Exploration is a facet of every Assassin’s Creed title, and Shadows is no exception, but Ubisoft is changing things by holding the player’s hand less. However, it will still provide tools like Pathfinder to “increase your comfort,” as game director Charles Benoit noted in a recent blog post.
“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.” You can toggle it on horseback to generate a white line that provides the best path to follow to a quest, location or map marker.
The quest log has also been overhauled and is now the Objective Board, outlining the progress of various tales and objectives. These include “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.”
New boards become available in different locations and after meeting new characters. Each target contains different steps and clues that players can use to investigate. It’s considered the “next evolution of the Exploration Mode” from Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Of course, those who want quest markers can send out Scouts instead (with larger numbers providing higher chances of success). Benoit noted that a “Guided option will also be available as an accessibility feature to facilitate tracking quest objectives.”
Scouts also function to reset Provincial Alerts, which is essential because when a province is on alert, the Guardians will pursue you until the season changes or upon switching characters. They can also smuggle resource stockpiles to upgrade your Hideout (though it will keep a Scout busy for an entire season). Though Scouts return after each season, using in-game currency will hasten the process.
Launching on March 20th, Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be available for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Previews will reportedly begin dropping on January 23rd, so stay tuned for more details and gameplay.
