The spring force isn't what is used to assassinate, the spring just brings the blade out fast, it gets locked, the assassin does his kill, then the black goes back in. The whole cutting off the finger was more about sacrifice and commitment to the brotherhood and thus the mechanism for the blade was made like this, but as said by Leonardo Davinci in AC 2, the blade has been modified to function without the need of the ring finger removal. It was originally Altair who modified it to work without the sacrifice. Zombie Go Boom did a vid on the hidden blade btw
I haven't really played since AC2, but I do distinctly remember Ezio being able to walk up behind someone, put his hand on their back, release the blade into them, and then retract it, all without the blade ever being visible.
@@rock21611From the angle of the camera you usually play from you can't really see it. But when he does that animation he actually does deploy the blade before stabbing I'm pretty sure. Brings his forearm up into an angle, blade releases and then he stabs. So with camera from directly behind, his elbow blocks your view of the blade. If you move the camera angle to a side profile you should see this. I might launch the game to test though.
@@gecho8848It has been a long time, so to be completely fair I suppose I could be misremembering, but the image that's popping into my head actually is from a side angle.
One unaddressed virtue for concealability in the hidden blade's favor is the ability to defeat a casual search, and perhaps a greater potential to get past a pat-down, simply due to the unfamiliar form of the blade. So the point isn't to replace any other weapon, but to have a weapon where otherwise you'd have no weapon at all.
That would fork for a few decades maybe. Sooner or later word would get out. During one of those pat-downs an assassin would raise a hand too high, have their sleeves slide down just a little too low and all would see.
also i kinda doubt that when you search someone and say open your sleeves, and theres this mechanical device there, guards would be like "ain't a knife don't care". its obviously not fashion to wear so at the least they would ask whats that for.
Every searcher worth his salt would check your sleeves because you can easily have a knife there. So I heavily doubt he would left the strange thing on your wrist alone.
Skallagrim made a rather good argument with a hidden blade that actually pops out. He was on the same boat that it was dumb and just for cool factor, but once he got his hands on a functional one he slowly got around to it after giving it some thoughts.
I think one of the big misunderstandings earlier in the video, is that it doesn’t pop out to penetrate, it actually has a release and return that is very similar to a pen with a clicker. Both in game and in cinematics, the blade comes out, is held in place rigidly, and then retracts. Some have built it with a drawstring, but I find that that leaves room for tangling and severance.
@@bluplagues Agreed!! ... I'm sure we've all seen videos working Russian style, "ballistic knives", being "reloaded" ... It requires extreme force to re-set that spring!
Do all castles have a drawbridge? Do all castles have a bridge that pulls up? All of the medieval period. Show me a pictures of medieval castles that have no drawbridge.
@@taylorfusher2997 2 things: 1. Um… what? 2. If there’s no moat, there’s no need for a drawbridge. Those are part of the moat defensive system, but there are castles that don’t have moats but enforced gates.
@@bluplagues that's the issue as far as the official designs we have gotten from the games and the codex for the games none of the hidden blades were spring loaded. but use scissor lift type mechanism. but as far as I know we have only got the design for altairs. and I wouldn't expect the toy to be made exactly to the games for making it as cheap as possible
I never imagined the blade to work off the strength of the spring I always assumed it’s a mechanism to deploy the blade which then locks into place and is then similarly disengaged removing the lock allowing the blade to be re-concealed.
As far as I understand it actually works the opposite way as described by them, the opening force is minimal, but the blade appears to *retract* with some force, allowing the user to use the retraction to remove their blade from its target after stabbing.
It would be logical, but in some games there are animations where it does specifically this: assassin makes contact with a palm, releases the blade and it penetrates by force of releasing.
This isnt just what you think this is how the blade works, its essentially a massive switchblade. You can even fight with the hidden blades in all the Ezio games and they have some cool animations with multiple stabs and stuff proving the blade is locked in place. You can even just hold the attack button while having the hidden blades equipped and Ezio will deploy the blades and hold then out locked.
7:15 I think Shad has stated (and demonstrated) the opposite in the past. In an older video about this topic, he showed that if you're wearing the right kind of clothing drawing a dagger from a concealed sheath and stabbing someone is only slightly more conspicuous than using the AC wrist-blade. Granted, that requires you to be wearing that type of clothing (a cloak or jacket that is loose-fitting and long enough) but if you're planning to assassinate someone you'll probably dress for the occasion. One potential use I can think of for the retractable blade would actually be in combat. Suppose you're in a sword fight and you get in a bind. The wrist-blade gives you a new (and extremely unpredictable) option during binds. If your opponent knows anything about binding/winding, they'll expect you to try to maneuver your sword past theirs in order to strike them. Specifically, with your sword. But if you're wearing one of these gizmos, you could instead use your sword for defense and try to reach past both blades and _bam!_ stab them with that extra blade that they didn't even know existed.
Shad also says the blade straps would push up on his arms due to the force of the blade contacting a solid object … well that’s why they wore them on solid gauntlets.
For assassinations, the hidden blade looks like vambraces/decorative piece. Not meant for combat and most people don't know about hidden blades or how they look like. You also don't need a cloak to use them. Wearing a cloak to a party would be weird and guards will pat you down for weapons like daggers. In addition, in the video, they are wearing the blade above their thick clothes when they are generally underneath/part of the vambraces. For combat, as you say, they can be used for the element of surprise. In the cinematics, Edward did it after being disarmed to deflect a sword and make his enemy go under the wheel of the ship. Eivor did it to stab his enemy's eye after he was disarmed and had a sword to his throat. Even in the games, they are presented as a worse option than conventional weapons, or aren't even an option like in Unity and Syndicate.
One of the biggest points they missed is that the blad elooks like a gauntlet when retracted and no one would know. Putting a dagger up your sleeve, albeit a small one is still a dagger that people could find.
In AC origins they showed the cut finger thing started because of an accident when the founder of the broderhood used it for the first time, and that the rest cut off their fingers as a form of ceramony and show of loyalty
The entire "remove the finger" thing is relevant only to the first game, where they use a different blade construction - it had a different form (more squared) and it came out in the hole from the removed finger in a fist. They even explained it in AC2, that construction of the whole thing had been changed and so there's no need to remove a finger anymore, blades got more flat and wrist-centered (like the one you've made). So no removed fingers starting AC2 and until Syndicate. Latest trilogy just messed everything up (cause Ubisoft doesn't care about their universe consistency) and made flat, wrist-centered blade the original design. Doesn't negate real issues with Hidden blades, but still worth mentioning. Leave the fingers alone.
@@lordofshades9852 Valhalla is set just before the original AC game. (hint without to much of a spoiler one of the assassins in valhalla is literally the main character in Mirage)
@@thatgut2375 after Altair made the mod to the hidden blade they didn't cut their fingers anymore that is shown in AC revelations when Altair had 2 hidden blades.
The assassins may be trained in combat, and some of the games may let you use the hidden blades in combat, but when they do they are not better than other weapons, they prefer to use conventional weapons for fights. The blade is meant for assassinations, not fighting. The missing ring finger is explained as a form of commitment to the order, which is actually phased out by the time of Ezio, if not before. The blade is meant to be deployed to assassinate and then retract so that you can kill someone without visibly drawing and sheathing a weapon, and is meant to be used on unaware enemies. The blade is not a weapon in the conventional sense and judging it as such and treating it as such is not fair. It is meant to be retracted so as to keep the hand free afterwards to draw a sword or other long weapon to engage enemies or a ranged weapon like a gun or throwing knife without having to sheathe or drop the weapon, and outside of snapping the blade while extended, it can't be disarmed. It is not as good as a dagger as a weapon but it sacrifices that to be more subtle and allow for quicker deployment and has a surprise element to it, not so much on templars since they know about it, but on enemy guards and thugs they're not going to be expecting the blade and so when someone near them and never reaches for a weapon they visibly have on them, it makes them lower their guard since they don't think you're a threat.
The cutting of the ring finger is partly commitment but mostly practical. Altair created a new design that doesn't require removal of that finger, so none of the later assassins did it in the games (the movie screwed up by still having Aguilar cut off his finger, but movies rarely get canon right).
Shad, the first stab with the small dagger 11:15 you actually had a good chance of hitting one if the most quiet and lethal areas in the human body. There are some massive arteries right under the arm kinda close to the skin. Normally covered by the arm yes but relatively easy to get to. Bump someone in a crowd in the shoulder, act like you’re stumbling, stab and walk away. Terrifying how fragile our little meat robot bodies are…
This video is especially hilarious given the context of your recent response video to Sellsword Arts. I love that you're effectively thumbing your nose at him with this and it just tickles me.
@@andylee6022 That would escalate from "Smug Disregard" to "Passive Aggression" though, and that typically isn't Shad's style. Maybe if they did more with Rapier-based content it would be more appropriate to reference fencing with less overt passive-aggression ; )
I want to point that (in universe)the Assassin's would carry other weapons, such as normal daggers, and assumedly would use whichever weapon would be best in the moment. I also would point out that there are at least two scenarios where the hidden dagger is superior to any other weapon(with stealth in mind). Ledge assassinations and jumping down assassinations. With a ledge assassination, if you just grab someone they will instinctively pull away but if you stab them as you grab them, then they will instinctively curl up which throws off their balance and makes them easier to pull off the ledge. In jump down assassinations, a wrist blade means you still have four limbs to land with while stabbing the person. There are a lot of issues with the design that the company came up with but the idea is solid. Just switch it to a retractable wrist spike and it would be a top notch weapon for assassination. As a final thought, a wrist blade gives you the option of simultaneously stabbing someone in the throat while keeping their mouth shut. Which leaves your other hand free to do other stuff, such as the same to another person.
One of the benefits that I'm surprised wasn't mentioned, was that it would be easier to manage a primary weapon with the hidden blade because your hands would be free. That also goes for the parkour, being that your hands are free to grab ledges. Though having said that, I wonder how difficult it would be to climb something with steel strapped to your forearms. There would be less flexibility, and it could catch on things / dig in to your forearm as you climbed. Not the most comfortable experience.
Depending on how bulky, durable,smooth and heavy it is, it could potentially even be an advantage. Like allowing you to lean on it on edges. Or brace against sliding rope. When i used to free run i would wear a brace on one wrist and knee.
The point of the missing finger started as an accident that happened when Bayek first used the blade, it then became a necessity for the Hidden ones to be able to use the blade more efficiently without raising the entire hand to operate the mechanism, and a ritual for entering the brotherhood, lose a part of yourself (your old life) to uphold the tenants of the assassins
It then backfired when the Templars started looking for them with a missing finger, which eventually led to an improved version that doesn't cost you a finger (along with an updated tradition to keep the whole symbolism without sacrificing combat prowess).
Valhalla did eventually get 1h swords, it just took until the 2nd DLC I believe. If you go play it now you could play with one from (nearly) the beginning.
