Here’s Everything You Need To Know Before Starting Assassin's Creed Shadows
Some helpful tips for the long journey ahead.
There’s a lot going on in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Not only is the role-playing game massive in terms of sheer world size, but there are plenty of interwoven systems to grasp, character progression decisions to make, and gameplay options to tweak to your liking. Keeping track of all of Shadows’ moving parts across your 80-hour journey can be tricky, especially when you’re first starting out.
To help you avoid common pitfalls, Inverse has assembled six tips beginners should keep in mind as they guide Naoe, Yasuke, and their band of allies in liberating 1560s-era Japan from sinister forces.
Experiment With Guaranteed Stealth Assassinations
Players can toggle the ability to always assassinate their target, regardless of the enemy’s level.
The Assassin’s Creed fanbase is divided into two camps: those who prefer the earlier games’ stealth-focused approach to combat, and those who prefer the Witcher 3-style RPG elements. Shadows is attempting to satisfy both fanbases in a single go.
One of the best features for those who want to relive the glory days of Ezio, Edward, and Arno is the ability to toggle guaranteed stealth assassinations. When this option is activated, enemies above your current level no longer repel your assassination attempts, making stealth a smoother endeavor regardless of how powerful a region’s enemies are. It’s a great feature for when you want to explore free of restrictions, as staying in the shadows actually gives you a fighting chance.
Mon-eh, Mon-eh, Mon-eh, Mon-eh
Once per season, be sure to visit the Hideout to collect your seasonal bonus.
If you’re ever running low on Mon, the currency of Shadows’ Sengoku era Japan, remember that there’s always money in the banana st... er, Hideout.
Your Hideout is Shadows equivalent to Assassin’s Creed II’s Montegriggioni and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla’s Ravensthorpe. Since you’re rarely bothered to return (or invest in) your base of operations after the game’s first act, it’s easy to forget just how helpful it can be in supporting Naoe and Yasuke’s exploits. Not only is it great for applying significant upgrades to gear and weapons, but it also stockpiles money for you to collect. The more you upgrade your base, the more money becomes available.
So if you’re ever low on cash when visiting a local vendor, pop into the stable at your Hideout and collect a little bonus from your allies and scouts from the Salvage Chest. This cash flow bonus is available once a season, and the Hideout also lets you pet all the adorable animals you’ve made friends with along the way, so there’s no excuse not to visit.
Upgrade The Forge
Leveling up your Blacksmith’s forge allows access to special combat abilities.
Another Hideout-related tip is to upgrade the Blacksmith to level two as soon as possible. While the Blacksmith is great for upgrading a favorite weapon you’ve out-leveled, it's also how you apply Engravings to higher-tier weapons.
Engravings are powerful active and passive abilities applied when the appropriate weapon is equipped. Some of the most helpful ones included an ability to parry unblockable attacks, negate damage inflicted by projectiles, and increase damage to enemy armor. You’ll find dozens of engravings as you loot chests in enemy castles.
Once you start getting more powerful weapons, you’ll want to apply an Engraving as soon as possible to maximize your current build. That begins by upgrading the Blacksmith’s quarters to level two, which grants access to non-Legendary engravings (upgrading again grants access to Legendary engravings).
Decide On An Exploration Mode
Shadows’ Guided Exploration Mode is for players who’d rather know exactly where their next objective is rather than having to deduce it.
By default, Shadows suggests players forego Guided Exploration mode. With it off, the game does away with traditional waypoints and instead gives the player a few clues to guide them to their next objective. It’s up to you to either narrow down your target’s possible location, or deploy scouts on the world map to unlock waypoints from afar.
For players who enjoy soaking up the sights of Shadows’ stunning world, this is an intriguing and engaging way to uncover this vast open world. But if your gaming time is limited, guessing where your next objective is can feel like an unneeded bit of friction in an already lengthy experience.
Players can switch between Exploration and Guided modes in the Options menu whenever they’d like. We recommend experimenting with Exploration mode before making your call, as it really is a rewarding experience if you have the time and patience for it.
Don’t Skip Shrines And Other Side Activities
Visit shrines and complete other activities as you pass them, as they’ll unlock the game’s best skills.
It can be easy to skip out on Shadows’ side activities. Visiting shrines and meditating aren’t the most intriguing parts of the game, especially when the novelty wears off a few dozen hours in. But ignoring side content can leave you locked out of some cool and powerful abilities.
Completing these optional tasks awards Knowledge Points, which help unlock new tiers in Naoe and Yasuke’s skill trees. If you’re not collecting their points, then you’re depriving yourself of the game’s power progression, and you’ll find encounters a bit tougher than they need to be.
You don’t have to stop at every single one of these side objectives, but you also don’t want to be forced to take a lengthy break from the main quest just to make your character more capable. Grab these as you go to avoid frustration down the line.
Tune the Difficulty To Your Liking
Experiment with the difficulty settings to find the right mix for you.
Following one of gaming’s best new trends, Shadows allows players to tailor their experience by customizing the difficulty level. Combat and stealth can be adjusted individually, letting you find the sweet spot for the mechanics you want to concern yourself with.
Expert combat difficulty makes enemies hit harder and more frequently, making your reflexes and the quality of your loadout crucial to your survival. If you’re looking to squeeze the most out of the game’s wide variety of weapons, skills, and environmental combat options, this is where you’ll want to crank things up.
Expert stealth difficulty in where things really get interesting. Here, players can create a more realistic sneaking simulation where enemies are more aware of their surroundings. On expert, enemies will look up and spot you in their periphery if you’re scaling a wall or running across a rooftop in their vicinity. To succeed, players must slow their pace, take advantage of moving while prone, and rely on the shadows to avoid detection. Fitting, isn’t it?
