The Hidden Blade Assassin's Creed in Depth

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Berserk Blades can be used to:
- Flag an enemy as Hostile to everyone around him
- Drag enemies toward his location
- Create juicy opportunities for Smoke Bombs
- Stun guards for a fast rush-Assassination
- Cancel a guard's Detection state, to allow an Assassination from Fight
- Ground-kill a guard on his back while conserving more Lethal ammo
- Stealth kill guards via Overdose (double-tap)
Unfortunately, they cannot be used to Distract guards, as they don't hear them the same way that Phantom Blades are heard.

INTRO

The Berserk Blade is a ranged weapon whose primary function is not to cause damage, but to weaponize Assassin’s Creed Unity’s detection system against Arno’s enemies. By flagging a particular guard as hostile to everyone around him, you can guarantee that the enemy in question will die without you being anywhere near at the time of death. As a bonus, he’ll likely take others down with him and pull guards from nearby parts of the area toward himself. If you stay far away, this can make sneaking easier.

These are the basics of Berserk Blades, and what most people already know. But there are other techniques.

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STUN

When Berserk Toxin enters a victim’s body, there is a short window during which they are stunned and unable to do anything. This time window also removes all of their detection properties. They become completely helpless during these few seconds. This is most useful when you want to rush down an enemy that would normally expose you if you ran straight at them.

DETECTION-WIPE

The Stun from Berserk Toxin also wipes a pre-existing Detection state on an enemy who has seen you. When in combat with just a single guard, you can Assassinate him in the middle of the fight by striking him with a Berserk Blade, waiting until Arno puts away his sword, then killing the guard with your Hidden Blade.

Note that this does not work on Agiles, because they will always dodge Projectiles fired at them in combat... Unless they’re grounded.

OVERDOSE

Sometimes, shooting a guard with a Phantom Blade will immediately alert everyone around him to your presence. To achieve an even more Stealthy ranged kill, shoot a guard with two Berserk Blades in a row. The first one stuns them and poisons them once, which would normally kill them after enough time passed. The second one is introduced during their stun-window, and injects a lethal excess of poison. This second Berserk Blade always kills any guard. This is useful because it is not immediately obvious they’ve been killed by an external agent, and they take a long time to fall down. Only then will their allies react.

This is also useful if you’re not sure whether your Phantom Blade will instantly kill an enemy, and if you’re not confident in your Headshot skills. You can trade one Phantom Blade headshot for two Berserk Blade bodyshots.

PROJECTILE EQUIVALENCE

Against a Grounded enemy, all Projectiles are created equal. Whether you shoot them with a Pistol Bullet, a Phantom Blade, or even a Berserk Blade, an enemy on their back will always instantly die to a projectile quickshot in combat. Killing foes with Berserk Blades like this can save you ammunition used by other ranged weapons.

DISTRACTION

Berserk Blades and Phantom Blades cannot both be used as distractions equally. Fired into the walls or floors very close to an enemy that you want to turn around, Phantom Blades do distract, but Berserk Blades don't.