I feel like the fact the assassins wore bracers with gauntlets would alleviate the wobbling as it can be more attached but even then a normal dagger would probably be better, not as cool though
The blade is supposed to both extend and retract with a small wire pully system built into the gauntlet. It does lock. As with any sort of otf or even side open or any articultated blade, it will not be effective unless it is completely opened and in locked position. It is a wrist mounted OTF switch blade that can also be retracted. While in the game, it can be used in combat, in reality, it would be brilliant for the purpose for which it is proposed.
They've shown in game it having the force to kill from just the hand of the assassin resting on the victim. A quick snap and its thru the skin. Its fantasy but its how the universe works
1 thing I will mention is Mobility. In the GAME, you are leaping across rooftops and leaping off rooftops onto people, having a blade that you dont need to hold helps a lot. But keep in mind that it is a game. But yeah I think its just conveniant to hide, be more mobile and having hands free, for climbing etc. To go further, imagine climbing a building by hand, and you have swords and daggers hanging off your clothes. So given the setting of the game I think it does make sense, but in Reality its not as viable.
You can get the same exact thing with a sheathed dagger attached to your belt. It's also hand free and out of the way allowing you to run, jump, and climb freely. The only benefit of the AC design is that it's quicker and easier to deploy while running, jumping, and climbing, particularly when climbing.
although you could just have a sheath which would fix those problems although you would have to put it in to the sheath and its pretty sus to climbing a building and leaping across rooftops
Counter point, if the blade ever gets stuck out because of a malfunction, you're now left with only one hand for climbing which isn't really a risk worth taking aince there's almost no benefits to the hidden dagger
So Shad said if they're missing stuff, and as a person who loves the idea of having a hidden blade for self defense, time to need dump So the blade is out before the stabbing most of the time. And they go for soft, open spots like the neck that aren't normally protected or are, but covered by helmets and such. Not getting into chainmail. With the spring loading mechanism, the blade is attached to a string, attached to a ring. You flick your wrist and the blade pops out, locks, and you can do a stabby stab. But thats the irl version, in the games they show that but its just flavor text tbh. And the ring finger removal was both a "oh fuck I chopped it off by accident, might want to tell the others about it" to "this is a ritual to be brought into the brotherhood. Once you receive your blade and lose your finger (until the second game) you are one of us" Hope this helps with any unknown knowledge about the blade
I still say the hidden dagger trick works better. As someone who regularly pranks fellow employees with misdirection and slight of hand by stealing and relocating their cigarette packs in front of them I can attest to the validity of hiding dagger sized objects easily behind one’s arm.
@@VidelxSpopovich oh yeah defiantly. thats why we never had hidden blades- because its too much work and can fail a lot more than a dagger and some long sleeves. but for a secret group that rarely shows themselves to the public unless absolutely necessary, its a great tool to have because you just bring it out, stab, and put it back and you can barely move your arm around. but for your point, thats probably what the hashashins did (middle eastern group of assassins Ubi took inspiration for the first game from) back in the day. long sleeves and dagger
@@shadowsnep_4820 I think a hoodie sleeve with a secret internal Velcro pocket would probably do the job pretty well. Slip your hand in a pocket, then up your sleeve, retrieve the knife, stab the target then slide your hand and knife back up the sleeve where you restow the knife in the pocket
@@shadowsnep_4820 I remember back when the original game was being developed the developers actually talked about some of the artistic liberties they took in designing the assassins, and they said that their real life inspirations were not particularly stealthy according to historical records. They basically used terror tactics in real life. They deliberately killed their targets publicly and in front of witnesses to spread fear. And they didn't care if they survived, which is where the "leap of faith" in the games originated. In real life there was no hay bale lol.
@@yewtewbstew547 seems legit lol. But they were probably terrifying as fuck. Like even if you got a base or castle or something just imagine the unity trailer with just a bunch more dead hoodie bros
14:00 Yes I understand that the wrist movement can get you more "cutting" range. But the hidden blade is not meant slash. Its meant to penetrate. And its better at penetrating then a regular knife that you can hold because you get more power to push it in from your arm, shoulder and leg movement. While if you hold it you must have a very strong grip to push the blade all the way in the body.
OTF knifes dont use the spring as the delivery mechanism. Its just to get it out to hit the lock. Then you hit the switch and it goes back in. The point of the hidden blade is that it is subtle. The novelty alone means less people will even look for it turning a pat down.
With the release of mirage in a mission basim mentions how while training as a recruit in Alamut, before they get to initiate rank and get a hidden blade they study all optimal stab methods and spots for quiet and lethal kills with the hidden blade, so before they do a mission they wouldn’t be swinging/thrusting their arm randomly without purpose. It’s probably one of the most heavily studied topics for the brotherhood recruits.
@5:45 - They need to be made aware of how the hidden blade is used. The deploying of the edge isn't supposed "to have enough force to penetrate." It's merely for deploying it, and then locking it into position, and then retracting it to hide it again. Some iterations of the hidden blade aren't even spring-actuated, as it seems people like Ezio and Connor flick their wrists to deploy it almost like a gravity knife. In practice, it is supposed to function like a typical "Punch Dagger" with the benefit of being easier to conceal. Also, removing the ring finger wasn't a requirement for the hidden blade. It was more of a ceremonial practice only done in the first game; Altair quickly removed the need from the design.
The "lose a finger" thing was because the early versions occasionally took the user's finger off. So as a cult-y thing the pre-emptively cut it off, to prevent it happening on the job.
In AC 2 Leonardo de Vinci says that the hidden blade was modified so that you didn't need to lose a finger to use it. In AC 2 Revelation it's revealed that Altair himself was the one that modified the hidden blade. In AC 3 Connor's hidden blade can separate from the bracer letting him us it as a knife.
i think the biggest redeeming qualities of the hidden blade would be speed of deployment and freedom to use both hands while still being armed for all intents and purposes, assuming it works correctly. going from functionally unarmed to wielding a blade in under one second with no real tell is pretty good, and not having to hold anything allows you to do a lot more, such as the parkour that is a staple of the games. it would be a lot harder to climb surfaces not designed for climbing with a dagger in your hand, and having to sheathe it would defeat the purpose of concealing it in your hand. i think if you used the hidden blade primarily for thrusting attacks to the head, which would be your most consistent and quick kills, it would be very reasonable. the angle to stab someone in the spine/the base of the skull or the eye is fairly intuitive with it strapped to your arm, and should offer low enough resistance. i do think it would be almost exclusively an assassination weapon, though, through sheer surprise factor. if you can sneak up on someone from behind or get a quick frontal attack before they can react. otherwise i think it would be almost entirely useless in combat. but ideally an assassin won't be in open combat too often anyway.
If I were a medieval assassin with the magical ability to boppity bop across rooftops in a single bound... I'd just use a crossbow. Props to Tyranth on the excellent job making it into a usable thing. That said, always figured the hidden blade was something you were using if you had to compromise on not using a useful weapon and instead a crummy one you could get past guards who aren't allowing weapons close to their charge. It was hilarious in the first game or so that you could use the hidden blade to guard and deflect sword swings, I don't believe it would work well, might even break a wrist or forearm.
For me the benefit would be if you're still having your hands-free if you're moving through a crowd you can like put your palm and guide somebody away from you to move through a crowd. With an instant reaction of a blade you can maintain your stealth in a crowd where everyone and see everyone nobody sees you fumbaling to put you knife or dagger away
It's hard to beat for stealth, though. Walk up to someone on the street, lightly touch them their back with your palm, trigger the mechanism, walk on. It'll take them a couple of seconds to collapse, which will be just enough to vanish behind several other people in a crowd. No one will have noticed a thing, other than some guy just collapsing. Don't ask how I know. I'll *never* confess!
Couple of things to mention, first of the reason of the finger, the blade never needed the finger off to function, it was just a fault on the orginal design as the blade is actually deployed by an specific muscle flex, thats shown in AC Origins when Bayek cuts of his finger by accident... later integrations of the Hidden Ones and the Assassins after them decided to cut the finger as a sort of ritual to show the commitment to the order, and with the secondary purpose of avoiding accidents, but later on it was dimmed unnecessary as the design was improved by Altair and Niccolo Polo, and then found by Leonardo DaVinci for Ezio, allowing them to use double blades... second, as it is a fictional weapon is has never been actually shown how exactly the Hidden Blade works, but the most common theory is that it's not deployed by springs but actually by a polley and a lever system combination, as is show in some of the concept art for the game, that gives the blade a more solid deployment with more strength behind it, and then its the fact that the whole thing is not just strapped to the arm, but also integrated on the arm guard, making all the "testing" you made not only pointless but also incorrect... And as a third and last, there are one handed swords on Valhalla, you can even use them double handed and or in combination with axe or shield... or even with double handed weapons if you have the right perk... Also just a question, where are you basing the thickness of the blade accuracy from, the rubber toy? Cause most blades aren't that thick... Skallagrimm made a better video on the subject, since he got a most accurate replica of the blade.
The cutting off of the ring finger was not only done from a functional point of view, but with this the initiates proved their sacrifice to the brotherhood, and at the same time they accepted celibacy, so they could not unmarry, and later Altaïr Ibn La'ahad reshaped the rules of the brotherhood, and later Ezio Auditore In his time, Leonardo Da Vinci created the first hidden blade that did not require the ring finger to be removed from the hand.
There are many different cannon "models" of the hidden blade. There's the hookblade which actually shoots out into the hand to use as an extension to reach higher places, the phantom blade, which actually can fire the blade very similar to a crossbow, and my favorite which is Connor's blade from AC3. It's a hidden blade that can fully detatch into becoming more of a knife. The key argument in regards of risk of self is that everytime the blade is "activated" the hand is extended away from the blade, indicating to me a switch like a deadman on a lawnmower, or a pull cord that you could hook around your finger
Do all castles have a drawbridge? Do all castles have a bridge that pulls up? All of the medieval period. Show me a pictures of medieval castles that have no drawbridge.
The pull cord on a finger is canon, it's been a *looong* time but I remember they showed a diagram of it and there's a ring with a string and that's what actuates it. That's why they open their hand like that when it springs, it's *how* the hidden blade is sprung. I assume this basic detail is carried through most if not all of the various models.
The real question is how does it not constantly spring accidentally during all the parkour shenanigans. Maybe it's just long enough that you need to *really* open your hand and/or rotate your wrist back. Or maybe it's just videogame logic dictating that it isn't stabby time so no stabbing.
I like to thank the pre-ad that if stopped doesn't count for a view, and the comment section for telling me everything I could ever care to know about the contents.
The finger cutting as mentioned by others in the comments here, was a result of a poor initial design, but also as explained in the lore elsewhere, was a symbolic ritual continued on by the assassins as a symbol of commitment and dedication performed at the initiation ceremony.
@@murderyoutubeworkersandceos Its a big loss. You lose a significant amount of grip strength. Holding on to things when climbing will also be significantly harder.
Checkout Cokin Furze's Assassin's Creed Hidden Blade. He manufactured it in such a way that it is stable and doesn't shoot out dangerously fast, and it also stabs and cuts well!
