Ubisoft has dropped Assassin's Creed Valhalla and to say that we're excited is an understatement.
The official cinematic trailer was simply sensational and shed a load of new details about the upcoming game.
Significantly, we got our first peek at Valhalla's hidden blade, so here's what we can decipher about the new rendition of the assassin weapon.
What does the hidden blade look like in Assassin's Creed Valhalla?
After its absence in much of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, the hidden blade is finally returning to the game!
In the trailer, we watched our protagonist, Eivor, use his hidden blade to triumph over a might foe when defeat seemed a certainty.
STEALTH MODE: Eivor wields a hidden blade!
However, Eivor's hidden blade doesn't fit the traditional aesthetic of the assassins' go-to weapon.
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Eivor's hidden blade sits on top of his forearm and protrudes over his fist, unlike Altair and Ezio's blades which were hidden beneath the wrist.
One thing is for sure - it's unlikely that Eivor will need to sacrifice a finger to wield his hidden blade!
History of the Hidden Blade
Those of you who played the Assassin's Creed Odyssey DLC, Legacy of the First Blade, might recognise that Darius wielded a similar hidden blade, which he used to assassinate King Xerxes!
THE FIRST BLADE: Darius' hidden blade passed over his hand much like Eivor's
Darius' hidden blade is passed down the generations until it eventually reaches the hands of Bayek (Assassin's Creed Origins).
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Bayek adopts the hidden blade as the weapon of 'The Hidden Ones' and hence the Assassin Order was born.
What does this mean for Valhalla's hidden blade?
Well, since our first glimpse of hidden blade modifications is with Ezio Auditore in the Fifteenth Century, it makes sense that Eivor's weapon adheres to a more ancient design.
However, we think the trailer places AC Valhalla at some point between the years 871 and 886.
MISSING DIGITS: Eivor is unlikely to lose a finger, like Altair or Bayek
That's almost a thousand years after AC Origins and our last experience of a hidden blade!
Therefore, although we shouldn't expect the cutting edge of hidden blade technology, we may well see a more advanced weapon than Bayek's in the upcoming Assassin's Creed Valhalla.
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