Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a huge step up for the series from Ubisoft. We see a return of more stealth-oriented mechanics and a good combat balance. That said, there is much to think about when you start on your own playthrough in the feudal Japan period. It’s time to think about how you want to experience Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Immersive Mode
One thing that makes Assassin’s Creed Shadows different than the other games in the franchise is Immersive Mode. You can make the characters speak Japanese or English. English voice actors are good but the Japanese make everything sound tonally correct in case that messes with you. You may have to focus more on reading subtitles than looking at the great hair physics and facial animations.
Canon Mode
This is a mode you’ll be asked about almost immediately. When starting a new game in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, one of the most important settings you’ll encounter is Canon Mode. With this enabled, you won’t have any agency over narrative choices—Naoe or Yasuke will automatically make decisions, similar to the older Assassin’s Creed games that followed a fixed story.
If you prefer to make choices that impact the story, you’ll want to turn this off. This is especially important when it comes to recruiting allies and scouts. With Canon Mode on, these decisions are made for you, meaning certain allies won’t be available. I turned it off in my first playthrough to see how my choices influenced the narrative. While it may not drastically change the main story, it has a significant impact on side stories and the allies you encounter.
Note: Once you turn this setting on, you can’t turn it off.
Guided Exploration Mode
Guided Exploration Mode is available if you prefer to follow points on the map rather than searching for clues. Normally, in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, NPCs will provide hints through dialogue, which you can use with the scout system to locate specific individuals. With Guided Exploration Mode enabled, you won’t need to rely on scouts—locations will automatically appear on your map once the mission begins.
Note: There is one achievement you won’t be able to earn if Guided Exploration Mode is turned on. It requires you to use a scout to search for information at least once. If you want the achievement, you can use a scout first and then enable Guided Exploration Mode afterward.
Area Loot
I highly recommend turning this one on immediately. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, if multiple bodies or chests are nearby, you’ll need to loot them individually by holding down the loot button. This can be tedious, especially in stealth-heavy encounters. Area Loot streamlines this by allowing you to collect all nearby lootable items at once, except for resources, which still need to be picked up manually.
Combat Difficulty Modifier
This is probably my favorite addition to the accessibility menu. Combat Difficulty in Assassin’s Creed Shadows allows you to adjust stealth and combat settings separately.
Combat Difficulty Modifier
This is probably my favorite addition to the accessibility menu. Combat Difficulty in Assassin’s Creed Shadows allows you to adjust stealth and combat settings separately.
Combat difficulty primarily affects enemy aggression and attack timing. I really appreciate that difficulty isn’t just about increasing enemy health but instead focuses on skill-based mechanics.
- Normal provides a balanced parry and counter window.
- Easy extends the parry and counter timing, making combat more forgiving.
- Expert significantly reduces the reaction window and removes color indicators, requiring you to learn enemy attack patterns visually.
Stealth difficulty affects enemy AI and awareness:
- Easy makes enemies much less observant—you can assassinate them even in plain sight.
- Normal balances their perception; they’ll search for you in hiding spots but often ignore rooftops.
- Expert makes enemies far more intelligent. They react to movement in low light, chase you relentlessly, and search areas thoroughly instead of giving up too soon.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, stealth mechanics are more robust, and assassinations play a bigger role. However, due to the RPG elements, they are no longer an instant kill by default. If you, like me, prefer the classic one-hit assassination, I recommend enabling Guaranteed Assassination Mode. With this setting, stealth attacks immediately kill enemies instead of merely reducing their health—just as a true assassin should.
Final Thoughts
Overall Assassin’s Creed Shadows has many options to think about and these are the main ones I would recommend you figure out in determining how you want to play this game. Be sure to read our review of the main game as well.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on March 20th, 2025.
