"Quick XP and Leveling Guide for Assassin’s Creed Shadows"

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, mastering the art of both Samurai and Shinobi requires you to level up as quickly as possible. Here’s how you can turbocharge your XP gains and dominate the feudal Japan landscape.

What Awards XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Answered

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, XP is your ticket to unlocking new skills and abilities. You can earn XP through a variety of actions including killing enemies, assassinating targets, and completing both main and side quests. The XP rewards can vary significantly, so it's crucial to focus on the most lucrative activities. To see how much XP you'll earn, simply hover over the quest or activity on the map or in the objectives tab. The fastest ways to rack up XP are by tackling castles and executing optional assassinations.

How to Get Fast XP from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Sakamato Castle awards 3,000 XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Sakamato Castle awards 3,000 XP in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*.

Across Japan in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, castles stand as formidable XP farms. Each castle is a fortress filled with basic and elite enemies, plus Samurai Daisho, who you need to eliminate to claim the area's high-tier loot chest. Completing a castle run alone nets you thousands of XP, but the fun doesn't stop there. Every enemy you take down adds to your XP tally, with elites and Daisho offering hefty bonuses—up to 250 XP each. Synchronizing at the castle's high point also rewards XP, usually a few hundred, and these spots double as fast travel points for easy character switching.

Tackling castles can be tough, but with the right strategy, you can maximize your XP gains. Your choice of protagonist matters: Naoe's Eagle’s Vision helps you quickly locate and stealthily assassinate Daisho, which is much faster than direct combat. Enhance Naoe's assassination damage through mastery and engravings to ensure one-hit kills. For lower to medium levels, Yasuke is your man for a swift castle clear. Rush in, get detected, and engage in open combat. Trigger the alarm bell to draw enemies to you, making it easier to mow them down. With these tactics, you can potentially earn over 4,000 XP in just minutes.

Assassinating Targets Nets Large XP Bonuses in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Naoe perches to assassinate an enemy from above, Image via Ubisoft

In addition to main quest assassinations, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* features optional assassination targets spread throughout the game. Discover these targets by chatting with specific NPCs and using scouts to pinpoint their locations. Use fast travel points like Kakurega to get close, then swiftly ride to your target and take them down. Each assassination not only grants you XP for the kill—similar to that of elite enemies—but also a quest completion bonus of around 2,000-3,000 XP. Completing an entire group of targets and reporting back to the quest giver rewards a massive bonus, often around 5,000 XP, propelling your Samurai and Shinobi to new heights.