Hidden Blade

"The hidden blade has been a constant companion of ours over the years. Some would say it defines us - and they would not be entirely wrong. Many of our successes would not have been possible without it."

- Altaïr's Codex, Page 13

The iconic weapon of the Assassin's Creed series, the Hidden Blade is a weapon used for both stealth assassinations and regular combat, and is the most vertasile weapon in the entire series with multipul upgrades and forms of use.

Assassin's Creed
In Assassin's Creed, the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad starts out with this iconic weapon at the start of the game, however after his failure to retrieve the Apple of Eden in Solomons Temple, he loses it when he is deemed a traitor, then demoted to a Novice by Al Mualim. At his first promotion to Rank 2, however, he earns it back -along with his sword- so that he may perform his first assassination on Tamir the Templar and black marketeer in Damascus.

High/Low Profile Assassinations
Altaïr rams the blade into the victim's abdomen when facing the target, and through his spine when facing behind the target. When stealth is not a priority, Altaïr may also perform a high profile assassination, which involves sprinting towards the target, jumping and then thrusting the blade into the victims throat or major arteries in the neck as he lands on the target. Alternatively, if approaching from behind, Altaïr may push the target onto his knees and stab him in the neck.

The hidden blade is the only weapon that Altaïr may wield while sprinting. When Altaïr is close enough to the victim during a pursuit, he may carry out an assassination. Altaïr will perform a running leap, landing on his victim from behind and burying the blade in the neck. This feature makes it an ideal choice for running down assassination targets who flee such as Talal, the slave trader in Jerusalem.

Air Assassination
From higher ground above a target, such as a nearby roof or beam, Altaïr leaps directly onto his victim and stabs him in the throat. Although the move was not covered in the manual or in-game tutorials, air to assassinate does exist, and the controls were documented by "Stabguy" on The Hidden Blade website.

Open Combat
The hidden blade can also be used while in combat. An enemy who has been grabbed and thrown (or counter thrown with a grab break) can easily be killed while he lies on the ground. Using the blade in combat against large groups is challenging, as Altaïr is unable to block any attack. Additionally, the time frame in which Altaïr can counter-attack is extremely small, especially in comparison to that of the sword and the short blade. Successfully countering enables one of several different – and always lethal – counter-attacks, in which Altaïr stabs his opponent in the chest, head, abdomen, base of the skull, or spine.

Assassin's Creed: Lineage
The hidden blade had a more minor role in Assassin's Creed: Lineage, having only been wielded by Giovanni Auditore for a small number of scenes.

As outlined in Altaïr's Codex, this revised hidden blade had been designed by Altaïr so that the Assassins, who he intended to go undercover, could not be identified by the lack of a ring finger. Furthermore, the mechanism did not require a wrist "flick" to extend the blade, thus the user could retract the blade without any wrist or hand movement. Additionally, as pictured, the weapon could be used with a clenched fist, although Giovanni is the only known assassin to do this.

While there is a rotating wheel atop the rear portion of the mechanism's housing, its function has not been identified, and there are no known schematics or explanations for the mechanism. There are also no shots of it operating during Lineage, and it would often be shown on the actor's arm either sheathed or already extended.

Assassin's Creed II
In Assassin's Creed II, Ezio Auditore at first carries a single hidden blade, which would be inherited from his father, along with the corresponding Codex page, the Assassin's Robes and a common sword. After he had gained proficiency with the first, Ezio would later gain the second blade from Leonardo da Vinci, who constructed it based upon designs detailed in Altaïr's Codex. Later on, Ezio is able to learn a variety of assassination techniques (summarized below), from instructions detailed in the Codex.

Double Assassination
Due to the addition of the second hidden blade, Ezio is able to kill two enemies at once. This technique may be performed on the ground (from behind or between two guards) or from above, as elaborated mentioned below.

Air Assassination
As previously mentioned, this technique is similar to Assassin's Creed's Air to Assassinate, and allows Ezio to kill an enemy by leaping onto them from above. He may also perform a Double Air Assassination, and kill two enemies from above at once, as long as they are close to each other. However, this technique is easily noticed by guards, and they will immediately attack upon witnessing it.

Hiding Spot Assassination
Ezio may now assassinate enemies whilst hiding. Particularly useful against Seekers, Ezio may perform an assassination from hay stacks, benches, wells or any other hiding spot.

Ledge Assassination
This technique may be performed on any enemy standing above a ledge from which Ezio may hang, and is particularly used against archers. Depending whether it is done in high or low profile, he will either pull the guard from the roof, and jump up to stab him in the chest.

Open Combat
The hidden blades in Assassin's Creed II are vastly more useful in combat than they were previously; they can now be used offensively, and Ezio is also able to block attacks with them like any other weapon. The blades are a fast, but low damage weapon, which makes them useful for suppressing enemy attacks. As in the original Assassin's Creed, every counter attack with the hidden blades is an instant kill. Though the timing window for a counter attack has been lengthened compared to the first game, it is still short compared to other weapons. Unlike the sword or the short blade, the hidden blades can counter attacks from Brute and Seekers.

The hidden blade also allows you to attack very quickly, and gives you more freedom in movement rather than the other weapons. For example, Ezio can easily strafe a 180 degree arc in the time it takes for the enemy to attack. This is barely possible (except from very close range) with the sword or dagger. It also allows Ezio to quickly flee from a battle without having to take the time to sheathe his weapon.

