Top 10 Saddest Deaths in Assassin's Creed Games

Assassin's Creed has never been shy about pulling at your heartstrings. Across different historical periods and even in the modern day, the series has delivered some truly devastating deaths. Some were shocking, others felt inevitable, but all of them left a lasting sense of loss.

Watching a character you've grown attached to meet their end, sometimes in a cruel twist of fate and other times in a heroic sacrifice, makes these moments impossible to forget.

This list focuses only on the main games. If you were hoping to see certain characters from the comics or the movie, you won't find them here. That means no Ezio's quiet passing from Assassin's Creed: Embers, no tragic end for Edward Kenway in the expanded lore, and no Maria from the Assassin's Creed film.

Instead, this is all about the most heartbreaking deaths from the core games. These are the ones that left fans speechless, angry, or even in tears.

Now it's up to you to decide which of these deaths hit the hardest. Vote for the ones that still linger in your mind, the ones that made you pause the game just to process what happened.

The Top Ten

Haytham Kenway

Absolutely the saddest death for me. He was the greatest Templar by far and a savage. After reuniting with his son, Connor, we start to think he will turn good again. Then, he is killed by Connor while trying to help Charles Lee.
Desmond Miles

This got me. Why did they do it? WHY?! I loved this character. They could have done so much with him! I took a liking to him from the first game because he was the beginning of it all. I even got into an argument with a friend about how important his character was!

Desmond was the first character we truly met. He was in the first five games of the franchise. In AC3, though, he finally meets his end in a tragic scene where he is forced to kill himself to save the world.
Lucy Stillman

Lucy was a likable character, and in Brotherhood, we really feel sorry for her. She lived undercover with Vidic and the Templars for many years and witnessed the deaths of her only friends. She was then stuck in a rundown Italian city for the rest of her life. Plus, she searched for the Apple for so long, only to be killed as soon as Desmond picks it up.
Elise de la Serre

A classic lovebirds' story. After Elise blames Arno for her father's death, she joins the Templars, only to realize she is being targeted and that Germain was responsible for her father's death. After Germain's order is taken out, Arno and Elise fight him, and Elise tragically dies in one of the saddest scenes in any video game.
Khemu

In Assassin's Creed Origins, we witness a very tragic scene early in the game: the death of Bayek's son, Khemu. While trying to open the vault in Siwa, Khemu steals a knife from one of the members. He unties Bayek, and Bayek attempts to kill the members, but in the struggle, he accidentally stabs his own son.
Yusuf Tazim

A super sad scene in Revelations. One of the more well-liked characters is killed in a brutal, brutal way. His death sparks a rally from the Assassins, and led by Ezio, they get their revenge.

I almost cried. I was furious. They didn't have to do this. It still makes me mad!
Mario Auditore

Mario was a beloved character, and he dies just like that in Brotherhood. It is a very sad scene. During the assault on Monteriggioni at the beginning of the game, he is shot in the back by Cesare.

I remember this. This was sad. Man, all of these almost made me cry!
Ezio's Family

This was terrible. Oh gosh, and that music playing in the background too. When he went out into the crowd and announced that he, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, was still alive, it was one of the best comebacks.

At the beginning of Assassin's Creed II, we see both of Ezio's brothers and his father murdered in a public execution. A truly tragic scene that will make some shed tears.
Hope Jensen

One of the saddest deaths. Hope was the one character who tried to reason with Shay. After she found out Shay was still alive, she attempted to kill him, and it almost worked, but Shay killed her at the last second in a tragic scene.
Mary Read

After the death of Mary, I played the rest of the game without any interest. When I deleted the game, there were a bunch of side quests left to complete, but you know... I couldn't play it without her.

SAD! You know that actually happened? That just makes it worse and even sadder.

Yeah, this one is definitely sad.

The Newcomers

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Eivor Varinsdottir
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Stede Bonnet

The Contenders

Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad

The first Assassin we meet. He doesn't die tragically, but his death is still sad. In Revelations, Ezio is searching for Altair's library. Throughout the game, Ezio is able to view memories that Altair had recorded. In the final memory, in a very heartbreaking moment, we see Altair succumb to old age in the library.

I teared up at this... Why isn't this number one? This was sad! I mean, he was the first Assassin! Come on, this deserves to be number one. (Although Haytham's death was sad, I never got to that point in the game because it kept freezing.)
Blackbeard (Edward Thatch)

I never saw this coming, and they did it in slow motion too. This got me because I liked his character.
Adéwalé
Achilles Davenport

Achilles Davenport is a character in the Assassin's Creed video game series. He serves as the deuteragonist in Assassin's Creed III and is portrayed as a mentor to the protagonist, Connor. In Assassin's Creed: Rogue, he is featured as the main antagonist from the perspective of the new protagonist,... read more
Ezio Auditore da Firenze

Ezio Auditore da Firenze is a fictional character in the video game series Assassin's Creed. He first appeared in Assassin's Creed II (2009) and became one of the series' most iconic protagonists. His story arc spans three games and numerous appearances in other media within the franchise.
Phoibe
Edward Kenway

Edward James Kenway is a fictional character in Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed video game franchise. He is the protagonist of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, which is set during the Golden Age of Piracy in the early 18th century. Edward is portrayed as a pirate who becomes an Assassin, and his story connects... read more

I was excited to play AC3 (I played AC4 first) and was looking forward to seeing Edward in old age, only to find out he was murdered by men under Reginald Birch's orders. Reginald was one of his employers, so he got betrayed. I couldn't play AC3 for five days after I found that out.
George Monro

The first time I actually felt sad for a video game character dying. I remember being extremely sad for a week and couldn't even play Rogue for about ten days.
Kanen'tó:kon
Brasidas
Hunwald
Ceolbert