Assassin’s Creed Shadows is – assuming it doesn’t get delayed for a third time – almost upon us, and in the run-up to its March release, Ubisoft is continuing its series of deep dives highlighting some of the ways this latest series entry will be breaking from tradition. And this time around, it’s the turn of exploration, which is promising to be a little more player-driven and a little less like an explosion in a map marker factory.
In its latest blog post, Ubisoft says Assassin’s Creed Shadows makes “major changes and additions” to exploration in order to “foster a unique sense of discovery” as players roam the world. The aim, it explains, is to move away from an overabundance of ‘hand-holding’ map icons and markers toward an open world where information is “key [and] a form of reward”. As such, rather than be immediately showered with points of interest, players will need to discover and earn information – either directly, through their spies, or via NPCs on their travels.
The world map, for instance, will initially only show region names and vague illustrative hints at potential key locations, with more details being revealed as players explore regions, sub-regions, and local landmarks. Notably, players will eventually earn scouts that can be sent ahead to reveal more precise location for quest objectives.
One of Assassin’s Creed’s most iconic exploration features is also getting an overhaul, with viewpoints – AKA synchronisation points – now behaving a little differently. In Shadows, synchronisation no longer uncovers a clutter of map icons over a large area, instead revealing nearby key points of interest that can be manually tagged and added to the compass. Ubisoft says the goal is to give players a “more intentional and active way to find their next adventure.”