Brute
Brutes were enemies in the Renaissance. They were essentially human tanks, wearing heavy, durable armor and carrying large, heavy weapons. They were the strongest guards in terms of combat difficulty, however, they moved very slowly due to the weight of their equipment and could thus be easily avoided.
They returned in Rome after the Siege of Monteriggioni with a reworked appearance, though they were now comparable in terms of difficulty to the Papal guards.
Combat
Brutes were tricky enemies to defeat due to the nature of their attacks, though they could still be dispatched with some tactics and skills.
Normal attacks
A Brute's normal attacks were blockable with any weapon, however they could not be countered with a short blade or any sheath-able weapon. A counter attack might have only been performed with another heavy weapon such as those the Brutes themselves carried, a long weapon (carried by Seekers), by a hidden blade or by Altair's sword (One can get this in Brotherhood by completing all the Assassin missions). The successful timing chance for the last, however, was notoriously small, as it was only a fraction of a second to make the move.
Brutes could also be countered with Fists, which disarmed the Brute, and left them open to a lethal, follow-up attack. The timing for the disarm was short, albeit slightly longer than that of the hidden blade counter.
Other than disarming or countering, a less risky (though more time consuming) tactic was to dodge the Brute's attacks and follow up with a combo of your own. When performed correctly, the combo would end with an execution. The maximum number of hits in a Brute combo was three.
Additionally, like all other enemies, a Brute was most easily dispatched by being assassinated either from above, or while undetected; with either the hidden blades, or a ranged weapon, such as the hidden gun or crossbow.
Special attacks
Neither of the Brute's special attacks could be blocked or countered, and were only evadable by striking preemptively, or by dodging. There were two variants of a Brute's special attacks.
Smash
The Brute took a strong downward swing with his weapon, knocking Ezio on his back and doing about as much damage as a normal attack. The Smash special attack took less time for a Brute to prepare (approximately one second) than a Disarm Smash special attack.
A Brute was about to perform a smash attack if he raised his weapon high above his head.
Disarm Smash
More forceful than Ezio's equivalent disarm ability, the Brute performed a Disarm Smash with a hard right-to-left swing with his weapon, breaking Ezio's guard. If Ezio was using a short blade, mace or sword, this move knocked it out of his hand. The attack did no damage, but as mentioned, it opened Ezio to attacks from other foes in the fight.
A Disarm Smash special attack could be predicted when a Brute holds his weapon out behind him.
Weaponry
| Name | Damage | Speed | Deflect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bastard Sword |
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| Bearded Axe |
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| Labrys |
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Intelligence, Agility, and Methods of Escape
Brutes were not highly intelligent and could be escaped once out of sight by blending or hiding. They were also neither agile nor quick, and could not free-run or climb. Thus, taking to the rooftops was an easy method of escape.
Ranking and Morale
Certain Brutes appeared to have a black-brown finish or trim on their armor plating, marking them as higher-ranked Brutes that were more resistant to Ezio's attacks, and had a higher morale than others.
Brutes, like certain other guards, had a very high morale (the highest morale of any guard). This meant that, unlike their allies, they would almost never run away, unless disarmed when they were alone. Killing a Brute caused the other guards accompanying him (particularly those with lower ranks) to flee.
Special Brutes
- Dante Moro carried a Bearded Axe with an enlarged head, and fought like a Brute, only with far more health and immunity from being disarmed (unless using the Heavy Weapon Disarm).
- Bartolomeo d'Alviano carried what appears to be a Bastard Sword (although the design and coloring of the handle differed from those carried by Brute guards), which he fondly called "Bianca." He behaved like a Brute in combat, only with far more health.
- Francesco Salviati carried an Axe with him when in his villa and fought like a Brute.
- The Mercenaries also fought like Brutes and carried similar weapons.
- The Templar Spy from during Ezio's trip to Spain used the model of a Brute.
- Some Papal Guards, when equipped with a heavy weapon, would fight like Brutes.
- Auguste Oberlin (the Blacksmith) fought like a Brute when Desmond viewed Ezio's memories.
Trivia
- Ezio has special taunts that are specific to Brutes. If a Brute is targeted and taunted, Ezio use a variety of taunts which insult their weight like:
"Can you even hear me in there metal man!?",
"Well you're certainly well fed!"
"Diarrhea gotten stuck? Try leeches."
"That looks heavy!"
"Fatti sotto, porco! (Come on, pig!)"
"Ehi, grassone! (Hey, fatty!)"
- In Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Brutes are rarer and harder to disarm than in Assassin's Creed II.
- In the Cristina missions in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, the brutes have French flags pinned to their armor.
- In the mission Infrequent Flier, during the cutscene where Ezio abandons a burning Flying Machine, you can see a Brute and a Seeker on the roof of the Palazzo Ducale. Strangely, these are the only two guards that can't Free-Run or climb.
- When using the throwing knife special attack, Brutes can be killed with one knife, despite their armour.
- During the time between preparing and launching his special attack, the brute can have his guard broken by simply attacking him, attacking once more will instantly kill the brute.
Gallery
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Concept art of a Brute. -
Ezio fighting a Brute in Venice.
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A Brute with two other guards.
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Ezio fighting a Brute on a rooftop.
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A Brute with a reworked appearance.
