"Explore Assassin’s Creed Shadows' Open World: When?"

Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers a sprawling open world set in Feudal Japan, but players will have to wait until after the prologue to fully explore it. Here’s when you can start exploring the Open World in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

How Long is the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Prologue? Answered

Ubisoft has a history of providing expansive open worlds, but they often come with lengthy introductions. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed Shadows keeps the wait relatively short before players can dive into the world of Japan.

The game begins with a prologue that sets the scene and introduces the dual protagonists, Yasuke and Naoe. This section showcases the Samurai and Shinobi perspectives through these characters and introduces Naoe’s homeland, Iga. The prologue, filled with dramatic set pieces and essential dialogue, takes approximately an hour and a half to complete.

Once players finish the “From Spark to Flame” Quest and establish their Kakurega (Hideout) at Tomiko’s Homestead, the open world becomes accessible for exploration.

Can You Go Anywhere in Assassin’s Creed Shadows Right Away? Answered

Naoe prepares to observe an area after synchronizing in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, via Ubisoft

After completing the prologue, players find themselves in the Izumi Settsu region, one of the nine named areas available at launch. Initially, quests and side activities will focus on Izumi Settsu before expanding to the Yamashiro province in the north.

While the story and certain quests may restrict Naoe and Yasuke to specific locations, players can technically travel to other provinces. However, there are two significant factors to consider:

The first is the availability of quests and activities. Since these unlock progressively throughout the story, visiting new regions early might not be very rewarding. Additionally, Assassin’s Creed Shadows incorporates RPG elements, meaning players need to reach a certain level to effectively engage in combat in different provinces. You can check these level requirements on the map, where regions marked with a number in a red diamond indicate that you are significantly under-leveled for that area. Attempting to explore these regions prematurely could lead to an extremely challenging, if not impossible, experience, as some enemies can nearly one-shot you.

In summary, while you can rush to higher-level regions, it’s not advisable and could lead to a frustrating gameplay experience.