Phantom Blade

"The phantom blade. A modest little update from the traditional Assassin's Blade. Where you're going, you may not wish to get too close to your enemies."

―Honoré de Mirabeau to Arno Dorian, 1791.

Arno Dorian activating his Phantom Blade

The Phantom Blade is a modification to the Hidden Blade which consists of a miniaturized crossbow attached to the gauntlet. Pioneered and utilized by the French Brotherhood of Assassins, the projectile mechanism complements the Hidden Blade by providing the user with the ability to assassinate at range.

Design

Essentially a ranged counterpart to the Hidden Blade, the Phantom Blade is reminiscent to a crossbow which has been scaled down to fit underneath a wrist bracer. The assembly consists of a chamber within where the bolts are loaded and a retractable bow analogous to the prod of a crossbow. The limbs of the prod are connected to a central wheel around which they pivot and fold downward to maintain the device's inconspicuous appearance when not in use. Upon activation of the trigger mechanism, these limbs spring outward to instantly form a functional bow.

The schematics of a Phantom Blade

The Phantom Blade launches darts which are as deadly as bolts. Although it does not have the range of a pistol, the firing mechanism is virtually silent and unerringly swift. With the keen marksmanship of a fully trained Assassin, it can deliver instant death all the same while keeping the Assassin incognito. In this respect, it is much more viable for stealth operations than the earlier Hidden Gun used during the Renaissance which took longer to aim, fire, and reload as well as producing an audible bang.

The standard Phantom Blade serviced to French Assassins in the late 18th century carried only one bolt at a time, but it could be upgraded to hold two bolts per round. A variation of the Phantom Blade called the Berserk Blade loaded berserk darts instead and could be fit on the gauntlet alongside the Phantom Blade.

History

Early prototypes

"I ask if he can arm a crossbow bolt beneath my wrist. He ponders for a moment and declares it possible, but expensive."

―Francesco Vecellio asking Leonardo da Vinci to create the Hidden Bolt, c. 1502.

The earliest known weapon akin to a Phantom Blade was used by the Chinese Assassin Zhang Zhi during the Song dynasty. Zhang Zhi was especially proficient with the weapon and used it regularly during her training under the supervision of her Mentor, Kang. In August 1259, she infiltrated the camp of Möngke Khan, who was launching an attack on Diaoyu Castle. Zhang Zhi used her version of the Phantom Blade to silently take down two guards outside the Khan's tent before sneaking inside and ending her target's life.

Leonardo da Vinci making the Hidden Bolt

Around 1502, the Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci created an early prototype of the Phantom Blade termed the "Hidden Bolt" as a commissioned project for the Italian Assassin apprentice Francesco Vecellio. Because the Master Assassin Ezio Auditore deemed him unready to handle the Hidden Gun, Francesco had to ask Leonardo to invent a safer and stealthier alternative.

Age of Enlightenment

"It operates in the same way as the blade on your left arm. However... when you press that button, the device converts itself into a tiny crossbow! Then, simply aim at your rather unfortunate target and press the button once more... The resourceful man that you are, Mr. Kenway, I'm sure you'll find many uses for the contraption."

―Yun Pyeong-Gyu introducing the prototype Phantom Blade to Edward Kenway, 1725.

In 1725, while working for the Zhang Wei Union, the Korean engineer Yun Pyeong-Gyu created the first modern Phantom Blade for the British Assassin Edward Kenway during the latter's journey in Southeast Asia. Unlike later iterations of the weapon, this prototype was worn on the right arm and required Edward to manually launch the blade from the gauntlet by pressing a button twice: once to activate the crossbow mechanism, and a second time to fire the projectile.

Arno Dorian aiming his Phantom Blade

By the late 18th century, the Phantom Blade had become a standard for the French Assassins. On 19 January 1791, Arno Dorian received his first Phantom Blade from the Mentor Honoré de Mirabeau in recognition of his successful assassination of the Templar agent Charles Gabriel Sivert. Over the course of the French Revolution, he made frequent use of it in his missions, as did other Assassins who accompanied him. After October 1792, Arno had the weapon upgraded with a supplementary berserk bolt launcher and to hold an additional bolt.

