Ubisoft promised a big patch for Assassin's Creed III and it looks like they're delivering. The game's huge "Thanksgiving" patch, set for release next week has a lot of fixes.


Some of the fixes will be spoilers (there's a boring non-spoiler version of the changes here). Read on at your own risk. But let me make something clear: they say they are fixing the chases.



Here's the full list of patch notes, via the Ubisoft forums, with some notes from me for emphasis.

Multiplayer Multiplayer Modes ASSASSINATE - Instances where it was possible for players to kill players that were not their target in Assassinate have been corrected.

ASSASSINATE - Bodyguards no longer fail to stun when they are locked by the pursuer of the player they protect.

DEATHMATCH - In Fort Wolcott, fixed a bug where players would remained stuck on warmup screen.

MANHUNT - The cooldown boosts for loss streak bonus are not permanently active for all abilities during a manhunt round anymore. Multiplayer Abilities Loss Streak now correctly triggers when players lose their contracts five times in a row.

Disruption now breaks the hitting player's lock.

The Smoke Bomb's drop behavior has been updated. It now drops at the user's feet instead of dropping in front of them. However, if players drop it from a ledge, it will drop below them.

Throwing Knives used against players hiding in haystacks will now make them get out of this haystack.

Using Throwing Knives against a target now prevents the target from contesting the kill.

Players are no longer stuck after using the Money Bomb from a ledge. Multiplayer Ladders Several issues which occurred when players would quit a Manhunt pre-session lobby and join their friends the same session later have been corrected.

After a session ends on a draw, both teams will now receive the same rate for Abstergo ladder, instead of one team getting a winning rate and the other getting a losing rate.

Players are now granted Abstergo points normally even if one or several players get the idle state at the end of the session (The idle players do not get any Abstergo points) Multiplayer Misc It is now possible for players to lock their target when their target has just stunned them.

Changing the ability set three times during a game can no longer reset the ability's cooldown.

The X icon no longer inaccurately persistently displays.

It is no longer possible for players to get up and perform a kill under certain conditions while they're vulnerable.

Transitions to join Multiplayer sessions after an invite now work correctly.

Warm up games are no longer interrupted when the host player leaves.

It is now possible to stun a vulnerable pursuer.

The X icon no longer displays above the pursuer's previous target when they have been stunned after being vulnerable. Singleplayer Platform: All Location: Sequence 1 - 12:

Mission - "A DEADLY PERFORMANCE" - Mission result screen could show an incorrect sync reward

Mission - "A DEADLY PERFORMANCE" - Players could be stuck in the opera if they backtracked in a certain way after killing the target.

Mission - "INFILTRATING SOUTHGATE" - Target would not be spawned if the player failed to perform a meat shield during the firing line tutorial

Mission - "INFILTRATING SOUTHGATE" - Fixed multiple bugs where the guard on the boat could walk in circles, stay stuck or jump on the railing. [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: We chronicled this bug during launch week... we'll miss the rail-jump.]

Mission - "JOHNSON'S ERRAND" - Fixed floating muskets after a cinematic.

Mission - "JOHNSON'S ERRAND" - Moved HUD icon on the explosive barrel on the ground instead of above the cart, because that's what the player needs to shoot.

Mission - "JOHNSON'S ERRAND" - prevent the player from using hide spots during part the mission to avoid a possible mission break.

Mission - "THE SOLDIER" - Fixed a missing audio line.

Mission - "THE SURGEON" - Fixed a bug where the eavesdropping tutorial couldn't be completed if the mission was restarted.

Mission - "THE SURGEON" - Fixed NPC not reacting to the player's presence during the steal tutorial.

Mission - "THE SURGEON" - Fixed optional objectives that could fail too easily.

Mission - "WELCOME TO BOSTON"- When replaying the mission, when asked to buy a sword and pistol, those items would already be purchased.

Mission - "WELCOME TO BOSTON" - Fixed Possible mission break if the player shoots the horse he's supposed to ride.

Mission - "UNCONVINCED" - Fixed a bug where the player could enter the tavern too early and break the mission.

