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Dual-wielding
Dual-wielding is an advanced form of combat, wherein one uses a pair of weapons in conjunction with one another. This is often to allow an easy shift between long and short-ranged attacks.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
Classical antiquity[edit | edit source]
During the Peloponnesian War, the misthios Kassandra often dual-wielded her Spear of Leonidas alongside a short blade or a sword.[2] Generations later, Kassandra's descendant[3] and the Egyptian Hidden Ones' co-founder Aya dual-wielded twin blades, which she used during her quest for vengeance against the Order of the Ancients.[4]
Middle Ages[edit | edit source]
In the 860s, the Alamut Hidden One Basim ibn Ishaq wielded a sword and parrying dagger and fought against the Shakiriyya, elite guards of the Abbasid Caliphate who also dual-wielded swords and daggers.[5] A decade later, an older Basim restricted himself to using just a sword, but he met the Viking Eivor Varinsdottir, who often used two axes in combat against Anglo-Saxons and other Norsefolk.[6]
In the High Middle Ages, most Levantine Assassins like Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad would only dual-wield throwing knives alongside a short blade.[7] Unlike most of Altaïr's assigned Levantine Templar targets, the twin brothers Shahar and Shalim were adept at using rapiers and a parrying dagger in combat, though their skill could not save them from his superior swordsmanship.[8]
During the Renaissance, the Italian Asssassin Ezio Auditore and his Assassin apprentices were able to dual-wield multiple combinations of weapons. Other than the throwing knives and short blade pair, Ezio could wield the Hidden Gun with any primary, medium-ranged weapon—such as swords and blunt weapons—and poison darts with the Poison Blade. His recruits wielded their Hidden Gun with almost any other weapon.[9] While in Constantinople, Ezio could also dual-wield a variety of bombs with his primary weapon.[10]
In Sengoku period Japan, the shinobi Fujibayashi Naoe could dual-wield her Pivot Blade and a tantō, or use any of her tools alongside her katana or kusarigama. Naoe's ally, the samurai Yasuke, could similarly wield a combination of any two weapons between his long katana, naginata, kanabō, bow, and teppō. They regularly made use of the skill after joining the Kakushiba ikki, but it was not exclusive to their group,[11] as many samurai and rōnin of this time were known to use paired katanas, including the Japanese Templar Kimura Kei[12] and his daughter Yukari.[13] Portuguese sailors also commonly wielded pistols alongside their swords, as did the Templars Duarte de Melo,[14] Nuno Caro,[15] and Gaspar.[16]
Early modern period[edit | edit source]
In the early 18th century, the pirate and later British Assassin Edward Kenway dual-wielded Hidden Blades, two swords, rope darts, and multiple pistols.[17] His former quartermaster and later Caribbean Assassin Adéwalé would learn this skill and use it to great effect assisting the Maroon rebellion, wielding such weapons as swords, pistols, axes, machetes, and a blowpipe,[18] and maintained this ability until the end of his life.[19]
During Edward's later travels in Southeast Asia, the Korean engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu modified his right HIdden Blade and turned it into a Phantom Blade that could fire silent projectiles.[20] Consequently, Edward wielded his Phantom Blade alongside other weapons, primarily his swords.[21] Edward also met and allied with the samurai and former Japanese Templar Shimazu Saito, who could wield two katanas.[22]
During the Seven Years' War, the Colonial Assassin Shay Cormac dual-wielded a sword and a dagger, a trait he upheld upon defecting to the Colonial Templars.[23] He was not the only member able to do this, as Edward's son and the Rite's ranking Grand Master, Haytham Kenway, was also proficient in pairing his sword with a flintlock pistol or his own Hidden Blades.[24]
In the subsequent American Revolutionary War, both Haytham and his son, the Assassin Connor, dual-wielded their weapons in combat, though unlike Haytham, Connor possessed a large collection of swords, tomahawks, and various other weaponry to use. Accompanying this, he could use his left Hidden Blade with almost any other weapon, utilizing its pivot attachment for it to function as a dagger. He also carried two flintlock pistols, some of which possessed the capacity to fire multiple shots.[24]
Connor's fellow Assassin Aveline de Grandpré, a member of the Louisiana Brotherhood in New Orleans, similarly dual-wielded various weapons in combat. These included firearms, swords, knives, a machete, and her Hidden Blades, as well as more unconventional weapons like a whip and a blowpipe.[25]
Throughout the French Revolution, the French Assassin Arno Dorian frequently dual-wielded his Phantom Blade with various swords and firearms at his disposal.[26] He continued operating in this fashion in the immediate years after the revolution while on a personal sabbatical in Saint-Denis.[27]
During the Industrial Revolution, Jacob and Evie Frye, twin British Assassins operating in London, were not known to dual-wield their weapons, which included cane-swords, brass knuckles, and kukris. However, they could freely make use of their firearms, as well as tools like voltaic bombs, during fights, and would occasionally activate their Hidden Blades in the midst of combat to surprise and injure their opponents.[28]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
While dual-wielding is a common practice employed by many of the playable characters in the Assassin's Creed series, only a few enemies, such as Papal Guards, Cesare Borgia,[9] and the Janissaries,[10] were able to dual-wield, typically using a pistol alongside a longsword. Officers and Jägers would also dual-wield weapons in a similar manner.[24]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad using a short blade and throwing knife -
Edward Kenway using two swords -
Shimazu Saito wielding two swords -
Shay Cormac using a sword and short blade -
Aveline de Grandpré using a Hidden Blade and a machete -
Connor dual-wielding his pistol and tomahawk -
Connor fighting Redcoats with his pistol and tomahawk -
Arno Dorian holding a cutlass and firing his Phantom Blade
References[edit | edit source]
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