Israel Hands is Blackbeard's closest ally, second-in-command, and longtime companion. He appears as one of the main bosses during the alpha playtest and is one of the first major antagonists players encounter in Windrose. His faction is hostile to everyone, including the player.
Appearance
Hands is tall and lean, with dark hair streaked with gray and a sharp, weathered face marked by deep-set eyes. He wears a British Royal Navy lieutenant's coat, seeing himself as Blackbeard's lieutenant "in more than just name." He walks with a limp in his left leg, an old injury that has never fully healed.
Personality
Fiercely loyal to Edward Teach. That loyalty has a specific origin: Teach saved Hands' life during a battle against the French, and Hands has served him without question since. He is probably the only person Teach actually listens to.
Hands is rough, stubborn, and blunt, but also clever, precise, and skilled at navigation. Despite his devotion to Blackbeard, he harbors his own ambition. Deep down, he dreams of one day captaining his own ship, though whether that dream puts him at odds with his captain remains to be seen.
Role in the Story
Israel Hands plays a pivotal role in the game's central conflict. Edward Teach learned that the British East India Company had discovered pages from Columbus's Book of Prophecies describing a treasure that could grant control over the seas. When the Company attempted to ship the first fragment back to London, Teach ordered Hands to intercept the vessel. This interception set the game's entire conflict in motion and is directly tied to the player character's shipwreck during the prologue.
Boss Encounter
As a boss encounter, Hands is a dangerous opponent. His Royal Navy background informs a disciplined, tactical fighting style compared to the wild aggression of common pirate enemies. The alpha playtest featured three bosses with variable difficulty tiers, and Israel Hands was one of the main boss encounters. Players face him during the early game as they build toward their eventual confrontation with Blackbeard himself.
Specific attack patterns and loot drops for the Israel Hands fight have not been publicly documented, as the encounter was part of the alpha playtest and is not available in the current Steam Next Fest demo. The full boss encounter is expected to return in Early Access.
General Boss Strategy
While Israel Hands-specific strategies are not yet documented, the following general boss combat tips apply to all Windrose boss encounters:
Lock on with T to ensure dodges track relative to the boss
Never let stamina hit zero; being "winded" prevents dodging and leaves you vulnerable
Walk backward to bait attacks, then strike one to two times and retreat
Use ranged weapons (blunderbuss or musket) to deal damage between melee windows
Stack food buffs (up to three, lasting 7 to 30 minutes each depending on the recipe) before the fight
Craft an Elixir of Firm Hand at the Alchemy Table for +10 melee damage for 15 minutes
Apply weapon oils for additional damage bonuses
Raise your comfort level before heading out; a higher Well-Rested buff means more stamina and faster recovery
Save gunpowder for boss fights; it is scarce in the demo and should not be wasted on regular enemies
The Razor
A Rare saber called the Razor features a flavor text quote attributed to Israel Hands: "Feints, eh? Blade to the throat, then overboard." The weapon has 245 Slash damage, Agility A scaling, and increases base Critical Hit Chance by 10%. The Epic version also increases the Perfect Block opportunity window. The weapon description notes that "Nassau pirates prefer swift and brutal weapons." Whether the Razor drops from the Israel Hands boss encounter or is found elsewhere has not been confirmed.
Historical Basis
The real Israel Hands was a historical pirate who served as first mate aboard Blackbeard's flagship, the Queen Anne's Revenge. He was shot in the knee by Blackbeard himself during a drunken incident, which left him crippled. Hands later turned King's Evidence (testified against other pirates) in exchange for a pardon. The game keeps the limp and the Navy connection but reimagines the relationship as one of genuine loyalty rather than coerced service.
Literary Legacy
Robert Louis Stevenson borrowed the name Israel Hands for a character in Treasure Island (1883). Stevenson's Hands is a villainous pirate aboard the Hispaniola. The Windrose version draws more from the historical figure than the fictional one, though the literary connection adds another layer to the character. The developers acknowledged the historical reference with the line: "He also walks with a limp in his left leg, and some of you may know why."