Under the wrist makes greater sense, practically. Stabbing over the wrist sounds right, if the blade was maybe twice the length. But the wrist could get easily injured in the strike. The fist being bent down like that. Under the wrist, allows you to palm or grab your opponent while the blade comes out. Like slapping their back, pushing them, or striking up under the chin
They cut their finger off to show commitment to the cause and it ties back to assassin creed origins where the main character accidentally cut off his finger But Leonard deVinci made a higher one for the assassins so they don't have to lose there finger.
Actually the modification was done by Altair to help hide the assassins allegiance. What you're remembering is Leo fucking with Ezio a tad by relating the lore Altair grew up with while holding a cleaver. Altair changed a lot of doctrine after killing Al Mualim
As you play assassins creed you can audibly hear the blade coming out before the stab, they don’t place their hand on the man and then trigger the action. We can assume the Assassins took much training to perfect the timing on the 1 second of the blade coming out and then in. But I’m also pretty sure in some other games the time of the blade coming out and in does it a little faster sometimes.
The thing I didn't see mentioned, although I think proven in other videos. A lot of the enemies (at least in the earlier game eras) wore armor. You're not stabbing through armor with a regular dagger, much less a hidden dagger. Sure, when they're wearing clothes or the like in the newer game eras, that's different. But not all the games had that.
Historically, a dagger was one of the BEST anti-armor weapons because it's narrow point could easily slip inside gaps in the armor or vision slits in helmets. Stillettos could also punch quite easily through heavy clothing or cloth armor, and could even slip through chainmail due to the icepick style blade.
People have managed to create working replicas, they aren't spring loaded so allow it to be sent out and retracted. The release is to put it in place, the arm thrust is to penetrate.
I’ve found that the only way hoods properly work in any kind of combat scenario tends to be when placed on top of a helmet or billed hat of some variety because it keeps the hood in place yet out of your eyes.
And if you look at the hoods on the assassin's, at least from Ezio's time, they kind look like beaks. It gives me the sense that they are sort of billed in a way to keep them from sagging too much into the eyes.
@@UsagiArwen could be, you could potentially turn that beaked look into a potential bill simply by sewing in a stiffener that would force the hood to keep its shape, and raised it high enough off of the head to keep it out of the eyes. A stiffened leather could do the trick, and maybe a slight padded liner on the crown to force the hood up. All of their other stuff seems over designed so it wouldn’t surprise me if that aspect was too.
@@FlatlineFavella That's exactly what I was thinking too. Like, if you watch the gameplay from Ezio's games, it really looks like that fabric doesn't come down. As I am typing, I am looking at stills from gameplay of AC1, and even Altair's hood beaks out like that. This has to be intentional to make them look like birds, because of their leap of faith, with a bird sound when you sync up, and them having "eagle eye" as a skill. So it would make sense to me if the hood was stiff in the "beak". I have played those games more often than many other games I own. I keep coming back to them, and just bought the Ezio trilogy for my switch recently. I know I'm a nutter for that, but I love what I love.
@@UsagiArwen it’s always good to be proud of your hobbies, I particularly like learning how to use different weapons systems, and learning about the kit that goes with them. I’ve been on real steel guns for quite some time now, but even still it amazes me the commonalities between things like modern day armor and older armor, the fact that most firearms are designed to become clubs and spears in case ammo depletes, and just the fact that no matter where in history you go, the general principles of combat and combat protection always remain constant
There are actually one handed swords in AC Valhalla. They were added a bit after release but they are there. And they are personally my favorite weapon in the game to use.
My favorite hidden blades from assassin's creed 3 used by the main character conor keyway has two blades, and the blades can turn to be used like knives or daggers he mainly uses it for combat Also, the blades have locks so that they can stay out it is kinda like a pen clicker. Also, he did not need to lose his ring finger. Also, the blades form assassin's creed 2 has a wrist mounted gun.
Just to acknowledge it many comments have pointed out that it functions more like a pen than a ballistic but other than that one of the biggest pros is how fast you’re able to deploy it in a spontaneous close quarters attack for defense
Let's not forget that many assassin's also carry daggers... The hidden blade just looks cool and can catch people off guard and are harder to see... You are a blade in the crowd... instead of reaching in your pocket... you can just walk behind someone.. do a hand motion and move on as they collapse and people would have a harder time to actually see the dagger... Also mobility... many times you are running, jumping and assassination.. sometimes in one fluid motion... so I think it might be easier to use the hidden blade rather than taking out a dagger while you are running... not that a dagger would not work though... but the more important thing.. it's cool!!!
Agreed. You aren't getting the ability to parry normal weapons without the fictional parts of its construction, so for the most part its practicality is entirely based on being outside of combat. (Some of the full bracer models might be an exception, in that the point is to provide a backup knife that you don't need a free hand to reach for yet isn't in your way all the time.)
The cool factor certainly is huge with the hidden blade. Later games took some of that coolness away with the hook blade and the grappling hook in my opinion. What the guys also miss, is that we're talking about Master Assassins here, who supposedly have been trained to have almost superhuman skills where it comes to killing people. So that, coupled with the fact that in games a weapon doesn't necessarily have to be possible, it only has to look believable in the context of the game, makes it the almost perfect weapon for an assassin.
I think its important to note OTF knives, the are spring loaded and can open and close from the spring. Most(there are exceptions) OTF don't have nearly enough force to penitrate while opening, however once they are open they are solid because of a lock(which is deactivated when you slide the switch to retract the blade)
So actually in the games, the reason some people have their missing finger is because the OTF style of the blade they could chop their fingers off, so they made it a custom to cut your finger before you use it. And in lore they fixed that issue, so many of the protags have all 10 fingers. And it is an OTF knife that has a lock, so they can deploy the blade then it will lock so they can stab, cut, ect, then they pull the string and it unlocks and goes back in. And Skallagrim made a very good video on this topic and he loved parts of it. Here's the video: th-cam.com/video/G29lAkcEjuY/w-d-xo.html
Assuming that's accurate (I don't play the games), it still makes the assassin's look pretty stupid. One, for deciding that it is easier to modify their hands instead of their weapon until one sensible guy came along, and two, for giving themselves an easily identifiable wound.
I was sure it was made the finger missing specifically because bayek lost his finger before he had it made moving the partially missing finger moves trigger the mechanism to move the blade
On the topic on the spring, if it had a very powerful spring that could kill a person, how would you have made it retract automatically/easily? Retracting the blade would require overcoming the force of that spring, good luck doing that, especially while trying to avoid suspicion.
While you're looking at Assassin's Creed weapons, I was wondering if you'd be willing to look at a rather interesting sword from the first few games. "Altair's Sword", the starting sword in the first game and sort of the ultimate sword in the second. From what I understand it was a design that Ubisoft came up with themselves for the games rather than making it based off any real world weapon, but to my untrained eye it looks pretty functional. It's the one handed sword with the cross guard resembling bird wings and the pommel having a bird's beak, fitting with the whole eagle theme of the series. Everyone always discusses the hidden blades (fair enough) but I never see any discussion of that sword.
You only need a 3 inch blade to hit a lethal organ, but that really limits the areas you can attack. The longer the blade, the more options you open up. I think a 5 inch blade is a nice middle ground between lethal and concealable.
That weapon reminds me of Galvarino. Galvarino was a mapuche warrior that got his arms cut off so we wouldn't fight anymore. But later he attached blades like that to both his arms to keep fighting, totally badass
The only use of the wrist dagger I can think of (other than stealth) that would make it useful compared to other weapons is as a backup weapon. In Assassin's Creed Black Flag the main weapons were duel wielding swords. If you lost your main weapon you could equip the backup instantly.
Many people have already pointed this out, but the spring isn't used to stab with, it's just for deploying the blade for use. Think more switchblade than ballistic knife. Also, the forearm placement is purely to facilitate the technique used by the assassins. They would bump into their target, using the palms of their hands to cushion the impact, which lines up the underarm blade with the victim's ribcage.
It would make sense to wear it on the outside of the upper arm because you could use it to block a sword swing, might be why it is so thick? Also use it as a pry bar to break in to where you're going to use it? ...or escape
I got my copy of Shadow of the Conqueror today from the Indiegogo campaign and its f'in brilliant i love it, im just devouring the chapters. One of the best reads of my life. Just wanted to share that and also the video was great. I know you want feedback on the video but i just love this book.
The verstility and also lethality of a knife is drastically underestimated these days. Especially because even though the game espouses the instant/quick death... that isn't needed. It takes a 1/4 inch of steel to cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch deep in soft tissue. That is more than enough to open vulnerable paths to lethal bleeds. Or with a very small blade they can be even more dangerous than a large one. Those one-inch tiny little knives on 'swiss army' knives punched into the right place at the hip can be incredibly dangerous. Not because of speed, but because it is very small and has so little pain it feels like you were just punched. Then a bit of an ache, then an hour or so later you feel feint and fall over. Then you are gone because of an internal bleed you knew nothing about. Which makes it even more effective in an Assassin's creed sense. Because a person drops dead an hour after the actual attack. No clue where it came from, and the actual stab injury seals so quickly it can be all but invisible.
Another criticism I just thought of with the hidden blade is the fact of blood. Think about it. If you stab up into someone's jaw or throat, they're immediately gonna bleed profusely. How would you avoid getting the blood on your clothes? Or because that's gonna be almost impossible, how would you hide the amount of blood that immediately travels from the wound, down your wrist, and possibly even your elbow. And, it would only get on one hand, presumably. That detail would immediately alert nearby people to you: one arm completely covered in a red liquid. Now, if you just use a regular dagger or knife, you can come up from behind your target, slash their throat, and walk away relatively clean as long as no one saw you.
Straight razors would also great assasins weapons. Barbers doubled as surgeons in Medieval times, they were covered in blood alot as part of there job, it would set off less alarm bells in the public.
Because of how quickly you’re going in and out with the blade, also considering the clothes worn by the victim which can catch any squirting blood, I don’t think there would be quite that much blood on you. But you would at least have blood dripping from the blade
Well I'm no Assassin's Creed scholar, but don't those guys tend to favor clothes with reddish interiors? However, I DO know a (small) bit about first aid. One thing I've always heard was for a puncture wound its better to leave the object in the wound until you get to help, since the object will help plug the hole preventing uncontrolled bleeding. Maybe the same principal would keep the assassin from getting too bloody since the blade prevents the "blood fountain" that a neck wound would release until the hand and blade have been pulled away.
Just pointing this out its been my theory for the longest that the blade is on a sling channel to be quickly deployed by flicking the wrist and is locked in place by a catch lever and the spring was meant to draw the blade back in not deploy it.
