Unlock Guaranteed Assassinations in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows

In the Assassin’s Creed franchise, the hidden blade has consistently been one of the main tools of the assassins. Unlike in Odyssey, this weapon takes a prominent role in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

While Naoe wields a hidden blade capable of stealth kills, the RPG mechanics in Shadows introduce a challenge. Enemies are leveled, meaning the hidden blade may not always be effective against stronger foes. Fortunately, there’s a way to address this issue.

Understanding Assassinations

When playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows at the standard difficulty, the mechanics of assassinations can be tricky. Like in previous RPG installments, the hidden blade can execute enemies who are equal to or lower in level. However, if you’re up against a stronger opponent, the situation changes.

If an enemy is at a higher level than you, the assassination prompt will appear in a different color, signaling that it won’t result in an instant kill. Instead, Naoe will deal significant damage similar to a heavy attack, but it won’t guarantee a kill as seen in earlier games.

Activating Instant Assassinations

When this feature was first introduced in Origins, it sparked a lot of debate among fans, as many were unhappy about needing to level up such a significant gameplay element. Thankfully, Shadows provides an option to enable instant assassinations at all times, regardless of character level.

To activate this feature, simply access the game settings, navigate to Gameplay, and select Difficulty Tuning. Here, you can customize combat and stealth elements, including the option to turn Guaranteed Assassinations on or off.

With this setting enabled, Naoe can eliminate any enemy she encounters, regardless of level. This feature is particularly beneficial for stealth-focused players and reduces the need for excessive grinding. While it may disrupt the game’s balance, it ultimately allows players to choose their preferred style.

A word of caution: enabling Guaranteed Assassinations can make certain targets in Assassin’s Creed Shadows exceedingly easy to defeat. This change aligns more with earlier installments in the series, so keep that in mind if you’re looking for a greater challenge!