Major Assassin's Creed Shadows update delivers several much-requested upgrades

A new Assassin's Creed Shadows update today rolls out some serious upgrades for Ubisoft's feudal Japanese epic, and there's enough in here to get you excited even if you're not planning to play the imminent DLC. While the Claws of Awaji release date lands next week, it's this quality-of-life overhaul that has me more tempted to dive back in. From a wealth of base upgrades and a new endgame gear system, to much-needed tools like a time skip and the ability to clear the entire map of fog, it's the best reason to return yet.

Reid's Assassin's Creed Shadows review ended up fairly split on Ubisoft's latest tale, which delivers the kind of stunning environment you'd expect from a series responsible for some of the best open-world games around. Assassin's Creed Shadows boasts solid combat and an interesting dual-protagonist structure, but it remains perhaps too faithful to the established formula. If you're still a big fan of the action-adventure games, however, that core is very much here, and the new update provides lots of welcome improvements.

Right out of the gate, the level cap has been raised to 100, while your Assassin's Creed Shadows hideout upgrades get two additional levels for each unique building. That totals 20 enhancements and three more hideout ranks, and along the way you'll gain more gold income, character enhancements for both Naoe and Yasuke, improved crafting capability, and boosts for your allies. There are also a few key additions as you reach certain milestones, along with some Ezio-themed gear that can be unlocked from the Animus hub.

The removal of map fog is one of the longest-requested changes, but you'll have to do a little work for it. Upgrading your study to level four will allow scouts to reveal viewpoints and safehouses, speeding up your travel time. With the kakurega also at level four, uncovering all of the viewpoints in a province will now automatically remove all fog from the region, letting you immediately scope out the full terrain and any key locations.

Get your forge to level six, and you'll be able to enhance your gear further than ever before, with new 'mythic' and 'artifact' quality tiers. These apply to epic and legendary items respectively, and unlock eight additional upgrade levels. There are some seriously impactful stat boosts, although Ubisoft says these "powerful enhancements are designed as long-term goals" that will help you push through the additional difficulty presented by new game plus cycles, so expect them to take a while to earn.

Rounding out the extra features is the ability to fast-forward the time of day at any point where you're able to meditate. You'll need your nando upgraded to level two, but can then simply hold up on the d-pad or the L key to skip ahead to either 6am or 6pm, whichever happens to be next. If you're planning a nighttime assault, you'll no longer have to wait around for the perfect moment.

Finally, there's a free story mission that'll reward you with a new weapon - although you won't be able to access this quite yet. It'll land on Tuesday September 16 alongside the Claws of Awaji expansion, and takes Naoe on a quest to meet with a Bo master. While the Bo staff was originally designed as a DLC exclusive, Ubisoft says it "thought this weapon was way too cool not to share with everyone for free," so you'll now get it as part of this special quest, whether or not you own Claws of Awaji.

Assassin's Creed Shadows title update 1.1.1 launches Thursday September 11 at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST / 4pm CEST. You can read through the full patch notes courtesy of Ubisoft for additional tweaks, including a spoiler-heavy list of bug fixes.

This update means it's a good time to start your adventure if you've been holding off, or perhaps leap into a fresh playthrough. We've highlighted the best Assassin's Creed Shadows skills to help you get going, along with a rundown of the best Assassin's Creed Shadows settings for PC and Steam Deck to ensure your performance stays strong.

Are you excited for Claws of Awaji? Or has another Assassin's Creed blast from the past grabbed your attention once more? Let us know in the PCGamesN community Discord server, where you can chat with staff and readers.