Why Edward’s Hidden Blade Combat Was Cut from AC Black Flag Resynced

Gaming media broke the news hours ago: Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced director Richard Knight explained why Edward Kenway lost some of his most iconic combat options—and why fans who want them back shouldn’t give up just yet. This guide covers what changed in the combat system, why the hidden blade and throwable weapons were cut, and what you’re working with instead.

In the original Black Flag, Edward Kenway could use up to two hidden blades for both assassinations and combat. The game’s combat system allowed players to equip the hidden blades from the weapon wheel and use them like any other weapon. That’s gone now. Dual swords are the main weapons Edward will use in battle. The Hidden Blade is not a selectable weapon, but a fatal, contextual takedown that is available when you break the defense of your opponent. Outside of combat the hidden blade still works exactly as you expect it to—stealth assassinations, hanging kills with the Rope Dart, and low-profile takedowns all use it. This makes the Hidden Blade Takedown a critical part of moment-to-moment combat, which was not the case in the original.

The remake built its combat around a defense bar that sits above every enemy. Every opponent in the game carries a defense bar. Chipping away at this through basic attacks or special moves will lead to a takedown opportunity – a brutal, cinematic finishing move that can be chained across multiple opponents in rapid succession. Breaking an enemy’s defense with multiple attacks will trigger a Hidden Blade takedown. You also unlock hidden blade finishers by landing a Perfect Parry, hitting an enemy with a Rope Dart to break their guard instantly, or using a pistol Quick Shot on advanced enemy types. The hidden blade shows up in these dramatic, gory finishing animations—by breaking down your enemy’s health and guard meter, you’ll be able to trigger these moves by pressing Y button that will have you running your sword through the chest of enemies or stabbing them in the face with your hidden blade—but you can’t equip it from a weapon wheel and fight with it the way you could in 2013.

During development, if you looked at Edward—he’s so powerful right now and has so many tools—and so we prioritised core combat because we needed to nail that. Something like throwing weapons, while it’s cool, it’s just like ‘he already has ten ways to kill somebody’. So, given the cost to reinvent the feature and rebuild it from the ground up with today’s characters, rigs, and animations, there’s a lot more that goes into it. The team had to rebuild every system from scratch using the Anvil engine technology developed for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and they focused resources on the parry-dodge-takedown loop first. Hidden blade combat and the ability to pick up muskets or axes mid-fight—both staples of the original—fell lower on the priority list. We can’t make any promises [but] we’re listening to the community. We’re interested in what people want the most.

The Rope Dart arrives much earlier (sequence 3 in Resynced vs. sequence 11 in the original). This single change makes early combat far more flexible than in the 2013 version. Cutlass Heavy Strikes cover a wide area, hitting multiple enemies. Pistol-Sword Heavy Strikes fire two damaging shots, allowing Edward to focus fire on one enemy or spread the damage on two. Dodge just before an enemies’ attack hits you for a Perfect Dodge, then press R1 for a special attack that inflicts 3X damage. You will know you performed a Perfect Dodge Attack when you see its signature motion blur and hear a whistling blade.

Takedown Types Replace Weapon Variety

At the heart of Resynced’s combat system is a simple foundation that rewards players’ skill and decision-making: TAKEDOWNS. This is a state where enemies are vulnerable to a deadly finisher. You have four main ways to trigger them: hidden blade finishers after breaking defense, Perfect Parry into Chain Takedowns, Wall Takedowns by kicking enemies into solid surfaces, and Ground Takedowns after using a Sweep or explosion to knock enemies prone. The hidden blade shows up in the first type—it’s the brutal animation you see when an enemy’s yellow bar snaps and you press the finisher prompt.

Adaptive Enemies Punish Repetition

Combat in Resynced is more demanding than before, and enemies can react to repetitive behavior. Wait around too much for a Parry, and enemies will react by performing Unstoppable Attacks that cannot be parried. Abuse a Kick too much, and enemies will quickly dodge them. This is the biggest behavioural shift from the original’s counter-chain system. You can’t wait for a parry window and one-shot entire groups anymore. The trick is to alternate between offense and defense. Varying your combos helps. Rotate between Kicks, Sweeps, Rope Darts, Pistols and Heavy Strikes at the end of your attack combos to confuse enemies. If you’re looking for general tips to avoid common mistakes, check out the full beginner pitfalls guide.

New Enemy Archetypes Demand Different Tools

The Demolitionist is brand new to Resynced, this archetype wasn’t in the original at all. Armed with a blunderbuss that sprays fire in a wide cone, they punish close quarters. From range, they toss grenades to flush you out and keep you scrambling. Their whole kit is about denying you a comfortable position that you have to stay mobile and adapt on the fly. Brutes can’t be parried at all—dodge is your only option. Agiles vault over you and parry your counters. Each archetype forces you to switch tactics, which is the design intent behind cutting selectable weapons: the team wanted depth through enemy variety and move variety, not through equipping a musket mid-fight.

Myth: The Hidden Blade Is Gone Entirely

It’s not. Outside combat, the hidden blades will still work as they normally do, allowing Edward to assassinate unsuspecting enemies. Stealth assassinations, hanging kills from beams with the Rope Dart, and low-profile crowd kills all use the hidden blade exactly as they did in the original. The change only affects open combat—you can’t equip it from the weapon wheel and fight groups of soldiers with it the way you could in 2013.

Myth: Ubisoft Will Never Bring Back Weapon Variety

Knight didn’t rule it out. We can’t make any promises [but] we’re listening to the community. We’re interested in what people want the most. The remake already has an expanded cash shop and weekly challenges, which creates post-launch incentive to add content. If enough players ask for throwable weapons or hidden blade combat, Ubisoft has the infrastructure to deliver it as an update. It’s not guaranteed, but the director acknowledged fan demand and left the door open.

Myth: The New System Is Just Easier

GamesRadar+ spoke directly with Resynced’s technical director for a hands-on preview and came away with a blunt verdict: Assassin’s Creed Unity has been unseated as the unofficial king of finicky combat in the series as a whole. That’s a notable shift for a franchise where Unity’s parry-heavy, punishing swordplay has stood as the benchmark for difficulty since 2014. Combat in Resynced is harder than the original’s counter-chain system—enemies adapt, parry windows are tighter, and advanced archetypes like Brutes and Demolitionists deny the tools that worked in 2013. If you want to optimise your loadout and income, the Reales farming guide covers weapon costs and upgrade priorities.