Some misconceptions about the hidden blade: These are all to common in these kinds of videos because most of the time people don't really know how an actual hidden blade works and what it is used for. And it's hard to understand unless you've tried a replica with the right mechanism (most have the wrong mechanism). 1. Hidden blade replicas/props feature a thick blade because they are usually made of plastic (it would break otherwise). If you look at any concept art you can notice the blades are very thin. Also there's this thing they do in videogames where they make blades in general thicker to be more visible and "impressive" (in ac valhalla the axe heads are too thick because of this) 2. The spring loaded mechanism/OTF mechanism usually seen in replicas does not function the same way the Hidden Blade does in the games. In these reproductions you need to flick your wrist once to activate the blade and again to retract it. Instead the blade is intended to come out by flickink your wrist and come back in when you relax it. It all happens in a single move and the blade only stays out and locks in place if your wrist is flicked. Some people like indeepainreborn in youtube managed to make a mechanism that works this way. I myself designed one and it's nigth and day. It works exactly as in the games and is much more covert and fast. Another advantage is that your hand pulls the blade directly via a ring and string so no spring is required for the release but instead for the retraction only. This allows you to control the force with which the blade shoots out. 3. Hidden Blades are shown being primarily used for stabbing/thrusting. Sometime the characters in games do use them for slashing but I don't see that being very effective. Still stabbing is their primary use. They are by no means designed as a combat weapon though they can assist in it. 4.The main advantage of a hidden blade is having a deployable weapon at all times by simply flicking your wrist. Assassins use it because it keeps their hands free for climbing and they can deploy it much faster than any other weapon. It's much more practical to jump on top of a guy from any position and activate the blade than having to keep one hand busy with a knife. it's also safer. Also many assassinations look similar to "crowd carelessness" like bumping into someone, putting a hand on the back or chest. It's all about having a blade coming out of seemingly nowhere and striking without the blade ever being visible.
i don't play a lot of AC and haven't played one in the last 5 years, but in AC3, the hidden blade is used either for assassination (kidney shot, heart shot, throat slit) or as a parry dagger for most of the movesets. Also, the hidden blade in that game can rotate 90 degrees, so you can actually hold it to use it like a stupid dagger (because its hilt is still attached to your wrist) to parry as mentioned. i hardly remember it being used as a slashing weapon in a direct face to face fight edit: well nvm, you mentioned that version in 20:47
The flimsiness may be due to the design of the hidden dagger you'll use. One is closer to the one from Odyssey. The ones that take place closer to the modern day have the hidden dagger integrated into a bracer, making it more secure.
One of the things that is important to remember is that the hidden blade is just an extra blade the assassins is still wearing daggers they still wear swords they choose the weapon that is most appropriate at that time it is not really an either or situation here. Also do note that the Hideen blade is special alloy and can be attached to a bracer that is strong enough to block polearm attacks without breaking the arm in the lore.
As far as a stab wound being a guaranteed kill. Stabbing the Liver would be the "best" as it can be from behind if you want, it is hard to miss (it is a large organ) and internal bleeding cannot be treated without immediate surgery. Also unlike the heart there are no bones in the way other than a floating rib and that isn't usually the case..
Do you maybe think that the hook-blade version would be more useful? Maybe used as a secondary/ supportive weapon for a sword on your main hand? Great video by the way, as always.
Having made and used several variations of this weapon (Man at Arms) I can say Id want it to lock out. I still have 3 of the variations around the shop.
There was one hidden blade in Assassins Creed Brotherhood that flipped out like a switch blade. That was always my favorite. If you had a locking mechanism similar to a benchmades axis lock it would be perfect. Use centrifugal force to open and close but itll lock strong enough to actually be viable.
3:58 Yeeaahh. . . I always found it weird how the assassins would give their victims shockers just before killing them. Is that like a religious thing, or was it just for fun?
The origin of the cut off finger was twofold. The Assassin in Origins, Bayek, was fighting with his final target who held his wrist so that he couldn't bend his hand to safely eject the blade. He did so anyways, sacrificing his ring finger to kill his target. This in turn led to the fact that Assassin's were not permitted to marry, so cutting off their left finger symbolized their dedication to the cause. Overall, cutting off the ring finger was more symbolic than practical, despite anything that Leonardo Da Vinci said.
I think the worst part about the blade is the fact it’s meant to be used with stealth. It would be an exceptional grappling weapon, but as a “stealth” weapon it’s too much when the simpler options of a normal knife or poison is just as effective if not more. (Plus the mechanism that springs the blade out could easily get broken if the blade hits armor or anything it can’t immediately stab into.) It’s just not an effective weapon compared to what it could be, though it can be used and yes it is cool.
Great video guys just wanted to let y'all know that a dagger or knife is not likely to get stuck in someone, unlike Boromir, with exception to bone, though it's more likely to just stop the blade, as opposed to getting stuck! There isn't a lot to actually get stuck on in a body, so you don't have to worry about that really. I think blade retention would be more of a problem to worry about, though I like the idea of the assassin blade, a normal dagger would be more useful! Not to mention the blood getting in the mechanics of it would have it gummed up in no time!
5:50 There are mechanical safeguards for this type of thing. Remember that people successfully carry guns in this world and most of the manage not to shoot themselves in the foot. It of course doesn't discount that its dangerous, it's just that you can manage the risks through _ENGINEERING_ .
I think the real advantage of a hidden blade wouldn't be for premeditated assassinations, but in the fact that it's always available. The ability to deploy a dagger in any situation by the flick of your wrist could save your life, like in the middle of a fight if it goes to grapling range. Like what Eivor does in the AC Valhalla Trailer.
Some things I'd like to add to the concelabilty and utility... 1. Its not supposed to replace a knife in fact its used in tandem with other weapon. For instance you can still equip daggers and stealth kill with said daggers. And in combat some of the finishers use the main weapon to bind/disarm or parry then deliver a surprisingly deadly strike. As well somethings that isn't directly mentioned in the games but I think would be a huge advantage with the fact that its hands free (much more apparent with the back hand variant.) But with how much at least this games in-universe assassins parkour is the ability to seamlessly transition to a bladed strike during a freedrun string. Now this is something I've actually kind of tested my self. But having a wrist mounted blade that can quickly retract is actually huge. It is actually quite difficult when jumping and climbing to sheath almost any weapon but then when mounted to the back of the forearm you might not even need to retract it sometimes. And well yah should be obvious it isnt as good as a regular dagger. I mean even in game it usually has lower stats then the regular daggers. If it does have its spring loaded capabilities its parkour friendly ness and ability to suprise attack in grapple range I think are definitely its most powerful advantages.
As somebody who owns automatic knives and is familiar with the spring mechanisms the only thing I see being an issue is that blood would get into the mechanism gum it up. This could be avoided by cleaning it after every use but doing so would require taking the whole thing apart because retracting the blade would get it all over the inside. There truly is no danger of the blade retracting outside of the intended mechanism unless it is extremely poorly made. As for accidentally retracting it with the intended mechanism I can't say for certain without knowing the exact mechanism but I highly doubt that would be a problem as these mechanisms would be using pretty strong springs and thus would put up a lot of resistance. Also the mechanism almost definitely would not deploy the blade with enough force to cause lethal damage. I could of course be wrong about all of this as I am only human. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Do parkour or climb a building with a hidden blade vs dagger, see who wins. Even if you lock the dagger, then you sacrifice draw time, hidden blade would be way faster. Not to mention you can draw it in mid-air! Parkour plays the main role in game, hidden blade is safe for climbing, stealthy and extremely fast to deploy. *It does what it is designed for* the best, it has no competition in my opinion
I had a thought of the spring loaded dagger! Why have a spring? Maybe instead of having a spring, it could be a "Drop out"/"Gravity Knife" blade! Just drop the arm to release the blade and lock it, then release the lock raise the arm to hide the blade!
A big difference is that the blade in the games is part of a full bracelet, not just strapped on top. In some cases even the gloves come with the blade. I think a big benefit is that they don't get in the way of doing parkour, rolling and you can unsheath them mid air or when both of your hands are occupied, without the trouble of reaching for it. Assassins are specialized on having the high ground.
For several games it is implied that cutting off the finger is mandatory, then in Origins the character learns first hand that you'll lose the finger anyway if you deploy the hidden blade with the wrong hand position.
They most likely used gravity fed that locks blade into place after lowering their arm, & after twisting the blade left would unlock it so it can be slid back in by raising their arm. *So here is the scenario unlock blade keeping arm up, walk to target & drop arm, blade slides out & locks into place, stab & twist towards the right opening the wound, & twist towards the left to release locked position on blade, pull blade out, raise arm & blade slides back into sleeve locking back into hidden position.* ...this is something I could design. ...otherwise if using springs I can picture the Assassin sneaks in & walks up to the target & all of a sudden everyone hears a spring clanking like opening a car hood from the 1960s, I think a few people would notice doubly so because of such a peculiar unusual noise.
Not to worry , we still have all our FINGERS
i actually got your video recommended and thought "finally found Tyranth's channel" turns out it's a new channel
oh, a new channel where Tyranth makes and tests things? *leaves video to subscribe and comes back*
i'm serious; i just did that.
Prove it
*for now
Would love to see a Predator video.
The spring force isn't what is used to assassinate, the spring just brings the blade out fast, it gets locked, the assassin does his kill, then the black goes back in. The whole cutting off the finger was more about sacrifice and commitment to the brotherhood and thus the mechanism for the blade was made like this, but as said by Leonardo Davinci in AC 2, the blade has been modified to function without the need of the ring finger removal. It was originally Altair who modified it to work without the sacrifice. Zombie Go Boom did a vid on the hidden blade btw
I haven't really played since AC2, but I do distinctly remember Ezio being able to walk up behind someone, put his hand on their back, release the blade into them, and then retract it, all without the blade ever being visible.
So, you might as sell have a dagger.
@@rock21611From the angle of the camera you usually play from you can't really see it. But when he does that animation he actually does deploy the blade before stabbing I'm pretty sure. Brings his forearm up into an angle, blade releases and then he stabs. So with camera from directly behind, his elbow blocks your view of the blade. If you move the camera angle to a side profile you should see this. I might launch the game to test though.
@@gecho8848It has been a long time, so to be completely fair I suppose I could be misremembering, but the image that's popping into my head actually is from a side angle.
im pretty sure in atleast some of the games it springing out is what kills the targets,atleast in some of the animations
One unaddressed virtue for concealability in the hidden blade's favor is the ability to defeat a casual search, and perhaps a greater potential to get past a pat-down, simply due to the unfamiliar form of the blade. So the point isn't to replace any other weapon, but to have a weapon where otherwise you'd have no weapon at all.
That would fork for a few decades maybe. Sooner or later word would get out. During one of those pat-downs an assassin would raise a hand too high, have their sleeves slide down just a little too low and all would see.
also i kinda doubt that when you search someone and say open your sleeves, and theres this mechanical device there, guards would be like "ain't a knife don't care". its obviously not fashion to wear so at the least they would ask whats that for.
Every searcher worth his salt would check your sleeves because you can easily have a knife there. So I heavily doubt he would left the strange thing on your wrist alone.
That is why you want to drop the blade right after your stab the guy. It’s why mob guys dropped and left the gun as soon as they shot the guy.
@@cedricschmidtke4287The key is to make it decorative. Like some engraved silver religious iconography.
Skallagrim made a rather good argument with a hidden blade that actually pops out.
