Assassin’s Creed Shadows: This update changes everything (and the fans will love)

The latest update of Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings a significant improvement to gameplay by facilitating the identification of secondary characters. This novelty responds to a demand from players who struggled to remember the different protagonists encountered in this vast world of play.

The Character Codex, an expected novelty in Shadows

Update 1.0.4 of Assassin’s Creed Shadows introduces a major change that will delight players. A detailed characters codex makes its appearance, making it possible to better follow the story and the interactions between the protagonists. This feature, absent at the launch of the game but present in the previous opuses, returns following the returns of the community.

The new codex is gradually activating during the adventure. The entries are automatically unlocked during meetings with the charactersthus offering quick access to essential information on each protagonist. This improvement solves a frequently reported problem: the difficulty in remembering the different characters after several dozen hours of play.

Previously, the Shadows codex was limited to the historical and cultural details of feudal Japan. This extension to the characters completes the narrative experience by allowing players to consult the biographies of the main, antagonists and allies encountered at any time.

The deployment of this update was carried out on May 7, 2025 at 2 p.m. in the United Kingdom (10 a.m. in Eastern Kingdom, 7 am Pacific time). The download size varies depending on the platforms:

Free narrative content and gameplay developments

Beyond the addition of the codex, this update marks the start of a free narrative extension program. The first mission additional entitled “The Works of Luis Frois” is now available for all players. This quest features the Jesuit friend of Yasuke, a secondary character whom the players meet a few times during the main adventure.

This new mission has several interesting characteristics:

• It can be played with Yasuke or Nae, the two main protagonists
• It introduces Lady Satoko, whose profile is now available in the codex
• It deepens the universe of the game without additional cost
• It enriches the narrative experience by developing secondary characters

According to the roadmap communicated by Ubisoft, Other free narrative missions will be deployed at a monthly raterecalling the strategy adopted for Assassin’s Creed Odyssey with “lost stories of Greece”. The first paid extension, on the other hand, will not arrive until later in 2025.

Update 1.0.4 also brings its share of minor corrective and technical adjustments. A notable change concerns environmental destruction around religious buildings. From now on, “all objects near an altar or a religious building will be static, preventing any destruction”, specifies Ubisoft, thus reinforcing the restrictions already imposed on the more important elements of these sacred places.

Impact on the game experience and navigation in the open world

The addition of the Character Codex significantly transforms the gaming experience in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The open and non-linear structure of the game Allows players to freely visit feudal Japan, sometimes creating significant time differences between meetings with certain characters.

The problem was particularly felt when, after 40 hours of play, a secondary character reappeared and entrusted a new mission. Players often struggled to remember their identity and the reasons motivating their requestsharming narrative immersion.

Thanks to the new Codex, the essential information is now accessible at any time, making it possible to refresh your memory on:

1. The personal history of each protagonist
2. Their motivations and objectives
3. Their relationships with the main characters
4. Their role in the main plot
5. Previous interactions with them

This improvement is particularly useful for players who favor exploration and secondary quests before continuing the main story. The open world of Assassin’s Creed Shadowswith its multitude of distractions and activities, can easily divert attention from the narrative thread for long periods.

With more than 40 notable secondary characters, this functionality allows players to maintain a better understanding of the political and personal issues that animate the complex universe of feudal Japan represented in the game. Codex thus becomes an essential tool to navigate in intertwined intrigue which characterize this tumultuous historical period.

Constant evolution of the universe of Assassin’s Creed

This update illustrates Ubisoft’s approach concerning the post-launching of its games. Assassin’s Creed Shadows benefits from continuous support aimed at enriching the players’ experience in the long term, through technical adjustments and content additions.

The return of the Codex Characters also proves listening to developers in the face of community feedback. This feature, present in the previous parts but initially absent from Shadowsreintegrates the experience following the requests of the players, proving the will of Ubisoft to adapt its game to the expectations of the public.

The free monthly -free narrative extension strategy is part of a broader trend in the studio to maintain players’ commitment between major paid extensions. This hybrid approach regularly provides fresh content while preparing more substantial additions for the future.

With these continuous improvements, Assassin’s Creed Shadows confirms its status as a living and evolving universe, faithful to the tradition of the franchise to enrich the game experience far beyond the initial exit.

Hello, I am Cécile, a passionate about video games! In this blog, I share with you the latest news and the games that will vibrate!