The Da Vinci Disappearance is a story DLC for Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. It is not the base Brotherhood campaign, not Assassin’s Creed II’s DLC, and not the Copernicus Conspiracy mission pack. The original release was built for Brotherhood on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, while later Ezio Collection versions include the solo DLC as part of the remastered package.
This is an intermediate guide because the DLC assumes you already understand Rome traversal, blending, Eagle Vision, full synchronization, assassins, tools, and Brotherhood’s optional objectives. Go in like you are cleaning up a compact late-game sequence, not starting a separate standalone adventure.
Content warning: The Da Vinci Disappearance uses Brotherhood’s mature action-adventure rating themes. This guide keeps the advice non-graphic and focused on play.
Essential Tips
1. Confirm Which Version You Are Playing
Start by identifying your copy. Original PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 access does not behave exactly like The Ezio Collection. On older versions, ownership and prior activation can matter; on The Ezio Collection, the DLC is bundled as part of Brotherhood’s single-player content.
This matters because troubleshooting the wrong version wastes time. If you are on The Ezio Collection, think of the DLC as included Brotherhood content. If you are on an original release, check whether your account or installed copy already has the DLC available before planning a completion run.
2. Do Not Treat It Like Copernicus Conspiracy
Brotherhood has more than one solo add-on, and they are easy to mix up if you are returning years later. Copernicus Conspiracy is a separate mission pack. The Da Vinci Disappearance is the Leonardo-focused DLC with its own story memories, puzzle sequence, and DLC achievement set.
Keep your checklist separate. A Copernicus mission marker, a base-game Christina memory, or a lair objective is not progress in this DLC. When you are chasing completion, track only Da Vinci Disappearance memories and the achievements tied to this pack.
3. Prepare Your Tools Before Starting Memories
Bring the Brotherhood toolkit you already trust: crossbow, pistol, throwing knives, poison darts, smoke bombs, and access to Assassin recruits. The DLC asks for stealth, distractions, mounted actions, Arrow Storm timing, and puzzle patience, so a single combat habit will not cover everything.
Restock before beginning a memory instead of after the objective goes wrong. Poison darts help create distractions, ranged tools give you quiet options, smoke bombs rescue bad approaches, and Assassin recruits support the Arrow Storm achievement when you can gather enough guards.
4. Take Full Sync Seriously From the First Memory
The DLC links into Brotherhood’s completion mindset. If you care about il Principe, assume every memory’s optional objective matters until you have checked it off. Restart early when a full-sync condition fails rather than pushing forward and creating a cleanup list you may not remember later.
Use a simple rhythm: read the optional objective, pause before entering the restricted space, choose the tool that supports the condition, and restart quickly if the route collapses. The memories are compact enough that disciplined resets are usually faster than messy recovery.
5. Use Eagle Vision Around Leonardo’s Paintings
One memory asks you to identify and mark Leonardo paintings. Do not run straight at the objective area and hope the prompt appears. Slow down, use Eagle Vision, study where guards are looking, and approach only when you can afford the several seconds needed to mark a painting.
The painting interactions can alert nearby guards, so create space first. Poison a guard away from your target, let the crowd react, blend when corridors allow it, and clear isolated threats before interacting. If a body is likely to be noticed, move it before marking the painting.
6. Treat Castello as a Stealth Route
The Castello painting section rewards patience. Blend through public corridors, climb when the ground route tightens, and avoid turning every guard into a fight. If you reach a quiet library or similar isolated room, make the area safe before starting the long interaction.
Do not rush just because the DLC is short. Brotherhood’s stealth spaces punish careless visibility, and this sequence is specifically about reaching an object cleanly. Slow movement, crowd cover, and Eagle Vision save more time than recovering from a blown approach.
7. Switch Gears for Decoding Da Vinci
Decoding Da Vinci is not a rooftop chase or a standard assassination memory. It revolves around hidden drawings in Leonardo’s paintings and assembling them into a map. That means observation matters more than speed.