He was on the same boat that it was dumb and just for cool factor, but once he got his hands on a functional one he slowly got around to it after giving it some thoughts.
yeah, he re-evaluated it in the context of its use
I think one of the big misunderstandings earlier in the video, is that it doesn’t pop out to penetrate, it actually has a release and return that is very similar to a pen with a clicker. Both in game and in cinematics, the blade comes out, is held in place rigidly, and then retracts. Some have built it with a drawstring, but I find that that leaves room for tangling and severance.
If it did pop out and penetrate via spring, it would require a lot of force to reload.
@@bluplagues Agreed!! ... I'm sure we've all seen videos working Russian style, "ballistic knives", being "reloaded" ... It requires extreme force to re-set that spring!
Do all castles have a drawbridge? Do all castles have a bridge that pulls up? All of the medieval period. Show me a pictures of medieval castles that have no drawbridge.
@@taylorfusher2997 2 things:
1. Um… what?
2. If there’s no moat, there’s no need for a drawbridge. Those are part of the moat defensive system, but there are castles that don’t have moats but enforced gates.
@@bluplagues that's the issue as far as the official designs we have gotten from the games and the codex for the games none of the hidden blades were spring loaded. but use scissor lift type mechanism. but as far as I know we have only got the design for altairs. and I wouldn't expect the toy to be made exactly to the games for making it as cheap as possible
I never imagined the blade to work off the strength of the spring I always assumed it’s a mechanism to deploy the blade which then locks into place and is then similarly disengaged removing the lock allowing the blade to be re-concealed.
Exactly. They're way off here😂
that is actualy how it works. its locks in place. its like a ball point pan
As far as I understand it actually works the opposite way as described by them, the opening force is minimal, but the blade appears to *retract* with some force, allowing the user to use the retraction to remove their blade from its target after stabbing.
It would be logical, but in some games there are animations where it does specifically this: assassin makes contact with a palm, releases the blade and it penetrates by force of releasing.
This isnt just what you think this is how the blade works, its essentially a massive switchblade. You can even fight with the hidden blades in all the Ezio games and they have some cool animations with multiple stabs and stuff proving the blade is locked in place. You can even just hold the attack button while having the hidden blades equipped and Ezio will deploy the blades and hold then out locked.
7:15 I think Shad has stated (and demonstrated) the opposite in the past. In an older video about this topic, he showed that if you're wearing the right kind of clothing drawing a dagger from a concealed sheath and stabbing someone is only slightly more conspicuous than using the AC wrist-blade. Granted, that requires you to be wearing that type of clothing (a cloak or jacket that is loose-fitting and long enough) but if you're planning to assassinate someone you'll probably dress for the occasion.
One potential use I can think of for the retractable blade would actually be in combat. Suppose you're in a sword fight and you get in a bind. The wrist-blade gives you a new (and extremely unpredictable) option during binds. If your opponent knows anything about binding/winding, they'll expect you to try to maneuver your sword past theirs in order to strike them. Specifically, with your sword. But if you're wearing one of these gizmos, you could instead use your sword for defense and try to reach past both blades and _bam!_ stab them with that extra blade that they didn't even know existed.
What a sneaky underhanded trick. Hopefully Shad'll catch wind of this comment and maybe use it to explore alternative tactics with weapons like this.
Shameless algorithm bump because I actually think this is a good idea.
Shad also says the blade straps would push up on his arms due to the force of the blade contacting a solid object … well that’s why they wore them on solid gauntlets.
@@batmanvsuperman_ Yup!
For assassinations, the hidden blade looks like vambraces/decorative piece. Not meant for combat and most people don't know about hidden blades or how they look like. You also don't need a cloak to use them. Wearing a cloak to a party would be weird and guards will pat you down for weapons like daggers. In addition, in the video, they are wearing the blade above their thick clothes when they are generally underneath/part of the vambraces.
For combat, as you say, they can be used for the element of surprise. In the cinematics, Edward did it after being disarmed to deflect a sword and make his enemy go under the wheel of the ship. Eivor did it to stab his enemy's eye after he was disarmed and had a sword to his throat. Even in the games, they are presented as a worse option than conventional weapons, or aren't even an option like in Unity and Syndicate.
One of the biggest points they missed is that the blad elooks like a gauntlet when retracted and no one would know. Putting a dagger up your sleeve, albeit a small one is still a dagger that people could find.
In AC origins they showed the cut finger thing started because of an accident when the founder of the broderhood used it for the first time, and that the rest cut off their fingers as a form of ceramony and show of loyalty
The entire "remove the finger" thing is relevant only to the first game, where they use a different blade construction - it had a different form (more squared) and it came out in the hole from the removed finger in a fist. They even explained it in AC2, that construction of the whole thing had been changed and so there's no need to remove a finger anymore, blades got more flat and wrist-centered (like the one you've made). So no removed fingers starting AC2 and until Syndicate. Latest trilogy just messed everything up (cause Ubisoft doesn't care about their universe consistency) and made flat, wrist-centered blade the original design.
Doesn't negate real issues with Hidden blades, but still worth mentioning. Leave the fingers alone.
Not sure about Mirage, but I'm pretty sure the assassins in Valhalla were missing fingers
@@lordofshades9852 Valhalla is set just before the original AC game.
(hint without to much of a spoiler one of the assassins in valhalla is literally the main character in Mirage)
@@havtor007 I knew that, just saying that in Valhalla they were missing fingers
Well, the reason they kept cutting the finger off, even with the redesign, is out of tradition and dedication to the order
@@thatgut2375 after Altair made the mod to the hidden blade they didn't cut their fingers anymore that is shown in AC revelations when Altair had 2 hidden blades.
The assassins may be trained in combat, and some of the games may let you use the hidden blades in combat, but when they do they are not better than other weapons, they prefer to use conventional weapons for fights. The blade is meant for assassinations, not fighting. The missing ring finger is explained as a form of commitment to the order, which is actually phased out by the time of Ezio, if not before. The blade is meant to be deployed to assassinate and then retract so that you can kill someone without visibly drawing and sheathing a weapon, and is meant to be used on unaware enemies. The blade is not a weapon in the conventional sense and judging it as such and treating it as such is not fair. It is meant to be retracted so as to keep the hand free afterwards to draw a sword or other long weapon to engage enemies or a ranged weapon like a gun or throwing knife without having to sheathe or drop the weapon, and outside of snapping the blade while extended, it can't be disarmed. It is not as good as a dagger as a weapon but it sacrifices that to be more subtle and allow for quicker deployment and has a surprise element to it, not so much on templars since they know about it, but on enemy guards and thugs they're not going to be expecting the blade and so when someone near them and never reaches for a weapon they visibly have on them, it makes them lower their guard since they don't think you're a threat.
The cutting of the ring finger is partly commitment but mostly practical. Altair created a new design that doesn't require removal of that finger, so none of the later assassins did it in the games (the movie screwed up by still having Aguilar cut off his finger, but movies rarely get canon right).
Regardless, it shouldn't have really been a criticism against the blade since it was something that was improved upon later on in the timeline.
Shad, the first stab with the small dagger 11:15 you actually had a good chance of hitting one if the most quiet and lethal areas in the human body. There are some massive arteries right under the arm kinda close to the skin. Normally covered by the arm yes but relatively easy to get to. Bump someone in a crowd in the shoulder, act like you’re stumbling, stab and walk away.
Terrifying how fragile our little meat robot bodies are…
This video is especially hilarious given the context of your recent response video to Sellsword Arts. I love that you're effectively thumbing your nose at him with this and it just tickles me.
They would need to reference fencing more.
@@andylee6022 That would escalate from "Smug Disregard" to "Passive Aggression" though, and that typically isn't Shad's style. Maybe if they did more with Rapier-based content it would be more appropriate to reference fencing with less overt passive-aggression ; )
I mean this is just them doing their regular thing. Functional Fandom is a normal thing they do
@@tomraineofmagigor3499 I am aware. It is just contextually hilarious to me that they're doing their regular thing in spite of recent criticisms.
@@KiithnarasAshaa why should they change cause one person was a snob? They addressed it and it's done
I want to point that (in universe)the Assassin's would carry other weapons, such as normal daggers, and assumedly would use whichever weapon would be best in the moment.
I also would point out that there are at least two scenarios where the hidden dagger is superior to any other weapon(with stealth in mind).
Ledge assassinations and jumping down assassinations.
With a ledge assassination, if you just grab someone they will instinctively pull away but if you stab them as you grab them, then they will instinctively curl up which throws off their balance and makes them easier to pull off the ledge.
In jump down assassinations, a wrist blade means you still have four limbs to land with while stabbing the person.
There are a lot of issues with the design that the company came up with but the idea is solid. Just switch it to a retractable wrist spike and it would be a top notch weapon for assassination.
As a final thought, a wrist blade gives you the option of simultaneously stabbing someone in the throat while keeping their mouth shut. Which leaves your other hand free to do other stuff, such as the same to another person.
it's still just a worse punch dagger. one that you can't let go of and that will immediately raise concerns if spotted.
@@soujemn5 no it isn't, Skallagrim did a video on the hidden blade and there are more advantage than disadvantages.
"The standard Assassin Hidden Blade has two parts you see. The blade and it being hidden."
Yusef: "Cool, cool. But what if we added a hook to it?"
One of the benefits that I'm surprised wasn't mentioned, was that it would be easier to manage a primary weapon with the hidden blade because your hands would be free. That also goes for the parkour, being that your hands are free to grab ledges.
Though having said that, I wonder how difficult it would be to climb something with steel strapped to your forearms. There would be less flexibility, and it could catch on things / dig in to your forearm as you climbed. Not the most comfortable experience.
Depending on how bulky, durable,smooth and heavy it is, it could potentially even be an advantage. Like allowing you to lean on it on edges. Or brace against sliding rope. When i used to free run i would wear a brace on one wrist and knee.
The point of the missing finger started as an accident that happened when Bayek first used the blade, it then became a necessity for the Hidden ones to be able to use the blade more efficiently without raising the entire hand to operate the mechanism, and a ritual for entering the brotherhood, lose a part of yourself (your old life) to uphold the tenants of the assassins
just what i was gonna say
It then backfired when the Templars started looking for them with a missing finger, which eventually led to an improved version that doesn't cost you a finger (along with an updated tradition to keep the whole symbolism without sacrificing combat prowess).
Valhalla did eventually get 1h swords, it just took until the 2nd DLC I believe. If you go play it now you could play with one from (nearly) the beginning.
I feel like the fact the assassins wore bracers with gauntlets would alleviate the wobbling as it can be more attached but even then a normal dagger would probably be better, not as cool though
Of course, if you've already stabbed a guy with your normal dagger and lost it, it's nice to have a backup.
The blade is supposed to both extend and retract with a small wire pully system built into the gauntlet. It does lock. As with any sort of otf or even side open or any articultated blade, it will not be effective unless it is completely opened and in locked position. It is a wrist mounted OTF switch blade that can also be retracted. While in the game, it can be used in combat, in reality, it would be brilliant for the purpose for which it is proposed.
