What title does Altaïr hold at the beginning of the original Assassin’s Creed?

Altaïr holds the title of Master Assassin at the beginning of the original Assassin’s Creed.

The opening sequence presents Altaïr as an elite member of the Assassin Brotherhood during the Third Crusade. However, he breaks the Brotherhood’s principles during a mission and fails to secure an important artifact, leading his mentor Al Mualim to demote him.

Altaïr must then complete a series of assassinations to recover his rank. These targets are linked to a larger political conspiracy, and each mission gives him information about the conflict between the Assassins and Templars.

Master Assassin is not the same as the Templar title Grand Master. The game’s early punishment is central to Altaïr’s character arc: he begins as an accomplished but arrogant Assassin and gradually learns humility, discipline, and the deeper meaning of the Creed.