Ubisoft has rolled out a fresh update for Assassin`s Creed Shadows, bringing with it not only general improvements and bug fixes but also significant new features. Foremost among these is the highly anticipated New Game Plus mode. This allows players to begin a new journey while retaining all previously acquired skills, equipment, allies, and hideout advancements from their completed game.
Players can initiate New Game Plus from the Animus memory menu after completing the main storylines of Naoe, Yasuke, and Junjiro. Successfully conquering New Game Plus rewards players with two new unique katanas: the legendary Whisper Gold (long katana) and Dragon`s Gold (regular katana), each featuring distinct perk engravings. Remarkably, this mode can be replayed up to eight times, with each subsequent run escalating the difficulty through more formidable adversaries and tougher trials.
Another major enhancement in this update is the elevation of the player level cap from 60 to 80. This higher cap introduces more challenging enemies with improved tactics and heightened awareness. Concurrently, the knowledge rank system has been extended to rank 10, empowering players to unlock and refine a wider selection of skills, passive abilities, and combat strategies for greater mastery. The update also adds new trophies: one for reaching level 80, another for achieving knowledge rank 10, and a third for acquiring the exclusive New Game Plus katanas.
Regarding balance adjustments, the update includes modifications such as a minor increase in crafting material requirements for item upgrades, and improved health and damage scaling for allies as players progress. Critical bug fixes have also been implemented, addressing issues like damage reduction perks failing against certain enemy projectiles and an error where damaging assassinations granted less adrenaline than clean assassinations. A comprehensive list of these changes is available on Ubisoft`s official blog.
Furthermore, the game`s first expansion, “Claws of Awaji,” is scheduled for release later this year.