Mission - "UNCONVINCED" - Blocked accidental blending during the tavern fight, which could break the mission.

Mission - "FEATHERS AND TREES" - Fixed a bug where the optional objective "Do not touch the ground" could fail too easily.

Mission - "HUNTING LESSONS" - Fixed the issue where the bear could flee and eventually freeze. [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: Good news for the bear, I guess.]

Mission - "A BOORISH MAN" - After the mission, the candelabra would display an interaction effect while the secret door to the basement was already opened.

Mission - "RIVER RESCUE" - Blocked the player from diving in the river too early which could break the mission.

Mission - "STOP THE PRESSES" - Cinematic could sometimes not trigger, breaking the mission.

Mission - "THE HARD WAY" - Fixed the optional objective "Do not take any damage" that would fail if the player hits rocks even if it doesn't deal damage to the ship

Mission - "ON JOHNSON'S TRAIL" - Fixed issue where Chapheau could become inactive if the player dragged the fight far from where it started.

Mission - "THE ANGRY CHEF" - Fixed issue where the "limit health loss" optional objective would wrongly fail if the player reloads a checkpoint or dies. Also fix the displayed limit to 33% as that's what's actually used.

Mission - "THE ANGRY CHEF" - fixed missing butcher hatchet during cinematic if blood option is turned off

Mission - "BRIDEWELL PRISON" - Closed the cell doors while being escorted to prevent the player from getting stuck in them

Mission - "BRIDEWELL PRISON" - fixed voices becoming muffled mid-eavesdropping

Mission - "SOMETHING ON THE SIDE" - Fixed missing ocean during the chase

Mission - "SOMETHING ON THE SIDE" - Made the chase part easier [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: This is the much-hated Hickey chase that I passed only when he bumped into a wagon. Hooray!]

Mission - "A BITTER END" - Fixed a camera glitch if the player reloads last checkpoint during a certain cinematic

Mission - "A BITTER END" - Fixed a glitch that could happen if the player restarted the mission during a specific cinematic

Mission - "FATHER AND SON" - Fixed a bug where the guard you're supposed to kill would not reappear if the player starts fighting him and then runs away.

Mission - "FATHER AND SON'' - The mission could not be completed if the guard the player kills the target he's supposed to steal using a stealth kill from bench or a rope-dart hanging move.

Mission - "MISSING SUPPLIES" - Disabled a patrol that would almost guarantee failing the mission if they detected and started fighting Haytham

Mission - "ALTERNATE METHODS" - Made the chase section easier

Mission - "BROKEN TRUST" - fixed a bug where the player could be stuck on a horse if he exited and re-entered the Animus at a specific moment

Mission - "LEE'S LAST STAND" - removed a destructible barrel that could cause problems if used as part of a contextual counter-attack.

Mission - "CHASING LEE'' - Adjusted difficulty on the Charles Lee chase [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: This is the other hated chase in the game that many players complained about. It is/was the hardest mission in the game.]

Mission - "LAID TO REST" - Fixed a bug where the mission could be failed if redcoats start fighting the mission targets

Location: Side Quest:

BOSTON BRAWLERS - Mission "PETER BUNYON", prevent the player from hiding, which would break the mission

BOSTON BRAWLERS - Mission "THE TOURNAMENT", fixed a bug where the player could blend with spectators and break the mission

BOSTON BRAWLERS - Prevent using anything else than the fists during all fistfights

Boston Liberation Missions, North District - fixed an issue where some events would not complete properly if the player used an assassin recruit to kill the target.

COLLECTIBLES - fixed some chests that were not properly aligned when lock picking

COLLECTIBLES - removed the glow effect from chests during lock picking

COURIER MISSIONS - fixed a bug where mission update popup messages could be missing or wrong when delivering letters

FORT ST-MATHIEU - fixed a bug where the player could respawn inside the fort's reset zone, which could break the fort's logic

FRONTIERSMEN - Challenge 3, fixed a bug where objective "visit every tavern" would complete after visiting only 1 tavern

FRONTIERSMEN - mission "MONSTER OF THE SEA", fixed a bug where sometimes eavesdroppings could not be completed

HUNTING SOCIETY - mission "THE MAN-EATER", fixed a bug where the smaller locate zone would disappear if the player scans all clues outside of it

HUNTING SOCIETY - mission "THE PATRIARCH", fixed a where the search zone could disappear from the map after interacting with the 1st clue

New York Liberation Missions - mission "PROTECT THE CLINIC", fixed the mission not failing if the player goes too far from the area to protect.

