The Master Thief of Anbar is the first chapter in Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and your first real challenge during The Master Thief of Anbar is to infiltrate the Winter Palace to the east of Anbar.
For the first time in the game, you’re given two distinct options as to how to approach the objective: ‘Nehal knows a way in’ and ‘Look for another entrance’. I’m going to try out both and report back to you because that’s the kind of diligent, considerate walkthrough writer I am.
First up, the more ‘safe bet’ approach of going with Nehal, or you can skip to the ‘another entrance’ part below.
How to infiltrate the Winter Palace with Nehal in The Master Thief of Anbar
Nehal’s location is marked on your HUD and map, so just follow her, staying crouched as the area around the Winter Palace is restricted. Climb up the wall behind her and crouch in the flowerbed. There’s a guard up here who’s easy to sneak past, but you can also whistle to attract the guard and then knock him out.
I did the latter, albeit accidentally because I thought that right on the D-pad disabled Eagle Vision. Nope, that’s the whistle button.
Head east through the garden, then climb another wall. Keep following Nehal and reach the next level up via the pile of bricks. Wait for the guards to move away, then follow Nehal inside. Sneak past the guards on the terrace and follow Nehal down the stairs. When you reach a locked door, your objective will change to ‘A palace guard holds the key.’ Now you can skip ahead to the ‘How to get the Winter Palace key and sneak into the palace’ part of this guide.
Where to find another entrance to the Winter Palace
The alternative entrance to the Winter Palace is on its north side. It won’t appear on your HUD or map until you’re near enough to it, but you don’t have to be all that near. It appeared for me as I was running along the other north wall of the palace, still outside the restricted area. I didn’t need to use Eagle Vision for it to show up.
There’s more than one way to actually get to the alternative entrance, but here’s how I did it. Keep heading east along the north wall of the palace, then use the lift to get up onto the top of the palace walls. You’re now in the restricted area, so crouch and move carefully.
Head southeast then south along the top of the wall. Go west through the garden, past the musicians, then hop over the wall and go through the window marked with the objective icon. Your objective will now change to ‘Sneak into the palace.’
How to get the Winter Palace key and sneak into the palace
The Winter Palace key is on the stationary guard on the south side of the palace courtyard. Use your Eagle Vision to identify him with a key icon. If you’re with Nehal, he’ll be close by. But if you found another way in, you’ll have to carefully cross the courtyard by staying crouched in the flowerbeds.
Pickpocket the guard to get the Winter Palace key, then use it to unlock the door where Nehal is waiting. One way or the other (literally), you’ve now infiltrated the Winter Palace.
