Long Bladed Weapons
Swords and Maces were weapons used by military units, guards, and members of the Assassin Order to engage in open combat against armed opponents, and usually acted as primary weapons alongside a short blade or pistol. Swords could be either one or two-handed, though the latter was mostly classified as a heavy weapon.
Swords and maces both had a long reach, great power, and a quick attack rate, though not as much as long weapons, heavy weapons or short blades, respectively. As such, they could be seen as the most balanced weapons available. Aside from attack, a sword or mace could also be used to block or counter an enemy, or break through their defense. They were also the only weapons that could be used from horseback. |
Short Blade Weapons
Short blades could strike more quickly than medium weapons, which made them ideal for dispatching large numbers of low-ranked enemies. However, as an
enemy's rank increased, the short blade's effectiveness diminished, due to the higher quality armor that they used. For Altaïr, the special, close-ranged attack of most short blades could only be performed from behind, and took the form of slitting an enemy's throat, or stabbing them in the shoulder or the back, which would always result in an instant kill. When used with the short blade, Altaïr could throw a single throwing knife mid-combat. Similarly, Ezio could dual-wield the short blade with throwing knives, and could throw multiple throwing knives at once. |