The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

You all know by now that I'm a big fan of air to assassinate. Ubisoft must have rushed it in at the last minute because both they and Prima failed to document how to do it. Whenever someone on the internet asks for help, at least one well intentioned player comes to their aid with advice like, "Jump at your target and hit the attack button when you get close." That's what I call a "jump assassinate" (or "stunt assassinate" if the fall is high enough to cause partial desynchronization). Air to assassinate is actually easier and more reliable. The problem with jump assassinate is you have to judge where you will land and make sure it's close to the target. I usually end up jumping way over the target's head.

SPOILER ALERT: This is a walkthrough for the assassination of Robert de Sable, the ninth target. If you haven't completed that mission yet, I recommend you turn back now.

Let's do this one in total stealth fashion like we did Abu'l Nuqoud. Get in, assassinate Sibrand, and get out of the docks area, all without ever becoming Exposed (flashing yellow or red icon). I'll throw in a mini air to assassinate because I can't help myself.

Use these videos in conjuction with a map to quickly collect all Sarecen flags in Damascus, Rich District.

http://www.assassinscreed-maps.com/DamascusRich.htm

Use this video in conjuction with a map to quickly collect all 34 Saracen flags in Damascus, Middle District.

http://www.assassinscreed-maps.com/DamascusMiddle.htm

The video starts at the Informer near the south city gate. This video was shot in one continuous take. The flags were not collected in numerical order. Here is an abbreviated table of contents in case you are looking for a specific flag or Templar:

Use this video in conjuction with a map to quickly collect all 33 Saracen flags in Damascus, Poor District.

http://www.assassinscreed-maps.com/DamascusPoor.htm

The video starts next to flag 30, over the eastern town crier. This video was shot in one continuous take. The flags were not collected in numerical order. Here is an abbreviated table of contents in case you are looking for a specific flag or Templar:

This is the only way I know how to assassinate Majd Addin while remaining Anonymous both before and after the kill. The strategy is based on a new exploit I found, which I call the "broken timeline exploit."

I have no idea what Jubair Al Hakim is doing in Memory Block 5 and not, say, Memory Block 3. In my opinion he's second only to Tamir in terms of being easy to assassinate. If you still haven't got your "Blade in the Crowd" achievement this may be your last opportunity, so follow the advice below under ASSASSINATION. If you're looking for some excitement, follow the HUNT section wherein I try to make something interesting happen.

I saved William de Montferrat for last in Memory Block 4 because many players like to use Throwing Knives on this mission and Altaïr can carry 10 at a time if he's already finished off Abu'l Nuqoud and Majd Addin.

The Montferrat assassination seems to be Ubisoft's crown jewel of ASSASSIN'S CREED. It was the one they would always show in pre-release demos, so it must have been the first one that they developed. As such it feels more polished than some of the other missions. In fact, I think they added air to assassinate late in the development cycle and simultaneously placed a scaffold next to William.

You know the trailer that plays when you first load ASSASSIN'S CREED where Altaïr executes the executioner? Some have complained that the scene never occurs during actual gameplay. Well, it sort of does. Majd Addin holds a public execution on a stage in Jerusalem. The degree to which his assassination resembles the one in the trailer is up to you.