New York Liberation Missions - West District, fixed a bug where the NPCs guarding the infected blankets could sometimes not be there.

Location: Boston: Removed map icon on the door of Molyneux Tavern in Boston, until it is required by a specific mission

Location: DLC: Fixed a bug where the wrong language could be selected even if the proper language DLC is installed

Location: Epilogue: Animus Synching tutorial, forced subtitles on off-camera voice, so that the player doesn't think the game is frozen

Location: Frontier:

Fixed a bug where players could respawn and desync immediately in a loop if he died in the Valley Forge region before unlocked. Also patches players which savegame are already stuck

Fixed a bug where the player could respawn under the ground in a loop, in two different places

Plugged a hole in the ground where players could fall through the map [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: Aww. Bummer.]

Location: Global:

A text message is now visible on-screen at all times while a skippable cinematic is playing

Added a failsafe to the animals navigation, to prevent them from getting stuck

After the end credits, put the hood back up when not in Homestead [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: Oddly, this seemed to be requested a lot. Well, there you go.]

Disabled special attacks with heavy weapons on animals

Fixed a bug where the player could not equip a color change on the normal outfit from a shop if they are currently wearing a special outfit.

Fixed a bug where the player could not finish enemies on ground if they were thrown in deep snow

Fixed a bug where there wouldn't be any reticle when precision aiming if the SSI option was turned off

Fixed a few rare bugs where the player could fall through the map while swimming or diving

Fixed various rare crashes

Greatly reduced the probability of animals to get stuck inside an object [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: Sounds good.]

Location: Homestead:

Fixed a rare bug where the Homestead upgrade progress could be lost after fast-travelling to the homestead

Mission "BOWLS BEGINNER" - Removed possibility to quit the bowls game after a reload, which would fail the mission.

Mission "CUTTING TIES", fixed a bug where the NPC could react to fights or dead bodies and flee away, breaking the mission

Mission "NORRIS GOES COURTING", fixed a bug where Norris would not reappear if the player goes too far from him.

Mission "THE PROPER TOOLS", fixed multiple glitches where the Quest Log could become inconsistent

Mission "THE WEDDING", fixed a missing audio line

Mission "THOUSAND-POUND IDEA", fixed a bug where NPCs required for the mission could disappear and break the mission

Mission "TOOLS OF THE TRADE", fixed mission not failing if Lance falls in the water

Mission "WHITE TROPHY", make the cougar immune to explosions to prevent a possible mission break

Side-quest "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE COMMON MAN", fixed a bug where the quest could sometimes not be completed

Location: Menus:

Added a wait message for some cases where the game could appear frozen if some servers are unresponsive

Animus Database, fixed updates of Kaniehtí:io entry that would be unlocked too early and spoil the fact that... [censored] [NOTE FROM STEPHEN: This is a good fix, because it spoiled one of the game's last twists way too early.]

Fixed a bug where the player's friends' Uplay wall would get spammed by previously completed missions and sequences when the player reloads his game

Fixed leaderboards ranking the player as #1 when he's actually alone on it

Homestead mission icons are now displayed on the map when selecting the "Missions" filter

Present pause menu, fixed a possible glitch if the player enters the controls section and leaves it very fast Platform: PS3 Fixed wrong message after purchasing a DLC and leaving the store

Westpoint DLC - mission "A SPY AMONG US", fixed a bug where required characters would disappear and not come back if the player went too far from them

Westpoint DLC - fixed a bug where the player could fall through the map by going through the gate while in conflict Platform: Xbox 360 Location: Menus: Removed Benedict Arnold icon from the map legend

Wow, that's a lot. Anything fixable that they missed?