A Zweihänder.
The Zweihänder is a German great sword which, owing to its enormous size, functions more like a polearm and typically incorporates a secondary grip.[1]
Description[]
A great flamberge.
The final stage in development from the longsword, the Zweihänder is a weapon of monstrous size, unprecedented at its inception. Its blade is longer than the average height of an adult human, granting it devastating striking power and eclipsing the Scottish claymore. To accommodate this, Zwehänders evolved to incorporate a secondary grip atop the crossguard called a ricasso. In some variants, this was merely an unsharpened portion of the blade at the base but in more sophisticated designs, it was of the same construction of the hilt itself, resulting in what would appear to be two hilts on top of one another, each with their own guard.[1]
A variant of the Zweihänder is the flamberge, named for the undulating shape of its blade reminiscent of a flame.[1]
History[]
The Zweihänder emerged on the scene of European warfare in the late 15th or early 16th century. Around 1503, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze traded seven Vlad the Impaler coins to a local blacksmith for the Spada Lunga, which was either an Italian greatsword inspired by the Zweihänder or a Prussian variant.[2][3] Although phased out of state militaries by the 18th century with the advent of firearms, a wide array of zweihänders continued to be forged and sold on the market by blacksmiths in Paris during the French Revolution.[1]
Weapon statistics[]
Spanish Inquisition (15th century)[]
| Name | Tier | Damage | Speed | Miss Chance | Modifiers | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zweihander | ★ | 24-39 | 2.00 | 3% | +3% Critical Chance | 1,200 R 15 Copper Ore 15 Tin Ore |
| Fine Zweihander | ★★ | 78-104 | 2.00 | 3% | +5% Critical Chance | 4,000 R 50 Iron Ore 50 Leather Scraps 1 Zweihander |
Italian Renaissance (16th century)[]
| Name | Damage | Speed | Deflect | Cost | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spada Lunga | 4 | 5 | 3 | N/A | Complete Blacksmith shop quest |
Ottoman Empire (16th century)[]
| Name | Damage | Speed | Deflect | Cost | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prussian Longsword | 3 | 5 | 5 | 30015 
|
Sequence 7 |
French Revolution[]
| Name | Level | Damage | Parry | Speed | Range | Cost | Modifiers | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Claymore | ◆◆ | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | N/A | Additional Damage: +25% | Complete The Body Politic |
| Great Sword | ◆◆◆ | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1,000₣ | Additional Damage: +25% | N/A |
| Flamberge | ◆◆◆ | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | N/A | Additional Damage: +25% | Complete The Death of Philibert Aspairt |
| Great Claymore | ◆◆◆◆ | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 5,000₣ | Additional Damage: +25% | N/A |
| Great Flamberge | ◆◆◆◆◆ | 6 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 25,000₣ | Additional Damage: +25% | N/A |
Behind the scenes[]
In Assassin's Creed: Unity, the names claymore, long sword, bastard sword, and great sword are haphazardly applied to its selection of two-handed swords without distinction, resulting in all-around erroneous labels. A majority of these swords are, in fact, properly called Zweihänders although this name itself does not appear in the game.