r/AssassinsCreedShadows

The story actually starts very strong and interesting but it is super boring and artificial afterwards... AC struggles deep on story since AC3, the last good story in the franchise imho, which was never great but very interesting before too.

Before you get angry, I know Edward Kenway, Shay Cormack, Arno etc. was really interesting takes and I kinda like them too (Edward probably one of my favorite protagonists next to Altair) but the story telling, dialogues and the stakes are just meh. I kinda understand why it happened; Desmond died, Ubisoft could not find the next Ezio, they lost the spark with modern timeline and ofcourse, you can't built a good story properly when you try to make RPGs if you don't give yourself into it. Which is kinda a shame because I remember a time when I was getting excited for the story as well.

Now I see that AC: Shadows' story starts really strong and lay super flat after a couple hours is just disappointing. Great timeline choice -Sengoku Era-, Yasuke could be really interesting and deep, Naoe is broken from the start and the dynamics of his family's legacy and clashing nature of reality with its ideals could have been awesome. Yasuke and Naoe dynamics could have been much more impactful too. It really suprised me that they couldn't do something with these.

Loved the game btw, my favorite among the RPG ones. Game world is still great(Japan is such a beautiful country irl too), stealth and battle mechanics are good, and immersion mode is impressive. Japanese voice actors really give some character to the game for sure.

What do you guys think about this story dilemma around Assassin's Creed as a franchise and not just around Shadows? It is really annoying that they just blunder this game after game. Once a great franchise now struggles to write a decent story is really weird

Edit:Format correction.

What in the actual 😳. My boat almost broke my game!!! One more jump and I was gonna be outta there!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I want to play it through as Naoe regardless, and it only took 1 reroll of the lose 2 random tools on his mod to swap to assassin christmas. I dont think ill ever have a roll this good again 😂

I went on a walk with a very silent man named Bob looking for the man named Katsumoto. That mf was nowhere to be seen.

This build is primarily focused around quick kills with assassinations and high damage posture attacks during vulnerability. Its extremely fun, some would even call pretty basic.

Tanto

-the double vulnerability on weakpoint attacks is crucial. The light posture attack with Tanto against an enemy who is vulnerable will always register as a weakpoint attack. Paired with the instant vulnerability given from the Shadow Piercer ability and Leap Strike, this is the main combat tactic for draining the enemies health to nothing.

- Escape Strike is a very good instant attack/dodge that is a great tool to use against enemies during their attacks (particularly red ones) for inflicting a little damage while building adrenaline and staying clear of their hit boxes. Granted this can be risky but I love being able to slip in damage wherever I can

Kusurigama

- I only use this for the rush assassinate. Nightmare difficulty has an extremely high detect rate and this has saved me multiple times and kept me out of combat when I wasn't looking for it. Unfortunately, the +2 to Rush Assassinate doesnt apply unless the weapon is equipped prior to activating the assassination. While im always on tanto, I never think to switch first as its usually an instant decision I have to make when I realize I cant reach them in time.

Master Assassin Hood

- removing 2 health segments on ground attacks is pretty useful when its one of the last options you have during a cooldown cycle. Paired with the Lightning Kicks ability to actually get them knocked down, this can come in handy in a pinch.

- Another great addition to the weakpoint attack synergy, not only does it do big damage but also restores 33% of my total health. Of course, since the vulnerability activates twice due to the tanto, you can hit this twice in a row. Thats 66% of your total health healed in a couple attacks. This has kept me alive more than I care to admit.

Master Assassin Gear

- Pretty self explanatory. There is no guaranteed assassinations on nightmare difficulty so the extra health bar segment removal is absolutely crucial. This is for ALL assassinations performed so its the most valuable health segment removal engraving.

- I have my tools maxed which included Kunai. 6 health segment removal on assassinations. This is an excellent way to ensure a lot of double kills when needed. Sometimes it will activate when you dont want to which is unfortunate, but its helped significantly more than its hindered so I keep it on. Paired with the Hidden Hand ability, this means this can also activate in combat.

Okubi's Laughter

- To add as much to Vulnerable damage as I can we went with this trinket. The Assassin tree mastered, this adds 91% Vulnerable damage.

- Armour piercing is extremely valuable especially when given this much for 1 ability. Currently with my tanto skill tree it adds 122% Armour piercing with a potential max of 130%

Shadow Piercer Ability

- this is such a great ability that draws you instantly to an enemy can immediately causes them to become vulnerable. During the rush towards the targeted enemy, time slows down so as the npcs come to a near stop during its activation. Very very useful in the world and during boss fights.

Hidden Hand Ability

- This ability is absolutely cracked. Its basically an assassination that you can activate during combat. Paired with the throw kunai ability from the Armour, this is basically a double combat assassination button.

Lightning Kicks Ability

- this is mainly used in conjuction with the Assassin hood removing 2 ground segments. Not the greatest ability but compared to the others arguably the most practical to have

The rest is my current masteries ive been maxing that kind of change around often lol, but so far this feels like the right mix. Thanks for checking it out 🤓