Check out a deep dive into Assassin’s Creed Shadows exploration options

Unfortunately, we have to wait a bit longer for Assassin’s Creed Shadows to release, but at least the game’s team keeps providing us with in-depth look at many of the game’s mechanics to help soften the wait. The latest blog by Shadow’s Game Director, provides a deep dive into exploration gameplay, including stealth, combat, and parkour. You can check out for the full blog here or read below for more details:

Hello everyone! Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be released on March 20, 2025.

As we prepare to show you more about the game in the coming weeks, we are excited to unveil more about our key exploration mechanics in Shadows.

So far, we have broken down stealth, combat, and parkour. This week, we are taking a look at Shadows’ exploration loop. Our open world is vast and full of things to discover, so learning how to get your bearings as you explore its numerous mountains and valleys will be key to your adventure.

For additional insights, we’ll once again be joined by Charles, Shadows’ Game Director.

All footage is from a work-in-progress build. Please note that some of the videos in this article may be compressed, which could affect their quality. Make sure to watch in 4K for the best quality. HUD settings may vary depending on the capture to showcase examples of customizable options.

When it comes to Shadow’s exploration features, there’s a lot to discover. Alongside the return of existing gameplay loops and mechanics, we made major changes and additions to foster a unique sense of discovery as you roam the world.

“We didn’t want to hold the player’s hand too much with icons and markers” says Charles. “We wanted to craft an open world where information was key and would become a form of reward. This made sense in the context of playing a shinobi and fighting for information. In Shadows, information is something you need to look for and earn, whether through your spies, NPC encounters, or through your own eyes. In short, we want players to discover all our cool secrets on their own terms through investigation, their spy network, or by observing the world.”

Let’s take a deeper look!

The Call for Exploration 

World Map  

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: World Map

The World Map is the backbone of exploration.

You will start the game with a map that only reveals region names and drawings hinting at the potential nature of key locations. Moving around the world will slowly reveal a significant radius around your character, uncovering more and more details as you go. Each new region, sub-region, and local landmark you encounter will deepen the clarity and richness of your map: in short, the more you explore, the more information the map will provide.

When navigating in the menu, the world map offers different zoom levels, each toggling different sets of information. From provinces’ names at the farthest zoom to local landmarks and relevant icons at the closest. This map will be the cornerstone of your journey, your best ally in choosing where your next adventure lies, or where to find your quest objectives.

“When exploring the world, you should look out for undiscovered locations (i.e. “?” icons)” says Charles, “because there are so many interesting places to seek out, whether in a destroyed camp or a hidden shrine, we want you to always feel a sense of discovery.”

Before we expand on the additions made to the map, let’s briefly look at other features to better contextualize the whole exploration loop.

Viewpoints

Viewpoints (i.e. synchronization points) are back in Shadows but work a little differently compared to past entries of the series. Rather than unveiling large sections of the world map along with all its opportunity icons, climbing viewpoints now reveal nearby points of interest as you observe your surroundings from the top of the high point: city districts, temples, shrines, castles – most of which are tied to quests or activities you’ll want to engage in.

By using the observe mechanic – first shown in our stealth overview article – you can move the camera manually through a 360-degree range to contemplate these points of interest and tag the nearby places that you wish to add to your compass. If you have visited them before, their names will appear. If you haven’t, they’ll be listed as “undiscovered locations” which you can mark for future exploration. Our goal in evolving the way viewpoints work was to give players a more intentional and active way to find their next adventure.

For our long-time fans, you’ll be pleased to know that on top of the new manual camera move feature, the iconic synchronized camera movement will also return. This will let you fully appreciate the stunning scenery around you.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Synchronization

While each viewpoint unlocks a Fast Travel point, players will have to be careful about using them, as some of these viewpoints will be located in the heart of enemy-controlled territories, like on top of a tenshu – the largest and tallest tower in any castle – which can be challenging to escape.

Most viewpoints are accessible with both characters, but their approach may vary. In some instances, Naoe can easily climb outside of the structure using her grappling hook, whereas Yasuke will likely need to take the stairs and go through the guards to reach the top.

Observe 

Once you start going after an undiscovered location or quest, it will be time to plan your next steps on a more micro level. In Shadows, we don’t have any companion Eagle to help you; now, you are the Eagle. You will need to find a good vantage point in the area and Observe the surrounding area. Looking around using the free aim will allow you to see valuable items, tag enemies and so on.

Observing is crucial in helping you find your quest objectives, your targets, or any clues in a location, especially when you’re investigating a zone identified by your scouts (see more about scouts below).

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Vantage Point

Safehouses

Exploring each region will reveal safehouses called “kakurega” that players can acquire. These kakurega become small extensions of the Hideout (i.e. your central homebase that is fully customizable) and offer some of its practical functionalities such as refilling your rations/tools/ammunition, accessing your gear stash, managing and accepting contracts, and replenishing scouts as well as managing which allies can be summoned for help. These locations are the perfect stop to take a moment to plan your next move.

