The highly anticipated Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings new innovations to character progression, as players step into the shoes of two unique characters in feudal Japan: Naoe, a stealthy shinobi and assassin, and Yasuke, a skilled samurai. The game’s progression system mixes martial arts mastery with a deep, customizable experience, allowing you to shape your characters’ journey in exciting ways.
A New Progression Loop
As Shadows explores the tale of two different heroes, the development team pushed the boundaries of how progression could be approached. According to the Associate Game Director on Shadows Julien: “Having two separate characters with unique archetypes in our feudal Japan world pushed us to rethink how we wanted to approach player progression,””Our goal was to stay as close as possible to the philosophy of mastery and martial art.”
In Shadows, you will have to gather Mastery points and Knowledge ranks to improve your characters’ abilities, creating an engaging and dynamic progression loop.
Mastery: Unlocking Deadly Skills
Naoe and Yasuke each possess unique Mastery trees, allowing you to specialize in various weapons and combat styles. Yasuke’s focus lies in his samurai training, even switching weapons mid-combo. Naoe, on the other hand, can evolve her stealth and assassination skills through the shinobi and assassin trees.
Each weapon in the game has its own Mastery tree, allowing you to unlock powerful abilities and improve combat efficiency. Mastery points are earned by leveling up, completing quests, and defeating challenging enemies, such as the elusive Samurai Daisho found in castles. These encounters test the full extent of your combat or stealth talents.
What makes the progression system even more flexible is the ability to reset Mastery points at any time, allowing you to switch things up and explore different combat styles without penalty.
Abilities and Knowledge Ranks
Abilities play a key role in combat, with each weapon offering two ability slots that can be filled with unlocked active abilities. These abilities can be upgraded for greater damage and effects, while samurai and Shinobi-specific abilities offer additional strategic strength. Some skills, however, are gated behind Knowledge Ranks. This is due to the fact it is supposed to reflect your character’s mental growth.
Knowledge is gained through non-violent activities such as discovering Lost Pages in temples, meditating, or learning new Kata. This system ties the character’s physical skills to their mental development. The more Knowledge you gather, the more powerful abilities you unlock, making sure that mental and physical mastery go hand in hand.
Once you reach the 6th Rank of Knowledge, you unlock access to a new Knowledge tree, which introduces a set of passive skills and bonuses.
Equipment, Stats, and Customization
No warrior is complete without their gear, and in Shadows, equipment plays a big role in your character’s strengths. You can equip two different weapons, including ranged weapons for Yasuke, alongside headgear, armor, and trinkets. Each piece has its own stats, level, and quality, which impact overall character performance.
Looting gear from chests or fallen enemies adds an element of discovery, with items varying in rarity and effectiveness. Rare, Epic, and Legendary gear offer various perks, with Legendary items featuring unique abilities that heavily influence gameplay.
For those who love customization, Shadows also offers a Transmog/Glam system, allowing you to change the visual appearance of your gear without sacrificing the benefits of the item’s stats. Through the Forge in the Hideout, you can mix and match weapon parts for an even more personalized look.
Perks, Afflictions, and Combat Styles
In Shadows, perks add another layer of depth to gameplay. These modifiers can boost a character’s abilities or provide unique advantages. You can improve damage while filling adrenaline chunks or unlocking specific assassination bonuses.
Afflictions also change the way you approach combat. Bleed, Poison, Daze, and Knockout are four types of afflictions that can be triggered by certain weapons or abilities. These effects gradually wear down enemies or incapacitate them, providing strategic advantages in battle.
By combining the right gear, perks, and abilities, you can create specialized builds. This allows you to have a Naoe’s offensive playstyle or Yasuke’s stealthy ranged build.
Trading and Merchants
Merchants scattered throughout the world of Shadows are important to progressing in the game. These traders offer gear, resources, and even cosmetic items. Some merchants specialize in rare or unique items that can’t be found elsewhere. They also buy your extra gear and valuables in exchange for the game’s currency, Mons.
You can have a full breakdown and explicative videos on the Official Ubisoft Page around Character Progression.