'Assassin's Creed 3' won't let you hunt for sport

Assassin's Creed 3 includes wildlife that you can hunt, but you better have a good reason to kill an animal, says Ubisoft.

Assassin's Creed 3 includes wildlife that you can hunt, but you better have a good reason to kill an animal, says Ubisoft.

Animals roaming the Northeast in Assassin's Creed 3 include rabbits, foxes, and deer. As the Assassin Connor, players will be able to go hunting in the forest, and his Native American heritage — he's half Mohawk, half British — has important implications in that process.

After killing an animal, you'll need to skin the corpse and — just like the Native Americans were known to do — use everything you can. If you go around trying to hasten animals' extinction for fun, you'll eventually become desynchronized, the same punishment for killing civilians.

But how do you even get to that point? The key is to creep up on animals quietly, either from a concealed location or the trees above. Connor's Eagle Vision ability highlights parts of the environment that might suggest the presence of an animal, such as a broken branch or a few half-chewed leaves, making it easier for him to track his prey. And while Assassin's Creed 3 trailers have shown Connor using a bow and arrow to take down larger beasts, you'll want to stick to his hidden blade for hares and other small creatures in order to avoid damaging their pelts.

Once collected, meat, pelts, bones, and oils from animals can all be sold in Assassin's Creed 3, and Ubisoft is hinting at "a few other uses for the bounty of the forest."

Assassin's Creed 3 launches on October 30th on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with a PC version to follow on November 23rd.