They've shown in game it having the force to kill from just the hand of the assassin resting on the victim. A quick snap and its thru the skin. Its fantasy but its how the universe works
1 thing I will mention is Mobility. In the GAME, you are leaping across rooftops and leaping off rooftops onto people, having a blade that you dont need to hold helps a lot. But keep in mind that it is a game. But yeah I think its just conveniant to hide, be more mobile and having hands free, for climbing etc. To go further, imagine climbing a building by hand, and you have swords and daggers hanging off your clothes. So given the setting of the game I think it does make sense, but in Reality its not as viable.
You can get the same exact thing with a sheathed dagger attached to your belt. It's also hand free and out of the way allowing you to run, jump, and climb freely. The only benefit of the AC design is that it's quicker and easier to deploy while running, jumping, and climbing, particularly when climbing.
although you could just have a sheath which would fix those problems although you would have to put it in to the sheath
and its pretty sus to climbing a building and leaping across rooftops
and that is the whole point of it anyway@@Riceball01
and if you are caught climbing buildings, guards will become more suspicious of you@@L_______
Counter point, if the blade ever gets stuck out because of a malfunction, you're now left with only one hand for climbing which isn't really a risk worth taking aince there's almost no benefits to the hidden dagger
So Shad said if they're missing stuff, and as a person who loves the idea of having a hidden blade for self defense, time to need dump
So the blade is out before the stabbing most of the time. And they go for soft, open spots like the neck that aren't normally protected or are, but covered by helmets and such. Not getting into chainmail.
With the spring loading mechanism, the blade is attached to a string, attached to a ring. You flick your wrist and the blade pops out, locks, and you can do a stabby stab. But thats the irl version, in the games they show that but its just flavor text tbh.
And the ring finger removal was both a "oh fuck I chopped it off by accident, might want to tell the others about it" to "this is a ritual to be brought into the brotherhood. Once you receive your blade and lose your finger (until the second game) you are one of us"
Hope this helps with any unknown knowledge about the blade
I still say the hidden dagger trick works better. As someone who regularly pranks fellow employees with misdirection and slight of hand by stealing and relocating their cigarette packs in front of them I can attest to the validity of hiding dagger sized objects easily behind one’s arm.
@@VidelxSpopovich oh yeah defiantly. thats why we never had hidden blades- because its too much work and can fail a lot more than a dagger and some long sleeves. but for a secret group that rarely shows themselves to the public unless absolutely necessary, its a great tool to have because you just bring it out, stab, and put it back and you can barely move your arm around.
but for your point, thats probably what the hashashins did (middle eastern group of assassins Ubi took inspiration for the first game from) back in the day. long sleeves and dagger
@@shadowsnep_4820 I think a hoodie sleeve with a secret internal Velcro pocket would probably do the job pretty well. Slip your hand in a pocket, then up your sleeve, retrieve the knife, stab the target then slide your hand and knife back up the sleeve where you restow the knife in the pocket
@@shadowsnep_4820 I remember back when the original game was being developed the developers actually talked about some of the artistic liberties they took in designing the assassins, and they said that their real life inspirations were not particularly stealthy according to historical records.
They basically used terror tactics in real life. They deliberately killed their targets publicly and in front of witnesses to spread fear. And they didn't care if they survived, which is where the "leap of faith" in the games originated. In real life there was no hay bale lol.
@@yewtewbstew547 seems legit lol. But they were probably terrifying as fuck. Like even if you got a base or castle or something just imagine the unity trailer with just a bunch more dead hoodie bros
8:40 Indeed I know that pain, Shad. LOL!
14:00
Yes I understand that the wrist movement can get you more "cutting" range. But the hidden blade is not meant slash. Its meant to penetrate.
And its better at penetrating then a regular knife that you can hold because you get more power to push it in from your arm, shoulder and leg movement. While if you hold it you must have a very strong grip to push the blade all the way in the body.
OTF knifes dont use the spring as the delivery mechanism. Its just to get it out to hit the lock. Then you hit the switch and it goes back in. The point of the hidden blade is that it is subtle. The novelty alone means less people will even look for it turning a pat down.
With the release of mirage in a mission basim mentions how while training as a recruit in Alamut, before they get to initiate rank and get a hidden blade they study all optimal stab methods and spots for quiet and lethal kills with the hidden blade, so before they do a mission they wouldn’t be swinging/thrusting their arm randomly without purpose. It’s probably one of the most heavily studied topics for the brotherhood recruits.
@5:45 - They need to be made aware of how the hidden blade is used. The deploying of the edge isn't supposed "to have enough force to penetrate." It's merely for deploying it, and then locking it into position, and then retracting it to hide it again. Some iterations of the hidden blade aren't even spring-actuated, as it seems people like Ezio and Connor flick their wrists to deploy it almost like a gravity knife. In practice, it is supposed to function like a typical "Punch Dagger" with the benefit of being easier to conceal.
Also, removing the ring finger wasn't a requirement for the hidden blade. It was more of a ceremonial practice only done in the first game; Altair quickly removed the need from the design.
The "lose a finger" thing was because the early versions occasionally took the user's finger off. So as a cult-y thing the pre-emptively cut it off, to prevent it happening on the job.
In AC 2 Leonardo de Vinci says that the hidden blade was modified so that you didn't need to lose a finger to use it. In AC 2 Revelation it's revealed that Altair himself was the one that modified the hidden blade.
In AC 3 Connor's hidden blade can separate from the bracer letting him us it as a knife.
i think the biggest redeeming qualities of the hidden blade would be speed of deployment and freedom to use both hands while still being armed for all intents and purposes, assuming it works correctly. going from functionally unarmed to wielding a blade in under one second with no real tell is pretty good, and not having to hold anything allows you to do a lot more, such as the parkour that is a staple of the games. it would be a lot harder to climb surfaces not designed for climbing with a dagger in your hand, and having to sheathe it would defeat the purpose of concealing it in your hand. i think if you used the hidden blade primarily for thrusting attacks to the head, which would be your most consistent and quick kills, it would be very reasonable. the angle to stab someone in the spine/the base of the skull or the eye is fairly intuitive with it strapped to your arm, and should offer low enough resistance. i do think it would be almost exclusively an assassination weapon, though, through sheer surprise factor. if you can sneak up on someone from behind or get a quick frontal attack before they can react. otherwise i think it would be almost entirely useless in combat. but ideally an assassin won't be in open combat too often anyway.
Very well put
@@redshankyman4181 thanks :)
If I were a medieval assassin with the magical ability to boppity bop across rooftops in a single bound... I'd just use a crossbow. Props to Tyranth on the excellent job making it into a usable thing. That said, always figured the hidden blade was something you were using if you had to compromise on not using a useful weapon and instead a crummy one you could get past guards who aren't allowing weapons close to their charge. It was hilarious in the first game or so that you could use the hidden blade to guard and deflect sword swings, I don't believe it would work well, might even break a wrist or forearm.
ironically they removed crossbows from ac1 because they were too powerful and all the playtesters just used the crossbow instead of the hidden blade
As someone who loved the original (good) Assassins Creed games, this is a dream come true
For me the benefit would be if you're still having your hands-free if you're moving through a crowd you can like put your palm and guide somebody away from you to move through a crowd. With an instant reaction of a blade you can maintain your stealth in a crowd where everyone and see everyone nobody sees you fumbaling to put you knife or dagger away
Brings back a lot of old memories of when I first tried making one based off of info gathered at the old Sinza forum from the early 2010's.
It's hard to beat for stealth, though. Walk up to someone on the street, lightly touch them their back with your palm, trigger the mechanism, walk on. It'll take them a couple of seconds to collapse, which will be just enough to vanish behind several other people in a crowd. No one will have noticed a thing, other than some guy just collapsing.
Don't ask how I know. I'll *never* confess!
Couple of things to mention, first of the reason of the finger, the blade never needed the finger off to function, it was just a fault on the orginal design as the blade is actually deployed by an specific muscle flex, thats shown in AC Origins when Bayek cuts of his finger by accident... later integrations of the Hidden Ones and the Assassins after them decided to cut the finger as a sort of ritual to show the commitment to the order, and with the secondary purpose of avoiding accidents, but later on it was dimmed unnecessary as the design was improved by Altair and Niccolo Polo, and then found by Leonardo DaVinci for Ezio, allowing them to use double blades... second, as it is a fictional weapon is has never been actually shown how exactly the Hidden Blade works, but the most common theory is that it's not deployed by springs but actually by a polley and a lever system combination, as is show in some of the concept art for the game, that gives the blade a more solid deployment with more strength behind it, and then its the fact that the whole thing is not just strapped to the arm, but also integrated on the arm guard, making all the "testing" you made not only pointless but also incorrect...
And as a third and last, there are one handed swords on Valhalla, you can even use them double handed and or in combination with axe or shield... or even with double handed weapons if you have the right perk...
Also just a question, where are you basing the thickness of the blade accuracy from, the rubber toy? Cause most blades aren't that thick...
Skallagrimm made a better video on the subject, since he got a most accurate replica of the blade.
The cutting off of the ring finger was not only done from a functional point of view, but with this the initiates proved their sacrifice to the brotherhood, and at the same time they accepted celibacy, so they could not unmarry, and later Altaïr Ibn La'ahad reshaped the rules of the brotherhood, and later Ezio Auditore In his time, Leonardo Da Vinci created the first hidden blade that did not require the ring finger to be removed from the hand.
There are many different cannon "models" of the hidden blade. There's the hookblade which actually shoots out into the hand to use as an extension to reach higher places, the phantom blade, which actually can fire the blade very similar to a crossbow, and my favorite which is Connor's blade from AC3. It's a hidden blade that can fully detatch into becoming more of a knife. The key argument in regards of risk of self is that everytime the blade is "activated" the hand is extended away from the blade, indicating to me a switch like a deadman on a lawnmower, or a pull cord that you could hook around your finger
Do all castles have a drawbridge? Do all castles have a bridge that pulls up? All of the medieval period. Show me a pictures of medieval castles that have no drawbridge.
The pull cord on a finger is canon, it's been a *looong* time but I remember they showed a diagram of it and there's a ring with a string and that's what actuates it. That's why they open their hand like that when it springs, it's *how* the hidden blade is sprung. I assume this basic detail is carried through most if not all of the various models.
The real question is how does it not constantly spring accidentally during all the parkour shenanigans. Maybe it's just long enough that you need to *really* open your hand and/or rotate your wrist back. Or maybe it's just videogame logic dictating that it isn't stabby time so no stabbing.
@@taylorfusher2997what?
I like to thank the pre-ad that if stopped doesn't count for a view, and the comment section for telling me everything I could ever care to know about the contents.
The finger cutting as mentioned by others in the comments here, was a result of a poor initial design, but also as explained in the lore elsewhere, was a symbolic ritual continued on by the assassins as a symbol of commitment and dedication performed at the initiation ceremony.
Its still stupid. It significantly reduces your ability to fight, climb and do other things.
