Assassin’s Creed Shadows Open World & Exploration Guide

Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings Feudal Japan to life with an open world full of stories, secrets, and strategic choices. Whether you’re tracking a target or gathering resources, knowing how to navigate and use the game’s systems will help you thrive. Here’s everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Shadows Open World & Exploration Guide

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Open World & Exploration Guide

The Objective Board – Your Quest Hub

After finishing the prologue, you’ll meet Tomiko again and gain access to the Objective Board. This is your go-to place for tracking quests, targets, and events across Japan.

Access it via the pause menu.

View different types of quests: Story missions, side quests, and threats.

Zoom in on objectives to see their details and rewards.

Check Naoe’s and Yasuke’s personal quest board for their main storyline missions.

New objectives update automatically as you meet new people and advance in the game.

Clues & Tracking Targets

Progressing through the game means gathering clues to locate key objectives. You can find these by:

• Eliminating targets
• Completing quests
• Helping citizens

To advance the main story, follow blinking nodes on the Objective Board. Once you track a quest, open the World Map and use your scouts to scan the area for a more precise location.

Using Scouts Effectively

Scouts play a crucial role in tracking objectives and gathering resources. Here’s how to make the most of them:

Start with 1 scout but can expand to 3.

Deploy scouts once per season to scan areas for objectives.

Improve scan accuracy by using more scouts.

Expand your scout network by upgrading buildings in your hideout.

Speed up scout returns by spending in-game currency at Kakurega safe houses.

Scouts will automatically return at the end of a season, so time your deployments wisely.

Finding Locations with Observe & Guided Mode

Once you reach a scanned area, use the Observe feature to pinpoint the exact location of your target. Look for a small blue intuition marker to guide you.

Enable “Guided Mode” in the options menu for direct objective markers.

Use Observe frequently to tag enemies, highlight items, and mark entry points.

Collectibles, chests, and quest objectives appear in different colors when observed:

Yellow: Chests

White: Collectibles

Blue: Quest objectives

Exploring Feudal Japan

The map starts blank, slowly revealing itself as you explore. To navigate effectively:

Use Viewpoints to unlock Fast Travel and reveal nearby points of interest.

Check discovered vs. undiscovered locations on the map.

Stick to roads to avoid getting lost in Japan’s rugged terrain.

Use the Pathfinder feature to highlight the best route to a destination.

Toggle it on while on foot or horseback.

Track it directly from the world map.

Smuggling & Resource Gathering

Scouts aren’t just for tracking—they also help gather resources through smuggling. Wealthy clans store supplies in heavily guarded areas, and you can mark these stockpiles for retrieval.

Mark stockpiles with a flag to have scouts smuggle them out.

At season’s end, stockpiles are cashed in for hideout upgrades.

One stockpile takes up two scouts per season—balance exploration and smuggling wisely.

Use Kakurega safe houses to speed up scout returns if needed.

Managing Seasons & Progression

Seasons change automatically after enough in-game time passes, but you can manually trigger a change via the World Map. As you upgrade your scout network, you’ll gather more resources each season, improving your hideout and capabilities.