Sniper

Snipers, also known as watchers,^[1]^[2] gunners,^[3]^[4] or riflemen,^[5]^[6] are specially trained soldiers who engage targets from afar using rifles or other types of long-range firearms. In this capacity, they are a successor to the archers that had been used by most militaries throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages, and the crossbowmen and arquebusiers of the Renaissance.

History[edit | edit source]

18th century[edit | edit source]

During the Golden Age of Piracy, snipers were stationed on rooftops, plantations, and ships throughout the Caribbean, guarding the area from above and providing ranged support to their fellow soldiers. They were equipped with muskets that took a long time to reload but compensated for it through their damage output and precision. However, Edward Kenway could easily counter their attacks by using soldiers as human shields or by shooting the snipers with berserk darts to make them turn on their allies. Alternatively, Edward could try approaching and engaging the snipers up-close, since they were not highly skilled fighters and struggled to defend against his attacks.^[3]

On the other side of the planet, in Southeast Asia, riflemen were also used by certain factions, such as the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company.^[7]^[6] The Shimazu clan employed ninja who specialized in the use of muskets to act as snipers, with one such ninja being encountered by Edward and Shimazu Saito during their infiltration of Sun's floating gambling hall. Fortunately, the sniper was taken out by John Young, who wielded a musket of his own, allowing Edward and Saito to proceed to the ship.^[8]

During the Seven Years' War, both the British and French Armies made regular use of snipers, who retained their equipment from the early 18th century. Most snipers were found inside military camps or aboard ships and would come to their fellow soldiers' aid in the event of an attack.^[4]

During the French Revolution, both the National Guard and the Extremists counted snipers among their ranks, who were typically assigned to defend high-value locations and positioned themselves on balconies and other high vantage points, from where they could observe their surroundings.^[1] The Templar known as the Roi des Thunes notably set up an ambush for the Assassin Arno Dorian using snipers when the latter infiltrated the Cour des Miracles to kill him,^[9] while another group of snipers beset Arno and Élise de la Serre as they were investigating François-Thomas Germain's workshop.^[10]

19th century[edit | edit source]

In 1841, during his quest to recover the Koh-i-Noor and the Precursor box from the British Templars, the Indian Assassin Arbaaz Mir encountered several snipers of the East India Company. Armed with repeater rifles, these elite soldiers could unleash a multi-shot volley in a single attack, as well as use their rifles to block melee attacks.^[11]

The Blighters, a Templar-affiliated gang that controlled London's underworld during the mid-19th century, counted several snipers among their ranks. They typically guarded important locations such as factories and gang hideouts, where they would call for reinforcements if they spotted intruders.^[2]

In 1868, a sniper was sent to assassinate Herbert, a spy working for the Earl of Cardigan, before he could be interrogated by the British Assassin Jacob Frye. Although successful in her mission, the sniper was caught by Jacob as she tried to escape and told him about a plot to kill Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli to save herself.^[12] Later that year, Grand Master Crawford Starrick devised a plan to eliminate Britain's heads of church and state during a party at Buckingham Palace using snipers disguised as members of the Royal Guard. However, the plot was foiled by Jacob, who identified and killed the snipers.^[13]

20th century[edit | edit source]

During the Russian Revolution, elite marksmen of the Red Army were equipped with Mosin Nagant 1891 rifles that maintained their accuracy even at long ranges, as well as gas masks that countered the effects of Nikolai Orelov's smoke bombs.^[14] The Russian Assassins also had their own marksmen who could unleash a volley of accurate fire at long ranges.^[15]

Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Snipers are an enemy archetype introduced in the 2013 video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and featured in several of the subsequent instalments of the series. They serve as the modern equivalent to previous ranged archetypes like archers and arquebusiers.