Naoe and Yasuke will encounter several powerful opponents throughoutAssassin’s Creed Shadows, but most of their time will be spent fighting against the seven main enemy archetypes that are found throughout Japan. Many of these won’t pose a threat to Naoe and Yasuke when fighting alone, but if you’re not careful in assessing threats andtaking down the more difficult enemies first, you can quickly be overwhelmed.
The different enemy types inShadowsare easy to tell apart and are usually found in the same environments, such as cities, castles, and the countryside, sopaying attention to your surroundings is an easy way to know what enemies you should expectto fight. There is one additional enemy type in the game that poses a real threat to Naoe and Yasuke but will only appear under special circumstances.
8Outlaws Pose No Significant Threat
Slice Through These Pesky Bandits With Ease
The Outlaws, commonly referred to as Bandits inAssassin’s Creed Shadows,are the game’s lowest-level and easiest enemy type. They are typically seen wearing ragged clothing with little or no armor. They can be male or female, and carry a variety of weapons, including tantos, kurasigamas, and teppos. You canfind outlaws in encampments outside of cities and towns, and they also appear in overtaken castles that are usually partially burned down. In some cases, you’ll discover the presence of bandits through hearing villagers talk about local troubles.
After Assassin’s Creed Shadows, There’s One Feature I Can’t Wait For The Series To Explore Next
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Naoe can assassinate Outlaws easily, and Yasuke can kill them with only a couple of attacks. If you approach a group of them fighting more powerful enemies, you’ll be better off getting an assassination on one of their foes rather than wasting it on an outlaw. Just be careful when approaching large numbers of them, as the quick attacks can become overwhelming.
7Ashigaru Are Individually Fairly Weak
Have Strength In Numbers But Aren’t That Strong
Ashigaru, which translates to “light of foot,” serve as the light infantry class of soldiers deployed by Samurai in feudal Japan. InAssassin’s Creed Shadows, they are a step up from the Outlaws, butashigaru are still some of the easier-to-defeat enemies in the game. You’ll often find them in Nobunaga’s camps, castles, or patrolling populated areas with one or two Samurai.
The Ashigaru use a wide range of weapons with blockable and unblockable attacks, and their combos can be damaging if you don’t react in time. Still, they can be easily assassinated and fought, andmost of their threat comes from their numbers and their proximity to the stronger Samurai. When taking down ashigaru in the vicinity of more powerful samurai, stealth is of the essence, helping you avoid a fight in the open where their numbers make it difficult to dodge and parry attacks.
6Portuguese Soldiers Don’t Show Up Too Often
Not Very Common, But Easy To Deal With
With their shiny breastplates and helmets, the Portuguese Soldiers are very easy to spot inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. Portuguese soldiers carry teppos for ranged combat, and they’ll try tokeep a distance from you by dodging backwards after a melee combo. Naoe and Yasuke both have abilities that can quickly close gaps in combat with attacks. which should help in these scenarios. Their combination attacks are very powerful, so be ready to parry when they draw their swords.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Best Build Guides For Naoe & Yasuke (All Play Styles)
There are a number of different build options for every play style in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, from a Tools Naoe build to a naked Yasuke build.
Portuguese soldiers can be found sporadically throughout Japan, often harassing local merchants in groups of three or four. You should try to assassinate one or two first to reduce their numbers, lower the threat of gunfire, anduse smoke bombs to obscure their line of sight while you fight up close. When marking enemies inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, ranged ones will show a target over their head, so you’re able to close in to take them out before foes wielding melee weapons.
5Samurai Are Nothing To Sneeze At
Imposing Soldiers That Require Some Skill To Take Down
Samurai are the main warrior class in Sengokou Japan and are one of the more powerful enemy types inAssassin’s Creed Shadows. They are easily spotted thanks to their helmets and armor, althoughsome Samurai can be found not wearing any armor - usually in castles.
Whether they wear armor or not, Samurai will have a minimum of three health segments that you’ll have to remove to kill them. The Samurai Daisho you have to kill to get the rewards in Castles are the same as other Samurai you find in the world, but you’ll be able to find them by looking for white dots in Naoe’s Eagle Vision.
If you try to assassinate a Samurai with Naoe from the front, they will block it completely and you’ll do no damage.
