Ubisoft says Assassin’s Creed Shadows will have less map icon ‘hand-holding’, more player-driven exploration

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is – assuming it doesn’t get delayed for a third time – almost upon us, and in the run-up to its March release, Ubisoft is continuing its series of deep dives highlighting some of the ways this latest series entry will be breaking from tradition. And this time around, it’s the turn of exploration, which is promising to be a little more player-driven and a little less like an explosion in a map marker factory.

In its latest blog post, Ubisoft says Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes “major changes and additions” to exploration in order to “foster a unique sense of discovery” as players roam the world. The aim, it explains, is to move away from an overabundance of ‘hand-holding’ map icons and markers toward an open world where information is “key [and] a form of reward”. As such, rather than be immediately showered with points of interest, players will need to discover and earn information – either directly, through their spies, or via NPCs on their travels.

The world map, for instance, will initially only show region names and vague illustrative hints at potential key locations, with more details being revealed as players explore regions, sub-regions, and local landmarks. Notably, players will eventually earn scouts that can be sent ahead to reveal more precise location for quest objectives.

One of Assassin’s Creed’s most iconic exploration features is also getting an overhaul, with viewpoints – AKA synchronisation points – now behaving a little differently. In Shadows, synchronisation no longer uncovers a clutter of map icons over a large area, instead revealing nearby key points of interest that can be manually tagged and added to the compass. Ubisoft says the goal is to give players a “more intentional and active way to find their next adventure.”

In a similar fashion, the classic companion eagle has now been jettisoned, and players will instead need to find a good vantage point to observe the surrounding area and plan their approach, manually searching out and tagging valuable items, enemies, and so on.

Also new are safe houses – known as “kakurega” – that players can acquire. These provide “safe” fast travel points (discovered viewpoints also unlock fast travel, but these are frequently in dangerous enemy zones), as well as other useful functions. Players can, for instance, refill rations, tools, and ammunition; access their gear stash; manage and accept contracts; replenish scouts, and manage allies that can be summoned for help.

Elsewhere in Ubisoft’s update, there’s mention of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Objective Board – a version of the visual quest log previously seen in Mirage, which expands to show new targets and objectives as more characters and challenges are encountered. Or rather, it reveals clues pointing to the location of new opportunities, which players must piece together for more specific directions – unless they want their scouts to do the hard work for them.

Ubisoft also highlights Shadows’ Pathfinder tool, which – given the inclusion of more unclimbable scenery this time around – is intended to help players avoid false shortcuts that would increase their travel time. When a quest is tracked and its location is revealed (or when players manually place a marker on the map), Pathfinder can be deployed while on horseback to draw a white line overlay on the ground showing the shortest route to a player’s destination.

A few more exploration details can be found in Ubisoft’s latest blog post – and if that’s left you sufficiently intrigued, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is now due to launch for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC on 20th March. Ubisoft recently delayed the game’s release yet again (it was previously scheduled for 14th February) as it explores potential sales options.