Modern times

By 2016, the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center in Madrid, Spain, housed several Assassin weapons and artifacts, including a model of the Phantom Blade. During a prison break orchestrated by the complex's inmates, Nathan seized this Phantom Blade and turned it against the guards, killing one with a direct shot to the face.

Noa Kim taking aim with his Phantom Blade

In 2023, Edward Kenway's descendant Noa Kim acquired a replica of his Phantom Blade after interacting with a lantern-shaped Piece of Eden, which created a Synch Nexus between Noa and Edward. During his infiltration of the Yangon harbor, Noa used the Phantom Blade in conjunction with his stun bracer to dispatch all soldiers and Sigma Team operatives in his path, clearing the way for Shimazu Sei, Yuki, and Nathan Zhang. Later, he also used it to shoot an Abyss Walker who ambushed him and Nathan at their hideout on an uncharted island.

Prior to entering the Brahman 3.0 to relive Edward's memories in search of the Forgotten Temple, one of the Assassins accompanying Noa handed him Edward's original Phantom Blade to allow him to better synchronize with his ancestor. Noa subsequently kept the blade, wielding it alongside his replica.

Behind the scenes

The Phantom Blade debuted in the 2014 video game Assassin's Creed: Unity as the new variant of the Hidden Blade. It functions as the principal ranged assassination tool, allowing Arno Dorian to conduct low-profile assassinations from afar.

Gameplay

Players first receive the Phantom Blade in the memory "The Kingdom of Beggars" from Sequence 4. Initially, it can only fire one bolt before needing to be reloaded, but the skill Improved Phantom Blade can be purchased with Sync Points after sequence 9 to upgrade the weapon. With this skill, the player can fire two bolts before needing to reload; they also unlock the Berserk Blade.

The Improved Phantom Blade upgrade does not expand the player's ammunition capacity for the weapon, which is dependent on the bracer they have equipped rather than the belt, which determines the ammo capacity for all other tools. The starting bracer, Arno's Original Bracers, nominally only allows room for 5 bolts, and this sets the maximum number that can be purchased from stores at one time. However, this number is actually the amount Arno can carry on his person prior to loading the Phantom Blade. Therefore, by loading one bolt into the Phantom Blade, he creates space for an additional bolt to be purchased from the store. The default number of bolts a player can carry is therefore 6 and not 5 as the game's interface would indicate.

The Improved Phantom Blade upgrade does not double this capacity to 12 bolts since it only doubles the loading space of the weapon's chamber. With the basic bracer and this upgrade, the maximum bolts a player can carry is therefore 7, with 5 on Arno's person and 2 loaded into the launcher. The way to expand the ammo capacity for the Phantom Blade, as well as the Berserk Blade, is to use certain higher-level bracers. This ranges from a non-upgraded Handmade Napoleonic Bracer, which provides only 1 additional Phantom Blade bolt, to an upgraded Legendary Military Bracer, which provides an additional 7 Phantom Blade bolts for a total of 14 bolts, alongside 7 additional Berserk Blade bolts. Not every high-level bracer provides a bonus to this capacity, however: the Prowler, Sans-culottes Bracer, Napoleonic, Brigand, and Military lines do, but the Medieval, Phantom, and Musketeer lines do not.

Gallery

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  Concept art of the Phantom Blade
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  Promotional art of Arno Dorian using the Phantom Blade
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  Yun Pyeong-Gyu holding Edward Kenway's prototype Phantom Blade
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  Edward activating his Phantom Blade
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  Edward using the Phantom Blade
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  Close-up of Edward's Phantom Blade
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  Edward's Phantom Blade within its bracer
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  Edward firing his Phantom Blade at a target

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (as the "Hidden Bolt")
• Assassin's Creed: Unity (first appearance)
  • Dead Kings
• Assassin's Creed film
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
• Assassin's Creed: Last Descendants – Tomb of the Khan
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple