Will the hidden blade return in Assassin's Creed Valhalla?

What is the hidden blade and why is it important?

The hidden blade has long been the preferred weapon of the Assassins Brotherhood in the series. It's a concealed, wrist-mounted blade that made it easy to perform stealth assassinations. In much of the franchise, the use of a hidden blade from behind made for a one-hit kill, allowing players to go about missions more stealthily if they chose.

In the Assassin's Creed Valhalla trailer, the main character, Eivor, is seen using the hidden blade to take down a particularly formidable enemy. Unless something else occurs, it's looking likely we'll be seeing it return to the game.

Does this mean stealth assassinations are back?

This is unclear. Origins also had a hidden blade, but one-hit kills were not guaranteed. Instead, it all depended on your character's level relative to your enemy's and how much you upgraded your hidden blade. We don't know if Valhalla will be a similar case or if Ubisoft is bringing back those automatic one-hit kills against any enemy — provided they don't spot you, of course.

Will my hidden blade always be equipped?

Because it's a wrist-mounted weapon, it stands within reason that your hidden blade will always be equipped and you can use it whenever you need it with the press of a button, but Ubisoft has yet to reveal whether this is the case. At the very least, Valhalla will probably allow players to quickly cycle between a few different weapons in their inventory, including the hidden blade.