Assassin’s Creed Shadows Combat Overview Details Weapons, skills and more

Ubisoft on Tuesday detailed the combat gameplay in Assassin’s Creed Shadows in a new update, highlighting the basics of attack, defense, skills and abilities available to players. The developer also shared details about the character-specific weapons in the game; Assassin’s Creed Shadows features two playable protagonists with different play styles and abilities. In its deep dive, Ubisoft showed off new gameplay footage of the game’s action-packed and visceral combat design.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows battle

The studio shared the details of Assassin’s Creed Shadows combat gameplay in a blog post Wednesday. According to Ubisoft, players’ choice of protagonist and weapon will “dramatically” change the combat experience in the game, with samurai Yasuke taking an explosive approach, while shinobi Naoe favors more precise and quiet ways to take down enemies.

Players can perform both light and heavy attacks in Shadows, but holding down the light or heavy attack input will result in a stance attack: a charged attack that breaks through enemies’ guards.

“Light attacks can be executed a little faster than heavy attacks,” said game director Charles Benoit in the blog post, “but heavy stance attacks can pack a huge punch if you get the timing right. But beware: enemies will be wary of stance attacks and try to prevent you from attacking them, so make sure you keep your eyes out of the way.”

In certain situations, enemies can also enter a vulnerable state, where players can unleash a stance attack and deal major damage.

When it comes to defending incoming attacks, both Naoe and Yasuke can dodge to avoid damage. Noae performs a directional roll while Yasuke sidesteps the attack. Both characters can also deflect incoming attacks; However, Yasuke can also use a block mechanic to protect himself from melee and ranged attacks.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Skills, Abilities, Weapons

Both characters also have unique skills and abilities, including active skills that can be performed during battle. By leveling and defeating certain enemies, players gain Mastery Points, which can be spent on weapon-based skills. One of the gameplay clips posted on the blog showed an active ability, the Naginata Crescent Strike, where Yasuke performs a spinning attack on three enemies.

Yasuke and Naoe can each carry two weapons and switch between them during battle, but only the former can switch weapons mid-combo. While the core combat mechanics are the same for both, they feel different in battle with their different weapons and abilities, Ubisoft said in the post.

Noae’s weapons include a katana, a kissarigama, and a tanto dagger and hidden blade used in combination. Yasuke, on the other hand, equips a formidable long katana, a naginata for crowd control, a kanabo, and ranged weapons such as the Yumi bow and the Teppo flintlock rifle. Ubisoft has also detailed some of the enemy types players will encounter in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, outlining their attack patterns and tactics.

The gameplay footage shows that the combat system in Assassin’s Creed Shadows differs from the system in Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, with more emphasis on character and weapon-specific actions.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be released on February 14, 2025 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series S/X. In September, Ubisoft announced that it would delay the game until next year from its original release date of November 15, citing the need to further polish the game.