Assassin’s Creed Shadows Achievements is a Completionist’s Dream

If you’ve ever been forced to replay an entire Assassin’s Creed game just to unlock a handful of missed achievements, you know the pain. The good news? Assassin’s Creed Shadows won’t put you through that. Ubisoft has confirmed that every achievement in the game can be unlocked on a single playthrough, regardless of whether you favour the stealthy shinobi route with Naoe or the brutal samurai path with Yasuke. No backtracking, no mandatory replays—just one epic journey through feudal Japan.

For completionists, this is huge. The days of realizing you’ve missed a single trophy 80 hours in and having to start from scratch are officially over.

How Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Dual Protagonists Affect Achievements

Unlike past games like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, where your choice of Alexios or Kassandra locked you into one character for the entire game, Shadows lets you switch freely between Naoe and Yasuke. This naturally led to concerns—would some achievements be character-specific? Would you need to complete the game twice to earn the full set of trophies and achievements? Thankfully, the answer is no.

Ubisoft has confirmed that you can complete the full achievement list playing as either character, meaning you’re free to stick with your favourite playstyle. Love stealth assassinations? You won’t be penalized. Prefer charging into battle with a katana? That works too. Essentially, Ubisoft is letting players enjoy the game their way—without worrying about whether their choices will lock them out of rewards.

No Missable Achievements—Even for the Clumsiest Assassins

Another key detail? No achievement in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is missable, regardless of story choices, difficulty level, or progression path.

That means:

• No need for multiple playthroughs just to check off a missing challenge.
• No difficulty-related achievements, meaning you can unlock them all whether you play on Story Mode or Expert Level.
• No fear of “locking” yourself out of trophies based on story choices.

And in true Assassin’s Creed fashion, there’s even an achievement called “Leap of Fail”, which we’re guessing rewards players for botching a Leap of Faith—probably by sending Yasuke plummeting from a rooftop in spectacularly untrained fashion. Ubisoft is making sure that even your fails can be rewarding—which is a nice touch.

Highlights from the Achievement List—Expect Classic AC Challenges

The full achievement list for Shadows includes some familiar challenges that long-time Assassin’s Creed players will recognize, as well as some new mechanics that set this game apart.

Some of the standouts include:

• Art of Ninjutsu – Master the way of the shinobi.
• Art of Kenjutsu – Master the way of the samurai.
• Master Shinobi – Assassinate an enemy through a shoji door. (Stealth fans, this one’s for you.)
• Master Samurai – Parry an incoming projectile. (Likely an arrow—so yes, you can deflect arrows like a true samurai.)
• This is Japan, Actually – Kick an enemy from a high place. (Because what’s an Assassin’s Creed game without dramatic rooftop takedowns?)
• Would You Kindly? – Complete a contract in each province. (Bioshock reference, anyone?)
• Leap of Fail – Likely unlocked by jumping off a building without actually landing in a haystack.

There are also collectible-related achievements, such as:

• Pathfinder – Visit every province on the map.
• Kofun Raider – Complete your first kofun (Japanese burial mound exploration).
• Zen Master – Complete all kuji-kiri (a likely reference to mystical ninja hand signs).

Clearly, Shadows isn’t just about stealth kills—it’s about exploration, history, and, yes, occasionally kicking people off rooftops for fun.

Why This Approach to Achievements is a Big Deal

Not all Assassin’s Creed games have been this kind to players. Some past entries had gruelling requirements, such as:

• 100% sync challenges in the Ezio trilogy, which meant replaying specific sequences with exact conditions.
• Grinding through multiple endings in Odyssey just to unlock specific achievements.
• Replay requirements in Assassin’s Creed III for certain combat challenges.

By making sure that Shadows’ achievements can be earned in one playthrough, Ubisoft is making it clear:

They want players to enjoy the game however they want, without worrying about missing out on rewards.

For casual players, it means no unnecessary grind.
For completionists, it means unlocking everything in a single run.

And for those of us who just love experimenting with gameplay mechanics, it means we’re free to mess around with both characters—without stressing over which one will get us all the trophies.

Here’s the full Assassin’s Creed Shadows achievement list:

Visible Achievements

• Art of Ninjutsu – Master the way of the shinobi
• Art of Kenjutsu – Master the way of the samurai
• Make it Personal – Engrave your first weapon
• Sometimes – Perform a landing roll
• Reeding is Fundamental – Escape conflict by using a breathing reed to hide in shallow water
• Just Your Shadow – Distract the same enemy 3 times with shinobi bells
• Hook, Line, and Swinger – Stay airborne by swinging from one grappling hook point to another
• Acrobatics – Perform a Leap of Faith from a grappling hook swing
• Adept Shinobi – Perform your first assassination
• Master Shinobi – Assassinate an enemy through a shoji door
• Unseen – Perform 5 assassinations in a row without being noticed or entering combat
• Giant Slayer – Assassinate a powerful guardian in one go
• Adept Samurai – Perform your first Finisher as Yasuke
• Master Samurai – Parry an incoming projectile
• Unstoppable – Use Samurai Stand before performing a Finisher on an enemy
• This is Japan, Actually – Kick an enemy from a high place
• Overdesign III – Perform a Finisher on an enemy that is both Poisoned and Dazed
• Final Hearing – Sheath your weapon immediately after an enemy dies from Bleed
• Adventurer – Shoot an enemy in the knee with an arrow
• Test Your Might – Defeat the final enemy in the tournament
• Kofun Raider – Complete your first kofun
• Good Form – Complete your first kata
• Zen Master – Complete all kuji-kiri
• A Rare Occurrence – Complete all legendary sumi-e
• Sole Sanctum – Unlock the Hideout
• Chase the Morning – Add a sumi-e to the Hideout
• Against Wood and Stone – Fully upgrade a building in the Hideout
• Everybody Benefits! – Adopt a pet
• Happy Place – Reach the highest point on the map
• Pathfinder – Visit every province on the map
• Scouting Mission – Gather information using a scout
• Would You Kindly? – Complete a contract in each province

Hidden Achievements

• Prologue
• A New League Rises
• An Oath Fulfilled
• Fall of the Shinbakufu
• Epilogue
• Death Blossom
• The Thief
• The Toxin Master
• The Eager Assassin
• The Ronin
• The Warrior Monk
• The Sharpshooter
• Build Your League
• Front of the Pack
• Better than a Bucket
• Limitless
• In Case of Trouble
• Suture Self
• Leap of Fail
• Mortal Reminder
• Collector
• Made You Look

^{Source: Eurogamer}