Zipline

"When he tires of running, an Assassin must take to the air."

―Yusuf Tazim, to Ezio Auditore, 1511.

Ezio Auditore da Firenze using a zipline in Constantinople

Ziplines were ropes stretched between two structures that, when used in conjunction with a Hookblade, allowed an Assassin to quickly navigate the city or attack an enemy from above.

Usage

Assassins were trained to use ziplines as an improvised form of transportation, supplementing the usual freerunning they performed across cities. When equipped with a tool that allowed the Assassin to anchor themselves onto the line, such as a hookblade, the Assassin could slide across it, expediting their travel between rooftops.

The speed of travel across a zipline could be controlled based on the position of the user. Tucking one's limbs, thus lessening drag, could permit one to slide along the line more quickly. For the obvious reason of gravity, it was not possible to slide up a zipline, and Assassins were forced to climb along it should they mean to move upwards.

An Assassin could also use a zipline for an offensive advantage, dropping from them to perform air assassinations on enemies. Additionally, should an enemy be standing at the end of a zipline, an Assassin could use the momentum of traveling along the line to kill them or knock them down.

History

Constantinople

As they were common around Constantinople, ziplines were often used by the Ottoman Assassins. Upon establishing Assassin Dens in certain districts, they would set up more ziplines in the area to allow faster navigation. Knowing this, Byzantines would attempt to destroy the ziplines whenever they captured any dens.

American Colonies

• Shortly before the American Revolution, the Assassin Ratonhnhaké:ton used a variant of the zipline to infiltrate Fort Wolcott, employing his tomahawk as a pulley.

London

During the 19th century, the Templar Blighters gang leader Rexford Kaylock of Whitechapel, London possessed a rope launcher pistol that fired grappling hooks. As the launcher was also equipped with a pulley, the device essentially created makeshift ziplines, which Rexford used to access rooftops quickly.

In 1868, the British Assassins Jacob and Evie Frye defeated the Whitechapel Blighters, killing Rexford and retrieving the grappling hook pistol in the process. Their friend, the inventor Alexander Graham Bell, modified the mechanism for it to be attached to their bracers. Due to the wide streets of London, the rope launchers proved incredibly convenient for the Frye twins; the ability to deploy ziplines whenever they wished facilitated faster travel across the metropolis.

Jacob's granddaughter, Lydia Frye, also equipped the device, employing it during her time in London fifty years later.

Trivia

• In Assassin's Creed: Revelations:
  • Ziplines can be boarded along any point in the line.
  • Parachuting onto a zipline is required to unlock the "Show Off" achievement.
  • On rare occasions, Byzantines can still be seen trying to destroy ziplines, even if Constantinople is completely under Assassin control.
  • The higher post of most ziplines has the Assassin insignia and a white flag at the top..
• In Assassin's Creed III, during the scene where Connor uses a tomahawk as a pulley on a zipline to infiltrate Fort Wolcott, if he has a knife is equipped instead, the animation doesn't change, and the knife seems to stick to the side of the rope.

Gallery

• 
  Yusuf using a zipline
• 
  Ezio using a zipline beneath the Galata Tower
• 
  A zipline in the Golden Horn
• 
  Connor ziplining in Fort Wolcott