🦅Assassin’s Creed Mirage Just Dropped a Massive Free Story Expansion (Valley of Memory)

Wait, did Ubisoft just fix parkour and drop a free DLC on the same day? Yes, they did.

If you thought you were done with Assassin’s Creed Mirage, it’s time to clear some hard drive space. To celebrate the game's two-year anniversary, Ubisoft has released the Valley of Memory update—a completely free story expansion that is live right now (November 18, 2025).

This isn’t just a bug fix patch. We are talking about a brand new map region, a deeply personal story arc for Basim, and—finally—the return of manual jumping.

Here is everything you need to know about the update that is breathing new life into 9th-century Baghdad.

🏜️ The New Story: Discovering 'AlUla'

The headline feature is, of course, the Valley of Memory. This is a substantial narrative expansion that takes place before the end of the main game.

In this new arc, Basim isn't just hunting Order members; he's hunting ghosts of his own past. Rumors surface that his long-lost father might still be alive in AlUla, a breathtaking desert region that served as a crossroads of civilizations during the Abbasid Golden Age.

The new map is stunning. Ubisoft has divided AlUla into two distinct zones:

• The Land of the Living: Lush oases and vibrant settlements.

• The Land of the Dead: desolate, wind-swept ruins dominated by a ruthless new bandit gang.

It feels distinct from Baghdad—more open, more dangerous, and steeped in a "lost history" vibe that old-school AC fans will love.

🏃‍♂️ Parkour Update: Manual Jump is Back!

Okay, let’s be real. The story is great, but this is what the Reddit threads are going to be screaming about.

For the first time since Assassin’s Creed Unity, manual jumping has returned.

Previously, Basim would only jump if the game "decided" it was safe. Now, with the new "Free Jump" toggle in the settings, you have total control. You can leap off rooftops, take risky shortcuts, and fail spectacularly if you mistime it.

Other Mobility Buffs:

• Height-Gaining Ejects: Side and back ejects are now snappier and can actually help you gain vertical height, making climbing feel faster and more fluid.

• Smoother Animations: The "magnetism" felt when parkouring has been dialed back, giving you more agency over where Basim lands.

⚔️ New Features for Hardcore Fans

If you already 100% completed the game back in 2023, Ubisoft has added plenty of reasons for a replay.

1. Mission Replay (Animus Sequences)

Finally! You no longer need to start a new save file to replay your favorite assassination missions. The new Animus Sequences feature lets you replay key story missions and contracts directly from the menu. Even better, these replays come with optional challenges (e.g., "Don't take damage," "Kill only the target") that unlock exclusive rewards, including legacy color filters inspired by AC1 and the Ezio trilogy.

2. Ultimate Assassin Difficulty

For those who found the base game too easy, the update adds the Hardened and Ultimate Assassin difficulty presets. Enemy detection speeds are faster, parry windows are tighter, and Basim takes significantly more damage.

3. Tier 3 Tool Upgrades

Your toolkit just got deadlier. You can now upgrade your tools (smoke bombs, throwing knives, etc.) to Level 3, adding new perks that change how you approach stealth.

📝 Patch Notes Breakdown: The Quality of Life Stuff

Beyond the flashy content, the November 18 update includes some massive quality-of-life fixes that make the game feel polished for 2025.

• New Skill: "Engineer 2" has been added to the skill tree.

• Enemy AI: Guards are smarter about investigating noises in the new AlUla region.

• Contracts: A batch of new "Valley of Memory" specific contracts is available at the Hidden Ones' bureaus.

🧐 Verdict: Is It Worth Reinstalling?

Absolutely.

In an era where most "expansions" cost $30, getting a new map region and a story arc for free is rare. The Valley of Memory update feels like a love letter to the fans who stuck with Mirage because they missed the "old style" of Assassin's Creed.

The addition of manual jumping fundamentally changes the flow of gameplay, making just running around the city fun again. Combined with the emotional weight of Basim’s search for his father, this is the perfect send-off for Mirage.

The update is live now on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC. Go download it.