When the DLC moves into puzzle mode, stop playing like a combat route. Look for visual relationships, rotate your attention across the pieces, and solve the layout calmly before assuming you missed a fight trigger. This is the memory where impatience creates the most avoidable confusion.
8. Plan the Hazard Objective Before Spending Freely
High Roller asks you to win 10000 florins playing Hazard. Treat that as a dedicated money objective, not something you accidentally finish while buying equipment and repairs. Keep enough florins available to play, then handle it when you are ready to focus.
If you are low on cash, delay optional spending until the Hazard target is done. Brotherhood gives you many ways to burn money, but this achievement wants a specific gambling result. Separate it from normal shopping so you do not keep interrupting the attempt to rebuild your wallet.
9. Set Up the Action Achievements Deliberately
Several DLC achievements are about performing very specific actions: a parachute double assassination, mounted horse thefts, a long-distance throw set, an Arrow Storm multi-kill, a lift-bag kill, and paying then pickpocketing an orator. These are easier when treated as setup tasks.
Look for safe spaces where you can repeat the setup without a story timer pressing you. Gather guards before Arrow Storm, choose a tall enough approach before the parachute attempt, stay mounted for horse thefts, and identify a lift before you start provoking guards nearby.
10. Leave Room for a Cleanup Pass
The Da Vinci Disappearance is short enough that a second pass is realistic, but your first run should still reduce cleanup. Finish story memories carefully, note which achievement-style tasks you completed naturally, then use free roam or replay options for the remaining action goals.
Do not blend every objective into one stressful run. Full sync asks for discipline, puzzles ask for patience, and achievements ask for staged actions. Separating those goals keeps the DLC fun instead of turning a three-to-four-hour pack into a tangle of half-failed attempts.
Achievement Priorities
Start with completion and full sync. Completing the DLC gives you the basic story achievement, while full synchronization is the long-term backbone if you care about il Principe. Optional objectives should drive your memory route more than combat efficiency.
Next, handle the DLC-specific odd jobs. High Roller is money-focused, Clowning Around needs five harlequin encounters, and the remaining action achievements depend on setting up the right situation. Keep a small checklist beside your play session so you know which actions still need a deliberate attempt.
Finally, separate base Brotherhood completion from this DLC. The DLC can contribute to broader completion goals, but not every Brotherhood activity is part of The Da Vinci Disappearance. Keep your Da Vinci list tight, then return to Rome’s larger checklist once the DLC is clean.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
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Do not assume this is a standalone game - it depends on Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood or Brotherhood inside The Ezio Collection.
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Do not mix it up with Copernicus Conspiracy - the Leonardo story, puzzle, and achievements belong to a different solo DLC.
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Do not start memories with empty tools - poison darts, ranged weapons, smoke bombs, and recruits all support specific objectives.
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Do not ignore optional objectives - full sync is easiest when you restart immediately after a failed condition.
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Do not mark paintings without scouting - Eagle Vision, guard spacing, and distractions matter before the interaction begins.
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Do not sprint through Castello routes - blend, climb, clear isolated guards, and protect the long interaction window.
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Do not treat Decoding Da Vinci like combat - the puzzle asks for observation and map assembly, not speed.
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Do not spend down your florins before Hazard - keep enough money available for the 10000-florin gambling objective.
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Do not attempt Arrow Storm on too few guards - create the group first, then call the strike.
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Do not leave every achievement for the end - finish simple setup tasks while the controls and routes are fresh.
Summary
| Category | Top Tip |
|---|---|
| Version | Check whether you are on original Brotherhood or The Ezio Collection |
| Scope | Keep Da Vinci Disappearance separate from Copernicus Conspiracy |
| Prep | Restock tools before starting story memories |
| Full Sync | Restart failed optional objectives early |
| Paintings | Use Eagle Vision and distractions before marking |
| Puzzle | Slow down for Decoding Da Vinci’s map assembly |
| Money | Save florins before chasing High Roller |
| Cleanup | Stage action achievements instead of forcing them during story missions |
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7 checked for this guideEvery factual claim in this guide was checked against at least two independent sources before publication. These are the references used for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Disappearance.
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