Hidden Gun

"It seems to be a kind of – arma da fuoco – but as small as a hummingbird!"

―Leonardo da Vinci, regarding the Hidden Gun's design, 1486.

The Hidden Gun

The Hidden Gun, also referred to as the Pistol, was one of the innovations for the Hidden Blade, consisting of a small firearm with a very short barrel. Though it was an excellent weapon for assassination from afar, it would give away its user immediately after firing, due to its loud discharge and smoke.

The weapon was invented by the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, through knowledge gained from an Apple of Eden. From there, after discovering the design schematics for the Hidden Gun in one of Altaïr's Codex pages, Leonardo da Vinci managed to craft the weapon for the use of Ezio Auditore da Firenze.

History

"We have found a way to alter the structure of the hidden blade so that it can be used to launch small projectiles. It is capable of grievous damage – even from great distance."

―Altaïr's Codex, page 28.

The Hidden Gun design from the Codex

In the early 13th century, during his experimentation with the Apple of Eden, the Mentor of the Levantine Assassins, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, was able to miniaturize the design of a standard firearm into a "fiery weapon" small enough to be concealed on the wrist. However, ammunition for the Hidden Gun was scarce, so he went on to refine a combustible powder that could be manufactured from common ingredients.

The first known time that Altaïr made use of the Hidden Gun was in Masyaf, after his return from exile. There, he spoke briefly to Abbas Sofian of the things he had learned from the Apple, "Of life and death, of the past and the future." After stating that he would show him, Altaïr shot Abbas with the Hidden Gun, resulting in the latter's death.

Altaïr later recorded his designs in his personal journal, which eventually came to be known as the Codex. After Leonardo da Vinci translated the page with the Hidden Gun's design, he created the weapon for use by Ezio Auditore. Ezio went on to notably use it during the assassination of Marco Barbarigo in Venice, masking the sound of the device with the fireworks of Carnevale, an annual festival that the Italian city held.

During the Renaissance, ammunition was easier to come by, and could be looted from dead guards or purchased from any blacksmith, though they were relatively expensive. Ezio initially only carried six bullets at a time, though he could hold up to twelve after purchasing pouches from tailors.

In modern times, the Hidden Gun was one of the rendered abilities granted to the participants of Abstergo Industries' Animi Training Program, where the weapon could be used by the recruits in their training sessions.

Combat

The Hidden Gun took around a second and a half to completely aim, though it could be fired before a shot had been fully focused. However, firing immediately without aiming was not advisable, as even at close range, it was highly unlikely to result in a hit.

Ezio dual-wielding the Hidden Gun and a sword in combat

Aiming the Hidden Gun within guards' lines of sight would automatically make them suspicious, and when in combat against a small number of guards, aiming it for several seconds would cause the group to lose morale and eventually flee, though this tactic was ineffective against Brutes.

Some time before the siege of Monteriggioni in 1500, the aiming method of the Hidden Gun had been modified, no longer requiring a trigger pull to be fired. Though perfect aim was achieved much more quickly, the bullet could only be fired after Ezio had completely focused on a guard while using the weapon.

Ezio also gained the ability to dual-wield the Hidden Gun alongside a medium, primary weapon, such as a sword or warhammer. It allowed him to seamlessly switch between short and long ranged combat in battle, using the Hidden Gun with his left hand and a sword with his right.

Advancements

After reuniting with Leonardo da Vinci in Rome in 1502, Ezio was able to purchase an upgrade to his Hidden Gun that allowed him to fire small poison darts from it, in addition to bullets. These darts shared the effects of the Poison Blade, allowing him to quietly kill targets from a distance.

Ezio aiming the Hidden Gun in Constantinople

Around 1503, Leonardo also created an alternative to the Hidden Gun called the Hidden Bolt, which could fire small crossbow bolts instead of bullets. This modification was requested by an apprentice of Ezio, Francesco Vecellio, as Ezio had not allowed him to carry a Hidden Gun of his own.

By the time Ezio departed for his pilgrimage to Masyaf and Constantinople in 1511, the Hidden Gun had been modified further. It could be aimed and fired twice as fast, without the need to reload a bullet after each shot.

Over the years that he owned the Hidden Gun, Ezio also improved his own skill with using it. He eventually did not need both hands to align his shot, learning to dual-wield the Hidden Gun with several different weapons.

Trivia

General

• In real-life, Leonardo da Vinci is one of the individuals credited with the invention of the wheellock mechanism, a development dated to around 1500. He designed some of the first wheellock firearms around 1500. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood acknowledges this by having him forced to make a wheellock pistol for Cesare Borgia, who used it to execute Mario Auditore in 1500 and later had it mass-produced for his Papal Guards to use while fighting Ezio Auditore and his allies.
• Historically, muzzle-loading pistols the size of the Hidden Gun were a rarity. Real-life commercial equivalents of such were flintlock pocket pistols and they were often sized at five inches.
• Due to connectivity features with Assassin's Creed II, it is possible to obtain a variant of the Hidden Gun in Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines that fires throwing knives.

Assassin's Creed II

A bullet from the Hidden Gun with the Assassin insignia engraved into it

• The bullet that Ezio Auditore fires from his Hidden Gun in the Assassin's Creed II E3 trailer is marked with the Assassin insignia.
• Both the Hidden Gun and throwing knives are disabled in the secret locations which require Ezio to chase after Agile guards.
• When Ezio fires a shot, a dog can be heard crying in the distance, startled by the noise.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

• Ammunition can be found when looting the bodies of any deceased guards regardless of whether or not they are arquebusiers.
• Four additional bullet slots (for a total of ten) can be purchased for 30 Units on Uplay.
• The sound of the Hidden Gun more closely resembles that of a musket, rather than the cannon-like sound in Assassin's Creed II.
  • Despite this, the Assassin apprentices' Hidden Guns used the same firing sound heard in Assassin's Creed II.
• The apprentices' Hidden Guns are less powerful than that of Ezio, taking up to four shots to kill a guard.
• When firing the Hidden Gun in the Memory Corridor, no sound can be heard and the flash is greater than normal.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations

• The default bullet pouch for the Hidden Gun can store up to ten bullets, but this capacity can be raised to a maximum of twelve with upgrades.

Gallery

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  Concept art
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  The Hidden Gun's inventory icon
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  The Hidden Gun in the inventory screen
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  A close-up of the Hidden Gun on Ezio's bracer
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  Altaïr aiming the Hidden Gun at Abbas
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  Ezio firing his Hidden Gun
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  Ezio shooting a member of the Followers of Romulus
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  Ezio finishing a guard in Rome with the Hidden Gun
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  The Prowler using the Hidden Gun
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  The Vanguard firing the Hidden Gun at one of her targets

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Renaissance
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood novel
• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations novel