How practical is the WRIST BLADE from ASSASSIN'S CREED? | POP-CULTURE WEAPONS ANALYSED

[@jacksalias9331]

The whole "losing your ring finger" thing was actually addressed in the games. An early assassin accidentally chopped their own finger off in a fight, and the assassins started cutting theirs off preemptively to avoid that happening. Later models of wrist blade fixed the issue, and most assassins switched to branding or tattooing their fingers as a sign of devotion. Some hardliners kept chopping off their fingers, but it made them easier to spot.

[@BionAvastar3000]

Literally all you have to do is raise your wrist

[@GrimReaperPTD]

Literally in the second game Leonardo states that according to the plans and accompanying text that cutting of the finger was not to make the device work but to show their dedication to the cause so the design was made to fit people who had a finger missing. That is why in the second game when the wrist blade is made the need to remove a finger was removed since it did not make sense for someone who is not truly part of the assassin to cut off a finger to use the device.

[@hosurosh4846]

It is a secret, no mistakes Lol

[@Nomercy721]

@@GrimReaperPTD and then in Origins it's shown where the tradition of removing the ring finger comes from

[@galadballcrusher8182]

i m really thinking .... Hugh the Hand and the Brotherhoond in Death Gate series of books may have inspired that part as the assassins there have a sort of special marking wounds in their palm received in an initiation ritual they do where they grip a dagger by the blade designed with a hilt like a hand as if they do a handshake to the hand in the grip and then the other assassin stie a thong around the hand and squeeze it tight so blade reaches bone. This leaves permanent markings where the blade crosses their life line (as in palm reading) and can show their hand to any member and so berecognised as members. Hugh btw was called the Hand because he was second in command sorta after Cian the Arm (the ranks started by sheath the nrose as ,tip, blade, crossguard, hand ,arm)

[@heatseekerx51]

Shad, if historical video games has taught me anything, is that it doesn't matter how you need to angle a dagger, when you can just stab them through their armor.

[@CalebNelson66]

ez

[@LumpieMilk]

I love the Assassin's Creed trailers to death, I think they are great, but whenever I see Ezio throw a dagger right through a breastplate, I die a little inside.

[@phantom765]

I just like to think that those daggers are made of some stupidly strong metal.

[@zemorph42]

_History;_ not Physics. If they compromised more than necessary on the historical facts, I'd like to know, but the game engines probably aren't up to displaying 100% accurate physics.

[@disguisedcentennial835]

Historical movies do the same lol

[@josephcarter1920]

"What happens if you want to stab downwards?" Well you would simply climb a ledge, shimmy your way to decently hidden spot, wait for them to walk by, then swan dive with a dagger. Then simply find a 5-6 people to hide amongst

[@imjustaguy4340]

Lolllll

[@brunobrekalo5502]

Ah the monks

[@josephcarter1920]

@@brunobrekalo5502 well of course😂

[@xenomorphphantom8852]

Aaaand....what happens if you miss? (you tell the intended victim to wait there while you climb again to try again?)

[@josephcarter1920]

@@xenomorphphantom8852 works every time😂

[@deityjc]

The hidden blade was mostly used just for assassinations in the games, hence why every assassin has a variety of other weapons to use in combat.

[@jonnysac77]

ye, they even have animations where they just hovered there hand over them, release the blade, killing them without any force at all and then nonchalantly walk away like they never even touched them in the first place

[@cubanwhiteman]

I would use my hidden blade in combat a ton of the time tbh. Just counter strikes and get a kill right after with dagger

[@saintbread5080]

You could even carry a dagger as well as a hidden blade

[@JacksonWalter735]

Do you get the hidden blade in AC Odyssey? I just got the game on clearance for $5 and I haven't gotten the hidden blade yet.

[@soufianboulkhir2422]

@@JacksonWalter735 No

[@Skallagrim]

Aw come on... I finished a video about arm blades just a couple days ago (planning to publish next week)... Now people are going to accuse me of stealing ideas from you. xD I mean, who cares. But it's a funny coincidence. :)

[@Zack-xv2yc]

Ey, my saklly boy!!

[@lazulenoc6863]

Yeah but we'll all still watch it.

[@mcriddik2770]

I'd still watch it lol

[@danieltracton3888]

Obviously would still watch it

[@nunyabusiness9307]

And now you’re covering your tracks, trying to make it look like you didn’t steal the idea in advance…lol Seriously though, can’t wait to watch.

[@geofff.3343]

"It's harder to get the angles for downwards stabbing." Shad, why do you think they're constantly jumping from high places. Come on, man!

[@voidarch4414]

They also tend to ‘Jump’ onto their enemies for downward angles

[@MichaelJohnson-mt6ey]

So they can go completely unnoticed and not break their ankles? Right?

[@sjent]

Hed needs to make a video thrashing this way of assassinations.

[@DrygdorDradgvork]

Yes, very inconspicuous.

[@voidarch4414]

@@DrygdorDradgvork No thats when they are in combat ( prior to Origins) the sometimes might ‘run up’ their enemy and stab downward (its hard to explain)

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

There is one hidden blade variant that makes sense. It's a dagger hidden under the sleeve but then "ejected" using the same mechanism as a wrist blade. Ironically, according to canon it was one of the latest developments, despite being far simpler to use. Edit: I think there has been a big miscommunication. I didn't mean to suggest the hidden blade be fired. I meant to say the dagger was so be released, caught by the assassin by the handle, and then used like a normal dagger.

[@SoI_Badguy]

@@wackyswacky1374 maybe useful in crowds or otherwise busy places.

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

@@wackyswacky1374 While that's true, a normal hidden dagger would take longer to retrieve and require a well known motion that would immediately alert guards and the like. A loud spring noise immediately before stabbing someone really isn't as obvious.

[@thefirstprimariscatosicari6870]

@@wackyswacky1374 As I said, you would need to retrieve that push dagger. So, either you literally take it out near the person, or you go around with it in your hand already, both quite suspicious. As for the noise, it would only happen when your already next to the target. So really, the guards would only be altered to the already done deed, not much different than a normal assassination.

[@davinwilliams3130]

I'm not exactly sure how a later iteration being easier to use is ironic.

[@davinwilliams3130]

@@wackyswacky1374 I've never played the games so I don't know how the ejection system works but I thought this was cool. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGfWeJ58qM5qh7s also, crossbows can actually get pretty quiet.

[@CaptainProx]

The main purpose of the Hidden Blade is to be more hidden when it's concealed, doesn't give you any real combat over a knives or swords. The element of surprise is what it gives you

[@F14thunderhawk]

at least the original design thats been abandoned since Black Flag also worked very differently to the current ones. It looks spring loaded, but its actually Dynamo-fired. theres a cable hook implanted for Altair to operate it. Leonardo just finds that stupid and replaces it with a ring-pull. people have build working versions of the original design and it was coherent.

[@GameBreaker1055]

@@F14thunderhawk Actually, Altair found out about the ring-pull thing and wrote it in the codex, which Leonardo then read. Altair even has 2 blades in the last decades of his life and has all 5 fingers on one hand, because he uses the new version there.

[@natchu96]

Leonardo simply used the blueprint of the modified, non-finger-severing blade recorded in Altair's codex to repair Giovanni's damaged blade for Ezio, which presumably still retained that design if not something close to it. Leonardo did not explicitly make any modifications himself, the statement was in reference to the ye olde _original_ design that the blueprint presumably also made reference to, probably as part of an explanation as to why a blade that cuts your finger off if you extend it wrong is dumb and how the new version is better.

[@dypizzy]

There’s a reason there’s multiple angles to properly use the hidden blade it’s not a dagger it’s a double action blade tht will shoot out into someone’s neck or back

[@ChristophBrinkmann]

You know what works just as well for stealth? A dagger.

[@dannyraychamp8907]

So being the Assassin's Creed Historian I am a few things: 1. Removing the finger was revealed to be more of a ceremonial thing and I believe the newer model hidden blade just removes the possibility of it getting your finger. 2. So with AC Odyssey and AC Valhalla it was revealed the Assassin's as we know them wear the hidden blade wrong. The hidden blade at conception was meant to be placed on top of the arm so I suppose you could say it was more so a fist blade than a wrist blade. 3. The hidden blade itself is more so a back up weapon than anything. It is a huge symbol for the Assassins but throughout the series besides when actually assassinating people Assassins tend to use swords or other melee weapons for actual combat. 4. Too answer your question Shad about the blade accidentally triggering I wouldn't say it was accidental but there was a point in AC Origins where Bayek was getting strangled and he activated the hidden blade with his fist down which ended up cutting off his finger which I'm sure wasn't what he planned to happen. 5. In reference to accidentally triggering it while parkouring, I agree that accidentally triggering the mechanism would be more prevalent and them not just comes down to in world convenience.

[@aliquidgaming1068]

Origins established through Darius that Bayek was using the hidden blade wrong. Darius was the first user and when weet him, his wrist blade was on the top side of his arm. Then later in Valhalla when the other assassin's see Eivor and comment on how it makes more sense to have it on the top of your arm.

[@soysauske5768]

Yeah that’s what I thought that the finger was to show their resolve and commitment early on.

[@tarille1043]

If I recall correctly, in AC1 the missing finger was due to how poorly designed the blade was, with a mechanism that you had to activate with your fingers on the underside of your wrist, hence shoving the blade through your ring finger. In other games, the design was improved so as to not require that action, allowing the fingers to be safely away from the blade when using it (Besides accidents such as what happened with Bayek in Origins, deploying the blade in the middle of a grappling match). Thus the finger removal becoming ceremonial (Or more likely, a gloss over how dumb Altair's hidden blade was despite *older* designs such as in Origins being less dumb) Interestingly, in Odyssey, a hidden blade wasn't actually used by the protagonist, instead it was the broken Spear of Leonidas. Also of note, is the bounty system where basically anyone seeing you use the spear reports you for murder (But ironically, knocking someone out and then dropping a torch on them is fine and dandy, you can even do it to civilians in the middle of a crowded city and no-one bats an eye). Though, in the game the spear had magical powers to enhance combat abilities to boot (Along with other magical tricks like teleportation, invisibility, temporary invincibility... Because who needs realism?) so comparing it to a mere hidden blade seems a bit one sided... Anyway, the Hidden Blade is useful for its purpose. Which is discreet murder. Both the concealability and low required movement to stab someone (Especially given the spring powered ejection). The lack of "Versatility" is moot when you consider that things like slashing someone's throat is a terrible way to actually kill someone (Since; it doesn't kill instantly, it doesn't debilitate them, it doesn't even prevent them from say screaming and heck it doesn't even guarantee a kill) while stabbing a blade into the heart/aorta/brain/spinal cord can cause instant death or instant debilitation followed by eventual death. As far as top vs bottom... I think for its purpose, that the blade being on the bottom makes more sense. Since, in most of the games, when you walk close to people, you'll put your hand up to kind of prevent walking into them. Such an action can be a perfect way to stealthily stab someone without anyone realising. But this could only be done with the blade on the bottom (Unless you like having a nice hole through your palm...). Blade on top means the only action you can really do alongside using the blade, is punching. Of course, blade on top helps solve the issue of mechanism triggering since you can have a switch on the underside of your wrist to use without any issue of accidental maiming yourself or triggering while doing parkour. Though, honestly, blade on the side makes the most sense... Then you'd get all the versatility of hand movements while using the blade with a secure mechanism, no potential to stab your own fingers or hand (Since how often do you actually move your hand to the side outside of stuff like typing on a keyboard...)

[@aliquidgaming1068]

@@tarille1043 in Origins DLC Darius(first hidden blade user) was shown with his on his top forearm. He says it's the way it was intended to be worn. After seeing how bayek lost his finger he notes this. It's also a small Easter egg in valhalla as well. Evior can read about Darius and how he used the the blade and notes how he and Darius wore the hidden blade on the top side of their wrists.

[@George_Bland]

I more got the impression that bayek had no other choice but he knew that would happen to him.

[@Michae89]

Good video although I could argue a few things: - The dagger discussion - They dropped it in later games but Altaïr and Ezio did in fact carry a dagger for all those combat situations. So the wrist blade really was the tool just for those drive-by (walk-by?) stabs that you were showing. - The spring - I don't know, the modern spring knives can be pretty powerful so at least I think that the wrist blade springs are plausible. To have them made in medieval times is a completely a different thing, but in the world in which there are magic-like forgotten alien artifacts laying around I'd give a pass to a spring being available. The wrist mounted line gun on the other hand... (cough, Syndicate, cough) - The finger - I always understood the cutting off finger part to be more ceremonial in nature. There was a short animated film that shown it as a ritual of conviction, similar to leap of faith. In Ezio's times they swapped this ritual to branding of the index finger with hot iron so there's that. - The accidental misfire - safety locks exist, both on spring knives and guns. ;) So yeah, there are many silly things about AC's Assassins but the hidden blade doesn't rub me the wrong way that much. The loud outfits are much worse for an assassin. I was pleased to see the protagonists of AC Syndicate dressed in relatively normal clothes but then they had to give them those silly overgrown bracers. In previous games bracers were smaller and more common among the general population but here they really stuck out. One point that you missed on the critique might be that attaching something to your forearm makes it less secure than just holding it in your hand. The straps would have to be quite tight to stop the blade from sliding up your arm when you stab someone with it.

