Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings a brand-new dynamic weather system with seasons that affect gameplay in crucial ways. During our time with the game, seasons gave us new opportunities to sneak past foes and gather resources to upgrade the hideout. Here’s what you need to know about seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and how you can switch between them.
(1 of 4) Summer brings lush vegetation.
How long do seasons last?¶
Seasons last for approximately two in-game hours in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. There are four seasons you’ll get acquainted with: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. In addition to visual environmental changes, you’ll also notice new vegetation and wildlife across seasons. Summer brings tall grass and ponds for you to hide in. While the lack of tall bushes in winter can slow your ambushes and stealthy raids, the snow muffles your footsteps. When it rains, you’ll notice wealthy folk keeping to their rooms, making it easier for secret assassinations.
Changing seasons also replenish your scouts, used for gathering flagged stockpiles from enemy warehouses or helping you find objectives on your map. This also takes off the wanted status from protagonists Naoe and Yasuke, keeping those pesky Guardian enemies from slowing your adventures down. But this resets enemy locations, contracts, and local factions stationed near objectives like castles.
Some quest objectives like the appearance of legendary animals or minibosses from The Yokai board are also tied to the seasons. For example, the Legendary Silver Fox only appears at night during the Autumn season. Enemy patrols change their routes as the seasons shift, meaning you’ll have to watch out for surprises while infiltrating castles or enemy bases.
Change seasons once the white circle is filled.
How to change seasons?¶
Once the time cycle of around two in-game hours passes, you’ll be able to trigger a transition between seasons by fast traveling or switching between Naoe or Yasuke. Alternatively, you can also force a change in the seasons in the World“ tab in the in-game menu by pressing right on the D-Pad or H on a PC. This will be available after you complete the “An Unpayable Debt” quest in the main story.
However, you can only do this manual action once the time cycle is full or half-full, as indicated by a white segmented circle on the top right of the map menu. Unfortunately, that means it’s not a get-out-of-jail card for you to escape the wanted status. That covers everything you need to know to brave the seasons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
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