Assassin's Creed Shadows: Walkthrough & Boss Guide

This is a condensed story overview with notes on a few Shinbakufu targets. It is not a complete mission-by-mission walkthrough, and we have not verified detailed infiltration routes or boss mechanics. The plot follows Wikipedia, the target locations follow Gamers Heroes, and the New Game+ details follow Ubisoft's Title Update 1.0.7 notes.

The game opens in feudal Japan. Yasuke, an African man brought to Kyoto by Jesuit priests, is forced into Oda Nobunaga's service and trained as a samurai. During Nobunaga's invasion of Iga Province, the young shinobi Fujibayashi Naoe is protecting a box her father Nagato gave her; Nagato is mortally wounded and the box is stolen. Naoe hunts the masked killers for revenge and to recover the box, and Yasuke later joins her.

Tomiko's homestead serves as Naoe's base for gathering supplies and allies. Targets' exact locations are not shown by default: you recruit and deploy scouts, who narrow down locations from clues. The open world also changes with the seasons, which affects gameplay; for example, ponds freeze in winter, so Naoe cannot hide in them.

Mitsuhide tells Naoe that Oda Nobunaga leads the secret group behind the masked killers (the Shinbakufu), but Nobunaga reveals that Mitsuhide lied to her and that he is not a member. Mitsuhide identifies the real leader as the former shogun Ashikaga Yoshiaki, who wanted to regain the power Nobunaga took from him. The group's members are tracked as Onryo targets with nicknames. Gamers Heroes lists, among others, The Naginata, The Fool, The Mourner (Omi), The Wounded (Amagasaki Castle), The Two-Faced (Akechi Mitsuhide), The Noble (Harima and Himeji), The Golden Teppo (Sakai), The Ox and The Wise (Yamato and Nara area), and The Horseman, who becomes available only once all the others are dead. We have not verified the order in which the game expects you to hunt the others.

Nobunaga commits seppuku at Honnō-ji. Mitsuhide dies at Shōryūji Castle during the Battle of Yamazaki. Naoe and Yasuke spare Yoshiaki, who gave them information. Naoe recovers her box and reconciles with Hanzō, and the pair search for Naoe's mother Tsuyu. Yasuke kills the Templar leaders Kimura Kei, Duarte de Melo and Nuno Caro and declares war on the Templars.

New Game Plus was not in the launch version. It arrived in Title Update 1.0.7 on 29 July 2025. After finishing the main story on any difficulty, you start it from the Memory Menu in the Animus once all the journeys of Naoe, Yasuke and Junjiro are complete. Per Ubisoft, it keeps all collected skills, gear, Allies and hideout progression from your first playthrough. The update notes do not explicitly say that Mastery Points carry over.