[@seanheath4492]

The finger thing was a practical consideration that became ceremonial. Bayek found out the hard way that the hidden blade could take out the ring finger when deployed in certain circumstances (if you're wondering how a mechanism that could push a blade out that hard could exist in Ptolemaic Egypt, just blame the First Ones/Isu). Later Hidden Ones/Assassins did it as a demonstration of devotion to the order, until Altair figured out that 1) having all the Assassins missing their left ring finger made it easier to pick them out, and 2) he could tweak the design of the hidden blade to fix the issue.

[@hahmann]

About those walk-by stabs, couldn't you stab someone and let the dagger fall to the ground? The only downside is that you'd lose a dagger every time, however in a loud medieval city no one would hear the sound of it hitting the ground and no one would see you try to conceal it again.

[@Michae89]

@@hahmann Of course the dagger would be quite practical and easier on the technology side. I quite agree with Shad here, I'm just pointing out few things that might add to the discussion. The first and foremost reason why assassins have hidden blades in AC series is because they're cool. And among many other things added solely for the coolness factor, like flamboyant outfits, quite a few non concealed weapons (which defeat the purpose of a hidden blade really) or wrist mounted grappling hooks, the hidden blade doesn't seem that far fetched.

[@darcyrobbs6866]

He kept saying dagger and it was driving me crazy. It's a shank. When he said you couldn't even fight with it. I was like yeah, you couldn't fight with it in the first one you had to switch to a different weapon. This video drove me up a wall with how little effort he seemed to put into it. Especially when there the giant flaw like the one you pointed out about how tight the bracers would have to be not to just absorb all the force. As far as the spring. it doesnt have to be strong. Like modern switch blades. They are fast but theres no follow through. if the blade hits hanging paper its enough to stop it from locking. God this video is so bad. so so so bad its upsetting lol

[@sebastianrodriguez9909]

Well...you say pretty much everything I had to say

[@Ready_Set_Boom]

Walking up to someone with an enpty hand is a lot less threatening than walking up to someone with a knife in your hand. Assuming the knife ejects correctly with enough force and could be retracted, the assassin’s blade could be very useful for assassins when their contact with the target is brief and in a busy/ loud environment.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

Who walks up to somebody with a knife in their hand? Wrist blade or no wrist blade, hits are carried out quietly and with the element of surprise. A wrist blade is completely useless.

[@nancyabsalon9436]

@@SophisticatedDogCat you could grab onto someone's shoulder with a free hand and they wouldn't be intimidated and try to flee, at most, they would be uncomfortable especially if you aren't particularly intimidating looking Whereas if you suddenly reach into your sleeve or suit pocket or wherever you could hide a dagger, they'd be standing at full attention to see what you have and be able to react accordingly. If you could activate a wristblade as you're walking past your target or get in close contact, they'd be none the wiser especially if you navigate quick enough.

[@nancyabsalon9436]

@@SophisticatedDogCat a hit would be especially easy if you didn't need the element of surprise at all. And a wristblade gives you that royalty.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

@@nancyabsalon9436 Know what else you can do that with? A dagger the size of a dollar bill that could slide into your boot. You could also have the small dagger loosely wrapped around your wrist for a quick draw if that's what you're concerned about. Do this, tape a ruler to your wrist and have a friend walk by you and tell me how easy it would be to extend your arm awkwardly around his neck and apply a decent amount of force using just your wrist. Then do the same thing but with a small pen. Tell me which one is more agile and easier. Oh wait, they already went into this in the video, meaning you clearly didn't watch it.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

@@nancyabsalon9436 How is a wristblade NOT an element of surprise? The awkward movements you'd need to pull off using a wristblade would be a dead giveaway, either to the target or a bystander.

[@feathero3]

This is like focusing on why a car is so bad at traveling across water compared to a boat, not considering that they are two separate vehicles made for different situations. The wrist blade was never meant to be a direct combat weapon. That is why assassins in the games have a multitude of weapons at their disposal. The right tool for the right job.

[@Gablablin]

All he did is explain the reasons why assassin's have weapons to compensate. Without even realizing it.

[@s3rs312]

The point of the video is to assess how practical it is if it existed IRL and how effective it would be as a weapon. The hidden blade is not meant to be a weapon for direct combat, so your comparing-car-to-boat analogy is true; however, that IS the point of the video.

[@nekoluxuria7721]

I think something that is barely ever mentioned is the speed in which the hidden blade extends. Not useful for straight combat, but it is effective as a followup and for the most parts, its also elusive because only you know the additional range, this not including the variants that can launch their blades. It also means that you can apply minimum effort when it comes to stabbing someone vs using a dagger

[@joelrobinson5457]

@@nekoluxuria7721 true, and the speed coupled with the incredibly meticulous process of keeping it sharper than most other weapons means the piercing power it has is more than enough to cut through weak point such as the joints in armour from point blank range, this means you don't really even need to swing it. Just get in close and trigger it, then hide it and walk away, in a crowd you wouldn't immediately notice someone is injured nevermind which one of the dozens of people passing did it. Essentially it's more the fact that it extends like that than being any type of weapon

[@rioulethebeats9717]

Even tho i am on your side. Let's not forget some game play made it where you use the hidden blade as the main weapon

[@russia5228]

Assassins don’t only have these blades though, they carry swords, maces, hammers, sometimes even guns, these daggers are more of a tradition than anything, although they can certainly be useful if you’re in close physical proximity, e.g. a hug, that way, you yourself don’t need to generate any momentum, the spring mechanism does that

[@thijmstickman8349]

Or a deadly pat on the back

[@mike7652]

Right tool for the job. Not all that complicated, is it? My god... what's happened to common sense?

[@mikelbasch7117]

I don't really think the spring mechanism would be strong enough to do any real damage :P Maybe to day with modern tech but back in the day no way... But you do have a point with that they use all types of weapons and not only the Hidden Blade. If you want to kill somebody with a hug use a needle with poison on it :P

[@forlexer]

@@mikelbasch7117 if designed right it can. Take a look at fishing guns... Rubber bands... That's it.

[@kicker1015]

Yeah... the most recent AC I’ve played is Origins, and in that one you can’t even use the hidden blade in combat. It’s only used for assassinations, when it’s a perfect tool for the job. It is notable that Bayek loses a finger in a cutscene to an accidental misfire of his hidden blade. It’s in a bathhouse, so the concept, iirc, is that the blade gets jacked up by the humidity and slips in the struggle. Lots of fair points though.

[@bongwaterbojack]

Honestly, looking at the concealing demonstration, I'd have to give the point to the wrist blade. In terms of how well you can hide the blade, they seem pretty much equal. Both can be completely hidden from sight. In the event of a search, a smooth-talking assassin could potentially talk the mechanism down as some inconsequential item of intrigue. If a dagger is discovered...its a dagger.

[@overboss9599]

Not to mention the bigger advantage, if the guards see it they might not immediately recognize it as a weapon, buying you a few seconds to jam the blade into their throat.

[@kodaxmax]

@@overboss9599 Exactly, even extended it's obscured by the hand. even stabbing someone it can just look like your giving them a nice pat on the back or pushing them aside. By the time people notice the blood and guirgling, your on a roof or chilling amongst some monks. the unique angle is it's advantage not a disadvantage.

[@Letrose-hw7ry]

+ There is no chance of dropping the hidden blade due to blood since it doesn’t have a handle

[@BigGayIncorporated]

Bless this thread. All very good points.

[@gervoh]

@@overboss9599 Shad also mentions a bracer standing out, but Ezio only wore a metal bracer on the hand that'd be under his cape while the 2nd blade was in a rather normal glove. Arno, again, had the blade (that was also a mini-crossbow) under a glove that was a part of the pair as to not stand out. Connor had a hefty bracer but he overall was heavily armed so it also didn't stand out, he was ready for a fight and had armour, likewise Eivor.

[@TheScorpion0081]

19:09 Actually, yes. In fact, that's how the "cutting the ring finger" tradition started. In Origins, the Assassin (forgot his name) had triggered the blade in his target's neck, but couldn't get his hand out the way in time, cutting off his finger. The tradition began as a sign of loyalty to the cause and to that assassin, who became the first leader of the order.

[@alvinreinaldy5148]

bayek, i think. and it might sounds cool in tradition words, but in another point of view, you could say they made it a tradition because the guy lost his finger from using it improperly

[@Celestial-yq6hz]

Cool, I guess?

[@matteo-ciaramitaro]

@@alvinreinaldy5148 They made it a tradition because losing a finger in combat will probably make you lose and they realized the weapon had a flaw that meant in a situation where you failed an assassination and the target fought back, to kill them you might have to cut off your own finger, so to remedy this everyone cut it in advance to prevent themselves from being injured in that way and being unable to escape because of it. This went on until DaVinci devised away to prevent the blade from cutting off ones fingers when being released.

[@wolfmcsnipes4192]

Bayek of Siwa

[@chloesmith5485]

Also the symbolism of having to remove the ring on the left hand, the whole marriage thing

[@FortressWolf97]

One thing I'd like to point out is that Connor's hidden blade in Assassin's Creed 3 does actually detach to become a hand-held dagger that he can use for fighting or for skinning an animal, making his hidden blade the most versatile in the series.

[@orthusgames9888]

It doesn't detach it pivots. It has a mechanism in it to turn the blade when Connor needs it.

[@chrisotoole82]

@@orthusgames9888 it does detach. he takes it off and leaves it on the table at the end of the game when he kills Charles lee

[@tropicalvikingcreations]

@@orthusgames9888 It does detach, he pulls it off when you learn about hunting as well I believe. I also feel like he pulled it off and tried to kill someone but they countered him and it went flying I think, this I'm not sure of. Think maybe fighting his dad.

[@LordDawnWreaver]

i believe edward used a normal dagger for skinning right?

[@FortressWolf97]

@@LordDawnWreaver Yeah, I think Edward just uses a separate dagger. Connor's hidden blade is a bit more advanced than his grandfather's.

[@JTeam45]

Shad: "This is safe, it's a safe dagger." Oz: *pokes himself with the dagger* "Safe."

[@loganmorefield9192]

I mean, how do we learn if a flashlight's (torch's) batteries work? We tend to aim it **right** at our own eyes

[@JonatasAdoM]

@@loganmorefield9192 That's also how cartoons taught us to check the barrel of a gun. Don't do it! Go look up the video of the guy with a hat looking down the barrel.

[@loganmorefield9192]

@@JonatasAdoM Haha, yeah, it seems we as a species have a culture of pointing things towards our faces, regardless of the potential consequences

[@mericagunsfreedomandlove.8985]

Shad is forgetting. It's meant for air assassinating, passing assassinations, raised assassinations... it's meant for assassinations. Not combat.

[@YourChoomV]

And Also he's forgetting that you're supposed to use one for parrying and one for attacking while your enemy is stunned

[@johnnydarling8021]

The whole point of the video is that you could all of that, and better, with a normal dagger.

[@Ragnarok-Productions]

It's for combos as well

[@martinhg98]

@@johnnydarling8021 but the assasins also use normal daggers to.

[@b4ushoutxyz_66]

​@Johnny Darling it's very possible you might mis-align your stab, it's harder to do that with your own wrist

[@JaesWasTaken]

It was my understanding that the removing of the left ring finger was more of a ceremonial right of passage rather than something that was inherently necessary to trigger the first generation of wrist daggers. Altair ended the practice after he took over with an easy alteration.

[@1stCallipostle]

@@zenstrata all about symbolism I guess It's like why do serial killers leave calling cards Or why do gang members get symbols on their body that show who they're affiliated with

[@OGStarlightKY]

It was not just a ceremonial practice, it was practical because the blade would cut your finger anyways. Bayak lost his finger when he first used the blade to assassinate his target.

[@1stCallipostle]

@@OGStarlightKY As discussed though You'd REALLY have to fuck up to do that The angle that it's at because it's on your wrist just makes that very unlikely to start

[@OGStarlightKY]

@@1stCallipostle Shit happens in the heat of the moment, just because it may happen rarely, doesn’t mean it won’t. Leonardo literally had to adjust Ezio’s blade the prevent that from happening.

[@1stCallipostle]

@@OGStarlightKY The odds of it happening are omega low It was always just an excuse to have a cool symbolic thing If literally just adjusting the way it sits is a solution you'd really think it should've just Been designed slightly better to start

[@velocityhdmi8140]

"What can that do that this can't?" If you get disarmed in combat the enemy will think he has the advantage becuase he sees nothing else on you then you do a surprise counter

[@AteistPaladin]

Just watch ac revelations trailer. Even ezio cant block a sword with hidden blade but with a dagger they used it as a parry weapon in a real combat

[@metusincognit9549]

@@AteistPaladin This is a script thing, Ezio's hidden blade needed to be broken to introduce the hookblade that Yusuf give us. Another thing, this scene is intended to show how Ezio is old right now, he's getting broken, and when u see that I think is a form of the developers tell that "This is Ezio's last mission".

