The first section of Assassin's Creed Shadows is fairly linear, but once players have completed the prologue, things begin to open up for them quite a bit. A plethora of side content becomes available right from the get-go, and they'll also be given a choice when it comes to the order that they complete some of the game's main story missions.

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The first of these choices comes at the beginning of the first act when they'll need to decide whether to pursue The Golden Teppo or The Wounded first. After that, there'll be a few more choices like this one, leaving many players to wonder whether there's a best Assassin's Creed Shadows mission order. Spoiler alert; there is.

The Best Main Story Mission Order in Assassin's Creed Shadows (Onryo Kill Order)

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  1. The Samurai (The Onryo Samurai)
  2. The Wounded (The Fatherless Monk)
  3. The Golden Teppo (Searching Sakai)
  4. The Fool (Bad Brother)
  5. The Naginata (An Evening in Otsu)
  6. The Mourner (A Talk with a Lady)
  7. The Noble (The Rengaki)
  8. The Ox (A Voice in Anger)
  9. The Wise (A Chance Encounter)
  10. The Fox (Red Walls)
  11. The Two-Faced (The Peasant Who Would Be King)
  12. The Horseman (The Man Behind the Mask)
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The above list is based on the recommended level for each of the Onryo-related missions, which can be found in the top-right-hand corner of the mission box on the Objectives board. Although it's possible to complete these missions in a different order, players will find that Naoe and Yasuke die after a single hit if they are too far below the recommended level. Worse still, their attacks will be far too weak to cause meaningful damage to even regular enemies and their assassination attempts will always fail, making progress pretty much impossible.

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If and when this happens, players will need to increase their level by completing other missions or side content or equipping some better gear. If a mission is too difficult for their current setup, the recommended level will be displayed in a red diamond with a cross through it. Similarly, if an enemy is deemed too strong for the player's current level and loadout they'll have a skull next to their health bar rather than a level. It's still possible to kill them by triggering explosions or hitting them a ton of times, but doing so is seldom easy.

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9 /10

Assassin's Creed Shadows
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Action
Stealth
RPG
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Systems
PlayStation-1 Xbox-1 PC-1
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Top Critic Avg: 81 /100 Critics Rec: 82%
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Released
March 20, 2025
ESRB
Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
Developer(s)
Ubisoft Quebec
Publisher(s)
Ubisoft
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows Expansion Details Leaked on Steam
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows Expansion Details Leaked on Steam
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Assassin’s Creed Shadows Expansion Details Leaked on Steam
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January 23 is Going to Be a Big Day for Assassin's Creed Shadows
January 23 is Going to Be a Big Day for Assassin's Creed Shadows
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Genre(s)
Action, Stealth, RPG