The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

Firecracker Assassination

I placed William Johnson at the end of the dock by first using Rope Dart and then bumping him into position while carrying a Powder Keg. To move him with Rope Dart just tap . Connor will not kill him unless you are standing close together (or you accidentally drag Johnson over a Trip Mine). My thought was that if the explosion didn't kill him then falling into water would.

It turns out that the explosion does indeed kill the target. I have confirmed this result on dry land. When Double McStab with Cheese experimented with this style of assassination he reported that Johnson was moved but not killed. The difference must be the proximity of Connor to the target. I wanted a clear shot to the first Powder Keg and a good view of the assassination, so I arranged the Powder Kegs and Trip Mines in a semicircle around a high vantage point. The maximum distance between Powder Kegs seems to be about 8 walking paces for Connor.

Full Sync

The requirements for 100% Synchronization are:
1. Reach Johnson Undetected (both before and after the "Are you threatening us?" cutscene)
2. Limit Native American casualties - 0/1
3. Perform a swan dive to escape

If you skip the cutscene or reload from last checkpoint, it places Connor a distance north of the Johnson House, even if you approached from the south. This got me thinking that there must be a viable approach from the north. That's when I discovered this route which essentially goes up the face of a cliff. The first time you come this way you will find a feather on the log at 2:03.

One good thing about this route is that you encounter few guards. I chose to stealth assassinate the first one at 2:30 so that his body would distract the second one (visible on the left at 2:33). If you just try to run past the second guard you will usually get a brief SSI indicator, blowing an otherwise ghost run.

The air assassination from the roof of Johnson House is standard. There are several places to perform a swan dive to escape. I chose one that is easily accessible but often overlooked. It plunges Connor into shallow water just off the beach with two guards.