Ubisoft is set to deliver numerous updates for Assassin’s Creed Shadows, indicating a commitment to providing “regular free updates.” These will include intriguing additions such as a new game plus mode, additional quests, story expansions, and enhancements based on community feedback, as announced by the publisher on Wednesday.
As previously mentioned, the first expansion for Shadows, titled Claws of Awaji, is expected to launch later this year. This expansion will open up a new area on the game’s map: Awaji Island, located in the eastern region of Japan’s Inland Sea. (While the island is already visible on the map, lying west of the port city of Sakai, players will finally have the chance to explore it fully in the upcoming expansion.)
Claws of Awaji will continue the narrative of Naoe and Yasuke right after the events of Shadows’ epilogue, according to Ubisoft’s blog post. The expansion aims to add approximately 10 hours of new content to the game, including a new weapon for Naoe: the bo, a staff commonly used in Japanese martial arts. Although the expansion was initially offered as a bonus for pre-orders, Ubisoft has yet to disclose pricing for other players.
Alongside Claws of Awaji, Ubisoft plans to roll out several free updates branded as Story Drops, starting in May with “The Works of Luis Frois.” Frois, a Jesuit missionary and scholar, is one of the Portuguese arrivals in Japan accompanied by Yasuke at the beginning of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The second Story Drop is set for June and will introduce another ally who can be enlisted in the League of the Hidden Blade. Each Story Drop aims to provide “additional backstory that will have a lasting impact on the game,” as highlighted by Ubisoft.
Developers of Assassin’s Creed Shadows are also focusing on enhancing the overall user experience with quality-of-life improvements. Following the first post-launch patch, which included an auto-follow feature for the player character’s horse earlier this month, the team is looking to introduce new parkour maneuvers for Naoe and Yasuke. (Fans are hopeful for the reinstatement of the ability to sell or dismantle multiple items simultaneously. This feature was in an early April patch but was temporarily disabled due to bugs.)
Presently, players can’t jump from a standstill to grab reachable ledges—a fix is coming in a future patch. Additionally, community-suggested features, like the option to wear headgear during cutscenes, are also in development. Major updates are on the horizon as well, including a new game plus mode that will elevate the level cap, along with new difficulty settings for stealth and combat, designed to pose greater challenges.
