Being set in 16th-century Japan, Assassin’s Creed Shadows was always going to change the combat mechanics of the much-loved franchise. With new weapons, new enemy types and two new characters to play as, there’s a lot to learn when it comes to combat in AC Shadows, even for experienced Assassin’s Creed players.
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If you’re struggling to get the best of difficult enemies or looking to improve your combat efficiency to get closer to achieving 100 percent completion, this guide contains everything you need to know when it comes to combat in AC Shadows.
What Are The Combat Fundamentals?
Regardless of which enemies you’re facing, there are some fundamentals that need to be understood to get the most out of combat. Most enemies will be on-guard and in a defensive position, so when striking first, use charged heavy attacks (Hold R2 on PS5/ RT on Xbox) to break their stance before attacking rapidly with light attacks (R1 on PS5/ RB on Xbox) before they regain their composure.
When an enemy retaliates, they will typically do so in one of three ways, indicated by three different colours showing when they strike. If an enemy strikes with a white flash, this is a single, light attack that you can parry (L1 on PS5/ LB on Xbox). If you successfully parry, you’ll be able to counter-attack while your enemy is stunned. A blue attack is a light attack as well, but it will be one of a series of attacks that you’ll need to successfully parry to be able to counter-attack after. The number of attacks in these series varies, but they’ll typically between two and four.
Lastly, a red flash indicates a heavy attack. These cannot be parried, and you’ll need to dodge (Circle on PS5 / B on Xbox) to avoid taking a large amount of damage from them. If you do get damaged, make sure to heal by using your rations by pressing up on the d-pad.
Red heavy attacks can be in a series of at least two, so beware of needing to dodge more than once depending on the enemy you’re facing.
If you’re struggling to defeat a large group of enemies, you can utilise your Allies to help you out in combat. This is only available after completing the first act of the story, and you’ll need to complete their individual quests to get them on side.
What Are The Differences Between Naoe And Yasuke?
After completing the first act of the story in AC Shadows, you also unlock Yasuke and can switch between him and Naoe at any point in the story. When it comes to which of the pair is better in combat, it’s no contest as Yasuke is a tank. Yasuke makes light work of all but the strongest of high-level enemies and bosses, so if you’re struggling to defeat enemies as Naoe, switching to Yasuke can resolve your problems.
That being said, though, Naoe does have some perks when it comes to combat, as there are specific weapons that only she can use and her agility does allow you to be more dynamic with your attacks when surrounded by a group of enemies and items such as her smoke bombs can enable you to slip away without being noticed.
Of course, if you play as Naoe, you can assassinate enemies via stealth. This is the best way to clear an area if you’re wanting to do that, but there are instances where combat cannot be avoided. This includes set pieces during missions and being not high enough of a level to assassinate a strong enemy, such as a Samurai Daisho. So, knowing this information is vital to progressing through AC Shadows.
How To Get And Use Weapons
You can use the perfect tactics to taking on enemies, but if you don’t use the right weapons, or weapons that are a high level, you’ll struggle to defeat them. New weapons can be acquired by completing missions in both the main story and side quests and by finding them in enemy areas like Castles and Palaces. New weapons can also be found in other chests and storage areas that can be looted, but they won’t be of the highest quality.
Naoe and Yasuke use different weapon types, with Naoe using Katana, Tanto, Kusarigama, and Yasuke having the choice of using Long Katana, Naginata, Kanabo, Yumi Bow, and Teppo. That’s a lot to learn for new players, but AC Shadows makes it easy to see which weapons are best across all categories by comparing their DPS (Damage Per Second) and Ability Damage in the Inventory tab.
Look over each weapons’ abilities and damage and choose which one is best for your playstyle and don’t be afraid to try something new if a specific type of weapon isn’t yielding positive results.
Don’t neglect your Armour or Amulet/ Trinket as well, as these give you extra health and abilities that help in combat.
There are so many different types of enemies to face in AC Shadows, and it’d be impossible to go in-depth with all of them, but there are some video guides below that cover some of the most difficult to fight common enemies.
How To Defeat Samurai Daisho
To complete areas such as Castles and Palaces, you’ll need to engage in combat with Samurai Daisho. Even if you locate the chest that contains the legendary items prior to being discovered by the guards, you’ll need to eliminate all of the Samurai Daisho within the complex. The number varies depending on the size of the Castle or Palace, but there are usually anywhere from two to five.
Samurai Daisho are high-level enemies and, as such, have a lot of armour protection, health, and can in some cases, defeat you with just one hit, even if you’re playing as Yasuke. Conversely, when playing as Naoe, it might not be possible to sneak up to them and assassinate them, and even if you can damage them, this usually isn’t enough to defeat them.
Running away from Samurai Daisho can be risky, as they usually throw morning stars at you if you try to flee or go too far away. When you’re not that high of a level, these are usually one-hit kills as well.
Samurai Daisho, therefore, usually have to be defeated in combat, something that is difficult.When in doubt, dodge and avoid their strikes and hit them with either heavy or light attacks when they’re cooling off.
How To Defeat Guardians
Commonly known as Heavies, or formerly known in AC games as Brutes, Guardians are commonly-found large enemies that deal exclusively heavy attacks. Guardians have a lot of health and are difficult to defeat, so it’s recommended that you’re playing as Yasuke when facing them. They typically wield a club that deals massive damage and can lunge very large distances to attack from afar.
You cannot parry their attacks and will need to dodge when they go for you. If they miss though, their clubs can get stuck in the ground, making them vulnerable to attack from you.
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