- Assassin’s Creed: Shadows gets new combat overview
- The two protagonists of the game, Naoe and Yasuke, Have your own unique skills and weapons
- Naoe or Yasuke have similar parrying mechanics, but different results
Ubisoft shares new combat details Assassin’s Creed Shadows Ahead of release on February 15, 2025.
in a new Blog articlethe developers delved into the fundamentals of the game’s combat system and discussed how weapons will change combat depending on who you play as the protagonist; Naoe or Yasuke.
Regarding the basics of attack, there are light, heavy and posture attacks. Light attacks are fast, reliable, and deal a small amount of damage, but some enemies can easily counterattack and “power through” their own ground attacks.
Slam attacks are useful for stunning enemies, but stance attacks seem to be most effective in combat. Press and hold the input key to charge up damage, which can be held indefinitely to break through an enemy’s blocking posture.
Ubisoft also explains that enemies can enter a “vulnerable state,” a brief window that allows players to deal “devastating” damage.
When defending, both Naoe and Yasuke can use directional dodge to avoid incoming attacks, but Naoe’s dodge is “characterized by directional rolls”, while Yasuke’s is directional steps to keep his posture upright.
The protagonists have similar parrying mechanics, but with different results. When Yasuke deflects an attack, the enemy bounces back, providing an opportunity for the attack, while Naoe asks her to turn to either side of the enemy.
Yasuke also has a unique blocking mechanic that allows him to “hide behind weapons” and withstand head-on attacks from kunai and arrows.
“These subtle differences in attack and defense really make each character’s controls unique and adaptable to your ideal playstyle,” said shadow’ Game Director Charles Benoit.
Although Naoe is skilled at stealth as a ninja, she is able to defeat enemies with a series of attacks, but due to her lack of armor and limited combat resources, she can be overwhelmed when surrounded.
As a samurai, Yasuke can stay in battle for longer periods of time and is the only protagonist who can switch weapons during combos through link attack abilities, such as the unsheathed stance attack, which is a technique where his katana is still in the sword Charged opening attack while sheathed.
In terms of weapons, Naoe has a versatile katana that unlocks the ability to assassinate enemies through shoji gates, a short sword and hidden sword that unlock dual assassinations, and a scythe for crowd control. This retractable ball chain can reach distant enemies and can unlock the “Dash Assassination” ability, knocking down enemies up to 10 meters away.
Yasuke possesses a long katana that matches his size, a naginata for crowd control, a gold sword for breaking through defenses and armor, and a Yumi bow for ranged attacks.
There are also iron cannon flint rifles designed to penetrate armor, but have a slower rate of fire and an even slower reload time.
Players will be able to use all of these weapons against a variety of enemy types, each with their own unique fighting styles that need to be learned throughout the game, including Outlaws, Ashigara Soldiers, Ronin, Samurai, Samurai Generals, and Guardian.