Assassin’s Creed Shadows Final Update Launches Today

With Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ next update available right now, we wanted to take a moment to detail what awaits you in this last major content drop. We’ll take a look at the new narrative content wrapping up Naoe and Yasuke’s story, which also connects Shadows to Edward Kenway’s adventures in the Caribbean in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced; share some details on the brand-new challenge feature called Domains; and look back on the year since launch with Associate Game Director Simon.

Contents of the Final Update

What’s waiting for players in this final update?

Simon: For our narrative-driven players looking for deep lore and more Templar action, our last free content drop “Black Tides” is definitely for you! It’s a story-capper for the game with about two hours of content wrapping up Naoe and Yasuke’s adventure. For RPG players looking for an excuse to put all that accumulated gear to good use, we are introducing Domains: a replayability-focused set of challenges with tons of new unlockable gear and secret rewards. You’ll also find the third and final Modern Day Rift “Horizon”, which is a crucial part of that bridge connecting to Black Flag Resynced’s meta-narrative. And to round things up, we’re also adding two new cross-title Projects to the Animus Hub, which are challenges that exist both across Shadows and Black Flag Resynced. For those looking to claim Captain Kenway’s cool new toys on day one, you can get to work on it right now in Sengoku Japan!

How did community feedback or requests shape this last update?

Simon: I’m a player too, and very often I agree with the sentiment of the community, so when they say things like “give us more Templar stuff!” or “give us more reasons to craft equipment builds!” it’s not hard for me to agree and try to fix, add, or tweak things to meet their feedback. So Black Tides, which is our final story mission for Naoe and Yasuke, is how we kick that door wide open and add more Templar-focused story content to wrap things up. If you are craving Templar content and deep lore connections, you won’t want to skip this one.

As for build crafting, well, Domains is what you’re looking for: five new arenas outside of the Japan simulation aimed at kicking your butts until you crack the perfect build for the situation – and do it all over again for your next run.

The Project also brings back a highly-requested Legacy outfit that should hold you over until Black Flag Resynced launches on July 9 – admittedly with a few more front flips than what Edward is used to.

Were there any challenges or interesting problems to solve in bringing this update to life?

Simon: Crafting a satisfying close to Shadows while building the bridge towards the next adventure in the franchise was a fun problem to solve. There are connections to other entries in the franchise, and bringing all of that together and adding those little cryptic nods to past and future was really challenging, but fun to work on. Like connecting Edward’s story, for example; he lived in a different time period, so we can’t just have him show up in Shadows as it wouldn’t make sense. We had to find a way to create that link that fits into both worlds. It was also an interesting challenge to bring the threads from Shadows’ story and post-game content together while also trying to meet player feedback on everything we’ve released so far.

Are there any Easter Eggs or hidden details that players should keep an eye out for?

Simon: There are many Easter Eggs, as well as direct and indirect references to previous games. The more you know about the existing lore, the more layers you’ll find to enjoy and make connections with.

And with Domains, just wait till you see some of the higher-tier rewards we’ve hidden in there. You might want to take a closer look at some of them in your Hideout to read their descriptions, too.

Closing Out Naoe & Yasuke’s Story

What can you tell us about the ending to the story of Shadows? How can players access the content and what awaits them?

Simon: Well, Black Tides sees Naoe and Yasuke take on a mysterious duo of elite ranking Templars known as the Black Cross. You’ll have to play the game to find out more about them. Players must have finished the main story and completed our previous post-launch quests A Critical Encounter and A Puzzlement then you’ll get access to this final mission. Opening that mysterious glyph door is not necessary, but events will play out slightly differently if you have done so. You don’t need to have played Claws of Awaji either; everything will still make sense and be available even without that content.

How does Shadows’ story connect to Edward Kenway’s adventure?

Simon: It`s simple really. It all starts with Kas- [SPOILERS DETECTED… REDACTION IN PROGRESS… ANIMUS ACCESS REQUIRED TO UNLOCK DATA] -to the Caribbean. Cool, huh?

What is it like waving goodbye to these characters the team worked so hard to bring to life?

Simon: It’s bittersweet. On the one hand, I’ve lived with these characters for so long, from building their core movement, their body language, their personalities in the main game, and now crafting more story elements and working directly with Masumi and Tongayi – our two protagonists’ actors – during post-launch. You know, I was employee number 12 working on the game when we first started, so I’ve really been there for the full journey. It’s a little difficult to let go of these characters and move on, but we’re so proud of what we’ve done. But that doesn’t mean I won’t enjoy a vacation, and I look forward to working on my next project and getting to apply the learnings there.