[@NinjaBray]

@@metusincognit9549 His hidden blade was also at least 50 years old.

[@Darkwarp1994]

@@NinjaBray yeah if you take the fact everyone at one point in the first two games were using that blade in a killing spree on the borgia templar faction lol

[@SirDankleberry]

@@AteistPaladin First of all the blade needed to be broken because they needed to introduce the Hook Blade, secondly this was a Hidden Blade that was used constantly for decades, hell it was used by his father before him so it could well have been wear and tear that eventually broke it.

[@elven_randomness6194]

In AC: Origins the blade is "accidentally" triggered and that's how the ritual of cutting the finger off started, which I found very interesting.

[@Wolfs0n]

Because it's the same blade from Odyssey in the Legacy of the first blade DLC. Which was designed to be worn OVER the wrist not under. In other words the "Mark of The Assassins" the missing ring finger was just one big derp move on the founder's part.

[@MrChristianDT]

To be fair, Bayek did it accidentally, then in the final scenes of the main game, it's heavily implied that people began doing it to themselves as a show of fealty to the cause, despite Bayek being confused by the gesture. There's no words. It's a few second long scene of an Assassin recruit just grabbing a knife, putting her hand on a table, going to cut it off, Bayak tries to stop her, she gives him a look & he sighs, backs off & let's her do it.

[@witalian1]

@@Wolfs0n Having such a thing as a "Mark of The Assassins" is retarded. A real assassin would never wear something that can identify him as an assassin. For that reason there were no such things as "ninja weapons".

[@Wolfs0n]

@@witalian1 Well that's what happens when you make the act of political murder an entire religion

[@kagetsu13]

Letting a weapon be accidental in anything sounds like a bad weapon, especially a stealth weapon that could be randomly be released and blow your cover.

[@notoriousd.i.g.87]

I feel like with the specific Assassination style in Assassins Creed, the arm dagger makes sense. When you assassinate people, you are constantly dragging people into bushes or jumping on them from the air. You rarely ever use it in actual combat, this is why you are given actual daggers and swords in the games for actual combat. You almost always only use the dagger to surprise people, like Shad says. And yes when you and the target are both standing, the blade is limited, but when you're above their heads and stabbing downwards into the weaknesses of their armor (or just knocking knocking their head armor off), or you drag someone on their back into someone bushes or haystack, the blade becomes much more useful than a normal dagger in terms of the speeds for which you surprise people like that. Though the part about the mechanism is very correct. Overall, while I agree with the practicality, I feel like some of his points are addressed when you consider the style of assassination in the games. Also the finger chop thing is explained to be more ceremonial than anything else in the games.

[@blazinkid5178]

You've explained it real well, tbh early AC lore is peak Ubisoft design. Imo the hidden blade is amazing at its sole job, the retraction mechanism allows for several linear points of approach. As a general weapon, not so great.

[@FormattedWill]

personally I always thought that the finger loss thing was part of the device and it's trigger mechanism, "rewiring" in a way the flexing muscle that moves in the wrist when you bend that finger. that way when the finger is gone it doesn't bend on it's own, and you'd still be able to physically move the muscle. as a side note, yes it is ceremonial as sort of a replacement of a wedding ring in a way, but bayek's fuck up is the main reason when he's tussling in the baths and his blade goes off at the wrong time and cuts his finger off. but ya as you said, it's more of an additional weapon/tool where it's advantage is also in not having to have your hand filled, so you could theoretically have a weapon in that hand and still surprise a target with a blade that pops out. like a free extra weapon. it's a weapon with a single purpose, which is to quickly flick out and stab, then retract, while disguising the movement of the stab with simple gestures that wouldn't draw attention.

[@RainOn2SunnyDay]

With the blade being retractable you can also sheathe it fast and automatically which means your hands are always free

[@cubeddragon139]

Here I thought that the springs were to pull it in and out, and that the stabbing is actually made by the user, not the spring itself. If the spring was to just extend and retract the blade, it doesn't have to be that strong, and it can be weak enough to not be a hard reset

[@blazinkid5178]

@@cubeddragon139 It's a combination of both, like slightly flinging your wrist forward when you shoot a slingshot, the spring assists by increasing the penetrative force of the blade through increased momentum.

[@coolman229]

"What does the wrist dagger do?" Makes you look cool. Next question.

[@dwavenminer]

So wrist daggers are medieval mechs...pointless, but cool as hell.

[@darkdog42]

It retracts you can stab move with the crowd blade retracts without you looking sus like moving to hide a dagger instead of striding

[@KainaX122]

_Exactly!_

[@shigerufan1]

It allows you to punch and stab someone at the same time in one swift motion.

[@SwordTune]

It's supposed to be restrictive, used only when a clean kill is available. It's almost like a ceremonial weapon, one that reminds the assassin of their creed.

[@bragebjelker2879]

14:32 because it was never supposed to be a dagger in the first place. It is supposed to be a stabb weapon used for stealthy stabs. The assassins also have other weapons. Like daggers and swords. The wrist blade is used for lethal stealth stabs. They could have used daggers hidden on them, but the wrist blade is supposed to be easy and quick to both hide and bring out when needed, without the danger of cutting yourself on the bladewhen say trying to pull it out and put it back in to say your sleeve Also, sure it is a big mechanical thing you wear on your wrist but often they have it hidden under a sleeve on their clothing

[@antony2206]

Not too mention, in unity and syndicate, you see just how gosh darn powerful the pressure are, you don't even have manually stab, the mechanism do everything. And with the phantom blade, it serves it purpose really well.

[@AteistPaladin]

Slicing the throat is the best way to assassinate someone because of the shouting etc. if you use a hidden blade it will be so much harder to do it instead of a dagger. Also the video tell why a dagger is more easier to use instead of hidden blade

[@bragebjelker2879]

@@AteistPaladin True, but thats not necessarily the point of the hidden blade. Its main poing is to be hidden and to be fast. And it is both. If one of the assassins would want to take someone out without being caught they could have just shot them. The assassins are incredibly good marksman so they could just snipe them from so far away no one would know

[@curtismcpsycho8212]

@@bragebjelker2879 but what if a local military starts looking for them? They're gonna look for a projectile weapon which is harder to hide than a blade, the only case where this doesn't apply is syndicate since the military isn't that much of an prevalent force in syndicates time period

[@bragebjelker2879]

@@curtismcpsycho8212 They could easily just trow the bow or whatever they used away right after they did the assassination. Also they literally have projectile weaponds on their hidden "blades", meaning they are hidden. It's not like the assassins really care if people know they did something anyways. The "bad guys" already know of the existens of the assassins. Plus an assassin isnt the some kind of ninja that does everything without ever getting in an open fight. In the early games this is sometimes even impossible because the early games wasnt 100% stealth games. Of course the series have moved away from that with later instalments, but they are still assassins not some kind of ninja

[@WumboBumbo858]

They retconned in one of the later games that losing the finger was an innitiation ritual instead of for functionality, which in my opinion is a much better explanation

[@yanhenghuang1017]

Are you talking about AC Origins? Wasn’t the whole devotion thing already Canon since AC1?

[@WumboBumbo858]

@@yanhenghuang1017 Yeah, but I don't think cutting the finger off was officially apart of it until Origins

[@Squarelinx]

I thought that it was for functionality before Da Vinchi improved the design and after that it was a ritual

[@Guardian582]

@@WumboBumbo858 actually no, if you look closely at Altairs fingers the ring finger IS cut off, they just didnt make it a huge issue, theres even an action if you have ONLY the hidden blade equipped and use the attack button while standing still which makes it more obvious that his finger is missing

[@stevenscott2136]

Although having an obvious physical mark of membership isn't the best idea for a secret brotherhood.

[@snezhnayanpenguin4671]

I would just like to say that your wrist blade looked like a foot long past the fingers, whereas the hidden blades in the game look only a couple of centimeters past the fingers. Also, there were many variations of the hidden blade for different purposes and used in different historical contexts, so its advantages, disadvantages, utility, and usages change based on that. But overall, I think the weapon is cooler than practical.

[@robarmour5368]

AC: Rev's HB was about that long... but that was mostly because of the hook used for ziplines

[@snezhnayanpenguin4671]

@@robarmour5368 True

[@Kitsunegam1ng]

Well depending on the assassin it was built differently

[@snezhnayanpenguin4671]

@@Kitsunegam1ng Assassins of the same region and historical periods had the same blade. (Hook blade in Renaissance Cyprus for exemple) The only reason each assassin seem to have custom blade is because we played assassins of different region and time period in every game. I dont remember seeing an assassin having a different blade than the ones used at that time, in that place except Ezio who had an inventor and engineer (Leonardo Da Vinci) who followed plans drawn by Altaïr who saw them through the apple of Eden. Thats why he had such a variety of blades way more advanced than what was possible at that time. But beside him, I don’t think each assassin had their own customized blade.

[@Kazuhiro-i]

Most of what u say is an excuse from the creators xD A dagger is just so much better and practical. And this an organization of assassin's xd why would they not use the most practical thing to kill xd

[@TheKilla655]

The hidden blade is used almost exclusively for these sneak murders, not open combat, you can try but it will take a beating, in open fights swords, daggers, axes, spears, maces and long range weapons are used. The hidden blade is a specific tool for specific occasions, and serves as a "badge" among members of the creed.

[@Legion849]

The Hidden blade was more of a device for sleath assasinations. In the original trilogy it made sense because the blade was concealed and you could blend in with people

[@MrDevious88]

@@Legion849 Yeanh, it's totally pointless for a pillaging Viking to use one. If it wasn't iconic for the series, a dagger would have made more sense.

[@ginge641]

Except for the fact that in most of the games, the hidden blade is just as viable as any other weapon and in some is even better than any other weapon for melee combat.

[@hoopmooy3543]

@@ginge641 In 2, there is almost no reason to use anything but the hidden blade.

[@leetri]

Even then a regular knife would be just as good if not even better for stealth kills. There would be a pretty loud thud when the spring goes off, compared to no sound at all for pulling out a knife. If you want actual stealth kills, just take a needle coated in poison. Prick the target when walking by and then they die a couple of days later with literally no way to trace it back to you. Literally the only thing it has going is that it looks cool, that's it.

[@thomasgray1542]

In a novel (Assassins Creed: Underground if you’re interested) it’s mentioned how Assassins rigorously fine tune and adjust their blades to be completely matched to their arm and so that only when they tense their forearm a very specific way will the blade trigger

[@anintruder477]

meanwhile literally every Assassin in the games just puts it on and it works perfectly

[@Treston5012]

Yeah facts

[@black1917]

Shad your ignoring an important detail: They always had swords or some other melee weapon to use during actual fights

[@AZKJunaid]

Assassin's creed 2 - Assassin's Creed Rogue, you can use it as a melee weapon

[@Adierit]

@@AZKJunaid Yeah, you can use it as a melee weapon but it was always worse damage wise than just using a sword. Black flag shows this nicely, sure you can stab and parry with the hidden blades, but why not just use the swords that hit twice as hard? Also hard to argue with black flags hilarious gun holsters allowing you to carry enough shot to delete 4 people at any time.

[@highlordfenrir]

@@Adierit Simple answer? Style points.

[@vergil9981]

@@Adierit bro the think is ... hidden blades in ac 2 were straight up op you just go tutle style and you can oneshot most enemys with ez, while using a sword requires 2-3 parrys for the heavier enemys

[@robertharris6092]

@@vergil9981 you could do that in AC1...

[@rtrochez22]

"They assassinated their own games." That one really hits the feels :c

[@randomsilhouette1310]

It's true though unfortunately

[@mageinpractice3537]

Everything was a bit over exaggerated. Irl if someone came up to you in that time period= you would have the initial advantage.

[@henrypaleveda7760]

valhala intensifies

[@mageinpractice3537]

@@henrypaleveda7760 what game?

[@morovvs]

Fax the only decent new assassin's creed is origins

[@Mayolaise]

There is something close to the dagger accidentally going off in AC: Origins - The first scripted onscreen kill with the hidden blade was during a brawl, and the protagonist activated the blade pretty much accidentally, killing the target for the price of a cut off finger.

[@alardrik1713]

Beat me to it

[@silverswordguy4191]

20:17 I actually solved this problem with my spring powered wrist flick activated hidden blade design by using a circular spring like the one implemented in grandfather clocks. The spring works to open and close the blade and the mechanism involves locking it in the extended or detracted position.

[@MorningDusk7734]

So you wind up the knife spring and it moves in a circular path? wouldn't that catch on any clothing meant to conceal the blade?

[@silverswordguy4191]

@@MorningDusk7734 correct. The spring is concealed inside a casing, so it won't catch on clothing.

[@s--b]

is that sorta like how pens work or am i wrong?

[@silverswordguy4191]

@@s--b that's a bit of a stretch. In the sense that it can lock in an extended and a retracted position, yes. But the mechanism is entirely different because of the shape of the action.

[@MorningDusk7734]

@@s--b rather than a linear motion, it seems like the blade "spins" out, like a clock hand going rapidly from 6:00 to 12:00, or a spring assisted pocketknife (not quite a switchblade, those move linearly). It would be curious to see how a pen-design could be modified to work with that much motion.

