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Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide: 16 tips to help you survive Sengoku-era Japan
J
Jason Rodriguez
Our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide has all the tips you need to help you get started on your journey. We discuss various mechanics such as making use of character abilities, sending out your scouts, recruiting allies, and various tasks that you can tackle along the way.
Two protagonists to swap between
Assassin’s Creed Shadows features two playable characters, Yasuke and Naoe. You can swap between them via the inventory screen or the world map when you fast travel. Moreover, certain sections of the campaign present you with a choice of which character to use.
Note that Canon Mode is an option that you can activate prior to starting the campaign. This removes almost all the choices that you can make in-game, though it does allow you to experience the story the way the developers intended.
Playing as Yasuke: Strength and defense
One important Assassin’s Creed Shadows tip to remember is that Yasuke and Naoe have very different playstyles. In Yasuke’s case, he’s more of a peerless warrior who excels in head-on assaults. Weapons like the kanabo allow him to break enemy defenses, and he can use teppo firearms to blast foes from medium range. He can also employ a guard stance to block enemy attacks for longer periods.
The downside is that Yasuke’s size and weight make him cumbersome to control in sections where you need to advance stealthily. He’s not particularly good at climbing, and he doesn’t have the tools to help with traversal.
Playing as Naoe: Silent and deadly
In contrast to Yasuke, Naoe is for players who want to sneak around in enemy bases without getting detected. She’s faster and more agile, and her grappling hook allows her to climb walls and rooftops with ease. She even has Eagle Vision, a series-trademark ability that lets her see the red outlines of hostiles.
The main drawback when playing as Naoe is that she’s at a disadvantage in encounters against multiple opponents. She has to rely more on finesse and avoidance to survive battles.
Assassinate your foes, but beware of tougher targets
You can assassinate targets as long as you remain undetected. Do note that tougher opponents, such as elites and armored samurai, can’t be assassinated swiftly. Instead, you might just damage a segment of their health bar, or your blow might get deflected.
However, if you activate the Guaranteed Assassinations setting in the Gameplay: Difficulty Tuning screen, you will be able to eliminate your foes instantly regardless of their level.
Master dodging, parrying, and other abilities
Character abilities are based on a particular weapon type, and they are unlocked via the Mastery panel (i.e. skill tree). You do need the following:
- Mastery points (i.e. skill points) - Primarily earned as you level up and complete missions.
- Knowledge - Obtained as you tackle side objectives and collectible-type tasks. These include finding scrolls in temples, performing katas, acquiring treasure in kofuns/tombs, and more. The higher your Knowledge rank, the higher the tier of abilities and passive skills that you can unlock.
Tag fast travel points early and use Pathfinder Mode
Specific landmarks and structures with an eagle icon act as fast travel points once you climb to the very top. Doing so reveals points of interest in nearby areas to make exploration easier. In addition to this, you can make use of Pathfinder Mode whenever you’re tracking quests or you have a marker on the world map. Pathfinder Mode draws a white line that leads you toward your objective.
Have scouts discover the locations of objectives
Another important Assassin’s Creed Shadows tip to consider is that, in most cases, the exact locations of key objectives aren’t readily shown. Instead, you’re only given a brief description of where you might find your quarry. In these instances, you have two choices:
- The first option is to set out on your own using the directions as clues. If you think you’re in the right area, press and hold the aim button and check your surroundings. A light blue circle will then denote your target/objective.
- The second option is to send out scouts, which are NPCs that you meet during your travels. Scouts are able to investigate an area on the world map. If the correct location is within the radius, the objective marker should instantly appear.
Take note of the change in seasons
As time passes while you’re playing the game, so too will the seasons change. Each new season refreshes enemy combatants and resources in an area. Even better, a new season also recharges the number of scouts that you can send out to investigate locations.
Construct buildings for your hideout
The hideout is a key feature in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This is where you construct buildings using the materials that you’ve acquired while exploring, such as wood and mineral ores. Buildings provide passive bonuses or new functions, including gaining additional scouts, increased healing via rations, upping the experience points you earn, and more.
Tame pets and animal companions
The hideout is also where you can find animal companions that you’ve encountered during your travels. You might meet creatures such as dogs and cats, either via quests or general exploration. Once you’ve petted a specific breed of animal for the first time, you can spawn them in your hideout through the Animals tab in the Build menu.
Find allies (and perhaps romance as well)
Aside from animal companions, Yasuke and Naoe can meet fellow wanderers and heroes who share a common cause. The allies that join your merry band can be summoned during combat to unleash their own skills, such as pushback attacks and projectile blasts. You may even upgrade these abilities via the Dojo building in your hideout to gain a passive boon.
Eliminate Samurai Daisho to obtain legendary rewards
You can amass a ton of loot and materials in castles and bases in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. But you should also keep your eyes peeled for Samurai Daisho. Taking out these elite fighters defending a base lets you unlock that location’s treasure chest, which often contains legendary weapons, armor, and accessories.
Upgrade your weapons to match your characters’ levels
Found a weapon with perks that you like? Is it still at a low level and no longer viable for battles? Well, don’t worry, since you can upgrade your armaments via the blacksmith. Once you’ve recruited the blacksmith NPC to your cause, you’ll be able to increase the level of your gear pieces to improve their stats.
Pray at shrines to gain temporary buffs
As you explore the war-torn lands of Japan, be on the lookout for small shrines that you can pray to. Depending on the shrine, you should receive a temporary buff, such as an increase to your attack, critical hit rating, adrenaline recharge, and other stats.
Complete contracts and Animus missions
Apart from letting you manage scouts, the Kakurega building in your hideout also allows you to undertake contracts. These are short missions where you assault small camps to take out enemies or acquire resources. Contracts refresh each season, making them a viable means of earning experience points and loot.
Animus missions, meanwhile, present tasks like defeating corrupt entities (i.e. glitched opponents) or gathering echoes. The special currency you earn from these tasks can be used in the Exchange, where a select few items from the in-game store are also made available. Animus tasks are also part of the Shadows Projects tallies, which net you legendary equipment.
The Shinbakufu are your main targets, but countless activities await
Early on in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you learn that your main targets are members of the Shinbakufu, a nefarious group hellbent on dominating Japan. While progressing through the story, don’t forget to try out other activities as well, such as the aforementioned Mastery-related tasks and side quests. Some take you off the beaten path to new discoveries, while others may even lead to secret rewards.
That does it for our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide. We hope these tips help you as you trek all across Japan during the Sengoku era.
Those who wish to go on an unforgettable adventure with Naoe and Yasuke should pick up Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which is available now on Epic Games Store.