Assassin's Creed Shadows Completionist Guide - What you Need to 100% Complete the Game

In this Assassin's Creed Completionist Guide, we'll look at all the activities you need to complete in order to 100% the game. It's worth noting that 100% completion is not the same as the 100% Trophy/Achievement run.

The main thing to note before we go any further in this guide is the following. You only need to play the game once to 100% the game or get all the Trophies/Achievements in the game. Any you miss while you play the story, can be collected after in the "free roam" section.

Some activities will require a specific character to complete. For example, Naoe must be used to complete the Kuji-Kiri and Hidden Trails events. At the same time, Yasuke is required for Katas and Horse Archery. For those not at this point yet, Yasuke is unlocked after Act 1, which you will get to at around the 10 to 15-hour mark.

We will have a separate Achievement guide for the game, but to keep it simple, you'll only need to complete the 5 Legendary Sumi-e, 22 Kuji-Kiri, and only 1 Kata and 1 Kofun in order to get the Platinum or 100% of Achievements. That said, you will need to reach Knowledge Rank 6, which requires you to do a lot of the mastery skill activities.

Completionist Guide Quick Tips

The only other notes are that doing these activities as you go is advised, but not required. While the XP from the main story is good, you will fall behind if you avoid everything else. The side activities like Hidden Trails, etc, are fairly easy and won't take much time to complete.

Lastly, the Sumi-e, which are the drawing side activities, you won't need to do all of them for the Trophy guides. However, it would be best to at least collect the 5 Legendary Sumi-e as you travel.

Pro tip: Four of the five Sumi-e are specific to each of the four seasons of the game, and at certain times of the day. The worst part is that they only have around a 30 to 40% spawn rate. However, you can ride away by 200+ meters (or fast travel away and back), and if the day is close to shifting between day and night, this can also impact the chance of spawning.

There are two obvious ways to tackle the 100% completion of the game, which we've highlighted below.

100% by Region

One way to 100% the game is to do everything region-by-region. This will allow you to progress as you complete the story, as this is roughly the path the game will take you down. Not that regions are effectively split in sets of two after you leave Izumi Settsu.

1. Izumi Settsu
2. Yamashiro
3. Omi
4. Harima
5. Iga
6. Yamato
7. Wakasa
8. Kii
9. Tamba

100% by Collectible Types

If regional-based isn't the way you want to tackle it, then taking on each activity in order is an alternative tactic. We have listed Yasuke's activities at 4 and 5, assuming you have completed Act 1, otherwise do them once you have him playable.

Pro tip: The order here is just how we think you are best to think about the objectives. For example, Strongholds/Castles, Shrines, Temples and Sync Points will be found throughout your journey. In the case of Sync Points, they make the rest of your journey easier if you do them as you see them. But the first four are all worth doing as soon as you see them. We've kept the Legendary Chests just under, because they can be fairly hard, and you can always come back later if you pick up the Sync Points.

Lastly, the Quest Item section is last alongside the vendors, as they are fairly passive. In our review playthrough, we found most of them just by playing the game. So we'd suggest leaving them till later. It is a similar story for the Sumi-e, as they are found in the last four zones, so it is best done last.

1. Temples
2. Shrines
3. Viewpoints/Sync Points
4. Castles/Strongholds
5. Legendary Chests (Samurai Daisho)
6. Kuji-Kiri (Naoe)
7. Hidden Trails (Naoe)
8. Katas (Yasuke)
9. Horse Archery (Yasuke)
10. Kofun
11. Keys (Currency)
12. Gear Vendor
13. Port Trader
14. Ornament Vendor
15. Food Vendor
16. Valuable Objects (Quest Item)
17. Jizo Statues (Quest Item)
18. Kamon Crests (Quest Item)
19. Kano Paintings (Quest Item)
20. Kakurega
21. Legendary Sumi-e

FAQ

Is this required to get the Platinum Trophy on PS5?

No, this is the 100% of the game guide. We will have an updated Trophy guide soon, but those require less of the above, but they will require a few other things.

Do you have to play as both Characters to 100% the game

Yes, you will need to play as either Naoe or Yasuke for their respective activities. However, the remaining 95% can be played as either one entirely.

Is Yasuke or Naoe better for 100%?

It will depend on how you want to play, but Naoe will feel more natural for fans of the Assassin's Creed series. Generally, anything with heavy combat will be easier with Yasuke, assuming you've put some effort into gearing him up.