Assassin`s Creed Shadows has received a new update, bringing significant enhancements beyond general fixes. A major addition is the New Game Plus mode, allowing players to start a fresh playthrough while retaining all previously acquired skills, gear, allies, and hideout progress. This mode becomes accessible from the Animus memory menu after completing the stories of Naoe, Yasuke, and Junjiro. Successfully conquering New Game Plus rewards players with two unique katanas: the legendary Whisper Gold and the Dragon`s Gold, both featuring special perk engravings. Players can replay New Game Plus up to eight times, with each run progressively increasing enemy strength and challenge difficulty.
Expanded Progression and New Challenges
The update also raises the level cap from 60 to 80, introducing more formidable enemies with improved tactics and awareness. Concurrently, the knowledge rank system has been extended to rank 10, empowering players to unlock and refine a wider range of skills, passive abilities, and combat maneuvers for greater mastery. New trophies accompany these changes, awarded for reaching level 80, achieving knowledge rank 10, and acquiring the New Game Plus katanas.
Balance Improvements and Bug Fixes
Balance adjustments in this update include a slight increase in crafting material requirements for item upgrades, and allies now gain more health and damage as players level up. Previously, damage reduction perks were not always effective against certain enemy projectiles, but this issue has been resolved. Another fix addresses a bug where damaging assassinations provided less adrenaline compared to successful stealth assassinations. For a comprehensive list of all changes, refer to Ubisoft`s official blog post.
Upcoming Content
Players curious about the game`s overall quality can consult relevant reviews. Furthermore, the first expansion for the game, titled `Claws of Awaji,` is scheduled for release later this year.