[@crookedlycrooked9256]

The hidden blade makes you feel like an Assassin, a normal dagger makes you feel like a random highway man. Edit: Holy shit thanks for all the likes

[@ryan-cochran]

True

[@Face1essAsh]

The hidden blade makes you feel like a weirdo with a knife while the dagger makes you feel like a weirdo with a knife

[@soverynnthebad8254]

Lol This is the best I’ve ever seen this put.

[@alexmason8557]

A normal dagger makes you feel like a random londoner.

[@darkdog42]

@@alexmason8557 oi guv what size shoe ya wear

[@jackjohnson6044]

Well, in the second game Leonardo said that the "removing a finger" was to show the faith and determination for the Assassins cause. I think the person inventing the hidden blade just cut his/her finger off by accident and claimed it is mandotary so he/she looked less dump and very dedicated to their beliefs.

[@David-nq8cv]

The person who invented it (Darius) wore it over his wrist so no fear of losing a finger than 500 years later someone didn't know and put it under the wrist and that's why they originally lost the finger

[@jackjohnson6044]

@@David-nq8cv Is this actual lore? I never played any past Black Flag.

[@David-nq8cv]

@@jackjohnson6044 Yes

[@sovietelmo1019]

The reason they started cutting off their fingers was so they didnt cut it of in a struggle by activating the blade at the wrong time (happens in origins) They also chopped off the finger as a sign of devotion to the creed

[@redhead_redneck]

In AC: Origins the protagonist was in a fight and ejected his blade, however due to a less than ideal hand placement, he chopped off his own finger. Assassin's then started doing it to preemptively stop this situation.

[@ironpatriot4774]

Shad: a wrist blade is almost entirely useless except for the one thing it is specifically designed for. Me: you mean like how nobody uses Derringers in firefights?

[@thesmallestminorityisthein4045]

Firetrucks are terrible ambulances.

[@Fallenangel_85]

Sometimes I think shad just wants to get attention...

[@jamesmclemore9123]

Am I the only one who kinda wonders if modern assassins in the AC universe use suppressed Derringer instead of Hidden blades?

[@benthomason3307]

Let's say that you're looking at a dude, then another dude walks up and give him a very conspicuous pat on the back that somehow sounds like a dude getting stabbed, and then the first dude is immediately on the ground bleeding. You're going to suspect something is up. Also, note how Shad also demonstrate numerous reason why the wristblade _isn't_ useful _even_ at the one thing it was designed for.

[@jypsridic]

@@benthomason3307 Its in universe design includes easy retracting. We know that's not how the real world works. This is where suspension of disbelief comes into play.

[@Thejman-md4hb]

Other than the hook blade in revelations, the hidden blades were A LOT smaller than that one. They came out a little farther than the size of your hand. The hook blade in revaluations was quite large but it was primarily used for climbing and extending your reach. Having a smaller blade presents more angles of attack.

[@thederp9309]

19:06 there is a cutscene in assassins creed origins where Bayek accidentally cut off his ring and the other assassins did it as a sign of devotion to the creed, so it was mostly a ceremonial thing

[@icarusgaming6269]

I'm really not sure how he managed that. No matter what angle I place my hand, I can never get my fingers in the way of something on my wrist when my hand is tilted back like that

[@tonydeadlock]

@@icarusgaming6269 if you push your wrist down and hold your fingers loose. If the mechanical retention broke or slipped it would cut a finger off.

[@fernosbonos5394]

well his got cut by his hidden blade in accident

[@Herandro_just_Herandro]

Here's some Assassin's Creed technobabble: - Bayek and Aya/Amunet are not technically Assassins yet. They belong to the Order of The Hidden Ones (the predecessors to the Assassins' Order). - Even in Altaïr's time (Third Crusade), the left ring finger was cut out to demonstrate commitment to the Order and to make way for the hidden blade to come out (Altaïr would eject it with his fist closed). - It was young Leonardo Da Vinci who adapted the original design of the hidden blade when he fixed it for Ezio Auditore da Firenze, so he could use it without having to cut out his ring finger. Ezio would then eject the hidden blade with his palms facing outside. This happened in Assassin's Creed 2.

[@ssj4galactus]

@@icarusgaming6269 the target was holding his hands and it was bayeks first use of it

[@dominickmckinney1201]

I love these weapons and I know there are limitations, as with every weapon, but debate is fun so I’ll try to defend it. 1. It’s an assassin weapon, not made for main defense, same with the dagger as you’ve said in your dagger video. 2. A thin insanely sharp blade wouldn’t need much force to go in. And before anyone says it’ll beak easily, it’s still hardened steel. As for how to reset, people who have made them just flick it again to retract. 3. Why try to slit the throat when you can stab through to the heart or a lung or just twist so they can’t sew it up? Or just use the flat to parry, move in, knock them down, stab in eye, lung, heart, throat, etc. 4. People have made them with thin wire and ring. Just move the wire over your thumb, spread your fingers apart and lift your hand. Plenty of room for holding things, climbing, and to get the wire out of the way to shake someone’s hand. Side note: the first game you would be suspicious so you would have to travel by rooftop or bland in with monks of matching clothes. There where complaints so now we have the notoriety system. I am curious, what if you made in inside the gauntlet of a knights armor and use it as a finisher by stabbing through the eye slit of another knight? It also be a way of never being unarmed. I’m not saying your completely wrong but some negatives seemed a bit exaggerated like someone saying a rapier is bad because it’s not made for hack and slash. If I came off as insulting in any way I’m sorry. The hidden blade is like a repeating crossbow or instant legolas. Are they practical? Id say mostly but Debatable. Are they cool and fun? Yes and you shouldn’t be discouraged of putting them in a fantasy setting. You do you and have fun

[@erebus512]

Yeah, the hidden blade is a weapon used to stab, not slash. And if you are talking about modern times, the hidden blade has been changed to suit the needs. Now its more of a taser with two small antenna like things coming out instead of a blade, said antenna things have electricity pulsing within and between them. This electricity is high enough to electrocute someone in an instant, or if you prefer not to kill, it could simply knock them out instead.

[@Kazuhiro-i]

I agree with what u said, but a dagger is just much better and comfortable. U can hide it anywhere, stab and slash, move in any angle, etc etc. Once again the reason why dagger are a thing and they never change (too much) is because they are the better way to kill in close proximity and stealthy

[@dominickmckinney1201]

Id say the comfort would depend on preference and construction. There are many comfortable wrist blades and daggers out there but I’ve had horrible of both.

[@Earlesstag]

One thing that Shad dismisses with this is is that it is super conspicuous, and while it is more conspicuous than having a normal gauntlet, I see it being written off as a nobles fashion piece waaaaay more often than a guard would catch a dagger hidden on your person. it is factually more likely to be hand waved through during a pat down by a guard than a concealed dagger. will a normal dagger have more versatility? absolutely, but a normal dagger is significantly more conspicuous. Also, to comment on the ring finger being cut off, I always thought the story intention was while it was an easy fix, it was a symbolic initiation right for the assassins in Altier's time. It was to show the lifelong commitment to the organization/religion.

[@revanninja]

@@Earlesstag You are correct that is why the ring was cut off originally it was also an easy way to ID each other.

[@AjarTadpole7202]

For functionality, it's only ever used when you only need a simple stabbing motion. When you need it for combat,(At least in rougue) You do pull out an actual proper dagger

[@RazielTheUnborn]

Conor's is still a hidden blade but it can be used as a dagger.

[@AjarTadpole7202]

@@RazielTheUnborn which one is that? My argument's are based off of Shay Cormac's hidden blades

[@jacktheripper5112]

@@AjarTadpole7202 AC3, connoer actually pulls 1 of his blades out and hold it, dmn AC3 is so underrated

[@RazielTheUnborn]

@@jacktheripper5112 People whine that Conor has no personality yet like Altair. They both are like stones and try to endure rather than having explosive emotions like Ezio had for 2 of 3 games. Ezio caused more damage to civilians than Altair or Conor ever did. AC3 is my favorite AC title. AC3 to Odyssey, to AC2 are my top three.

[@robertharris6092]

@@jacktheripper5112 connor wields a dagger in his left hand and the hidden blade in his right.

[@wolffang838]

I think the hidden blade has the advantage of not needing to grab it from its hiding place and is less likely to get caught on something by accident.

[@lag00n54]

it's an assassin weapon it just aimed to quick kill and done not something they'd be using for main combat just hidden weapon in an instant use when they need too

[@BOnEhEAdD]

As far as I remember, the point of the Hidden Blade was to inflict a wound in a way that makes it difficult for surrounding people to notice the attack itself (so it looks like you're a little more than touching their upper chest, lower neck or what have you). It also meant special techniques completely unlike conventional weapons. So no, you don't need a substitute for a reverse grip etc. because you're not even supposed to move in a suspicious way. Bottom line: the Hidden Blade was not meant to be a practical weapon and could definitely do stuff in the game that daggers couldn't (maybe a shiv would've been a better comparison), IRL a different story I guess.

[@bobhaynes8169]

Yeah, slight-of-hands like a pickpocket. Also as a matter of fact, there were some really wicked and slick kill animations with them. And often times I couldn't see the blade they did it so smooth and quickly, just 'minding my own business, don't mine me... *pop!* ' Like like a martial artsy palm of death. They would often do it in locks, covering their mouths and whatnot and *shink*. It all depends, I've seen many techniques in the ones I've completed so far. (those being Origins, Odyssey, and 1,2, Brotherhood, Revelations, and 3)

[@CARBman95]

@@bobhaynes8169 Have you guys watched this until the end? Hidden blade couldn't work like that in real life because you would need much force to spring it out to stab someone like that, and then even more force to put it back in without nobody noticing. It just doesn't work. It can work in a game, sure, it is the 'rule of cool', but here we are talking about hypothetical real world use, and it just doesn't work.

[@graemeboyd2910]

@@CARBman95 lol. I've stabbed through my finger with almost no force. If the blade is sharp enough and you go for the neck/fleshy parts the person is dead.

[@davidschneider9145]

@CARBman95 Except the spring doesn’t have to be that stiff. Not the spring does the „stab part“. The assassin activates the blade, stabs and retracts it. How it gets triggered and retracts is another topic but the springs don’t have to be nearly as strong as Shad describes.

[@TechnoMinarchist]

May I suggest looking up the origin of the term "cloak and dagger"?

[@user-uo8mx3cv5k]

As you said as well, it works in the element of surprise, but as a combat weapon, not so much. Which is exactly why they have normal daggers & swords etc. too, and they only use the hidden blade as kind of a secondary to that. It's not that bad, you're just testing it in something outside it's intended purpose, but still, great video, good analysis

[@FraserSouris]

Except AC2-Rogue let you use it as a melee weapon. In fact, in AC1-2 it was the best weapon because its counters were always lethal

[@reddragon9064]

@@FraserSouris one that been posted and said 50 or so times now 2 that the very first 2 games and gams always do a bit of hand waving to realism for fun quick example the assassins robe they all wear that instantly identifies them as a assassin yet just siting on a bench next to 2 normal people makes you invisible 3 its only in 1-2 and that not the weapon being effecting that the style of combat/game mechanics weapon effectiveness would realistically best associated to its damage and they had lowest output the counters you do could be done with your bare hands or any other weapon realistically just game mechanics wise the daggers where most lethal cause they the iconic weapon of the assassin why would they not make it most lethal

[@reddragon9064]

full agree with this statement they best use for surprise strikes nothing els really

[@ethanm8756]

@@FraserSouris for (at least) AC3-Rogue, you could parry and kill almost any enemy immediately with any weapon you have, so of course the hidden blades would be the same. Especially in AC3, where the blade could be rotated to fit a reverse grip as a normal dagger. The thing that confuses me is both the outfits and that they don’t wear the contraption below their sleeve, which makes no sense, it would make it 100% less noticeable. Yes, it’s practicability isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it’s a game, some things are going to be less useful in real life in order for there to be better game mechanics. And the robes… also for style points, yet agreed, makes you stand out more.

@@FraserSouris ac2 rogue? What?

[@tinybee7780]

I love how in the later games they actually adressed the cutting your finger to make the blade work as a detriment. It basically became like a tatoo identifying who potential assassins where. Not exactly a good idea if your profession requires you to be incognito for most of the time.

[@acgearsandarms1343]

They showed this initial issue in Origins where Bayek accidentally severed his finger while using it.

[@adrigl3371]

I always thought that bit of lore was stupid. You don't want assassins entering your town? Just ask the guards to check peoples hands at the gate, if they be missing that especific finger, arrest them, problem solved

[@JonatasAdoM]

@@adrigl3371 I'm imagining assassins parkouing through the walls. Better yer, forbid anyone in pope white from entering the city.

[@patrickreville4978]

Didn't Ezio not lose his finger and they just did it for tradition?

[@acgearsandarms1343]

@@patrickreville4978 He never lost it. Leonardo modified the blade so it doesn’t require it. They instead sear a mark on the ring finger in place of that.