Ring finger is almost useless. Its not a big motoric skill loss
Yeah, Ezio ditched that part out after that, along with the Templars catching more and more of them just by looking for a missing finger.
@@murderyoutubeworkersandceos Its a big loss. You lose a significant amount of grip strength. Holding on to things when climbing will also be significantly harder.
@@Likexner grip strength benefits more from the pinky
Checkout Cokin Furze's Assassin's Creed Hidden Blade. He manufactured it in such a way that it is stable and doesn't shoot out dangerously fast, and it also stabs and cuts well!
The Fairbain-Sykes dagger was developed to fit the use case scenario for this blade. It does it very well too!
Under the wrist makes greater sense, practically.
Stabbing over the wrist sounds right, if the blade was maybe twice the length. But the wrist could get easily injured in the strike. The fist being bent down like that.
Under the wrist, allows you to palm or grab your opponent while the blade comes out. Like slapping their back, pushing them, or striking up under the chin
They cut their finger off to show commitment to the cause and it ties back to assassin creed origins where the main character accidentally cut off his finger
But Leonard deVinci made a higher one for the assassins so they don't have to lose there finger.
Actually the modification was done by Altair to help hide the assassins allegiance. What you're remembering is Leo fucking with Ezio a tad by relating the lore Altair grew up with while holding a cleaver. Altair changed a lot of doctrine after killing Al Mualim
Bayek: "Yeah about that... I kind of stretched the truth a little bit about how I came up with the ritual."
As you play assassins creed you can audibly hear the blade coming out before the stab, they don’t place their hand on the man and then trigger the action. We can assume the Assassins took much training to perfect the timing on the 1 second of the blade coming out and then in. But I’m also pretty sure in some other games the time of the blade coming out and in does it a little faster sometimes.
The thing I didn't see mentioned, although I think proven in other videos. A lot of the enemies (at least in the earlier game eras) wore armor. You're not stabbing through armor with a regular dagger, much less a hidden dagger. Sure, when they're wearing clothes or the like in the newer game eras, that's different. But not all the games had that.
Historically, a dagger was one of the BEST anti-armor weapons because it's narrow point could easily slip inside gaps in the armor or vision slits in helmets. Stillettos could also punch quite easily through heavy clothing or cloth armor, and could even slip through chainmail due to the icepick style blade.
People have managed to create working replicas, they aren't spring loaded so allow it to be sent out and retracted. The release is to put it in place, the arm thrust is to penetrate.
I’ve found that the only way hoods properly work in any kind of combat scenario tends to be when placed on top of a helmet or billed hat of some variety because it keeps the hood in place yet out of your eyes.
And if you look at the hoods on the assassin's, at least from Ezio's time, they kind look like beaks. It gives me the sense that they are sort of billed in a way to keep them from sagging too much into the eyes.
@@UsagiArwen could be, you could potentially turn that beaked look into a potential bill simply by sewing in a stiffener that would force the hood to keep its shape, and raised it high enough off of the head to keep it out of the eyes. A stiffened leather could do the trick, and maybe a slight padded liner on the crown to force the hood up. All of their other stuff seems over designed so it wouldn’t surprise me if that aspect was too.
@@FlatlineFavella That's exactly what I was thinking too. Like, if you watch the gameplay from Ezio's games, it really looks like that fabric doesn't come down. As I am typing, I am looking at stills from gameplay of AC1, and even Altair's hood beaks out like that. This has to be intentional to make them look like birds, because of their leap of faith, with a bird sound when you sync up, and them having "eagle eye" as a skill. So it would make sense to me if the hood was stiff in the "beak".
I have played those games more often than many other games I own. I keep coming back to them, and just bought the Ezio trilogy for my switch recently. I know I'm a nutter for that, but I love what I love.
@@UsagiArwen it’s always good to be proud of your hobbies, I particularly like learning how to use different weapons systems, and learning about the kit that goes with them. I’ve been on real steel guns for quite some time now, but even still it amazes me the commonalities between things like modern day armor and older armor, the fact that most firearms are designed to become clubs and spears in case ammo depletes, and just the fact that no matter where in history you go, the general principles of combat and combat protection always remain constant
There are actually one handed swords in AC Valhalla. They were added a bit after release but they are there. And they are personally my favorite weapon in the game to use.
My favorite hidden blades from assassin's creed 3 used by the main character conor keyway has two blades, and the blades can turn to be used like knives or daggers he mainly uses it for combat Also, the blades have locks so that they can stay out it is kinda like a pen clicker. Also, he did not need to lose his ring finger. Also, the blades form assassin's creed 2 has a wrist mounted gun.
Just to acknowledge it many comments have pointed out that it functions more like a pen than a ballistic but other than that one of the biggest pros is how fast you’re able to deploy it in a spontaneous close quarters attack for defense
Let's not forget that many assassin's also carry daggers... The hidden blade just looks cool and can catch people off guard and are harder to see... You are a blade in the crowd... instead of reaching in your pocket... you can just walk behind someone.. do a hand motion and move on as they collapse and people would have a harder time to actually see the dagger... Also mobility... many times you are running, jumping and assassination.. sometimes in one fluid motion... so I think it might be easier to use the hidden blade rather than taking out a dagger while you are running... not that a dagger would not work though... but the more important thing.. it's cool!!!
Agreed. You aren't getting the ability to parry normal weapons without the fictional parts of its construction, so for the most part its practicality is entirely based on being outside of combat. (Some of the full bracer models might be an exception, in that the point is to provide a backup knife that you don't need a free hand to reach for yet isn't in your way all the time.)
The cool factor certainly is huge with the hidden blade. Later games took some of that coolness away with the hook blade and the grappling hook in my opinion.
What the guys also miss, is that we're talking about Master Assassins here, who supposedly have been trained to have almost superhuman skills where it comes to killing people. So that, coupled with the fact that in games a weapon doesn't necessarily have to be possible, it only has to look believable in the context of the game, makes it the almost perfect weapon for an assassin.
I think its important to note OTF knives, the are spring loaded and can open and close from the spring. Most(there are exceptions) OTF don't have nearly enough force to penitrate while opening, however once they are open they are solid because of a lock(which is deactivated when you slide the switch to retract the blade)
So actually in the games, the reason some people have their missing finger is because the OTF style of the blade they could chop their fingers off, so they made it a custom to cut your finger before you use it. And in lore they fixed that issue, so many of the protags have all 10 fingers. And it is an OTF knife that has a lock, so they can deploy the blade then it will lock so they can stab, cut, ect, then they pull the string and it unlocks and goes back in. And Skallagrim made a very good video on this topic and he loved parts of it. Here's the video: th-cam.com/video/G29lAkcEjuY/w-d-xo.html
Assuming that's accurate (I don't play the games), it still makes the assassin's look pretty stupid.
One, for deciding that it is easier to modify their hands instead of their weapon until one sensible guy came along, and two, for giving themselves an easily identifiable wound.
@@michaelboyes5849 Yes, that is why Altair modded the Hidden blade so they wont have a wound that would identify the assassins so easily
I was sure it was made the finger missing specifically because bayek lost his finger before he had it made moving the partially missing finger moves trigger the mechanism to move the blade
On the topic on the spring, if it had a very powerful spring that could kill a person, how would you have made it retract automatically/easily? Retracting the blade would require overcoming the force of that spring, good luck doing that, especially while trying to avoid suspicion.
The Plushie looks great! Though, it does look like Shad and Tyranth’s child…
There are OTF switchblades where you can release the lock and retract the blade with the same switch you use to extend the springloaded blade.
While you're looking at Assassin's Creed weapons, I was wondering if you'd be willing to look at a rather interesting sword from the first few games. "Altair's Sword", the starting sword in the first game and sort of the ultimate sword in the second. From what I understand it was a design that Ubisoft came up with themselves for the games rather than making it based off any real world weapon, but to my untrained eye it looks pretty functional. It's the one handed sword with the cross guard resembling bird wings and the pommel having a bird's beak, fitting with the whole eagle theme of the series. Everyone always discusses the hidden blades (fair enough) but I never see any discussion of that sword.
It's probably illegal in Australia, but where I'm from, you can buy spear point spring assisted ballistic knives. I assume it's a similar concept.
You only need a 3 inch blade to hit a lethal organ, but that really limits the areas you can attack. The longer the blade, the more options you open up. I think a 5 inch blade is a nice middle ground between lethal and concealable.
That weapon reminds me of Galvarino. Galvarino was a mapuche warrior that got his arms cut off so we wouldn't fight anymore. But later he attached blades like that to both his arms to keep fighting, totally badass
Fair warning Shad, Im putting your plushie in a jar
Unforgivably cursed comment
The only use of the wrist dagger I can think of (other than stealth) that would make it useful compared to other weapons is as a backup weapon.
In Assassin's Creed Black Flag the main weapons were duel wielding swords. If you lost your main weapon you could equip the backup instantly.
Entertainingly serius analysis, well done. And the plushie is lovely!
Many people have already pointed this out, but the spring isn't used to stab with, it's just for deploying the blade for use. Think more switchblade than ballistic knife.
Also, the forearm placement is purely to facilitate the technique used by the assassins. They would bump into their target, using the palms of their hands to cushion the impact, which lines up the underarm blade with the victim's ribcage.
I never thought about it, but MAN a Robinhood AC game would be awesome!
Yeah haha
It would make sense to wear it on the outside of the upper arm because you could use it to block a sword swing, might be why it is so thick? Also use it as a pry bar to break in to where you're going to use it? ...or escape
I got my copy of Shadow of the Conqueror today from the Indiegogo campaign and its f'in brilliant i love it, im just devouring the chapters. One of the best reads of my life. Just wanted to share that and also the video was great. I know you want feedback on the video but i just love this book.
I wish I knew of the campaign back then because the art Shad showed off, I would love to buy a copy.
The verstility and also lethality of a knife is drastically underestimated these days. Especially because even though the game espouses the instant/quick death... that isn't needed. It takes a 1/4 inch of steel to cut 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch deep in soft tissue. That is more than enough to open vulnerable paths to lethal bleeds. Or with a very small blade they can be even more dangerous than a large one. Those one-inch tiny little knives on 'swiss army' knives punched into the right place at the hip can be incredibly dangerous. Not because of speed, but because it is very small and has so little pain it feels like you were just punched. Then a bit of an ache, then an hour or so later you feel feint and fall over. Then you are gone because of an internal bleed you knew nothing about. Which makes it even more effective in an Assassin's creed sense. Because a person drops dead an hour after the actual attack. No clue where it came from, and the actual stab injury seals so quickly it can be all but invisible.
You definitely don't need a lot of blade to off somebody, but I have trouble believing the victim wouldn't realize they'd been stabbed.