What do you hope players will come away with when they reach the end of the tale?

Simon: We acknowledge some story elements from the main game that the community didn’t resonate with as much as we hoped, so we’re taking those elements and that feedback and trying to put them to good use and address them in this final chapter. I hope the community is satisfied with where we leave our two protagonists – and hopefully get even more excited for Black Flag Resynced in the process.

Will we see Naoe and Yasuke again in future?
Simon: I know these characters and the Japanese setting have much more left in the tank and I’ll always advocate for doing more with them, but for now, this is the end of their story.

New Feature – Domains

What is Domains? How does it work?

Simon: You can easily find it on the Objective Board – but just in case you don’t, there’s a weird mountain in Yamato. Some community members have already found it. Head over there at level 30 or above and be prepared to get your butts handed to you as you climb the difficulty ladder. Don’t worry, we have someone awaiting your presence up there that will explain it all. The basics are that there are five challenging maps which will require you to complete objectives, but there are some curve balls thrown at you with gameplay modifiers each time you play. You’ll need to change up your build to meet the challenges, which are different each time you play.

Why did the team decide to work on Domains?

Simon: New Game+ is great for RPG-players, but it only carries you so far after four or five re-runs. With Domains, we are freshening things up by introducing gameplay modifiers that stack on top of each other to nullify some of the more overused player strategies and make sure there’s plenty of replayability for players who want to challenge themselves. We’re also packing Domains with tons of unique rewards that can’t be found in the online store or through the Animus Exchange. If you want those items for bragging rights, you have to earn them the old-fashioned way.

What maps are included in Domains and what inspired them?

Simon: We’ve got five unique Domains, each inspired by a different theme; Broken Sky is based on some notorious physics bugs we encountered during production. Megalithic Domain is a nod to a few action-adventure games that inspired us. Blood Moon is our way of exploring fantasy RPG settings we don’t usually see in a game like Assassin’s Creed. Shipbreaker is directly inspired by Captain Kenway’s return, and White-Out is a reflection of life in Quebec City during the harsher months of the year. We know a thing or two about snow in Quebec.

Besides theme and setting, what differentiates each map from the others?

Simon: Overall altitude, lines-of-sight, ambient lighting – some Domains are suited to hiding in shadows, some aren’t – enemy archetypes, and more. We made sure that replaying the same Domain over and over with different parameters feels as unique as possible every time, and the modifiers really add to those differences and force you to use your equipment smartly.

Any tips for builds and how to approach Domains?

Simon: You can’t just rely on your trusted build in Domains since things will change each time you play a map. Watch which modifiers are in effect and adapt with the best possible equipment available in your inventory, keep that gear leveled-up, and don’t sleep on Yasuke – he might just be the answer you are looking for.

Looking Back on Assassin’s Creed Shadows

What’s been your favorite moment throughout the entire production of Shadows?

Simon: My personal favorite element has been to get a second attempt at Shadows’ parkour, not only because we were able to address community feedback and make huge improvements to the player experience, but also because those things have really helped the Black Flag Resynced team to improve parkour in that game too. We were able to pass on a lot of what we learned and work with them to provide feedback based on our discussions with players, so it’s great to know the legacy of Shadows is continuing with other games. The Singapore team deserves credit for their willingness to take what we added and taking it even further.

We held many community workshops, and I had the pleasure of hosting them with various community members – including some very vocal critics. It was invaluable to help guide our approach for Shadows’ post-launch in particular, and for the entire Assassin’s Creed franchise in general. Other teams are also doing the same and getting that direct feedback and critique, and it’s a really great thing to see.

Any fun production stories?

Simon: Any time Naoe performs a back-eject aerial McTwist, just know that our talented stuntman Jason suffered a nasty sprained ankle performing that move during mocap sessions. Any time I see it, I remember that landing thud… Ouch. What a trooper! He’s fine by the way, we had him back for Black Tides, so he’s alive and kicking.

What are you most proud of?

Simon: Black Tides is what I am the proudest of. It was a lot of work to do it right, get mocap time with the actors, call them back to see if they were interested in doing a little more. It’s been a challenge to make it all happen, but well worth the effort in my opinion. I hope the community agrees!

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ final update is available now with a new story arc and the Domains feature completely free, so dive back in or pick up the game to experience the end of the tale and work on your best builds to meet the new challenge. The game is available on Ubisoft+, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through the Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store, and Steam, and on Macs with Apple silicon via the Mac App Store. And if you want even more Assassin’s Creed, remember that Black Flag Resynced is releasing on July 9!