[@greyklopstock7155]

I think one of the things about the hidden blade that makes it better for assassination: no murder weapon to dispose of. You'd have to find a way to trash your dagger, but the blade conveniently goes right back up the sleeve and hidden in the cuffs

[@kodaxmax]

The hidden blade is a largely symbolic weapon to the order. Your literally removing your ring finger when you get your blade, meaning your not going to have a family or worldly ties, instead devoting yourself to the creed. Additionally they were aiming for being the ultimate assassins. They would totally sacrifice a finger and range of motion for even slightest bit of extra stealthiness. Shad himself stated it's one advantage was smooth and stealthy assinations, especially on the move. It's almost like that's it's entire purpose or something :P. Besides if they needed the extra versatility or range of motion, they would simply carry other weapons, which they do almost constantly in the games.

[@kitkup8570]

Yes extra stealthiness, when they're whole thing is about being as obvious as possible by dressing the in the strangest cloths around

[@InfernosReaper]

@@kitkup8570 Even if they didn't, dude's missing fingers tend to draw more suspicion and be more identifiable by any potential survivors of an attack.

[@Haki145]

You literally only registered the points that fit your narrative, amazing.

[@mikeantony252]

@@InfernosReaper Just say you fought in one of the hundreds of wars that occurred back then as an excuse. People lost body parts all the time I bet

[@ascended8174]

@@InfernosReaper Which is why Altaïr modified it to not require that sacrifice anymore, as well as removing the tradition. Now they only have a small brand that can be concealed by a ring

[@HumBug_05]

You have to keep in mind that the hidden blade is seldom used on its own by the assasins. Most of the time they also have a multitude of other weapons including, swords, axes, guns, and built-in crossbows. So most of the limitations that the hidden blade has in combat are made up for by the rest of their arsenal. Meaning that they just get the benefits of a quick assassination on top of their combat capabilities.

[@MakenaForest]

that very arsenal does in turn make the hidden blade even less useful however, as by carrying a full supply caravans worth of weapons on you, out in the open, you are even more suspicious than you are just being hooded in a world where anyone wearing a hood is an assassin.

[@HumBug_05]

@@MakenaForest They don't carry every weapon I listed there. They just have access to them. The most they've carried, that I can think of, is Edward Kenway, who had 2 swords, and 4 pistols. But other than that, they don't carry a "caravans worth of weapons."

[@randomsilhouette1310]

Keep in mind not every hidden blade can bear every attachment

[@HumBug_05]

@@randomsilhouette1310 Well of course. But my point still stands. The hidden blade doesn't hinder their combat abilities.

[@MakenaForest]

@@HumBug_05 2 swords, 4 pistols, a spitpipe, a rope dart, and a bow and quiver actually, as well as a pouch for smoke bombs, but if you wanna talk huge arsenals, look to connor, who carries most of that and so much more

[@torianletcher7637]

The problem here is the hidden blade isn't really used for fighting or dueling it is supposed to be used explicitly for assassination to remain hidden and not draw attention to one's self while assassinating your target

[@Spiran_SphereHunter]

The problem here is its still completely pointless as a regular dagger is hidden as easily and will draw the same amount of attention as the vambrace spike, Probably far less attention as you don't need to flail around or get your arms in an awkward position to secure a killshot

[@Argenteux]

@@Spiran_SphereHunter Flail around? Awkward position? Dude, the hidden blade assassinations are literally just a simple push motion towards a vital spot, so it would look like a good old shove at most instead of going through the motion of drawing a weapon and then using it.

[@Spiran_SphereHunter]

@@Argenteux A shot to the kidney or ribs is not immediately fatal irl, Without video game magic your targets not dropping without calling out for help unless you get im in the neck or heart

[@7gromojar]

It's impracticall even when you want to assasinate someone. Yoiu have to count on the mechanism to trigger. If it will break, you're dead.

[@Argenteux]

@@Spiran_SphereHunter A target of a lethal stab wouldn't be able to call for help. The air would escape their lungs before they could muster the energy to clearly vocalize anything.

[@Phantom45113]

My assumption was always that the cutting off the ring finger was not for practical purposes but more of a figurative “marrying” of oneself to the brotherhood. The early assassins were not ever supposed to get married because it would divide their loyalties, so they cut off their ring fingers as a show of devotion to their creed. Idk if this is canon but its my take on the reasoning behind the finger removal.

[@coffeecrispy2673]

It was done to show devotion, but not for that reason, and the first blade resulted in an accidental finger-chopping, leading to it becoming a tradition(but they brand the finger now instead of cutting it off)

[@chrheca]

yes this is exaclty right. The problem is that Leonardo da vinci says that is needs to be cut as a joke to scare ezio in the second game when he manufactures the blades to him. however, after the joke he says: "IF the blade ever required such a sacrifice, it is no longer needed". The very first assassins all cut their fingers to show commitment to Bayek (AC origins) This is the problem that arises when you make a video about a topic that you don't fully understand about. Shad is a mater swordsman and knows his way around a blade but he doesn't know enough of the game's lore so ends up making wrong remarks throughout the video

[@technoneko8108]

counterpoint, dont treat it as a replacement to a weapon, think of it as an added accessory, even while wielding a dagger or sword (etc.) you can use the added surprise stab during combat, and as explained in other comments there could be various other mechanical ways to do the pop out then back in for that concealed walk by stab.

[@optimusfreim3686]

but considering the time AC is deficted it wouldn't be realistic because of the lack of spring technology in that time period, if it were then we would have seen an auto reload crossbow in history unlike today where it's super possible, remember, AC is supposed to defict points of history

[@Treble453]

@@optimusfreim3686 -minus the assassins and their story. The Assassins have always been ahead of the curve, that tends to happen when you work with highly advanced (almost magical) items.

[@optimusfreim3686]

@@Treble453 so what IS realistic about the Assasins having highly advanced items in AC? the point of the video and the thing we are talking here is realistically speaking it's not possible in the timeline AC is depicted in, historically speaking it's not possible but game-wise anything can happen cause it's a made up history

[@Treble453]

@@optimusfreim3686 the highly advanced items are from those who came before, which is part of their story. Also come to think of it they had many great minds helping them (DaVinci for example) who were way ahead of their time.

[@illyasoniii]

@@optimusfreim3686 why does it have to be a spring? I imagine the older iterations would be using some sort of wind up gear and lock mechanism, one that would counter wind and lock to retract (not pulling fully back but enough to conceal it dagger through their long sleeves, for them to ready it later on

[@SS2LP]

“What can this do that this cant” be quickly drawn while mid action or extended while hidden under some cloth concealing the arm. Drawing a dagger will never be less conspicuous that just a flick of the wrist and several designs have been made requiring just that. Also no assassin actively uses hidden blades as weapons for fighting unless required with a singular exception because his was made to rotate and detach and be used as a normal dagger or parrying tool. They all carry extra weapons for fighting such as swords or other larger daggers. The hidden blades are in most cases purely an assassination tool even if you can choose to use them for fighting they are never better options that swords, guns or etc other weapons.

[@101Crock]

I think this is the main reason they came into existence in the game, imagine how clunky and slow the animation would be for pulling out an actual dagger and stabbing someone with it. Now compare that to the animation and programming for the hidden blade stabbing someone. Just a touch of the hand and then it’s concealed again.

[@medicgaming9117]

It’s also utility rather than main function. Carrying around a dagger would be more difficult than a hidden blade.

[@SS2LP]

@@medicgaming9117 It wouldn’t be harder to carry one it just wouldn’t be as good for stealth attacks since the act of drawing your blade would be very noticeable and a recognised motion unlike a small wrist flick. It would just work better for that singular purpose.

[@matt2986]

This is exactly what I was wanting to say. In addition the hidden dagger seems to be used more as a thrusting weapon with the aim of a one strike kill. In situations that this is not possible, as you've said, they are generally well armed. From what I've seen it is generally used (outside of assassinations) as a tool to gain the upper hand faster, being able to put a blade to someone's throat by simply raising your arm is going to be a lot quicker than having to reach for a dagger concealed traditionally. It would also be a lot harder to drop, useable while holding something else and may pack a bit more of a punch as you would not be limited by wrist strength. It's a situational dagger, much worse in the traditional aspects but arguably best for it's actual role in the assassins arsenal.

[@alexalbuquerquerodriguesal108]

There's actually a scene on Assassin's Creed 2 where Ezio use the Hidden Blade quick drawn function to escape being subdued, pretty cool scene. Some details: the templars is holding Ezio by his arms and the assassin simply drawn the blade on the throat of one of the templars without the victim even being able to react.

[@SuperJoMario64]

The finger thing was more ceremonial. You would give up your ring finger when entering the brotherhood. Assassins would carry other weapons, but the hidden blade was more for tradition. In the comics, they later retired the hidden blade because of how ineffective it was. Sorry, the fanboy in me came out. Awesome video, Shad

[@David-nq8cv]

Yep and it's always the ring finger in a way of saying your commitment to the creed comes first

[@SirWulfric]

It's funny because Bayek cut his finger off completely by accident.

[@David-nq8cv]

@@SirWulfric All because his wife Aya mistakenly put it under the wrist instead of over like how it was designed to be worn

[@handsinthefire]

@@David-nq8cv You mean on purpose..

[@shawnwolf5961]

not only that, but it was required for the *trigger* mechanism to work properly, not so the blade didn't lop it off coming out lmao

[@JustAPakistaniGamer]

i would love a video of shad analyzing the actual stab animations from all the assasin creed games and giving his expert opinion on whether or not they are effective/lethal hits.... and then following up with the effectiveness or non effectiveness of the hidden blade

[@stanislaviliev6305]

"played the Egyptian one and Valhala. Got bored of the grind" _Ahh yes, if only there was some kind of Trilogy that had an interesting plot to follow and made you feel good with the silent stabby stab, truly shame there's no such thing for Shad to enjoy_

[@KitsuneRogue]

@Lorenzo Panza I'm sure they're talking about AC 1,2, and brotherhood

[@robertharris6092]

@@KitsuneRogue AC 2, brotherhood, and revelations. The ezio trilogy. Which got a remaster.

[@mericagunsfreedomandlove.8985]

@@KitsuneRogue bruh revelations is the best

[@panm2906]

AC1 was and is the best game in the series.

[@Pir-o]

@@panm2906 nah, he was a great character but the gameplay was really repetitive. I mean AC games still struggle with this but in the first game, every single mission was identical

[@OyBoy413]

Shad I love you and understand your synopsis, but the Hidden Blade(s) were tools of assassination not meant for combat. They were meant for subtle kills as you pass a target as you, mentioned the surprised kill.

[@psychopompous489]

@@SimuLord "Oh my god, that guy's just been stabbed! Quick, who was the last person to pat him on the back!?!?" But with all seriousness, if you manage to hit their lung then they won't be able to scream. It'd be difficult from a glance to tell the difference between someone who just got stabbed and someone having a heart attack without the "eeerk get that man" que.

[@rikusauske]

But you can do that with a dagger

[@psychopompous489]

@@rikusauske You can also do it with a rubber duck if you're talented enough.

[@igniteshadow2902]

@@SimuLord I think the idea isn't to kill instantly. The stabbed guy would probably be confused and standing for a few moments before doing anything. That's the time the assassin takes to leave. About the blood that's a real issue. Maybe if you are fast and skilled enough you could avoid the blood.

[@scneon]

@@SimuLord just watch "Christopher Lee schools Peter Jackson" and listen to him about getting stabbed

[@PuddingWhispers]

Some of the limitations you proposed seem to be just personal athletic limitations. Lots of the kills to vulnerable areas are completely viable when the protagonist is jumping down onto the target or jumping up and down onto the target. Keep up the great videos!

[@brijekavervix7340]

But-chu can do it better with a normal dagger!

[@TheScarvig]

ever thought about where the dagger goes when the body of the person you just assassinated falls? remember, the returning action has to be triggered manually... as long as the blade sticks in the target it will essentially pull your arm with it, potentially even jamming the return mechanism because of the misaligned forces. thats gonna be an awkward landing if your arm is stuck to the collar of the guy you just murdered. i gotta give it that it looks cool though....

[@BolasMinion]

And the clavicle stab is usually performed (in the first game and later games) by forcing the target onto their knees first.

[@Capt.Slappy]

No it's based on bog standard practicality

[@JonatasAdoM]

@@TheScarvig Not only that. The blood sure will jam the whole system. Imagine the nightmare of cleaning it.

[@gabrielactias4248]

I couldn't effectively fight with it in the game! lol That's why the game offers so many other actual fighting weapons, the hidden blade is for stealth kills mainly through puncturing and not cutting.

[@noahtylerpritchett2682]

I used it 90% of the fights 😐

[@zach415]

I find it easier to use in fights against the big-armor guys in AC 2because it’s faster than the sword and it can’t be disarmed

[@cs0345]

the hidden blade is still great for combo kills and looks cool af

[@RicardoMenson]

15:45 i thought that's the entire point, like stab someone in the quickest way possible in the crowd, while if you were to reach under your clothes for a dagger and then do a very telegraphed stabby motion it might raise suspicion. And for everything else besides that quick stabs they use normal weapons.

