The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

Spirit quest? Peyote's been vetoed already by the devs, but I'm sure there are other psychotropics that could be used to justify some trippy platforming.

If these posts were edible, I'd be okay with you saying this so often.

I think it would be cool to see some modern inductions with Connor. I think Desmond's tattoo on his left forearm is how they're inducted these days. Maybe we'll see the beginnings of that when the Assassins take in Native American recruits. They might place a simple marking on their bodies with a body ink technique. Maybe?

The Desmond tattoo idea seems most likely.

But... Desmond's tattoo was entirely unrelated. He got it himself when he was on the run and thought that the Assassins were conspiracy theorists.

Anyways, I'm definitely interested to see what the more modern ceremony is like. From what we've heard, the assassins active in america come from britain, so I doubt a spirit quest will be part of it. I'd imagine it's more formal and less ritualistic.

Like Calvar just said, the assassin ceremony would most likely lean towards a more European tradition. Probably due to the fact that Connor was not raised as an Assassin and because he becomes one after his home gets invaded and after meeting up with George Washington...with the POE.

I doubt that Georgie is actually directly connected to the Assassins, and also that he even gets his hands on the apple till late in the story. I expect a non-historical character to lead the order, or at least a less obviously biased one.

Was this in the Lost Archive DLC or something? I remember the conspiracy theorists assumption, but not the tattoo.

Well he presumably had the tattoo since before his abduction in AC1... and I doubt that Rebecca gave him it while he was using the animus in the back of a moving truck. So I think it's safe to say it had nothing to do with joining the assassins, and was beneath his sleeve all of AC1-2. Seriously, if they gave him the tattoo as a requirement for joining, #1, wouldn't the rest of them need it, #2, wouldn't it be more noticable than Altair and Ezio's mark, and thus impractical and #3, wouldn't they have at least mentioned the fact that they gave it to him in some offhand dialogue in Brotherhood?

Well all we can assume at this point, is that whom ever it may be running the Assassin order in North America.will in fact have to be British. Being how there would be no need for Assassin's in North America be for it was discovered by the British.

It wasn't discovered by the british, actually. Cristopher Columbus was spanish, no?

And the Assassins have had a presence of some sort in the new world since Ezio's time. Not a significant one, and not one that established a native branch of the order I guess, at least in the area which AC3 takes place.

Maybe each type of Assassin is given a unique mark. Ya never know. I was just curious as to why it was specifically on the hidden blade arm. It can't just be a coincidence. He could've gotten something on his bicep or calf, but no, he put it where the hidden blade is supposed to be. I think it has more purpose.

Why is the hidden blade always on the left arm anyways?

I disagree. It's impossible that it's anything more than a coincidence, since it's impossible that he got it at any period in his life other than when he was on the run and didn't understand or believe in the significance of the Assassins and Templars, or know anything about their customs, such as which arm the hidden blade would be on.

Some artist on Brotherhood thought it would be cool to give him a tattoo on that arm. At it's most basic, that's what it is. It's possible that the tattoo has some significance to Desmond personally, so they could still use it as a plot point. But it's not really possible for it to be Assassin related, unless they decide that his tattoo artist was an Assassin in disguise. But that sounds a little contrived and pointless, and opens up questions as to why he wasn't recovered and brought back to his father if the order knew his location.

I'm not really trying to spoil anyone's fun, it's just that to me it seems very obvious that it's just a tattoo.

EDIT:

Because they put Altair's on the left arm first, and since Ezio uses the same animations it's easier to just put his on the left arm as well, for when he only has one.
Canon-wise, maybe so the presumably stronger right arm is free to hold a weapon for use in open combat. Despite how the game plays, hidden blades are cannonically best for stealth kills, so being able to have a dagger at the ready if you encounter resistance may come in handy.

That's a big assumption. It can't be "impossible" based on what you assume about Desmond's history. Jeeze.

I'd hate for the tattoo to just be an aesthetic choice from a designer. If I was designing a character and placed a marking where the memorable weapon of the series is located, that wouldn't be a coincidence. That's just from a design perspective. If they DO choose to ignore it, they're wasting a cool story point that could become something better. Then they'll have an angry artistic fan mad at one detail of an entire series. *shakes pencil in fist of rage at Ubisoft logo*

Umm...it's on the left arm because it's easier to thrust with a blade like that in your weaker arm. If an Assassin was left-handed, it would be on their right arm. It just works easier. That's the simple answer.

^ This has been my exact thought since I first noticed the hidden blade was on the left in AC1. Altaïr wasn't dual wielding in-game but it made sense to keep his right hand free for a sword. Stealth kills require little dexterity so they can easily be done with the weaker arm.

Imagine the way you assassinate someone. Altair leaps at the target with his right hand touching them first. This is his strong hand taking them down easier, holding them for the attack with his exposed left hand. It's just more convenient.

Columbus was "Italian", from the Republic of Genoa (which now is a part of Italy). He sailed under the auspices of the Spanish crown. And by "auspices", I mean "money".

Wrong again. Chris Columbus was born in PA and brought us such classics as The Goonies, Gremlins and Young Sherlock Holmes... not to mention his role in the first three Harry Potter films...

Wrong again again! He was actually born in Columbus, Ohio and discovered that the fruitful apple is the Earth's source of gravity. Also, his middle name was Jamal.

Wrong again again again! He's actually this guy:

I think I may have killed it...

That made me laugh so hard.

Talk about a C-C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER....

I have no idea who he is. I just searched the name and the cover photo was too good to resist!

I'm not assuming anything about Desmond's history. We KNOW that he didn't really believe in Abstergo or the assassin's cause, and that he ran away from home before getting any training with weapons or anything. And if he had gotten that tattoo when he was a young child, (which would be kinda odd) then at this point in his life it would be really stretched out and weird looking. Just saying, it's obvious that he got it during the part of his life where he was not involved with or in the know of the Assassins in any way, which means it can't be related to the hidden blade.

And really, it's up to the writers if they want to give his tattoo a backstory. At the end of the day, it literally was an artist who came up with the idea of giving him a tattoo in brotherhood. Not everything can be linked to everything on a project with hundreds of people working on different parts.

EDIT: About Cristopher: ah well, the point is the New World was not discovered by Brits.

Hey guys. This question might seem a bit random, but what font does the Animus use?

I for one really hope that they tie that tattoo into the story in some significant way (minor or major) because if it's coincidence that put the tattoo on his blade arm, right where the bracer would be then like some have said, it could exploited and it'd be awesome.
I would want to say that it was a teaser to let you know you'd be using Desmond to kill soon, but the timing might be off. Also, I'd like to see what the tattoo actualy is of. That'll give me a much stronger opinion of what it is there for, or if it has any significant assassin-related connections.

It's not so much how he's inducted into it, but the way he discovers the Brotherhood is the craziest, awesomest, coolest, most mind-messing thing in all the AC games to date. And yes, "spirit quest".. In a sense.