Unlocking and mastering various skills in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is essential for enhancing your Samurai and Shinobi abilities. To accelerate your progress, it's crucial to maximize your XP gains. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to do just that.
What Awards XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Answered
In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, a plethora of actions and activities contribute to your XP accumulation, allowing you to level up. From eliminating enemies and assassinating targets to completing main and side quests, every task you undertake can bolster your XP. However, not all activities are created equal; some offer more substantial rewards than others. To optimize your XP gains, it's essential to focus on activities that yield the highest returns.
You can preview the XP rewards of quests or activities by hovering over them in the map or objectives tab. The most efficient XP sources in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* are castles and optional assassinations, which we'll explore in more detail below.
How to Get Fast XP from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Castles are a goldmine for XP, offering thousands of points just for completing the task. Moreover, you can earn additional XP by defeating each enemy within the castle, with elites and Samurai Daisho providing substantial bonuses, often around 250 XP per elite. Additionally, many castles feature synchronization points that not only grant a few hundred XP but also serve as fast travel points, facilitating swift character swaps.
While castles are lucrative, they can be challenging. Here are some strategies to maximize your XP farming:
- Choosing the right protagonist can make a significant difference. Naoe's Eagle Vision ability allows you to quickly locate and tag the Samurai Daisho, making stealthy assassinations more efficient. Enhancing Naoe's assassination damage through mastery and engravings can ensure instant kills on Daisho.
- For lower to medium-level players, Yasuke is ideal for quickly clearing out a castle. Trigger the alarm by getting detected, and engage in open combat to draw out enemies, slashing your way to substantial XP gains.
By employing these tactics effectively, you can potentially earn over 4,000 XP in just a few minutes at a castle.
Assassinating Targets Nets Large XP Bonuses in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Each assassination grants an XP bonus for completing the quest, typically ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 XP, plus additional XP akin to that earned from defeating elite enemies. Completing an entire assassination chain and reporting back to the quest giver can net you a significant XP reward of around 5,000 XP.
