Stealth has generally played a big role in Assassin’s Creed games, and though the series has placed an increasingly smaller emphasis on it since adopting an action RPG framework, the upcoming Assassin’s Creed Shadows is touting renewed focus on stealth, especially with Naoe, who is one of the game’s two protagonists.
In a recently published overview, Ubisoft has revealed details on Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ stealth mechanics, much of which is focused on tools and abilities exclusive to Naoe. Alongside that, the company has also offered details on enemy AI and how foes will function in stealth sections.
Players will often find themselves infiltrating locations categorized as Castles or Fortresses, which are descried as heavily defended areas, which means you can expect a lot of enemies. Such areas will be divided into multiple separate areas, which means moving between areas will allow players to exit and re-enter stealth dynamically.
Should that happen, when enemies start searching for you, they’ll adopt tactics meant to counter specific threats. For instance, they’ll go out in pairs and watch each other’s backs, so whistling and luring them to hiding spots and taking them out one after another will no longer be possible, and might even make them more suspicious.
Meanwhile, some enemies will also be able to deny assassinations, depending on how much you’ve invested in your assassination skill. When approaching an enemy, a white prompt will mean an instant kill, a yellow prompt will mean you’ll do some damage, while a red prompt will mean you’ll do no damage whatsoever- so make sure you keep levelling your assassinations up for as many white prompts as possible.
Interestingly enough, however, the game will feature an option in the menu that will allow you to insta-kill any and all enemies with assassinations.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows will also feature new enemy types that will pose unique threats in stealth sections. Servants, for instance, are a non-lethal enemy type with their own patrol routes who specialize in raising alarms and calling for reinforcements.
Then there are Samurais, a much more lethal and elite enemy. Samurais can deny assassinations more easily, cannot be assassinated in smoke, slice through bushes that you could be hiding in, and are generally much less likely to fall for any tricks that you might throw at them.
Ubisoft says it will be sharing more details on the game’s combat and traversal mechanics in the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned for that.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows launches on February 14, 2025 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
