murjana will want to rush in, rage-filled, but Basim convinces her to let him clear out the guards quietly so they don’t raise the alarm. Make sure you tag all of the guards with Enkidu before beginning – it’ll make taking them out a lot easier.
First, jump down off the ledge and into the nearest patch of grass. There’s a guard moving around the hideout – wait for him to come close, then assassinate him before any of his friends notice. You can take out most of the other guards the same way by sneaking between the patches of grass found in the hideout, whistling to get their attention, and then picking them off one by one. Assassin’s Focus is helpful when taking out the last two since they’re usually close together.
After you’ve killed the last guard, another cutscene will start, wherein Basim and Murjana find Ali Baba dead. Grief-stricken, Murjana takes her father’s body and leaves, telling you to meet her at their house near the bazaar. Before you leave, though, don’t forget to loot the chest not far from where you found his body.
Secrets, Spoken and Unspoken
The next part of the Forty Thieves pre-order quest in Assassin’s Creed Mirage requires you to find Ali Baba’s Estate. To do so, leave the thieves’ hideout – don’t forget to get the codex entry as you do – and travel north along the same path you used to get here.
Once you’re back in Baghdad, find Ali Baba’s Estate not far from the Monastery of Virgins. The estate is visible from the monastery’s viewpoint – it’s the big house just ahead – but the location is a restricted area, so be careful.
Enter the estate and find Murjana to trigger another cutscene, where she explains that her father was looking for a cave full of treasures before he died. Unfortunately, you also find that Murjana has been marked by the Forty Thieves, who want her head in this Assassin’s Creed Mirage pre-order quest.
In order to throw the thieves off her tail, Murjana and Basim come up with a plan to paint decoy marks on nearby doors. Use Eagle Vision to direct Basim towards which doors to paint, and after leaving four marks around the estate, the quest marker will lead you toward a high vantage point where you’re told to wait for the thieves to arrive.
Once night falls, a gang of around ten thieves will arrive at the estate, and you’ll have to eliminate them as they spread out. The first and easiest kill can be done by jumping from your vantage point onto the nearby rooftop, then crossing the rope until you’re above the thief in the walled-off garden. Air assassinate him, then duck into the grass or hay to avoid detection.
From there, taking out these thieves is similar to the first group. Sneak around the estate and pick off the thieves one by one, using grass for cover or taking them out while their backs are turned. After the last thief is dead, the quest marker will lead you to Murjana, who’s dealing with three more thieves of her own.
Kill the thieves and speak to Murjana. She’ll explain that the thieves want her dead because she knows about their secret cave and gives you a note with the cave’s watchword – “Open Sesame.” Since she’s been wounded in the fight against the Forty Thieves, Basim offers to go kill the King of Thieves – the group’s leader – on his own.
Meet the King
Leaving the estate, travel south out of Baghdad until you reach the Forty Thieves’ Hideout again. You’ll need to take out the hideout’s guards, but it’s not too difficult to pick them off so long as you watch how you climb the rocks and use the patches of grass to your advantage again. Pay attention to the armored guards as well – you’ll need to assassinate them unless you want to be stuck in a hard combat encounter.
After the last guard is dead, approach the big set of doors and interact with it. Amazingly, saying “Open Sesame” actually works, and you’ll be allowed down into the Forty Thieves’ cave in Assassin’s Creed Mirage. Follow the path down and take out the two guards by the campfire, then loot their chest. Continue following the path, and you’ll come across a metal door with two more guards on the other side.
Wait for the guards to walk away, then go through the door and up the ramp to the left. You’re in a cave filled with guards and the King of Thieves at the center, and the easiest way to take the guards out is to sneak around the upper levels of the cave using the beams and rafters found around the room. There’s also food scattered around the upper level of the cave if you’re low on health.
Once all the guards are dead, you’ll need to take out the King of Thieves himself. In order to do that without engaging him in combat, jump onto the canopy just above his position. Off to the side, you’ll see a load of stones hanging in the air. Hit it with a throwing knife to make it fall, attracting the King of Thieves’ attention and luring him out of his position.
As he passes under your spot on the canopy, jump down and assassinate the King of Thieves in a single blow.
After he’s dead, one last cutscene will play as Murjana arrives, sees him dead, and contemplates her grief. More importantly, she’ll also reward you with an oil lamp you can sell for dirham and the King of Thieves costume, which is pretty sharp. You can also loot the cave for a bunch of money before you leave.
Congrats, you’ve completed the Forty Thieves Pre-Order Bonus Quest in Assassin’s Creed Mirage! For a visual guide on how to complete the pre-order questline, check out the video below:
Assassin’s Creed Mirage is currently available for Mac, Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5,
