Video:How to Advance With Tips for Assassin's Creed 2

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Transcript:How to Advance With Tips for Assassin's Creed 2

Hi, I'm Shane Murphy, your video game guru for About.com. Today we'll discuss strategies for making the most out of your assassin's tools and abilities in Assassin's Creed 2.

Ideas and Tips for Assassin's Creed 2

Holding the shoulder button brings up Ezio's weapon wheel, the cornerstone to all the kills you'll be making the rest of the game, whether it's a lowly guard or one of the Templars.

Although you definitely have certain mainstays in your inventory, you'll want to use each item to it's full potential and remember the training that Mario gives you in the beginning of the game.

Both your main weapon slot for swords and maces and your short blade slot can hold upgraded weapons purchased from the blacksmith, but you should focus your money on better main arms first. Both weapons play almost identically, but the main arms have a slightly longer range.

For being so specialized, your hidden blades are surprisingly effective in most situations and not just assassinations. Your hidden blades can counter any weapon in the game for an instant kill if your timing is right, and you can even wield them in standard hack and slash combat about as effectively as your main arm.

Using Your Hands in Assassin's Creed 2

But arguably your best and most versatile weapon is just your hands. It's the only weapon you can have equipped and out without looking suspicious in the slightest, and you don't need to sheath it before you start climbing.

Sure, you might not do too much damage beating on armored guards, but no matter what weapon they hold you can disarm it with your hands. After you've grabbed it they will be stunned momentarily: attack immediately for an instant kill.

If it's a heavier weapon, often times Ezio will burry it in his enemy and leave it. If you want to keep using it, you'll have to quickly pick up and then drop the guard's corpse to dislodge it, a tricky feat during combat.

Nevertheless, some of the larger weapons like axes and spears can prove extremely useful in larger fights and are worth holding onto. After doing the appropriate training back at your villa with Mario, you can perform trip moves with the spear and an instantly lethal, guard breaking heavy smashing attack with the axes and bastard sword.

You can also grab enemies from behind on rooftops and just throw them over, or throw sand in a guards face to blind him during a fight.

Complete mastery of your slaying methods will only come when you've perfected your more miscellaneous tools.

Your poisoned blade can create terrific distractions. If you ever find a lone guard, try poisoning him then quickly stepping away. He'll rabidly attack those around him and draw attention away from you while you perform your assassination. He can even draw guards meant to protect your target away from him, making your job even easier.

Smoke bombs have the obvious use of providing escape from guards in your immediate vicinity, but there are other ways to utilize them as well. When running from guards, try using them in a dense crowd of people. The crowd will panic and run, tripping up the guards coming after you. You can fire your hidden gun off too for the same effect.

You should try and use your throwing knives over your hidden gun whenever you don't need the one hit kill. The gun will instantly attract the wrong kind of attention. If you do use the gun in typical encounters with guards, remember that the big guy's armor won't help him too much.

No matter how you play through it, you'll earn a lot of money in Assassin's Creed 2. Don't be afraid to pay the small fee of 150 florins to hire help if the opportunity comes up.

Techniques to Try in Assassin's Creed 2

Try to mix your use of items and weapons together to create lethal combinations. For example, grab a guard's spear and then drop a smoke bomb in the middle of the fight. While the guards are choking helplessly, you can line up a sweep attack and put them all on their backs.

Follow these guidelines and you should have no trouble hitting your mark in Assassin's Creed 2.

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