Acquiring kakuregas also unlocks Fast Travel points that are considered “safe” due to their locations well outside enemy-controlled territory.

Player Comfort: Pathfinder 

Japan has many steep mountains that can’t be climbed, making the landscape one of the most unique in the series. Sometimes, you will be better off following roads to go from place to place and avoid false shortcuts that would increase your travel time. When lost, the Pathfinder is a very good optional tool to guide you around the world and increase your comfort.

When a quest is tracked, and its location has been successfully revealed by a scout – or whenever you manually put a marker on the world map – you can toggle the Pathfinder feature on, while on your horse. This will draw a white line overlay directly on the ground, highlighting the best path to follow towards that objective and/or marker. Note that it can be turned on and off at any time.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Pathfinder

OBJECTIVE BOARD 

At the heart of Shadows is the Objective Board: Our revamped quest log in which you can find your quest objectives and monitor your progress throughout the many stories of Japan – from local conflicts and personal backstories for Naoe and Yasuke to the wider narrative journey that will unite our two protagonists on their quest to track down specific targets.

As you meet new characters and encounter new challenges, new boards will be revealed, each one taking you to new locations and featuring unique storylines.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Target Board

The objective board will be key on your quest to locate and investigate your targets. Zooming on a specific target or NPC within each target board will reveal opportunities – quest steps that can be individually selected and tracked.

You will get clues for the location of each opportunity, and you will have to deduce where you should investigate or go next by connecting the clues to your map. This is the next evolution of the Exploration Mode we first created in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and our intention is to put you in even more control of discovering what is ahead.

For players who prefer having clear quest markers to follow, deploying Scouts in the general vicinity indicated by those clues will make things easier.

Note that a Guided option will also be available as an accessibility feature to facilitate tracking quest objectives.

SCOUTS 

As you progress through the game, more people will join your league as “scouts.” The more scouts you have, the better off you’ll be; scouts can help you locate quest objectives, gather resources to upgrade your Hideout, and even cover your tracks by resetting Provincial alerts.

They are central to exploration and play a significant role in the war of information, which is an important aspect of your journey in Shadows.

Scouting the World Map

When uncertain about the location of an opportunity or a target, consult your World Map and deploy scouts to scan ahead and reveal a more precise location for your quest objectives. The more scouts you deploy at once, the larger the scouting radius, increasing your odds of success to find what you are looking for. Using more scouts can be especially useful when you have not gathered all clues to reveal your objective as they can help compensate for the knowledge you are missing.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Scouts

Cancel Provincial Alert

When an alarm has been rung and an entire province has been put on high alert by your actions, you will be wanted and tracked down by deadly groups of enemies: the Guardians. While you can wait for the turn of the season, which happens dynamically over time, you can also switch protagonists or deploy some of your scouts to cancel the provincial alert. This will remove the aggressive attitude of the military patrols in the province and reduce the readiness levels of guards in military zones.

Smuggling

Wealthy clans tend to stock their resources in heavily guarded areas which provide additional opportunities for your league. These various resource stockpiles are too big to be looted by one person – even for Yasuke. Instead, they need to be marked with a flag to be smuggled out over time by one of your scouts. At the end of the season, all flagged stockpiles are cashed in for you to upgrade your Hideout. Note that one resource stockpile will occupy one scout for the entire duration of a season.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Smuggling

Scouts replenish

Once deployed, scouts will return at the end of the season and become deployable once again. However, you can always pay with in-game currency at a kakurega to speed up their return and be ready for another deployment. Managing your scouts wisely makes a world of difference and you will see just how powerful it is to always have allies who can give you a hand.

A World of Opportunities  

There is a lot to discover in the open world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, from temples to castles, hidden parkour trails to training grounds, and other secrets.

Every place you discover will contribute to your progression in one way or another. While most of what you find can be completed by Naoe or Yasuke, each character will also have their unique set of activities. For example, Naoe has a unique Kuji-kiri meditation activity that helps her focus her mind and reveals more about her life and backstory, while Yasuke will encounter people in the world that can teach him new weapon-specific Kata — special maneuvers you can unlock by performing a series of fight moves in a specific order with good timing. Yasuke can also show off his skills in various horse archery events.

For the more contemplative players, both Naoe and Yasuke can participate in the painting of wild animals of Japan, showcasing the diversity and majesty of its ecosystems.

Assassin's Creed Shadows - Exploration: Sumi-e

Of course, we want to keep some surprises to ensure your exploration of this world is memorable. Stay tuned for more reveals as we approach launch!

Stay tuned to GamingTrend for all your gaming, tech, and entertainment news!

See below for our list of partners and affiliates: