Connor is still skilled using nothing but his bare hands in combat. This is a useful option when you need to disarm enemies, or use non-lethal methods of combat. You can knock people out with your fists, but you cannot kill them. Another function is while unarmed you can use Disarm, and take an enemy weapon. This makes it more difficult for that enemy to both attack, and defend. Some missions require you take down enemies by non-lethal means; being unarmed is the most effective way to do this. This technique is also the fundamental skill for use in the Boston Brawlers missions, and challenges.