[@steveno3141]

Shad discovers why even from the first game they had other weapons than just the wrist dagger which was solely for assassination and why trying to fight the Templars with just the wrist blade was sometimes just as hard as trying to fist fight them

[@Aliyah_666]

But so rewarding...lol

[@steveno3141]

@@Aliyah_666 it was

[@robertharris6092]

The hidden blades were always an instant kill on a counter.

[@maximumdon7637]

“What can that do that this can’t?” Well maybe when I drop my sword or knife in surrender, you wouldn’t expect a subtle flick of the wrist to then impale a blade in your neck. The entire point of a wristblade is NOT to wave it menacingly at an opponent and laugh. (“Haha! My knife comes out of my arm! How cool is that!?”) It’s so that, when your opponent’s guard is down, you can (with practice and skill) subtly flick your wrist and stab them when they’re least expecting it. Nothing is more dangerous than the unexpected. Plus drawing a knife in the first place is both time consuming and noticeable. A flick of the wrist (with practice) is barely noticeable until your opponent is stabbed.

[@technorulesoverall2]

I agree the dagger is much larger then he hidden Blade plus his is inaccurate it's an inch or so bigger than the actual size is

[@kodaxmax]

Even extended it's obscured by the hand and fingers. It's unique position means stabbing somone just looks like a pat on the back or pushing someone aside. The lack of angles doesn't matter, it's one purpose is to stab stealthily. In fact you can wield a dagger (or any other weapon or shield) and the hidden blade in the same hand if you were so inclined. and as we see in the games, the assassins are basically walking arsenals, with bombs, darts, arrows, daggers and a sidearm etc.. it's not like they need the hidden blade to be versatile.

[@Palora01]

What reason would I have to get close enough to you so you can do that? Even if I am 100% sure you have no weapon you can still try to grapple me and get my weapons. The reason most mele weapons have longer reach than the arms is because distance is safety, you can and want to stay out of grapple range in real life. Nobody was holliwood stupid in reality. What even are the chances that I would be alone when doing that, if I was alone you wouldn't surrender and put your self at a disadvantage in the first pace and if I'm not alone you still have to deal with my friends who have proper weapons, not dinky knifes strapped to their arms. And since you've ruined your reputation and honor by faking surrender you will be killed brutally. Moreover you are betting your life on a mechanical device that is far more susceptible to failures as opposed to the much better, longer reached, easier to use weapon you had before.

[@optimusfreim3686]

@@kodaxmax and the point is it's a game, you can't actually hide that much items in you in real life, weight is a thing and having so much item is gonna show being how bulky you'd become and that's the point of the video, the practicality of the wrist dagger especially from a time that AC is trying to defict is unrealistic since spring technology isn't THAT advanced in that time

[@maximumdon7637]

@@Palora01 Not everyone is stupid I'll grant you that. But not everyone is intelligent either. A lot of people, (Including myself) can make mistakes, or outright stupid decisions. You're one of the smart ones who are still on their guard, even if the opponent is seemingly unarmed. But not everybody is combat trained either. Inexperience in an actual combat situation can cause you to make a mistake. (Most melee weapons have a longer reach than their arms? Well then why do people still employ knives in combat?? In that sense, why don't military men still carry around swords?). (There are still close combat methods that can [when executed correctly] disarm opponents carrying firearms. So I DO believe some idiots will still let you get into grappling range).

[@akiral3g10n6]

The wrist mount knife or dagger as you call it is mainly for convenience that physical dagger you have to sheath and would be noticeable when your stabbing no matter how fast you are with it. Why risk being seen stabbing some one when you can casually have a chat with your prey and grab them by the neck from behind and quickly stab them in the throat and retract it. The mechanism has a ring or wire mechanism that you put around a finger you can take the ring off and it's safe to use to shake your hand with. There are other designs to make it into different tools as well Assassins Creed Syndicate shows them turning one into a grappling hook and as for reloading the one that launches there's a mechanism that helps with the reload. As for the blade and the cutting off the finger they litterally went through several models of it and ended up with the one that can be mass produced because it slides out way away from the fingers. If we are talking about today's standards no it wouldn't be very practical but back in the days the game shows gauntlets were more of a fashion accessory so that alone wouldn't be suspicious.

[@dylanconnolly2665]

In the games set before the Ezio trilogy they chopped of their fingers preemptively because in origins the first assassin accidentally cut of his finger but Da,Vinci had later made a new design so they don't have to do that

[@jaredontheds5313]

@@dylanconnolly2665 altair made it but ezio found the pages and gave it to da vinci

[@dylanconnolly2665]

@@jaredontheds5313 ok thanks

[@nekoluxuria7721]

Something that he somewhat misses is that when you stab with q dagger vs a hidden blade stab is that you dont have to wind up your attack. You put your palm behind someones back and the blade does the work. Use a dagger, and you have to apply the effort needed to stab someone.

[@HisRoyalMajestyKingofWeedshire]

“Here’s a dagger, it’s blunted.” Oz: * *attempts to test damage* *

[@voidphilosopher42]

Gamer right there. Is there self damage? Is there friendly fire?

[@OniByFame]

He did test damage, I saw a floating 0 above his head 😂

[@chrishansen1842]

@@voidphilosopher42 *is there fall damage?*

[@donney3389]

The hidden blade is retractable and used when close enough to the target. it's not the ideal weapon if you can only have one weapon that's why the blade is useful in Ascension because it's easy to conceal and most would carry other weapons.

[@robertlewis6915]

As Shad points out, most people don't wear elaborate mechanized bracers.

[@DracoAngelZero]

You can do the same (And more) with a regular dagger or pocket knife and those are way easier to hide...

[@donney3389]

I'm just saying if he was to judge to use it on its own without any other weapons he'd be screed. that's why you have multiple weapons in the game and I think in some of the games they have an animation of the passion putting the blade back as he walks I'm not saying its any better than a normal dagger since it's not I'm just pointing out that its main use is if you were to jump from a tree or be in a large crowd. If it's spring-loaded then it would be perfect for large crowds assuming the blade detaches or has a winding mechanism small enough to wind it back in as you walk or the blade can detach and you need another blade.

[@psychopompous489]

@@robertlewis6915 If you can wear a dagger under your sleeve, you can probably fit a spring and some leather down there too.

[@igniteshadow2902]

@@robertlewis6915 The idea is the mechanized part be hidden. The bracer isn't even necessary. It could be use inside a sleeve. The bracer probably it's to conceal it if someone inspects you wrist. The bracer makes harder to feel the hidden blade.

[@stickman-actual9454]

Someone should tell Shad about double action OTF's(benchmade, microtech, etc). That's the closest thing in the modern world to a blade that shoots out and retracts in with just a button, certainly not something that would exist in assassin times but the tech is there and would just need to be scaled up

[@spacemangroove]

Aaaaand this was the comment I was searching for! I was going to make a comment mentioning this. Thank you for beating me to the punch!

[@roofdogblues7400]

Our military/government keeps technology secrets that us commoners don't have access to, and won't for years until they come up with better tech and release the older stuff to the public. Same idea, the Assassin Order had secrets they didn't let out to the public. So how would you know they didn't have the tech? These assassins had access to old alien technology that most people knew nothing about... I remember learning years ago that Ancient Egyptians had electricity from a basic battery set-up, nowhere near as effective as modern batteries, but that's beside the point. I don't know if batteries were common knowledge back then, or if only their Priesthood and/or Royalty had access to them, but until it was uncovered in 1938, we didn't know they had electricity way back then.

[@ryuukake]

I was going to say this too. I do have mechanism schematics saved for making a wrist blade. When I get the time and forge I want to experiment with how much force you can get behind a double action, because there is a limit, and I’m pretty sure that limit is well before going straight through the skull

[@spacemangroove]

@@ryuukake commercially available OTF knives can’t even fully penetrate a cardboard box.

[@robertschiek8120]

So a glorified wrist mounted switchblade

[@thijmenvanderelburg2672]

The black flag novel actually explains really well how the mechanism works. You have to contract the muscles in both your underarm and upperarm, almost like preparing to punch. (Sorry if I translated underarm and upperarm wrong)

[@nexodavix465]

Finally someone who said it. Good!

[@ZackofSpades]

Seeing if the assassin's blade was a practical weapon is like seeing if a sniper rifle is good for close range melee combat. It was an assassination tool! You only used it to actually fight in emergency situations, but you'd normally carry actual swords and other weapons with you for when things started to really go down. The blade itself was for clandestine killing with a weapon that was not only incredibly easy to conceal, but very difficult to disarm. It's a good video, I just don't think the discussion is on point.

[@AlbrechtXIX]

Agreed. Also for most of the video Shad compared the hidden blade to a dagger as a slashing implement when functionality-wise the hidden blade was fundamentally a stabbing implement. It would be more logical to compare it to a stiletto knife since their functions are more similar compared to a dagger.

[@rollscow5051]

@@AlbrechtXIX and the hidden blade he used whas way to long

[@zacharyelliott7161]

While you do bring up a good point about disarming it Shad did discuss how a dagger can be easily concealed and how the arm brace would draw attention. If you are carrying a sword then I wouldn't expect a dagger to actually draw much attention.

[@zacharyelliott7161]

@@AlbrechtXIX The dagger he used seemed to me to have a very notable taper on it which would make it great for stabbing.

[@AlbrechtXIX]

@@zacharyelliott7161 True, but the way he compared them goes against what the hidden blade was originally designed for which was to stab and not slash. He was comparing a weapon that can be utilized in variable situations to a tool specifically designed for a certain task.

[@braunbekmaxim5821]

Not gonna lie, I was half expecting Shad to go on a tangent about how a wooden stick is a better weapon for assassinations than the wristblade.

[@WolfgangDoW]

Would you deprive an old man of his walking stick?

[@foxyfoxington2651]

You mean it's not?

[@eclipseknigth1174]

You can have a hidden knife on the stick too

[@braunbekmaxim5821]

@@eclipseknigth1174 , doesn't it turn the stick into a spear?

[@russia5228]

Of course, what is a dagger compared to big stick energy?

[@CalebIsom]

It was meant for more of a quick kill tactic than a combat tool. You’ll never fight off a group of guards with a hidden blade as they have other tools for that. But the point of the blade is that you could kill someone quickly and not bring attention to yourself unlike a dagger.

[@yukikid2195]

You can always fight guards with the blades in about half the games

[@anthonylamonica8301]

@@yukikid2195 Except that if you _did_ that, it means you probably screwed up somewhere.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

He literally reviewed this from a stealth assassin tool standpoint. Did you even watch the video? The angles you’d need to strike from by themselves would draw far more attention that a small dagger you could hide in your pocket protector.

[@CalebIsom]

@@SophisticatedDogCat first of all yes I did watch it. And second of all I am just pointing out that the ways that it is used is different than a normal blade. It is not used to slit throats or stab someone downward in the chest, it is used to to take someone out by just moving your hand. The hidden blade also automatically retracts making the situational stealth and speed much higher than a dagger which you have manually pull out and put back. It is also long enough to stab into the heart through the back but short enough to fit onto your wrist. The points he is making in the video aren’t wrong he just forgot some components of the hidden blade. I could even draw a diagram and prove your angle statement wrong.

[@anthonylamonica8301]

@@SophisticatedDogCat I suspect the hidden blade is thrust-only. Depending on how strong the extension mechanism is, all you'd need to do to ensure a kill is to place the palm of your hand above a vital spot. No exaggerated and attention-grabbing motions necessary; just aim and let the mechanism do the work for you. The normalizing force will need some getting used to, though.

[@amielmaharaj4477]

With regards to it being easier to conceal, I think the idea is you can retract it immediately after a stab. With an actual dagger you would still need to hide it after you stab someone

[@svenblubber5448]

How about dropping the dagger? They're cheap enough... In fact being able to drop it is a huge advantage, that way when guards search for the murderer you don't have bloody evidence on your arm....

[@Tacobell1384]

@@svenblubber5448 the hidden blade is usually concealed under clothing but as for your point about daggers being cheap enough to just drop, in the time period that most of the games are set in, daggers are not cheap and simply buying a new one every time you kill someone isn't all that practical. Also wouldn't a guard find it suspicious if you were walking around with an empty dagger sheath?

[@Treston5012]

@@svenblubber5448 😂😂😂 idiot they would use specialised daggers and you could be seen dropping it

[@Treston5012]

@@Tacobell1384 true

[@mashedpotato4465]

@@Tacobell1384 how about dropping it only when you need too ?

[@igorskit844]

The dagger is literally made for stealthy, subtle assassinations, which it is strong at, (this is literally one of the only strengths you attributed to it), it's not made for open combat, hence why the assassin's carry other weapons in the games

[@chasehorton426]

Despite this, you can very much fight in the open with the hidden blades, besides the first game

[@lok4890]

@@chasehorton426 mate in game i can jump off a building, fall on top of a pile leafs and survive, i dont think the gameplay itself should be used for reference

[@chasehorton426]

@@lok4890 Yes it should when the original comment was trying to say the blade wasn’t designed for combat, when it very much is shown to be used for combat. I don’t know why you’re bringing up falling into leaves as if it’s relevant to the hidden blade

[@lok4890]

@@chasehorton426 because you use the blades as a fighting weapon purely in game. It has never been shown to be used for a fight outside of gameplay. And assasins creed gameplay is borderline stupid.

