Sword of Altaïr

The Sword of Altaïr was a personal sword of significant power wielded by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad through much of his life as an Assassin.

During the Renaissance in Italy and Constantinople, the Assassin, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, also made use of the weapon.

Description
The sword was forged from a smooth, silver metal. Its cross guard was shaped like an eagle's wings, with the pommel in the shape of an eagle's head. Along with this, the sword's hilt was wrapped in strong, dark brown leather for gripping. The sword was also stored in a leather scabbard, although this was only used by Masyaf guards and Altaïr himself.

Third Crusade
Altaïr made good use of his sword throughout most of his early life as an Assassin. He wielded it with great skill and ease during missions such as the quest for the Chalice.

By 1191, Altaïr had reached the rank of Master Assassin and he instead made use of a Syrian sword with a curved blade and a golden hilt. However, this sword was taken from him, along with his armor, other weapons and status after Al Mualim demoted him to the rank of novice for breaking all three tenets of the Creed.

During his progression back into the higher ranks, Altaïr started with a basic sword similar to his personal one, though it lacked a cross guard. After he assassinated the first four of his nine assigned targets, another sword, this time with the cross guard shaped like an eagle's wings, was granted to him until finally, upon the seventh target, his personal sword was returned to him. The leather grip instead was replaced by a silver and light grey color with a tribal design. Altaïr used his sword once more in his battles until he finally rose again to the rank of Master Assassin, and the Syrian sword was awarded to him again.

Renaissance
During the Renaissance, Ezio Auditore was able to purchase Altaïr's sword from the blacksmith at Monteriggioni for 45,000 florins. He made good use of the weapon in his battles, especially during his fight with Rodrigo Borgia in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.

Ezio kept the sword with him and used it to fight off Borgia guards as he escaped the Vatican with his uncle Mario. After they returned to Monteriggioni, however, the Borgia attacked the fortress and he did not have enough time to re-equip the sword. This resulted in its loss in the rubble of the Villa along with Altaïr's armor and Ezio's Codex weapons.

Some time after establishing his Assassins Guild in Rome, Ezio was able to recover the sword again after completing all five Assassin's Guild challenges. Equipped with the sword, Ezio wielded it against Cesare Borgia and his forces during the siege of Viana.

Although it is unknown what happened to the sword during Ezio's travels to Masyaf and Constantinople, he was able to use it again some time after he allied himself with the Ottoman Assassins in the city. The sword became available once he had completed the third series of the Assassin's Guild Challenges.

Statistics
* In Assassin's Creed, there were no Damage, Speed or Deflect statistics. Weapon strength was based on ranks, with the Sword of Altaïr being the second out of three.

Appearance

 * The sword's picture at the blacksmiths showed its hilt wrapped in leather; however, the weapon itself did not have any leather wrapping.
 * This was amended in Assassin's Creed: Revelations, where the leather wrapping was shown even while the sword was wielded.
 * The sword's appearance was slightly altered in Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, with the hilt shown to be shorter and its color turned from bronze to completely silver.
 * This sword was shorter in comparison to the other longswords Ezio used, with the entire sword being only a little longer than the length of his arm. Despite this handicap, Altaïr's sword was still the strongest weapon available.

Usage

 * All the Masyaf guards in Assassin's Creed were shown to wield an identical sword; Roman guards were also seen with a similar sword.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines, many, if not all of the enemy guards wielded a blade similar to the Sword of Altaïr.
 * During the memory "Follow The Money" in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, a guard drew and raised a sword identical to Altaïr's in order to threaten Egidio Troche.
 * Later in the same memory, a Papal Guard was also seen with a similar sword.
 * Assassin apprentices gained a sword that resembled the Sword of Altaïr upon reaching the rank of Assassino (Assassin).

Other

 * Although Altaïr's sword was considered the most effective sword in Assassin's Creed II and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the Syrian Sabre (which was among the least effective weapons in Assassin's Creed II) was the most powerful sword in Assassin's Creed.
 * The Sword of Altaïr was found in the "The Bull" stage of Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines. It was seen as an ornament in the Kantara Castle's Great Hall.
 * After buying the Sword of Altaïr in Assassin's Creed II, it may occasionally be randomly replaced with the Common sword. To properly acquire it if this occurs, simply go to the Villa's weapon rack and re-equip it.
 * It is unknown why the sword was available from the Monteriggioni blacksmith, since the sword (being Altaïr's personal weapon) would be assumed to have been available together with his armor once it was unlocked.
 * During the Cristina Memories in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, all memories in which Ezio had a sword in his sheath (starting at "Best Man"), he had the sword of Altaïr equipped. This contradicted the Assassin's Creed II timeline, where the sword was only available for purchase from Sequence 9.
 * On completion of the third set of the Assassins Guild challenges in Assassin's Creed: Revelations and after the Sword of Altaïr had been acquired, it also appeared during the Masyaf Keys memories, and replaced the Syrian sword.
 * In Assassin's Creed: Revelations, the Sword of Altaïr no longer displayed maximum stats, being replaced in that function by Yusuf Tazim's kijil, which was unlocked by playing through the Master Assassin side mission The Deacon, Part 1. With that in mind, Altaïr's sword was displayed as having 5 Damage, 3 Speed, and 4 Deflect.
 * The sword of Altaïr was an artifact recovered in Assassin's Creed Revelations: Path to Revelations and bore the description, "Holding his weapon in my hands is enough to make me relive adventures of this legendary grand master."