Assassin’s Creed Shadows update boosts level cap, adds new game plus

Ubisoft has released a summer roadmap for Assassin’s Creed Shadows that includes plans for a July 29 update that will increase the game’s level cap, introduce new game plus, and add new trophies and achievements for players to hunt down. Another update is planned for early September, and a third is set to go live on Sept. 16.

Next week’s update will increase the player level cap from 60 to 80, introduce new Knowledge Ranks, new Mastery and Knowledge Skill ranks, and new upgrades for Hideouts, including Heiji’s Forge.

“July 29 is also when you can expect Project 3 to appear: there will be new resources, data files, and exclusive Animus-themed rewards for you to collect,” Ubisoft said in a blog post announcing the update. “Remember, if you’re still working on the first two projects, you can either finish them up or swap to the new Project. There’s no time pressure.”

As for new game plus, Ubisoft says it will be available to players as soon as they finish the final story mission. Story progression, objective board progression, and discovered locations will all be reset in new game plus, but the player’s character level, acquired gear, skill points, Knowledge Rank, and Hideout progression will stay as is.

“When launching New Game+, you can choose to start again from the very beginning, reliving the important events of the Tensho War in Iga — or you can fast-forward after the prologue to the moment Naoe inherits ownership of the Hideout,” Ubisoft said. “Either way, we made sure that none of the basic tutorials will bother you on your second playthrough.”

Sometime in early September, another update will go live, this one focused on quality-of-life updates, including, Ubisoft said:

On Sept. 16, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first expansion — Claws of Awaji — will be released. Players who pre-ordered the game will be able to play the expansion for free. Ubisoft says more details regarding the expansion will be shared during a Reddit AMA on Aug. 12.