[@chasehorton426]

@@lok4890 Yes, in game. Because this is a game. Never realized that in interactive games, only what happens in cutscenes is relevant. Also the original point is completely moot because characters don’t just jump into hay and leaves in gameplay, they do it all the time in the story. Bottom line, it makes sense to consider gameplay, in a game, when you’re analyzing what a weapon, in a game, can do. ALSO, even in the story they fight with the hidden blade. Desmond in fact fought through all of Abstergo with only a hidden blade, not even picking up a gun or using the Apple until the very end.

[@oniono1319]

When it comes to the "iconic" move of slitting someone's throat from behind, the wrist dagger could just punch a hole through the back of the neck through the front

[@deezcypher]

I'm pretty sure that's what actually happens in the games.

[@kaiceecrane3884]

Punching is also more efficient, that's what was taught in WW1. Punch it through and nearly decapitate them

[@Darkasasin80]

To me the benefits of the wrist blade have always been obvious, mobility. To keep a weapon,a hidden weapon even more so, at the ready while simultaneously keeping your hands free to grapple and parkour with.

[@benthomason3307]

That's one of the first things Shad addresses. You can do that with a normal knife as well.

[@Darkasasin80]

@@benthomason3307 No it's not. Being able to inconspicuously stab and walk is entirely different than what the game generally has you doing. Things such as scaling buildings and swinging from hand hold to hand hold or aerial takedowns just to name a few. In the game you absolutely need both hands free to do what you do and having a weapon primed to use at all times while keeping those hands free is in my opinion what makes the assassin's so dangerous to encounter in the game. They just have more option than most people.

[@1stCallipostle]

@@Darkasasin80 Drawing a knife from your pocket or waist takes Maybe a second? Or hell Literally just sheathing a normal knife in your sleeve in the same place is like the same thing without it being so stiff

[@benthomason3307]

@@Darkasasin80 That argument would only make sense if you needed to be able to stab a guy WHILE swinging from building to building, which is the sort of thing that only ever happens in Wuxia movies and anime. Also, as Shad has _already sated in the video,_ there is simply no way to design a spring-loaded mechanism with such a sensitive trigger that it could be pulled out subtly, such that it would not also be set off by all that parkouring. Watch a video all the way before you criticize it.

[@maximmax271]

@@benthomason3307 so either tap someone's back and kill them, or move your whole body to get a knife from where you hide it

[@boops9668]

The whole thing is how quickly you can conceal it and take it out without raising questions. You can hide the contraption under your arms with some for of regular clothing that can cover the arms. The speed and force it comes out with is also what helps. The blade is supposed to come out with the killing blow. You shouldn’t thrust too much. It’s just a stealth weapon. You shouldn’t use it in the situation when someone notices you like you can in the games sometimes.

[@AteistPaladin]

What about the blood? How are you going to conceal the blood on your hand or clothes?

[@boops9668]

@@AteistPaladin it’s only on the bottom of your wrist I don’t think it’ll be that noticeable

[@Malkuth-Gaming]

I've always seen the chopping off the ringfinger part as a proof of dedication to become an assassin... but then we get the problem that if that is a known fact people would know you are an assassin if your ringfinger is missing on either hand :P Which is also why I liked AC 2 as Ezio didnt have to chop off his ;)

[@Lttlemoi]

Several other religious cults and groups, many of which originated from the Middle East or Africa, require their members to chop off or otherwise mutilate certain body parts, so it would fit in rather well with the time period.

[@johnP0908]

The design was actually revised lore wise when the templars discovered that the loss of a ring finger became a dead giveaway of being an assassin, that's why it was redesigned to not require amputating a finger in Brotherhood.

[@gervoh]

Yeah and it was a tradition that came from Bayek since he cut off his finger in a accident because he was wearing the blade wrong, it was supposed to be on top of the wrist.

[@thebk247]

Hard to see a missing finger in a crowd of people

[@theshinxgirl]

Uh you're right though. It was a ritual of sacrifice to show loyalty to the Hidden Ones. But later after they were renamed the Assassins Brotherhood, Ezio and his wacky buddy Leonardo Da'Vinci himself came up with a new and improved hidden blade, so the brotherhood was just like "fuck it more people might join if they didn't have to cut a finger off" and so then came the new one that kept you from losing any precious fingers.

[@Sousabird]

Its bulkier than just hiding a knife on your person. But to be fair during some of the games, the assassins wore bright white and red uniforms. They never struck me as terribly clever.

[@KoloXD]

not only did you not play the first game but didnt even see the trailer it would seem

[@greasykiwi2935]

In the earlier games its not too stupid, considering there's the religious guys that wore similar clothing so you could maybe pretend to be one of them or something

[@Dragongamz1]

In the first game, you could at least blend in with all the monks walking around in the Holy Land. Afterwards, you got a point.

[@Ro-Ghost]

@@greasykiwi2935 he'd be better off looking like a civilian than someone who can be easily identified

[@russia5228]

@@KoloXD he said during SOME

It's a highly specialised weapon for special / prepared situations. I'll definitely say it's not as practical as "normal" daggers, and if you look at the games, you usually only use the wristblade within those situations. Though I will admit I only started playing the assassin creed games after black flag. In those games you use regular weapons quite a lot more outside of stealthy situations, think swords, axes, bows and handheld mortars. As for the reality of them... well, I'm just happy we only use them in games :D

[@atk9989]

this is actually my only complaint on this video, he is basically saying a pick axe is terrible because it cant cut down a tree like a normal axe. special tool for a special job.

[@robertharris6092]

Lol. Ezio had a sword/warhammer, greatsword/axe, dagger, gun, crossbow, throwing knifes, his 2 hidden blades. And smoke bombs.

[@DarkSol16]

Now that I think about it, the hidden blade is more like how a movie portrays using a silenced pistol in your pocket. You walk up to someone, you press a button with minimal movement of your hands/ arms. You walk away before people even realise what's happening. The only difference would be you'd need to be a bit closer, and realistically a silenced pistol would still make quite a loud sound.

[@Treston5012]

The dagger would also be quicker

[@coffeecrispy2673]

@@Treston5012 the dagger would in fact, not be quicker

[@Treston5012]

@@coffeecrispy2673 it would compare to a knife

[@coffeecrispy2673]

@@Treston5012 not compared to an obscured blade on your wrist that deploys almost instantly

[@lag00n54]

@@Treston5012 it would not you would still need to bring it out while the hidden blade is an instant weapon quick and easy with out the need of a stabbing motion nor the need grab the weapon it a sharp weaon that pops out in like an instant so all it takes is to hold you by the neck and pop done and walk away no need to move your hand to grab it something

[@evocativesunpng938]

The only two things that come to mind for the advantages of the hidden blade rather than a dagger: 1. It leaves your hands free to quickly swap between fighting/assassinating and climbing because they sure do a lot of that 2. It is much faster to get out so you can keep your weapon hidden longer when approaching someone

[@Jay_Frank]

His point about versatility is meaningless. You don't use it in a traditional fight. That's the purpose of having other weapons, like the sword. You wouldn't use a tool that isn't suitable for the task at hand.

[@Lucario9457]

And if you have a knife instead of the hidden blade, someone can take it from you if they grab your wrist, unlike the hidden blade which is strapped to the arm as well as the fact that the blade is hidden and only comes out when going into the enemy's body unlike a knife which you have to pull out, stab, put away with more of a risk to be caught

[@TyrantPope]

19:09 In AC Origins, just after being giving the hidden blade, Bayek (the founder of the order) almost immediately takes his ring finger off when the blade pops. Not long later, when killing the man he thinks murdered his son, he decides to make it personal my drowning him in the bath but it turns into a brawl and Bayek ends up accidentally snipping off his finger after all. I don't remember whether the blade use was accidental but I thought it worth mentioning. (Also, the finger slicing thing started as his followers deliberately emulating him which freaked him the eff out!)

[@ThumbSipper]

If I remember correctly, Bayek was pinned down and instinctively unsheathed the blade when is left arm was at the target's throat, he didn't really had the time for finesse.

[@BoyKagome]

In a crowded area, if you could essentially "bump" into someone in a way that kills them... ultimate assassin move. the stabbing of Izaya from Durarara was a good example.

[@bananaknight8575]

But you can do it even with a normal knife or dagger, you don't need a wrist dagger In fact izaya does it with a normal knife if I'm not wrong

[@BoyKagome]

@@bananaknight8575 They don't really show, Izaya just holds his side after someone casually walked into him, and its bleeding. Then he passes out. I think they distracted him by calling his phone right before stabbing him.

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

And let’s say you get pulled over, then what? They’re gonna see a massive brace attached to your arm. You’re busted. A small dagger, however, can be used and ditched extremely quickly. An arm brace just screams intent.

[@Santiago-Farrell]

@@SophisticatedDogCat the whole idea is that it's a weapon that can't be found and removed but a real assassin would kill with their hands if they had to

[@SophisticatedDogCat]

@@Santiago-Farrell You're completely dodging my point. You can have an idea all you want, but one slip-up and it's all over for you. And of course an assassin would kill with their hands if they have to. They'd kill with a plastic bucket if they had to, but that has nothing to do with what we're talking about.

[@travisjames7266]

For me, I've always thought one of the best advantages of the wrist blade is you have the full momentum of your arm and/or body behind your thrust. with a dagger it seems like you're it's like your wrist is kept at an awkward angle causing momentum to be lost. holding something in your hand automatically makes it perpendicular unless you tilt your wrist automatically losing momentum. The wrist blade makes it a straight shot no lost momentum just power. I do agree with Some of his points but this is just one of the big ones I didn't hear

[@thewolfstu]

15:10 I mean, the hidden blade isn't meant to be something you are always attacking offensively in the open with. In earlier games you would always use it just to stab people and you would have a number of different weapons to choose from... usually the sword of the first guard you assassinated. lol

[@PyrusFlameborn]

Also drawing a hidden dagger in a dense crowd would be more obvious compared to a quick throat punch. The hidden blade is designed to reduce the chance of detection post-kill, not just pre-kill.

[@BigGayIncorporated]

@@PyrusFlameborn Exactly! I like Shad but I think in this analysis he didn't think about these situations, or the fact that it's not supposed to be an assassin's primary weapon, at least for combat.

[@benthomason3307]

@@PyrusFlameborn Let's say that you're looking at a dude, then another dude walks up and give him a very conspicuous pat on the back that somehow sounds like a dude getting stabbed, and then the first dude is immediately on the ground bleeding. You're going to suspect something is up.

[@handlesareworseusernames]

@@benthomason3307 why were you just staring at the guy. most of the time there aren't going to be people staring at the guy. sure some would look over when he fell but the assassin could easily back up quickly and act surprised like everyone else there.

[@benthomason3307]

@@handlesareworseusernames the person just happened to be looking at the time. remember, we're assuming that the hit takes place in a big crowd. if you were doing it in a dark, secluded place you could just use an ordinary knife.

[@wuxiagamescentral]

The real benefit to the hidden blades is quick assassination and and Concealment. With the dagger you have to first take out the dagger stab the guy then hide it quickly. With the hidden blade you just slide it into someone maybe by bumping into them and then by sliding it back in you conceal it from prying eyes. It's a stabbing weapon not a slashing weapon you stab and get out.

[@Eclipse_IV]

When it comes to the mechanism to extend and retract the blade, it can be a lot simpler than you might think. The problem of accidental triggers does still occur. Watch Shelden Caudill or Collin Furze videos on their hidden blade designs. They both use basically the same mechanism, where the force of your wrist opens and closes the blade, using a rotating gear attached to a string on your finger. You wouldn't need to use extra force or time to retract the blade as acted out in this video, and so walk-by stabbings would still be effective.

[@reywashere5284]

If the force of your wrist is what triggers the dagger, it wouldn't be ejected with enough force to stab someone.

[@jordanguelbert7754]

@@reywashere5284 I mean you're still basically doing a punching motion just to get the blade to them, just with your hand up and out of the way. (Or in the early design just with the finger out of the way) And even if you concede its not a full punch because the footwork would have to be discreet, the assassins really just generally jam it into the neck, and our own bodies kill us like that sometimes with blood clots.

[@MCSPARTAN501]

There are multiple designs. Some of them are gravity-based, while others use springs or even rubber bands. Most if not all can be used for less-conspicuous stabbings. Few if any are suitable for combat and none are as versatile as a standard dagger. So it's basically a weapon that signifies membership in a particular group, that isn't necessarily as good as other weapons but definitely still gets the job done. A bit like the double-bladed sword in that other weapons are arguably more practical and definitely easier to manufacture, but the minimum effectiveness threshold has been met.

[@Eclipse_IV]

@@reywashere5284 The strong point of the hidden blade is not its lethality, but rather the fact that you can deploy and conceal it quickly and with verly little motion. The ejection should ot be the practical means of stabbing. If we were rating the blade based on its ability to eject, a dagger would have 0 points, because it doesnt eject at all. In both the case of a dagger, and a hidden blade, the lethality comes from actually stabbing. But the hiddeb blade wins for being speedy and inconspicuous. Though, my comment was only meant to address Shad's spiel about how impractical the recraction of the blade is, which I disareed with.

