Gang Strongholds
Gang strongholds are fortified Blighter bases you raid in Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Clear one out and it turns into a Rook stronghold, chipping away at the Templar grip on that borough; each raid also carries optional constraints for full sync.
- Type
- Activity
Good to know
- There are 12 strongholds: three in the City of London, two each in Lambeth, Southwark, The Strand and Westminster, and one in Whitechapel. The Thames has none.
- Optional constraints repeat across raids: free and protect captured Rooks (or Clinkers at Spitalfields), kill the leader undetected, burn Blighter heist plans, and stop lookouts calling reinforcements.
- The Flawless Conqueror achievement asks you to secure three strongholds while completing their optional constraints.
- Each stronghold leader answers to the borough's Templar overseer, and many of them read out orders or gossip about the Rooks while you scout.
- Liberating Spitalfields unlocks Leadership I, which lets you recruit up to two Rooks to follow you.
Strongholds by borough
Whitechapel: Spitalfields. City of London: Field Lane, Black Swan Yard, Rosemary Lane. Lambeth: Battersea Bellows, Echostreet Alley. Southwark: The Mint, Jacob's Island. The Strand: Clare Market, St. Giles Rookery. Westminster: Devil's Acre, Blue Anchor Alley.
Background
The Blighters were built for Crawford Starrick by Maxwell Roth, who trained a Templar leader for every borough. Starting from Devil's Acre, they spread across London, crushing rival gangs and setting up strongholds as they went. Spitalfields, in Whitechapel, held the last gang still resisting, the Clinkers, who join the twins and become the Rooks.
Who sends you
The stronghold location pages credit Henry Green with pointing the twins at most of these sites. Once a stronghold is cleared, the Rooks move in and use it as their own base.
Optional constraints by stronghold
Spitalfields: free the Clinkers. Battersea Bellows: leader undetected, free Rooks. Echostreet Alley: burn plans, free Rooks. The Mint: stop lookouts, burn plans. Jacob's Island: stop lookouts, leader undetected. Field Lane: leader undetected, burn plans. Black Swan Yard: stop lookouts, leader undetected. Rosemary Lane: free Rooks, leader undetected. Clare Market: burn plans, stop lookouts. St. Giles Rookery: free Rooks. Devil's Acre: free Rooks. Blue Anchor Alley: burn plans, leader undetected.
Gang upgrades
The Dull Blades upgrade in the gang upgrades menu sabotages the weapon shipments that reach Blighter strongholds, which makes the defenders weaker.
- 1SpitalfieldsSpitalfields is the Whitechapel gang stronghold, Rexford Kaylock's Blighter headquarters in a former silk district turned slum. Free and protect the captured Clinkers to fully sync; afterwards it becomes a Rook stronghold.
- 2Battersea BellowsBattersea Bellows is a Lambeth gang stronghold that Cletus Strain built on a stretch of industrial land once full of housing. Kill the leader undetected and free the captured Rooks for full sync, then claim it for the Rooks.
- 3Echostreet AlleyEchostreet Alley is a Lambeth gang stronghold under Cletus Strain, named for the screech of trains at Waterloo station echoing through its backstreets. Burn the Blighter heist plans and free the captured Rooks for full sync.
- 4The MintThe Mint is a Southwark gang stronghold for Octavia Plumb's Blighters, on the site of an old mansion once used for minting coin. Burn the heist plans and stop lookouts calling reinforcements for full sync.
- 5Jacob's IslandJacob's Island is a Southwark gang stronghold in a disease-ridden district long known for villains and radicals. Keep the lookouts quiet and kill the leader undetected for full sync.
- 6Field LaneField Lane is a City of London gang stronghold, once the site of a black market the police ignored and now held by Bloody Nora's Blighters. Kill the leader undetected and burn the heist plans for full sync.
- 7Black Swan YardBlack Swan Yard is a riverside gang stronghold in the City of London, an abandoned site Bloody Nora's Blighters took over after several failed developments. Keep lookouts from raising the alarm and kill the leader undetected for full sync.
- 8Rosemary LaneRosemary Lane is a City of London gang stronghold built where the Blighters flattened part of the East End's filthiest slum for Bloody Nora. Free the captured Rooks and kill the leader undetected for full sync.
- 9Clare MarketClare Market is a gang stronghold in The Strand, named for the neighbouring food market and run under Victor Lynch. Burn the heist plans and keep lookouts from calling reinforcements for full sync.
- 10St. Giles RookerySt. Giles Rookery is a gang stronghold in The Strand, built when the Blighters bought up Britain's worst slum just as plans were made to clear it. Free and protect the captured Rooks for full sync.
- 11Devil's AcreDevil's Acre is a Westminster gang stronghold, the most violent of the Blighter bases, run under Lilla 'the Bludger' Graves. Free and protect the captured Rooks for full sync.
- 12Blue Anchor AlleyBlue Anchor Alley is a Westminster gang stronghold under heavyweight champion Lilla Graves, on ground once busy with sailors and fishmongers. Burn the heist plans and kill the leader undetected for full sync.
Related missions
- Activity
Gang Wars
A gang war is the final fight for each London borough in Assassin's Creed Syndicate: once you have weakened the Blighters enough, their Templar leader accepts a street brawl between the two gangs, and winning it makes the borough Rook territory.
- Story
Somewhere That's Green
Somewhere That's Green is the first London memory: as Jacob you step off the train in Whitechapel, chase a pickpocket, race Evie up a factory roof and meet Henry Green, the Assassin who has been watching over the city. It ends with a carriage chase to shake off Blighters.