After years of waiting, Assassin’s Creed fans can finally experience the game while playing as a Shinobi and a Samurai in the latest iteration of the game, Shadows.

The jaunt through Japan is very good and while it wasn’t as astounding as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey nor has it left an impression quite like Black Flag, it’s a fantastic entry to the series that fans will lap up. So far, things are looking great for Ubisoft and it may just have a winner on its hands which it sorely needs.

One of the marmite features of Shadows is likely to be the fact that it encourages players to explore. There is a lot to do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows (although not as much as Valhalla) and it can feel daunting which is why we’ve compiled a list of things you should do during your first playthrough to make your experience that much more enjoyable.

1. Keep an ear out

Assassin’s Creed Shadows features long winding pathways through emptiness and while you might be tempted to occupy your second display with music or your comfort show, don’t. As you explore Feudal Japan you may overhear conversations that will give you hints about targets you’re hunting or intel about the world. In one example, during our review we overheard a guard talking about leaving details of a patrol in a bath house.

Those details helped us find a target we were hunting more easily than we otherwise would have. As such, keep an ear out for conversations between NPCs, they may just lead you to something interesting.

2. Be liberal with Eagle Vision

No more are you required to have an Eagle flying overhead to spot enemies as Naoe has Eagle Vision as a trait from the off. Combined with the “observe” function, players can easily mark enemies and loot in an area to insure they don’t miss anything when exploring. We also found Eagle Vision endlessly useful when trying to find targets and NPC quest givers during our playthrough.

3. Put castles on your “To Do” list

As you progress through Japan you will discover castles. These are easy to spot given their massive smooth walls and tall structures where viewpoints are often located. During the early stages of the game, castles are imposing locations where guards attack on sight and if you are too low of a level, they will dispatch you.

However, ignoring these castles is a mistake as they contain both Mon, resources and unique gear that will make Naoe more deadly than she already is.

As such, take note of where the castles are and put them on your “To Do” list for later levels. When you do eventually start raiding castles, try to do so as silently as possible and disable any bells in the castle as you will soon find yourself swarmed by enemies once you are spotted. This includes Guardians that will hunt you for an entire season.

4. Try every weapon

As you progress through Japan you will discover new weapons aside from the katana and hidden blade you start with. Naoe can make use of Kusarigama and Tanto weapons as well as smoke bombs, Kunai, Shuriken and eventually lures. Meanwhile, Yasuke can make use of Teppo firearms, bows, Naginata and Kanabo. Each weapon has its own Mastery tree which points can be spent on. This tree can be reset so we recommend testing out every weapon early on in your playthrough before settling on a pair you prefer.

5. Do the Kata and Kuji-kiri activities

As you explore Japan as Naoe you will encounter Kuji-kiri activities that will help you learn more about her and her history. These activities will also unlock Knowledge points which open up new skills. For Yasuke, these activities are horseback archery Kata where he will need to perform a set of movements with a weapon. These are dead simple activities and can be completed in a few minutes. Both characters can collect items in Temples which also provide Knowledge points. As a rule of thumb, a red icon on the map means Knowledge points can be found there.

6. Kick back in the Kakurega

As you open up the map you will see Assassin’s icons for Kakurega dotted around the major cities and villages. These locations are you home away from home where you can refill tools, Scouts and fast travel to. These little locations are endlessly useful and cost just 800 Mon to unlock. This makes fast travelling around the map far easier and as you progress you will be flitting from one side of the map to the other.

7. Contracts are easy and worth doing

Contracts can be picked up at your Hideout and Kakurega. These are available three at a item and involve either destroying supplies, sending a battalion to the Hideout in the sky or assassinating a single target. Contracts reward a mix of resources, Mon, and experience points. These contracts can be refreshed constantly and are well worth doing, especially if you hope to upgrade your Hideout.

8. Hidey hole

The Hideout is at first glance a pointless endeavour but as you progress through Shadows it becomes very important. Each building in your Hideout offers passive perks that you will most definitely need as go further into Feudal Japan. This means you will be spending all of the resources you collect from chests, castles and contracts on upgrading your Hideout. We recommend upgrading the Forge, Kakurega and Stables as soon as possible with the Dojo being your next most important upgrade.

9. Vendors are hiding something

As you explore each village, town and city, you will bump into vendors. Ignore these at your own peril, especially the Port and Ornament Vendors. Encountering certain NPCs may trigger a longtail quest in which you need to collect paintings or even tea sets. More often than not, you can find these items at vendors so be sure to visit them when you enter a new area just in case. It’s also worth visiting the vendors while playing as both characters as you can only by gear meant for Yasuke or Naoe while playing as either of them.

10. Suspend your disbelief

While Ubisoft has placed Animus Anomalies throughout the map for you to scan in order to learn more about real-life locations in Japan, Shadows isn’t a historically accurate portrayal of Japan. This is worth mentioning because for some reason loud mouths on the internet have taken issue with the fact that this specific entry into the Assassin’s Creed franchise ought to be historically accurate.

We’ll remind those people that in the two previous main-line titles of this series you visited Valhalla and Atlantis, two locations that we feel it pertinent to point out, don’t exist in reality.

There are heterosexual and homosexual relationships to pursue. There are are non-binary characters and yes, one of the main protagonists is a black man for which there is historical precedent that he existed. Hell, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was based on the Norse who were infamously terribly at keeping records of their society so much of that game was simply, made up.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a fun game and if you suspend your disbelief and treat it like a videogame you’ll have fun. If you want realism, maybe check out Kingdom Come Deliverance 2.