[@steakismeat177]

Another thing that should be addressed as to the odd angling of the blade is that a lot of assassins have them on both wrists and can use whatever wrist makes the most sense. The other problem is that you don't have an actual one so it's impossible for you to do an accurate demonstration. Part of the mobility issues come down to the fact that your stand in blade is not retractable. When you remove some of the mobility issues the rest comes down to proper training. Plus, Assassins typically carry additional daggers for throwing and a sword. The hidden blade is the quickest tool to use.

[@Captain_Hapton]

Assassin's Creed: must wear ornate and intricate wrist guards while wearing very obvious shady person hood to conceal my dagger! Geralt the Witcher: I just keep mine in my boot...

[@BigVince80bce]

Would you recommend playing the witcher?

[@Unknownmonkey13]

@@BigVince80bce I would 100%. One of the best games I’ve played

[@Unknownmonkey13]

And don’t worry about playing TW3 without having played 1 or 2, they’re pretty standalone

[@gantzplayer.n.m4410]

@@BigVince80bce my good sir have been living under a rock ? the witcher is one of the greatest game series of all time

[@BigVince80bce]

@@Unknownmonkey13 well thank you good sir/ma'am I shall purchase it once I have procured a large enough amount of currency to do so

[@RauMins]

I do feel like being able to walk past someone and kill them with very little motion is a very good trait. Unrealistic but I like the concept. When it comes to the games, I enjoyed the earlier ones when it was less grindy, but always hated the "animus" stuff. I wonder if magical traits would make it a more viable concept, like in the world of Shadow of the Conqueror. Also. BEN IS MASSIVE!!!!

[@AllenGray47]

What if it had disposable blades? Like stick, eject, and leave blade in the person, then load in another blade later. in fact why even bother with a blade? Just make a spike. a triangle spike blasted into someones abdomen from behind getting all kinds of nasty dirty clothing fibers in their impossible to stitch wound kills someone pretty well before penecilin was invented.

[@RauMins]

@@AllenGray47 Very nice/nasty idea! Also, I do wonder if we can combine the hidden blade with nunchucks 🤔🤔

[@Rieras]

@@RauMins well you got 2 arms, just get a magnetic handle and you get to tactically disappoint!

[@gonhunter3994]

@@RauMins That's not unrealistic, lol. U didn't watch Colinfurze's videos it seems

[@dontcallme5551]

On AC3 on one of the later Desmond missions where Desmond invades an Abstergo Lab to save his father. Daniel Cross mocks Desmond saying "It's the 21st century, and you're still running around with that tiny knife."

[@octimus2000]

And pulls out a glock haha

[@tendracalrissian8820]

The point of having an attatched dagger of this sort ( or two of them), is fairly simple: an attatched blade can't be taken away unless they chop off your arm. In reality it would be uaed only for very public assassinations where any other weapon would be spotted. It would also make sense to have just a point on the weapon and no edge, as there are better slashing weapons that could be concealed other ways, such as an ulu stuck in the back of your belt.

[@nixodian108]

The hidden blade has also another function: an easily accessible backup and support weapon. In Assassin's Creed Black Flag, where the main weapons were swords, in the case the assassin was disarmed (even though this didn't happen in-game) you could have a weapon to replace the one you lost instantly

[@wesleyburris2644]

I'm pretty sure that one mission where you and Vane are marooned on an island u only have the blades.

[@Tacobell1384]

I mean every game uses a sword as the primary weapon all the way back to the first game.

[@brophwyd]

@@Tacobell1384 AC3, Tomahawk

[@kevinj9059]

I was with you right up until you talked about "resetting" the dagger... apparently you have never seen OTF knifes? They have the same mechanism as the wrist dagger. And they do indeed spring both in and out using the exact same button.

[@Chris09978]

He’s mostly talking about the time the game is set, the technology where the game is set is far to advanced at the time if that existed then we would have spring assisted crossbows, one and two of the assassin creed series it’s set in the 14th or 15th century and that’s when crossbows was used in battle and you needed an actual string to fucking cock the bow back in order to fire it again and it’s a pain in the fucking ass to reload it

[@mathewwebb8222]

Yeah... But there are like... Gods and magic and shit too so..

[@erebus512]

@@Chris09978 Okay, let me correct you there. Now, I don't know about the first hidden blades used by Darius and Bayek. But the later ones, the blueprints of which were made by Altair Ibn La Ahad, the protagonist of Assassins Creed 1. I realize it should be technologically impossible to make something like that, but...How did Altair get the knowledge of that? Oh by a remnant of an artifact from a long lost civilization who were far far more advanced that we currently are. Hell they had a way of imparting their consciousness to their temples, making them virtually immortal, albeit unable to leave said temple. I'd reckon an artifact of theirs, one that had awesome power in it, which also acted as something like a hard drive, storing data in it, and able to make holographic projections. That could have ideas for weapons, it did in fact, said weapons contained the hidden blade, and much more which were used by Altair and written down in his codex.

[@Chris09978]

@@erebus512 ok I was mostly talking about actual history not the game I was saying that the hidden blade in the 14th and 15 century that technology was far to advanced they didn’t have access to that, the most advanced technology in that time period was a crossbow on top of that IF they did have that technology in the 14th-15th century we would have spring assisted crossbows and in today’s world we would have a spring assist crossbow with a magazine In the game however I knew that there was blueprints laying around and also artifacts

[@mathewwebb8222]

@Arthur Brown ok, I can take that. Although, perhaps trying to apply real world engineering constraints to a fictional world where Gods and magic run around is somewhat counter productive... I agree with the impracticality of the wrist dagger(s). They don't make any sense as a fighting tool, and even as an assassin's tool, they are less useful than a dagger that ISN'T strapped to your arm. I was just trying to point out the fact that, for all we know, the tech COULD have existed in world, because, well, gods, magic, (I think aliens??? Were they the gods in the Greek AC???)

[@josephlegacy929]

Shad, my reasoning for the hidden blade was always its ease of deployment while free running/climbing. It’s not a good weapon but its trade off is that it is easier to access say while climbing a building or from horseback.

[@dontcallme5551]

I disagree A Dagger Sheath it's not like a sword sheath. It's much smaller then it does not move as much. And your point is invalidated because they are already carrying normal weapons like swords and normal daggers while having the hidden blade. The hidden blade is best used on AC1 were when you entered a fight, altair would immediately pick up his sword, the hidden blades were only used for stealth assassinations.

[@josephlegacy929]

@@dontcallme5551 it still would be faster to deploy and could be used in free running situations in which you wouldn’t have time to draw and sheath a traditional weapon

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

I don't see how a regular dagger sheathed on your belt or whatever is that much more inconvenient. If anything, the hidden blade would get in the way more, because it's strapped to your forearm and can impede wrist mobility.

[@boulderthefat154]

Joseph Legacy a cross strap on your vest or coat (similarly to how soldiers carry them now) is just as easy to draw while climbing given you still need a hand free in either case to draw the blade. Think back pack handles as an example.

[@ShadeSlayer1911]

@@josephlegacy929 only if you never practice drawing and sheathing your dagger. It's like drawing and holstering a pistol, and people can get insanely fast at that. At best, maybe the hidden blade is marginally faster, but thats not worthy all the other drawbacks that it has, even for an assassin. Like if you get caught with a regular dagger, you're much less likely to be found out than if you were caught with a hidden blade. It's a dead giveaway and makes this hidden organization easily identifiable.

[@derrickclinchofderrickclin9940]

about the resets. theres a plate that pushes the spring forward whilst also removing the lock mechanism after the sprint tention has already been enforced. its a genius design and works very efficiently

[@grimsavage934]

I always thought the wrist dagger was based around subverting social norms of the time than anything else. For example, reaching in for a handshake & piercing in between armor plates using an open hand & retracting just as quickly within crowds or bystanders. You're looking at it as a combative weapon which obviously has drawbacks.

[@devdecoud7248]

Ok psa. Behind your back is not concealed. Lol if I'm behind you or coming up from your six I'll see the dagger. Yeah with the camera angle yes it's concealed from our perspective. If being searched would be alot harder to strike with it before they can take it vs wrist dagger strike from the time they notice it could be a weapon. If you close enough to them they're dead already. You'd have to be a few tenths of second faster with the dagger from concealed

[@devdecoud7248]

Besides if I get the drop on the dagger user I can take the dagger. I don't think using t Just your wrist is enough power to deflect a full strike from some body. I don't think the wrist dagger would do well in a fight when the opponent n Knows you have it. It's like a pop style weapon quick in and out. Not deflecting maces and swords. Lol you just do much comparisons to weapons used differently

[@berserkknightdeadoralive702]

"it's not about the funcionality, is about looking cool" - the Joker, probably

[@FlameDarkfire]

It functions well for what it is supposed to do.

[@jackjohnson6044]

Under the assumption that the hidden blade works the same in real life, as in the game: How much blood would spill on your hand by retracting the blade from a body? Wouldn't be very secretive, if your hand and sleeve are splattered with blood.

[@ДмиторПоселенец]

Okay, that's a good point. Especially since assassins from the games prefer white clothes for some ungodly reason.

[@cozyy7122]

Wouldn't be wearing an assassin uniform already be sus enough?

[@natural_20s]

In the games (I can specifically envision a scene with ezio from brotherhood) they do actually animate blood on his sleeve after a major assassination in one of the missions during a closeup. Somewhat interesting imo

[@LordMuffinToken]

especially with all the white robes

[@marcobering3945]

Escaping after killing the target is of secondary concern. The Assassins were zealots, make no mistake, and if dying to complete the mission was required, that's what they did.

[@thunderconcerto9807]

Usually dagger work with 3 or 5 step (grab -> pull -> stab ( -> pull off -> put it back to scabbard or whatever you use to hide it)) Hidden blade skip those many step by just aim and stab by sacrifice versatility of slice And it also work as ceremonial tool for the creed as we see many of them would prefer actual weapon over hidden blade in actual fight

[@sisyphus2k237]

If I remember correctly, the dagger when used in combat was parry the victims sword, quick flick to the neck, slice deep into the veins, and move on to the next victim..it was a very fast and pretty cool move.

[@Kazuhiro-i]

Yeah, but not practical in real life

[@johnP0908]

@@Kazuhiro-i "swordbreaker dagger"

[@otimo144]

The assassins blade is literally made for the very function you said it was only useful for!!! Hell in Assassins Creed 1 you literally are given a dagger for fighting!! XD The Wrist blade isn't even a weapon in the Assassins Creed games especially the newer ones where it is completely contextual.

[@robertwye9463]

The hidden blade would be properly refered to as a tool it's not meant to fight or slash it's meant for a silent kill without arousing that much suspicion which shad didn't probably know about

[@Kazuhiro-i]

It's still useless compares to a dagger. U even said it, u could JUST have the dagger and be perfectly ok xD u are carrying more weapons because u have 1 that is mostly useless? Why not just carrying ONE WEAPON which DOES EVERYTHING

[@revanninja]

@@Kazuhiro-i Because at the time period the original blades were made Daggers were common people were looking for them. Its like when you see someone with a pistol on their hip you become aware this person is armed. But the hidden blade is specifically designed to just look like an odd gauntlet so you dont make people aware you are armed. To put that in perspective that is like the old spy camera gun it looks like something else so you dont realize its a threat. Its a weapon specifically designed for a time period when people were armed with swords and daggers.

[@johnP0908]

@@Kazuhiro-i But it isn't, any blade that can stab and kill isn't useless. it's designed following the their own time period where gauntlets for fashion were a thing, the fact that you can just open your palm while just placing your hand on to your target's neck or chest plunging the blade already makes it more stealthy than drawing the dagger out first then stabbing the target. that's the difference between the two.

[@aliquidgaming1068]

You can use it as a weapon in AC2, Brotherhood, and revelations. Think you're able to parry with it too. Been a while but I dont think you can use it as a weapon in any of the other ones

[@Erynus]

Pros: You're more difficult to be disarmed when your weapon is strapped to your wrist. You can use a sword and dagger pair and still have a concealed weapon for surprise strikes that don need the use of a hand.

[@derek382]

Cons: Your hand the blade is strapped to is slightly heavier???

[@boulderthefat154]

Derek over time would lead to a muscle imbalance and a slightly slumped forward shoulder joint. This could end up being a visible sign for a guard to detect on someone’s posture.

[@derek382]

@@boulderthefat154 ahh how could I have overlooked that

[@boulderthefat154]

Derek all assassins being built like pro arm wrestlers lol

[@reddragon9064]

@@boulderthefat154 how though when said blade is very light and the other side is a real wrist guard like that on gauntlets and such and would honestly counter the weight they would not be waving around a significate amount of weight around that any more then the people in armor that around and they do not have the wrist blades on 24/7 they not strapped on wile they sleep most the time lol be kinda uncomfortable and dangerous

[@boops9668]

The trigger I’ve used for my blade is a button on my underarm that activates when I flex the underarm it activates. This makes it prone to accidental triggers