Edward Kenway's robes
Throughout his career as a pirate and later Assassin, Edward Kenway wore one notable set of robes, which suffered several modifications over the years, altering their appearance.
History[edit | edit source]
The robes originally belonged to the Assassin defector Duncan Walpole. Ownership of the uniform passed to Edward Kenway after he killed Walpole in 1715 while en route to join the West Indies Templars in Havana, Cuba.[1] Although Edward had initially stolen the robes to impersonate Walpole,[2] he continued wearing them after that ruse had blown, going as far as to heavily customize them with leather padding, holsters, and other protective gear so that they subsequently became his main outfit.[3]
The Assassins in Tulum were most displeased that a pirate had appropriated one of their uniforms as his own, particularly since Edward had endangered their lives by delivering Walpole's intel on their secret bases to the Templars for a reward during his impersonation.[4] The West Indies Brotherhood's Mentor Ah Tabai bluntly told him that he was "prancing about in a uniform he had not earned".[5]
However, Edward eventually had a change of character and relinquished his pirate life to join the Assassins in 1721. Having made amends by protecting them from the Templars,[6] thwarting the Order's plans for global surveillance with the Observatory,[7] and toppling the entire West Indies Rite,[8] the Assassins came to forgive Edward and welcome him as one of their own. By the time Edward finally sailed home to Great Britain, he was a full-fledged Assassin, having essentially grown into the robes.[9]
Edward continued wearing the outfit for several years afterwards, including on his travels to Southeast Asia in 1725.[10] During this time, a replica of the costume was made, to be worn by Edward's friend John Young while he served as the Assassin's decoy.[11][12] Following his retirement,[13] Edward abandoned the robes in favor of a dark blue noble coat,[14] and the outfit eventually came into the possession of the Colonial Assassins, who further modified it.[15] By 1773, the robes were owned by the Brotherhood's retired Mentor, Achilles Davenport, who passed them on to Edward's grandson Ratonhnhaké:ton upon his initiation.[16]
In the 21st century, the Templars' front company Abstergo Industries made digital models of the robes for Animus users' characters to wear while they participated in Abstergo Entertainment's Identity Project.[17]
Design[edit | edit source]
Duncan Walpole's robes[edit | edit source]
The basic design of the robes when Duncan Walpole wore them was blue with a white interior. It consisted of a white undershirt and a white hood, which was connected to the robes themselves. The torso displayed an open collar. The outfit also featured two white shoulder belts, one on the undershirt and the other on the outside of the robes, featuring an Assassin insignia near the right shoulder.[18]
The lower part of the robes were doubly layered and about equal in length. The waist featured a wide red sash fastened with a white belt, which held two pistol holsters and three pouches, the largest of which featured an Assassin insignia.[18]
Edward Kenway's robes[edit | edit source]
It was while onboard a ship in the Spanish Treasure Fleet that Edward first heavily modified Duncan Walpole's robes in order to better suit his style and needs.[3]
The robes retained the white hood and now included leather padding and metal bracers. They also featured blue lining along the torso and a brown shoulder belt, which held two pistol holsters at the front. The wide red sash was retained and was fastened by a loose hanging belt, which held two pistol holsters. The lower portion of his robes also included white trousers and black boots.[18]
Statistics (Animus mod)[edit | edit source]
| Quality | Item Level | Level required | Item Power | Armor | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect | 30 | 1 | 332 | 200 | Purchase the Legacy Bundle: Edward Kenway in Bundles Shop |
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
These Assassin robes are the default and main outfit of Edward Kenway, the protagonist of the video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013), although he is not an Assassin throughout much of the story. The outfit is notable in that it was the first departure from the usual beaked hood style of previous Assassin protagonists.
In the game's story, the robes are stolen off the corpse of the Assassin defector Duncan Walpole in the opening act. Initially, they do not closely resemble the design of Edward's outfit as depicted in marketing material. It is only after the player progressively upgrades the outfit by crafting pieces of leather armour and holsters with materials acquired from hunting that the uniform begins to take on the iconic appearance of Edward's outfit. The colours of the robes are customizable by purchasing other designs which are presented as other outfits but are identical in appearance save for the colour scheme.
As with other legacy outfits, Edward's robes have been made available as a customization option in subsequent games, including Assassin's Creed: Rogue (2014), Assassin's Creed: Unity (2014), Assassin's Creed: Identity (2014), Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (2015), Assassin's Creed: Origins (2017), and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (2020). The outfit is also included in Assassin's Creed III Remastered (2019), although it is absent from the original Assassin's Creed III (2012) since it predates Black Flag.
In the Helix Rift Event Dead Men's Gold, added to Assassin's Creed: Rebellion in March 2020, Edward's character model is depicted with his Assassin robes, despite the events of Dead Men's Gold taking place in 1713, two years before Edward acquired the outfit from Duncan Walpole.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Edward's robes worn by a simulation of Ratonhnhaké:ton -
Edward's robes worn by a simulation of Shay Cormac -
Edward's robes worn by a simulation of Arno Dorian -
Edward's robes worn by a simulation of Jacob Frye -
Edward's robes worn by a simulation of Bayek
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed III (first appearance) (retroactive)
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Awakening (non-canon)
- Assassin's Creed: Memories
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Unity (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Identity (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Reflections
- Assassin's Creed: Origins (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (Animus mod)
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple
- Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game
References[edit | edit source]
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