Upgrades


Through his travels in Assassin's Creed II, Ezio would acquire several Codex pages that upon decryption, detailed upgrades for the hidden blade which were envisioned by Altaïr, and developed for Ezio by Leonardo da Vinci. The first of these improvements was the addition of a second, darker hidden blade made from an implied different material of metal. Secondly was a metal plate on top of the first blade's vambrace that - unlike in the original Assassin's Creed - would allow one to safely deflect enemy attacks with the blades. The other upgrades to the hidden blade included the Poison blade, which allowed Ezio to stab an enemy and leave them to die slowly, granting both a low-profile assassination as well as a distraction to kill or bypass other enemies, and the Pistol, which was the more deadly of the upgrades, allowing Ezio to kill from a distance. Additionally, both blades may be supplemented with various vambraces which act as armor, giving Ezio more health.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
At the start of Brotherhood, Ezio's two hidden blades from Assassin's Creed II are equipped as he escapes the Vatican. After he returns to Monteriggioni, however, he removes his hidden blades, and is only able to salvage the first blade and bracer during the Siege of Monteriggioni. Upon his arrival in Rome, he is equipped with a single hidden blade, though its bracer has been replaced, courtesy of Machiavelli. Later on, however, Leonardo da Vinci is again able to reconstruct a second hidden blade for him, along with a new upgrade, Poison Darts.

Techniques
All of the techniques for the Hidden Blade are the same as in Assassin's Creed II, aside from notable smaller differences in the upgrades to the Hidden Blade being more deadly; the Pistol having a faster aiming rate and the option to buy faster poison for the Poison Blade are to name a few.

Apprentices
Additionally, Ezio's Assassin recruits are each equipped with a single hidden blade, as the right to use two hidden blades is only reserved for the most trusted of Assassins or those who have earned the rank of the Master Assassin. However, once the Apprentices reach the rank of Assassino, they still do not acquire a second blade. The apprentices are capable of all of the standard assassination techniques.

Open Combat
In Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, combat with the hidden blade has again improved. The time segment where you can counter with the hidden blade is slightly increased, allowing for more counter kills. Also, a new ability called execution streaks are introduced, allowing Ezio to perform multiple instant kills after killing a single guard. Each kill must be quickly followed up with another in order to keep the streak going. Being attacked cancels the streak, requiring Ezio to start another one. Ezio is also unable to block multiple attacks with the Hidden Blades, promoting a more offensive style of gameplay.

Modern Times
In the new Animus Virtual Training Program developed by Rebecca Crane, the player may hone their skills with the hidden blade, as well their free-running skills. Such challenges include Stealth Assassinations, and Flawless Kill Streaks using only the hidden blade, to name but a few.

Informant
The hidden blade is also used for some of the investigation's given to you by informants, wherein you are asked to stealthily assassinate a number of targets. If any guard even once confronts you, the mission is failed. If you attack the targets or the guards with fists, or any high profile weapon, you will fail the mission. Because of this, you may only use throwing knives and/or the hidden blade to assassinate your targets.

Interrogation
During Interrogation missions, after successfully interrogating the target, Altaïr and Ezio are forced to kill them, so they cannot reveal their plans to the enemy. They will bury the blade in the stomach of the target stomach to kill them, then gently lower their body onto the ground so as not to draw further attention to themselves.

Save Citizen
In the optional Save Citizen missions involving rescuing citizens from soldiers threatening to kill them, this weapon will come in handy. Successfully and stealthily used, you may take out three of the soldiers before they notice you, draw their weapons, and engage you in a swordfight. Also, the Save Citizen missions are commonly located in alleyways or dark corners, so it is possible to begin the mission by starting from an elevated position and performing an air-to-assassinate. This mission is also necessary in order to recruit Ezio's apprentices.

Assassinations
The hidden blade is used in every storyline assassination you perform. Even if you begin by attacking the enemy with a sword, you will always finish them off with the hidden blade before it cuts to the death cutscene.

Trivia

 * In the E3 teaser trailer of the game (as well as in certain concept art), Altaïr can be seen pushing a button to operate his hidden blade. In the actual games, however, no such button or other trigger mechanism exists. Additionally, in Assassin's Creed: Renaissance and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel), unleashing the hidden blade required the use of a button, via a certain muscle on the forearm being flexed.
 * In an Assassin's Creed Developer Diary video, Jade Raymond tells us about Altair's lack of his ring finger, which is due to the initiation ceremony when a novice is promoted to an Assassin. The ring finger of the left hand is cut off, the hidden blade is installed and the new born Assassin is ready to complete the missions bestowed upon him or her. However, Malik Al-Sayf was equipped with a hidden blade before he lost his arm, however he did not have an amputated finger.
 * Patrice Desilets, the creative director of the game, stated that the addition of a second blade in Assassin's Creed II also had a lucid reason: it's Assassin's Creed II, so there are 2 blades.
 * The first recorded usage of the Hidden Blade by an Assassin was Darius, when he assassinated Xerxes of Persia. However, his ring finger is still intact and he wields it on his right hand.
 * The original design of Ezio's second hidden blade in Assassin's Creed II was displayed as a brown glove, however, in-game, it was replaced with a second bracer. However, in Brotherhood, his second hidden blade includes a glove, until a bracer is purchased.
 * It is unknown why the Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood cover and E3 Trailer depict Ezio with a secondary hidden blade bracer identical to his primary one, as in-game, no such second bracer exists.
 * The hidden blade is a crafted item in Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy. The materials for its construction are 2 Coils, 1 Iron, 1 Hide and 1 Box of Components, which itself is crafted using 3 Gears, 3 Screws, 1 Chain and 2 Sprockets.

Gallery
thumb|300px|left|A video guide for the hidden blade in Assassin's Creed. thumb|right|300px|A video guide for the hidden blade in Assassin's Creed II.