Hidden Gun
- "It seems to be a kind of...arma da fuoco - but as small as a hummingbird!"
- ―Leonardo da Vinci
The Hidden Gun is one of the expansions of the Hidden Blade invented by Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad using the Apple of Eden. After discovering the design for it on one of the Codex Pages, Leonardo da Vinci managed to craft one for Ezio Auditore in Assassin's Creed II. It consists of a small firearm with a very short barrel attached to the bottom of a Hidden Blade that, if aimed properly, can kill a target from a distance. It is unlocked right after you finish Sequence Eight. The weapon will return in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood in both single and multiplayer.
Usage
The Hidden Gun provides the deadly effectiveness of the Hidden Blade, but at long range. Though an excellent weapon for assassination from afar, it will give away the player's position immediately after firing by creating a loud noise that will alert any guards within the area. The hidden gun takes about a second and a half to fully aim, though it can be fired before it is fully aimed. Firing immediately without aiming is not advised as even at close range the hidden gun still misses more than it hits. At long range it is a must to fully aim at the desired target because otherwise it will miss. Still it is possible to quickly switch to the pistol during a battle, take a random shot from as close as possible to the enemy, get a kill and resume fighting. Though this has its disadvantages, it can be used to quickly eliminate enemies without counter-kills. Also it can be used to kill enemies who don't seem like they will attack any time soon. It should be noted that aiming the Hidden Gun within guards' lines of sight will make them suspicious of the player. Against a few guards, aiming the gun for more than several seconds will also cause the group to lose morale and eventually flee, though this tactic will not be successful on Brutes.
The Hidden Gun does not kill in a single shot during the battles with either Dante Moro and or Rodrigo Borgia, though it is just as effective as usual when the player is required to assassinate them. The Hidden Gun and Throwing Knives are disabled in the Secret Locations that require the player to chase an Agile, as said weapons would allow the player to kill the Agile before the intended time in the course, and would eliminate the entire chase altogether.
Ammunition is quite expensive for the hidden gun, as one bullet costs 175 florins (149 florins in Monteriggioni), which is 3 and a half times the cost of a throwing knife, and only 6 bullets may be carried at one time. However, bullets may be obtained by looting dead soldiers. This makes looting bodies a viable way to stock up on ammunition, especially if one is far away from a blacksmith or out of florins.
Trivia
- Altaïr is the true designer of the Hidden Gun, as Leonardo just decodes his Codex. Altaïr claims that he has invented a smaller version of the weapon his neighbors from the East have, using knowledge from the Apple of Eden. This provides an example of the apple's malevolence; it provided the information he asked for and helped him make a smaller weapon, but provided no information to improve the weapon further, such as for rifles.
- Every time the Hidden Gun is fired, a dog can be heard barking. Though not a surprise as dogs tend to bark at loud noises, no dogs are seen or mentioned in the game.
- Ammunition can be found as an item when searching the bodies of deceased guards despite the fact that they do not carry a firearm.
- The design and physical appearance of the Hidden Gun is similar to the concept of a Pistol Sword, only applied to the Hidden Blade instead.
- In Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines when you connect your PSP to a PS3, you will obtain a variant of the Hidden Gun that fires Throwing Knives instead of lead bullets.
- In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood the Hidden Gun will have the ability to fire poisoned projectiles, such as Poison Darts, by selecting the Poison Blade on the weapon wheel. In doing this, Ezio can aim the Hidden Gun and fire a poisoned dart at the targeted person.
- It is also a multiplayer ability for the multiplayer characters to use.
- In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Ezio will aim the Hidden Gun much faster than in Assassin's Creed II, due to him having much better skill with the weapon now.
- An ammo upgrade can be obtained from Uplay in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, increasing the total capacity to 10.
Gallery
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Concept art of the Hidden Gun.
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Hidden Gun shown in the inventory menu of the Animus 2.0.
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Bullet of the Hidden Gun with the Assassins' symbol on the end of it. -
Ezio aiming the hidden gun.
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In "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" the hidden gun is used alongside the sword in combat.
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Ezio Auditore da Firenze finishing a guard in Rome with the hidden gun.
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In the multiplayer for Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the hidden gun is an unlockable ability.
