Assassin’s Creed Shadows Combat Guide

Combat is a crucial aspect of any AC title. So, in this article, we will tell you everything you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ combat system.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is the latest title in Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed franchise. The game is set in Japan during the emergence of Oda Nobunaga and leans into the RPG genre. The developers have introduced two separate protagonists, one Samurai and one Shinobi. Naturally, both of them have distinctive approaches when it comes to combat and stealth.

In this article, we will be focusing on the general combat mechanics of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

How Does Combat Work in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

As discussed earlier, Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an RPG, and it incorporates a third-person combat system. And even though the game has many ranged weapons, there’s emphasis on melee combat. Both Yasuke and Naoe, the two protagonists of the game, will have a variety of weapons in their arsenal, and each weapon will function differently. 

For example, you will be able to strike quickly with a Katana but it will do moderate damage. When it comes to a weapon like the Kanabo, it will be much slower because of its weight, but it will also do more damage than a Katana or a Naginata. However, despite the various weapons both characters have, the fundamental mechanics of combat stay the same. In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, combat is built around four pillars – Striking, Parrying, Countering, and Dodging.

Once you start playing the game, you will get your first combat tutorial with Yasuke during the Spirit Of a Warrior quest. In the tutorial, you will be tasked with killing some shinobis from the Iga Province, and you must do so by utilizing the four pillars we mentioned earlier.

Striking in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

First, let’s talk about striking. It is quite simple. Just like with many other RPGs, you have two different kinds of offensive striking – the Light attack and the Heavy attack. However, each of these strikes also has a stronger variant named the Posture attack, which you can perform by holding down the respective buttons for both strikes.

The Light attack is the easier of the two. Simply press R1/RB to perform a Standard attack. It is quick and does moderate damage. This will be your go-to attack and is perfect against regular enemies with less armor or skill. 

The next is the Heavy attack. You can do this action by pressing and holding the R2/RT for a short time. As the name suggests, this attack is more aggressive than standard attacks, but, because of that, it takes longer to perform, which gives your enemies a chance to strike you if you don’t time it well. 

Additionally, you will find many enemies who are more skillful than regular minions and can block your light strikes. With the stronger attack, you can break the block and stun the enemy for a little bit, giving you the perfect opportunity to land some hits. Many enemies, especially bosses, will have a stagger meter, which you will have to deplete with Light and Heavy attacks before you can damage them. 

Parrying and Countering in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Now that we have covered Striking, let’s move our focus to Parrying and Countering. During the tutorial, once you make your way out of the first two waves of enemies, you will meet one lone shinobi who will serve as your practice dummy. Parrying is the art of deflecting your opponent’s attack and momentum to protect yourself from damage and creating an opening for a counterattack.

You will notice a white circle around the enemy’s weapon when they attack you. That indicates the perfect time to hit the LB/L1 button to deflect the enemy’s attack. After parrying, perform a Light or Heavy attack to counter your opponent’s move immediately and do some damage. 

If you do it at the right time, it will count as a Timed Parry. This will put your opponent in a vulnerable state, which means they will receive more damage from your counterattack. It is a great technique to turn defense into offense, and, if you master it, then you will be able to challenge any opponent in the game. 

Dodging in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

You will get the Dodging tutorial with Naoe in the Fight of the Kakushiba Ikki mission. Even if you master Parrying, you won’t be able to deflect every single attack, because many of the enemies can perform unblockable attacks. That’s where dodging comes into the mix. 

During combat, you will notice a red circle instead of white around the opponent’s weapon. This indicates that you cannot block the attack and the only way to avoid damage is to get out of its way. 

So, when you see the red flash, press B/Circle to perform a dodge and avoid the damage completely. If you time your dodges well, then the enemy will enter a vulnerable stance, similar to the one we discussed earlier. 

Keep in mind that, if you are playing as Naoe, dodging will be a crucial part of your combat style because she is not as resistant to damage as Yasuke. if the opponent lands a few hits, that could mean death for you.

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We provide the latest news and create guides for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Meanwhile, you can check out the following AC Shadows articles or catch us playing games on Twitch and YouTube:

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