Short blade
The Short Blade is a short, curved blade that is a smaller and a more agile weapon than the sword. The Short Blade trades power and reach for a faster swing rate. The Animus, in its hints and tips given to the player, recommends the Short Blade for killing off large numbers of enemies.
Assassin's Creed
In Assassin's Creed, the short blade is first available after Altaïr has reached Rank 3. Like the Sword, Altaïr's Short Blade increases in quality and power with his rank. Altaïr carries the short blade on his back with the handle facing down.
The short blade is much faster than the longsword, making it ideal for dispatching large numbers of low-ranked enemies. However, as an enemy's rank increases, the short blade's effectivness diminishes due to the higher quality armor used by high level enemies. The short blade seems intended as a fallback weapon when using the throwing knives. If an enemy gets too close, Altaïr can fend off the enemy long enough to switch to his more powerful longsword.
While the Short Blade is selected, the player can also use throwing knives by holding down the modifier key and pressing the weapon hand key (
on Playstation 3, X on Xbox 360, Left Mouse Button for PC default layout).
Outside of a few characters in cutscenes, Altaïr is the only person in Assassin's Creed to use a short blade. All other NPCs use long blades.
Assassin's Creed II
Ezio can carry a short blade in addition to his sword. Various short blades can be purchased at blacksmith shops with unique speed, damage and deflection properties. Unlike Altaïr, he won't carry it on his back, but next to his primary weapon. The special attack of most short blades can only be performed from behind, and takes the form of slitting their neck, and stabbing them in the shoulder or the back, which will always result in an instant kill.
It should be interesting to note that the last-tier Short Blade in Assassin's Creed resembles the Sultan's Knife, meaning that in Assassin's Creed it is the most powerful, but in Assassin's Creed II the most powerful Short Blade is the Notched Cinquedea. This is a contrast to the Sword as a Western Short Blade is the most powerful in-game; but Altaïr's Sword, which is made in the Middle East is the most powerful Sword in-game.
Another interesting note is that while Ezio is not the only person in the game to wield short blades (Thieves , Courtesans , Agiles , and certain other NPCs have them as well,) he is the only person in the game to hold his short blade in an Icepick Grip, just like Altaïr. All other short blade users wield theirs blade-up in combat. A few characters use an Icepick Grip on shortblades during cutscenes (IE when Francesco de' Pazzi stabs Giuliano de' Medici, he does so using an icepick grip.) Outside of cutscenes however, no one else besides Ezio holds their weapon this way.
Statistics
| Name | Damage | Speed | Deflect | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dagger | 1 | 1 | 2 | 500 ƒ |
| Knife | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1,300 ƒ |
| Stiletto | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2,200 ƒ |
| Channeled Cinquedea | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4,100 ƒ |
| Dark Oracle's Bone Dagger | 2 | 4 | 4 | N/A |
| Sultan's Knife | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4,300 ƒ |
| Butcher Knife | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6,400 ƒ |
| Notched Cinquedea | 5 | 5 | 4 |
9,500 ƒ |
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