Samurai have powerful attack combos and high defense, so trying to fight one while battling other enemies is not advised. Unless you’reusing the guaranteed assassination setting,Naoe also can’t assassinate Samurai all the timewithout the skills and engravings that remove more health segments from ground and air assassinations. If you clear out other enemies first, you can start with an assassination and finish them off in duels, or you can even disengage and run away between assassinations before returning to kill them with a second one.
4Warrior Monks Are Agile Foes
Resolutely Defend Their Grounds With Deadly Skills
Warrior Monks wear light cloth clothing and sandals; somehave gauntlets but otherwise are very lightly armored. That doesn’t mean they’re easy to kill, as they have very high mobility, will dodge melee and ranged attacks, and can heal mid-combat.They use unique weapons like dual katanas and long-bladed spears, and will also use ranged weapons during combat after dodging backwards. Using weapons like Yasuke’s Naginata or Naoe’s Kusarigama could help when dealing with more than one Monk at a time.
Be careful when taking out enemies in camps, asthey will thoroughly investigate the surrounding areas when they find a body. Warrior Monks can be found defending restricted shrines and temples throughout Japan, so you’ll need to sneak past them, take them out, or simply run like the wind when picking up collectibles like Lost Pages in these areas. Naoe canrecruit a powerful Warrior Monk as an allyduringAssassin’s Creed Shadows’story, who is a very formidable opponent for your enemies.
3Shinobi Give Naoe A Taste Of Her Own Medicine
Naoe Can Meet Her Match In These Tricky Enemies
It can be very hard to spot a Shinobi, as Naoe’s enemies can attest to if they live long enough. You’ll know when you’ve come across one very quickly, though, asthese silent assassins will use many tools familiar to the player against them. These include the Tanto and Kusarigama, but Shinobi will also use Kunai, Shuriken, and Smoke Bombs to deal damage and make themselves harder to hit. It’s best to keep up constant pressure against Shinobi to minimize these opportunities, and even a Smoke Bomb won’t do much if you don’t let them reposition.
Shinobi will appear in all sorts of places once you’ve progressed far enough in theAssassin’s Creed Shadows’story,sent by the Shinbakufu and other organizationsto hunt down Naoe and Yasuke. As a result,they can surprise you in towns and cities by emerging from crowds, ambush you on the road, or attack you in shrines and castles. Use all the tools and skills available to level the playing field after you’ve been ambushed. If they join a fight where you’re already overwhelmed, though, you might just want to run.
2Ronin Are Serious Wandering Threats
Samurai Who Serve No Lord And Are Extra Deadly
Ronin are Samurai who serve no master and now operate as mercenaries for the Shinbakufu, tasked like the Shinobi to attack Naoe and Yasuke on sight. As a result, theRonin poses a serious threat throughout Japan as they wander the roads looking for their next victim. They wear very little armor compared to traditional Samurai, but they should be approached with caution. Ronin will attack Naoe and Yasuke on sight after Akechi Mitsuhide becomes an enemy.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows: How To Get More Gold (Mon)
Stocking up on mon in Assassin’s Creed Shadows may seem tedious, but there are a few ways you can guarantee full pockets throughout the game.
Ronin hit extremely hard, with complicated unblockable and blockable combinations. They also parry your attacks very effectively and have counter-attack combos, so make sure you’re attacking carefully when you fight them. If you are skilled enough to survive an encounter with a Ronin,they usually have impressive loot on them, so the risk is often worth the reward. Their gear also provides some cool outfits for Yasuke, especially the shaggy, overhanging straw hats.
1Guardians Are Deployed As Powerful Punishment
These Deadly Samurai Will Punish You If You’re Wanted
If you’re caught entering a restricted area like a camp or castle and you don’t eliminate everyone there, thenyou’ll become wanted in that entire region as a result of your crimes. Once you’re wanted, a new enemy type will appear: The Guardian. When you are wanted, Guardians can be found both in the restricted area you were found or patrolling the towns and cities in the provinces, and they will attack you on sight.
Thebest way to deal with a Guardian is to avoid them at all costs; they’re very powerful and often not worth trying to fight. Deep enough into the game, Naoe may be able to assassinate them, and Yasuke’s stronger abilities can take out a lot of their health. The safest option, however, is toget rid of Naoe or Yasuke’s wanted statusin the game, which will then make the Guardian despawn. Guardians are the deadliest enemy type inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, with extra health segments, powerful weapons, and relentless combos to punish your dissent.
