Ever since its fictional formation, the Assassin Brotherhoods’s iconic weapon of choice has been the Hidden Blade. Fast, strong, and silent, these blades have been used to end the lives of those who would seek to rob mankind of its freedoms. A few notable targets that have been eliminated by the Hidden Blade over the ages areKing Xerxes I, Bartholomew Roberts, and Charles Lee. Aside from its nature as a weapon, the Hidden Blade is also an integral part of the Assassins' culture and has been used to signify its members' dedication to the cause and the titularAssassin’s Creed.
But despite its usefulness in olden times, the Hidden Blade has shown its age time and time again. The flaws in the original design have required improvements from Assassins over the ages to better suit their needs and time periods. And as futureAssassin’s Creedgames start becoming more modern, maybe it’s time for the Assassins to retire the Hidden Blade as a relic of the past.
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The Base Hidden Blade Has Many Defects
Consisting of a blade affixed to a bracer or gauntlet,the Hidden Blade’s lethality can be attributed to its stealthy natureand how quickly it can be activated. A person wielding a Hidden Blade (usually an Assassin) can approach their target without them knowing their true intentions. Once the wielder is close enough, they can extend the Hidden Blade and eliminate their prey. The killer can then retract the blade before blending with their surroundings or running away to avoid capture.
But because of the close-range nature of the weapon, the Hidden Blade requires its user to get uncomfortably close to their target. This puts them at risk of being discovered, captured, or even killed. If they do get discovered, the Hidden Blade proves to be inefficient against more conventional weapons like swords and axes. Enemy weapons only get more complex as time goes on. Short knives, crossbows, and even guns can make quick work ofan Assassin that blows their cover, making the Hidden Blade less useful further down the line.
Another big flaw in the base Hidden Blade’s design is that it requires the sacrifice of a ring finger to use. The space left by the wielder’s missing finger is then filled in by the extended blade. This was originally meant to limit those who were willing to wield the Hidden Blade and signify an Assassin’s devotion to their creed. This practice soon lost favor among the Brotherhood, as it became too easy to identify them based on their missing fingers. The sacrifice of the ring finger was eventually deemed unnecessary by Altair Ibn-La’Ahad, and he soon found a way toupdate the design using an Apple of Eden. Despite this, there was still a good amount of time wherein Assassins had to needlessly sacrifice their appendages for the cause.
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The Hidden Blade’s Improvements Don’t Stack Up To Modern Inventions And Weaponry
Speaking of updated designs, there have been multiple instances where Assassins have modified the original Hidden Blade. Apart from Altair’s designs, some of the more notable improvements are the Hookblade - a Hidden Blade affixed with a hook that allowed the Ottoman Assassins to more easily freerun and fight enemies. The Pivot Blade is another modification that allows the wielder to remove the blade from its housing and use it as a regular dagger.The Phantom Blade, used by the French Assassins during the French Revolution, allowed them to shoot deadly bolts from a distance. This not only made it easier to eliminate enemies but also removed the need to get unnecessarily close to a target.
While these updates to the Hidden Blade make it more versatile, they cannot compare to more modern advancements. The best example of this is the Hidden Gun, which was the first fictional use of a firearm in theAssassin’s Creeduniverse. The Hidden Gun may have provided theItalian Assassins like Ezio Auditorewith a ranged advantage, but it wouldn’t stack up against the firearms found in Desmond Miles' time. A gun that can shoot multiple bullets without having to reload is far better than a single-shot weapon like the Hidden Gun. Even if the Hidden Gun was remade for modern times, the fact that it needs to be housed in a bracer or gauntlet to remain stealthy makes its firepower inferior to any conventional gun.
Unless the Assassin Brotherhood gets their hands on another Piece of Eden and uses its power to divulge new designs, it may be in their best interests to put away the Hidden Blade. Its outdated design makes it more sentimental than practical. Assassins have also been using other means of eliminating targets for ages. Russian Assassin Nikolai Orelov uses a rifle to eliminate his foes from a distance andEdward Kenway uses silent blow darts to poison or incapacitate targetswithout them noticing. If the Assassins want to continue living on without taking unnecessary risks, maybe it’s high time for them to ditch some of their older traditions.
Assassin’s Creed Mirageis set to release in 2023 for Luna, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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