Ubisoft has released a new update for Assassin’s Creed Shadows today, which comes with a brand new difficulty setting in the form of Nightmare, as well as the ‘A Critical Encounter’ free story pack. Beyond that, there’s also a bunch of bug fixes implemented in this latest update, which span a number of areas including gameplay, visuals, and quests. You can read the full details in the Assassin’s Creed Shadows update 1.06 patch notes below.
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows was released for PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S on March 20, 2025. Circana’s Mat Piscatella reported that the game is the second-best selling title in the US of 2025 so far, behind only Monster Hunter Wilds. You can read our full review of the game here.
New Free Story Pack: “A Critical Encounter”
- Reward: New Ally based on Critical Role’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows One-Shot campaign character, Rufino, played by Robbie Daymond. You will also get a banner in the hideout with the Critical Role logo.
- New Trophy/Achievement: “A Critical Encounter”, received upon completion of the questline.
New Nightmare Difficulty Setting
- Player defensive options are less effective, and enemies deal greater damage at all levels.
- E.g., Parries now require perfect timing to deflect the hit – imperfect parries will only partially block incoming damage.
- Enemy AI is smarter, faster, and more aggressive in a variety of circumstances, including detection.
- E.g., Even while crouching, Naoe now generates some sound! And even while in the shadows, she can be seen while moving!
- E.g., Enemies will no longer become vulnerable from dodges or parries – only abilities can put them into a vulnerable state.
- Combat resources (like adrenaline, rations, and shinobi items) are harder to come by, making their use even more vital.
Toggle Headgear in Cutscenes
- Note that headgear will not be displayed in cinematics or in some specific instances where a rule overrides this setting (romance-specific cutscenes).
VFX Toggles
- Players can now disable/enable specific VFX to further customize their experience. These include the ability to hide or show the loot on dead bodies, the last known position of the player, the special attacks indicators of the enemies, and more. All will be accessible in the Interface option menu.
Open World Alarm
- We have expanded the Regional Alert System available in Castles to the whole Province. Now by repetitively attacking Civilians or Military units outside Castles, the alarm can be triggered, and a group of Guardians will hunt you in the world.
Horse Camera Presets
- You can now toggle between 3 different camera presets while riding on your mount (hold the down button on controller/’X’ key on keyboard while riding) allowing for a more cinematic experience to take in the full beauty of Japan.
Ultra Low Specs for PC
- We are adding a new visual quality level, the Ultra Low mode. This will allow PC players with a limited GPU configuration to experience the game in better framerate conditions.
LIST OF BUG FIXES
General
- Fixed an issue where the Onryo Mask remained visible despite selecting the option to hide gear.
- Fixed an issue where players were unable to earn Mastery Points.
- Fixed an issue where Mastery Points were not returned after resetting the Mastery Tree.
- Fixed an issue where players could not switch characters anymore even without gameplay context restrictions.
- Fixed an issue where allies could be trained to veteran rank without upgrading the dojo to level 3.
- Fixed an issue where Gennojo did not immediately appear in the hideout after recruitment. He was busy washing his hair!
- Fixed an issue where sometimes a player remains stuck in a Red Zone, without being able to fast travel anywhere, by allowing them to fast travel to the hideout.
- Fixed an issue where the Oni Drawing remains stuck on screen after completing the “Vision of the Realms” quest.
- Fixed various localization issues.
Quests
- Fixed an issue where players could not progress in the “A Chance Encounter” quest when following Fuyu.
- Fixed an issue where players could not complete the quest after defeating all Kabukimono.
- Fixed an issue where Lady Oichi’s letter became unavailable after the Fuji-maru cutscene.
- Fixed an issue where players were unable to talk to Katsuhime in the crop field when she was sitting on the ground. She just wanted some peace and quiet!
- Fixed an issue where tracking the “Temple Stories” quest only showed a progress bar with no text.
- Fixed an issue where Genzaburo’s Teppo Master was missing from the Kaya Shrine.
- Fixed an issue where Yagyu Munetoshi revealed a later plot point too early in the “Nobutsuna’s Students” quest.
- Fixed an issue where players could not assassinate the Godai of Void because the NPC was missing. He took his name too seriously.
- Fixed an issue where players could not complete the “Diary of Lady Rokkaku” quest after dodge rolling and dropping Katsuhime.
- Fixed an issue where players could not complete the “Diary of Lady Rokkaku” quest when there was no immediate option to carry Katsuhime.
- Fixed an issue where players glitched through an anomaly in the “Heads Will Roll” quest, making Animus activities unavailable.
- Fixed an issue where players could not progress in the “Lost Honor” quest because the game failed to switch to Naoe.
- Fixed an issue where players could not progress through the Tournament after dying.
Visuals & Graphics
- Fixed some minor visual issues.
- Fixed misplaced visual elements with the Dark Woods Kusarigama.
- Fixed an issue where all NPC horses appeared as identical.
- Fixed a clipping issue with Naoe’s Sekiryu outfit.
- Fixed an issue with the “Bloodshade Katana” being visible out of the sheath when transmogged.
- Fixed a movement physics issue with the Dead by Daylight Oni’s armor.
Audio
- Fixed an issue where footstep audio occasionally ceased when opening the map while moving.
[Source – Assassin’s Creed Patch Notes]