"I have thoughts on it, I'm sure you have thoughts on it, Nate is wearing a girls dress." 😂
8:05 Shad becomes Mr Bean the Assassin
the thing is, you can still use the hand that the blade is in, whereas with one you have to hold, you can't hold another weapon, or otherwise
Another criticism I just thought of with the hidden blade is the fact of blood. Think about it. If you stab up into someone's jaw or throat, they're immediately gonna bleed profusely. How would you avoid getting the blood on your clothes? Or because that's gonna be almost impossible, how would you hide the amount of blood that immediately travels from the wound, down your wrist, and possibly even your elbow. And, it would only get on one hand, presumably. That detail would immediately alert nearby people to you: one arm completely covered in a red liquid. Now, if you just use a regular dagger or knife, you can come up from behind your target, slash their throat, and walk away relatively clean as long as no one saw you.
Straight razors would also great assasins weapons. Barbers doubled as surgeons in Medieval times, they were covered in blood alot as part of there job, it would set off less alarm bells in the public.
Ware red clothing
Tbh if that much blood got on you the smell would be the first thing people notice
Because of how quickly you’re going in and out with the blade, also considering the clothes worn by the victim which can catch any squirting blood, I don’t think there would be quite that much blood on you. But you would at least have blood dripping from the blade
Well I'm no Assassin's Creed scholar, but don't those guys tend to favor clothes with reddish interiors? However, I DO know a (small) bit about first aid. One thing I've always heard was for a puncture wound its better to leave the object in the wound until you get to help, since the object will help plug the hole preventing uncontrolled bleeding. Maybe the same principal would keep the assassin from getting too bloody since the blade prevents the "blood fountain" that a neck wound would release until the hand and blade have been pulled away.
Just pointing this out its been my theory for the longest that the blade is on a sling channel to be quickly deployed by flicking the wrist and is locked in place by a catch lever and the spring was meant to draw the blade back in not deploy it.
Guys if you aren't into the art of assassinations you shouldn't do a video about the art.
The Finger thing is a ritual thing. In AC1 its due to poor design, but once the design was improved, it was just an option to remove the finger.
Some misconceptions about the hidden blade:
These are all to common in these kinds of videos because most of the time people don't really know how an actual hidden blade works and what it is used for. And it's hard to understand unless you've tried a replica with the right mechanism (most have the wrong mechanism).
1. Hidden blade replicas/props feature a thick blade because they are usually made of plastic (it would break otherwise). If you look at any concept art you can notice the blades are very thin. Also there's this thing they do in videogames where they make blades in general thicker to be more visible and "impressive" (in ac valhalla the axe heads are too thick because of this)
2. The spring loaded mechanism/OTF mechanism usually seen in replicas does not function the same way the Hidden Blade does in the games. In these reproductions you need to flick your wrist once to activate the blade and again to retract it.
Instead the blade is intended to come out by flickink your wrist and come back in when you relax it. It all happens in a single move and the blade only stays out and locks in place if your wrist is flicked.
Some people like indeepainreborn in youtube managed to make a mechanism that works this way. I myself designed one and it's nigth and day. It works exactly as in the games and is much more covert and fast. Another advantage is that your hand pulls the blade directly via a ring and string so no spring is required for the release but instead for the retraction only. This allows you to control the force with which the blade shoots out.
3. Hidden Blades are shown being primarily used for stabbing/thrusting. Sometime the characters in games do use them for slashing but I don't see that being very effective. Still stabbing is their primary use. They are by no means designed as a combat weapon though they can assist in it.
4.The main advantage of a hidden blade is having a deployable weapon at all times by simply flicking your wrist. Assassins use it because it keeps their hands free for climbing and they can deploy it much faster than any other weapon. It's much more practical to jump on top of a guy from any position and activate the blade than having to keep one hand busy with a knife. it's also safer.
Also many assassinations look similar to "crowd carelessness" like bumping into someone, putting a hand on the back or chest. It's all about having a blade coming out of seemingly nowhere and striking without the blade ever being visible.
OTF spring knife. Same mechanism, simple lever action to open and close, and until the lever is pressed it is locked in the closed or open position.
i don't play a lot of AC and haven't played one in the last 5 years, but in AC3, the hidden blade is used either for assassination (kidney shot, heart shot, throat slit) or as a parry dagger for most of the movesets. Also, the hidden blade in that game can rotate 90 degrees, so you can actually hold it to use it like a stupid dagger (because its hilt is still attached to your wrist) to parry as mentioned. i hardly remember it being used as a slashing weapon in a direct face to face fight
edit: well nvm, you mentioned that version in 20:47
The flimsiness may be due to the design of the hidden dagger you'll use. One is closer to the one from Odyssey. The ones that take place closer to the modern day have the hidden dagger integrated into a bracer, making it more secure.
One of the things that is important to remember is that the hidden blade is just an extra blade the assassins is still wearing daggers they still wear swords they choose the weapon that is most appropriate at that time it is not really an either or situation here.
Also do note that the Hideen blade is special alloy and can be attached to a bracer that is strong enough to block polearm attacks without breaking the arm in the lore.
As far as a stab wound being a guaranteed kill. Stabbing the Liver would be the "best" as it can be from behind if you want, it is hard to miss (it is a large organ) and internal bleeding cannot be treated without immediate surgery. Also unlike the heart there are no bones in the way other than a floating rib and that isn't usually the case..
Do you maybe think that the hook-blade version would be more useful? Maybe used as a secondary/ supportive weapon for a sword on your main hand? Great video by the way, as always.
Having made and used several variations of this weapon (Man at Arms) I can say Id want it to lock out. I still have 3 of the variations around the shop.
There was one hidden blade in Assassins Creed Brotherhood that flipped out like a switch blade. That was always my favorite.
If you had a locking mechanism similar to a benchmades axis lock it would be perfect.
Use centrifugal force to open and close but itll lock strong enough to actually be viable.
3:58 Yeeaahh. . . I always found it weird how the assassins would give their victims shockers just before killing them. Is that like a religious thing, or was it just for fun?
Oh god dammit... xD
The origin of the cut off finger was twofold. The Assassin in Origins, Bayek, was fighting with his final target who held his wrist so that he couldn't bend his hand to safely eject the blade. He did so anyways, sacrificing his ring finger to kill his target. This in turn led to the fact that Assassin's were not permitted to marry, so cutting off their left finger symbolized their dedication to the cause.
Overall, cutting off the ring finger was more symbolic than practical, despite anything that Leonardo Da Vinci said.
The hidden blade when you pop the blade out it timparrarly lockes in place and then you flik your rest to retreat the blade again.
I think the worst part about the blade is the fact it’s meant to be used with stealth. It would be an exceptional grappling weapon, but as a “stealth” weapon it’s too much when the simpler options of a normal knife or poison is just as effective if not more.
(Plus the mechanism that springs the blade out could easily get broken if the blade hits armor or anything it can’t immediately stab into.)
It’s just not an effective weapon compared to what it could be, though it can be used and yes it is cool.
they actually adressed the one handed swords, and were added in later patches. aswell as other weapon types
Great video guys just wanted to let y'all know that a dagger or knife is not likely to get stuck in someone, unlike Boromir, with exception to bone, though it's more likely to just stop the blade, as opposed to getting stuck! There isn't a lot to actually get stuck on in a body, so you don't have to worry about that really. I think blade retention would be more of a problem to worry about, though I like the idea of the assassin blade, a normal dagger would be more useful! Not to mention the blood getting in the mechanics of it would have it gummed up in no time!
5:50 There are mechanical safeguards for this type of thing. Remember that people successfully carry guns in this world and most of the manage not to shoot themselves in the foot. It of course doesn't discount that its dangerous, it's just that you can manage the risks through _ENGINEERING_ .
I think the real advantage of a hidden blade wouldn't be for premeditated assassinations, but in the fact that it's always available. The ability to deploy a dagger in any situation by the flick of your wrist could save your life, like in the middle of a fight if it goes to grapling range. Like what Eivor does in the AC Valhalla Trailer.
Some things I'd like to add to the concelabilty and utility... 1. Its not supposed to replace a knife in fact its used in tandem with other weapon. For instance you can still equip daggers and stealth kill with said daggers. And in combat some of the finishers use the main weapon to bind/disarm or parry then deliver a surprisingly deadly strike. As well somethings that isn't directly mentioned in the games but I think would be a huge advantage with the fact that its hands free (much more apparent with the back hand variant.) But with how much at least this games in-universe assassins parkour is the ability to seamlessly transition to a bladed strike during a freedrun string. Now this is something I've actually kind of tested my self. But having a wrist mounted blade that can quickly retract is actually huge. It is actually quite difficult when jumping and climbing to sheath almost any weapon but then when mounted to the back of the forearm you might not even need to retract it sometimes.
And well yah should be obvious it isnt as good as a regular dagger. I mean even in game it usually has lower stats then the regular daggers. If it does have its spring loaded capabilities its parkour friendly ness and ability to suprise attack in grapple range I think are definitely its most powerful advantages.
As somebody who owns automatic knives and is familiar with the spring mechanisms the only thing I see being an issue is that blood would get into the mechanism gum it up.
This could be avoided by cleaning it after every use but doing so would require taking the whole thing apart because retracting the blade would get it all over the inside.
There truly is no danger of the blade retracting outside of the intended mechanism unless it is extremely poorly made.
As for accidentally retracting it with the intended mechanism I can't say for certain without knowing the exact mechanism but I highly doubt that would be a problem as these mechanisms would be using pretty strong springs and thus would put up a lot of resistance.
Also the mechanism almost definitely would not deploy the blade with enough force to cause lethal damage.
I could of course be wrong about all of this as I am only human. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
Do parkour or climb a building with a hidden blade vs dagger, see who wins.
Even if you lock the dagger, then you sacrifice draw time, hidden blade would be way faster. Not to mention you can draw it in mid-air!
Parkour plays the main role in game, hidden blade is safe for climbing, stealthy and extremely fast to deploy. *It does what it is designed for* the best, it has no competition in my opinion
I had a thought of the spring loaded dagger! Why have a spring?
Maybe instead of having a spring, it could be a "Drop out"/"Gravity Knife" blade!
Just drop the arm to release the blade and lock it, then release the lock raise the arm to hide the blade!
A big difference is that the blade in the games is part of a full bracelet, not just strapped on top. In some cases even the gloves come with the blade.
I think a big benefit is that they don't get in the way of doing parkour, rolling and you can unsheath them mid air or when both of your hands are occupied, without the trouble of reaching for it. Assassins are specialized on having the high ground.
For several games it is implied that cutting off the finger is mandatory, then in Origins the character learns first hand that you'll lose the finger anyway if you deploy the hidden blade with the wrong hand position.
They most likely used gravity fed that locks blade into place after lowering their arm, & after twisting the blade left would unlock it so it can be slid back in by raising their arm. *So here is the scenario unlock blade keeping arm up, walk to target & drop arm, blade slides out & locks into place, stab & twist towards the right opening the wound, & twist towards the left to release locked position on blade, pull blade out, raise arm & blade slides back into sleeve locking back into hidden position.* ...this is something I could design.
...otherwise if using springs I can picture the Assassin sneaks in & walks up to the target & all of a sudden everyone hears a spring clanking like opening a car hood from the 1960s, I think a few people would notice doubly so because of such a peculiar unusual noise.
...and you'd need a button on the device to release the blade if it gets stuck.