Crossbow

2015-01-27T04:51:48Z

82.178.146.220: /* High Middle Ages */

{{Era|ACAC|ACB|ACR}}
{{WP-REAL}}
{{Quote|It's very compact and light. [...] The advantage it has over a gun is that it's more or less silent.|[[Leonardo da Vinci]], regarding his crossbow.|Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (novel)}}
[[File:ACB crossbow.png|250px|right|thumb|The Roman crossbow]]
The '''crossbow''' is a long-ranged weapon, consisting of a bow mounted on a stock, which shoots arrow bolts. It can also be used in defensive close-quarters combat.

Unlike the [[Bow|longbow]], crossbows can be aimed and fired with a single hand.

==History==
===High Middle Ages===
Nikelesh Perera used a standard crossbow, despite its usage being uncommon in Europe and the Middle East during the time of the [[Third Crusade]].<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed (mobile game)]]''</ref>

===Renaissance===
The crossbow was a ranged weapon that [[Ezio Auditore da Firenze]] could purchase for 12,800 florins, at any of the [[blacksmiths]] in [[Rome]]. After purchasing the weapon, the carrying capacity of the bolts could be upgraded through the purchase of larger quivers from [[Tailors|tailor]] shops.<ref name="Brotherhood">''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''</ref>

Each crossbow quiver increased the maximum number of bolts carried by increments of five, with the starting number of bolts as fifteen with the maximum number available being twenty-five.<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

However, the largest crossbow quiver could not be purchased, and required the completion of the "[[Shop quests|Pulling Threads]]" shop quest for the tailor of [[Tiber Island]].<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

==Usage==
===Stealth===
Although it lacked the firepower of the [[Hidden Gun]], the crossbow allowed for long-range kills that did not draw attention. It was easier to aim, was virtually inaudible when fired and could be used in a variety of acrobatic positions.<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

Unlike the Hidden Gun, which alerted any nearby [[guards]] the moment it was fired, the crossbow only called attention to Ezio if the eliminated target was discovered by fellow guards.<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

===Combat===
Alongside its stealth capabilities, the crossbow could be used in open combat. In battle, it could be fired at close range, and could be used to counter an enemy's attack. When fired at point blank, the crossbow would kill the targeted enemy immediately, but the user would be forced to spend a few seconds reloading the weapon.<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

[[Crossbowmen]] and heavy [[horsemen]] used the crossbow in battle, both from close and long range. Ezio could also use the crossbow to defend against charging horsemen, by blocking them with the crossbow stock.<ref name="Brotherhood"/>

==Trivia==
*A crossbow was planned to be one of Altaïr's weapons in early designs of ''[[Assassin's Creed]]'', but it was removed from the final game due to historical inaccuracies. The crossbow did, however, feature in the E3 trailer and the game's video introduction, showing that it was removed from the game at quite a late date.
*Despite historical inaccuracies, the crossbow was featured in [[The Mentor's Keeper|the first]] of Altaïr's [[Memory Seals|recorded memories]] ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' as the weapon used by [[Haras]] to kill Assassin hostages. Several Templar crossbowmen were also present in the memory.
*The crossbow was featured in the mobile version of ''Assassin's Creed'', a historical mistake by the developers. The crossbow could be used to kill enemies at a safe distance, to trigger gear mechanisms, or to shoot down flame-holders to light torches. The ammunition of the weapon could be refilled by walking into a weapon recharge point.
*In an E3 conference trailer, and in certain pre-release images, Ezio was seen equipped with a different crossbow to the one in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood]]''. This particular crossbow had the same design as the ones used by crossbowmen.
*Sometimes, when Ezio performed one of the possible counterattacks with the crossbow, the firing sound would not occur.
*During the [[Animus]] [[Memory Corridor|loading screen]], if Ezio drew his crossbow, a single crossbow bolt could be found lying on the ground, though it disappeared when the crossbow was put away.
*When performing certain actions with the crossbow, Ezio's upper body did not move at all. This gave Ezio an unnatural appearance when running, as his entire upper body was completely still while performing any action.
*In ''Assassin's Creed: Revelations'', it took more than one crossbow bolt for Ezio to kill a [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine]] [[Almogavars|Almogavar]] or an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Janissaries|Janissary]]; despite a shot performed by an Assassin [[Apprentices|apprentice]] killing them instantly.

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" spacing="small" widths="180">
Leaving Masyaf.jpg|Concept art of Ezio equipped with the crossbow
ACB crossbow wallpaper.jpg|Promotional image of Ezio with a crossbow
Constantinople Crossbow.png|An Ottoman crossbow
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACB}}
{{ACR}}
[[Category:Weapons]]

Assassin's Creed Wiki - User contributions [en-gb]

Crossbow