Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Year 1 roadmap was announced on April 30, 2025, as a plan for recurring free updates, story content and the Claws of Awaji expansion. Ubisoft later released New Game+, progression and quality-of-life changes, the expansion, and a final major update on June 16, 2026. Ubisoft says Title Update 1.1.11 was the last major update and that no further major content updates were planned as of that date.
What was in the Assassin’s Creed Shadows Year 1 roadmap?
Ubisoft’s April 30, 2025 roadmap combined free updates with a paid expansion, while also describing some features as plans still to come. The announced free content included New Game+, new difficulty settings and modes, immersion customization, free quests featuring familiar characters, collaborations, and community-requested improvements. Story Drops were intended to add quests, allies, abilities, activities and character backstories; Ubisoft named “The Works of Luis Frois” as the first, planned for an early-May update. Ubisoft’s roadmap announcement is the source for those original plans.
Parkour, Photo Mode and world systems
The roadmap also outlined parkour additions including height-gaining back-ejects and side-ejects, plus a Vertical Ledge Jump. Planned Photo Mode additions included filters, stickers, poses, expressions and ambient music. Ubisoft also discussed community feedback settings and an expanded open-world alarm system. These were roadmap announcements, not proof that every item shipped in the form or timing initially described.
Claws of Awaji
Ubisoft presented Claws of Awaji as the first expansion, continuing Naoe and Yasuke’s story after the epilogue. The planned island setting, new enemies and abilities, and a Bo staff for Naoe were part of the announcement. The expansion was to be included for players who preordered the game.
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- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content includes the base game and Sekiryu Character Pack
- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
What milestones followed the announcement?
Ubisoft’s July 24, 2025 summer roadmap converted several announced plans into dated milestones. It set New Game+ for July 29, raised the announced level cap from 60 to 80, and scheduled Claws of Awaji for September 16, 2025. The summer update also described a free early-September quality-of-life update. Ubisoft’s summer roadmap contains the dated plan.
New Game+ and progression
New Game+ becomes available after completing the final story mission and credits. Starting a run resets story and objective-board progress and discovered locations, while retaining character level, gear, skill points, Knowledge rank and Hideout progress. Players can restart from the beginning or skip ahead after the prologue. Ubisoft also announced new Knowledge and skill ranks and additional Hideout upgrades alongside the level-cap increase.
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- ENTER FEUDAL JAPAN - Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- MASTER COMPLEMENTARY PLAYSTYLES - Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
- MAKE INFORMATION YOUR WEAPON - Travel the world and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions
- BUILD A PLACE TO CALL HOME - Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s buildings layout, decorations, and accessories.
Quality-of-life changes
The planned free update included map unfogging after synchronization, time-of-day skipping, forge upgrades and Hideout changes, as well as PC cutscene framerate changes, bug fixes and stability improvements.
When did Claws of Awaji come out, and what does it include?
Claws of Awaji was announced for September 16, 2025, and Ubisoft later confirmed its release. The publisher describes it as more than 10 hours of content, including the new Awaji region, skills, weapon abilities, armor, gear, bosses and enemy types. The playtime figure is Ubisoft’s estimate, not an independently measured duration. Players who did not preorder can buy it as an add-on. Ubisoft’s release announcement and official game page provide expansion and access information.
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- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content includes the base game and Sekiryu Character Pack
- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
Access requirements and the Bo
To enter the expansion, finish the main story arcs for Naoe, Yasuke and Junjiro, as well as the “Out of the Shadows” quest. The Bo weapon itself was also made available to all players through a free quest; the expansion adds access to Legendary Bo staves with unique engravings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did the final major update add?
Ubisoft released the final major update on June 16, 2026. Its free “Black Tides” story capper, described by the publisher as about two hours, wraps up Naoe and Yasuke’s adventure. The update also added Domains, five challenge arenas with gameplay modifiers and rewards, a final Modern Day Rift, and two cross-title Animus Hub projects. The two-hour duration is Ubisoft’s estimate. Ubisoft’s final-update article describes the release and its contents.
What must be completed to play the final mission?
Players must finish the main story and the earlier post-launch quests “A Critical Encounter” and “A Puzzlement” to access the final mission. Claws of Awaji is not required, so the expansion is optional for this story conclusion.
Is Assassin’s Creed Shadows still getting updates?
Ubisoft’s expansion FAQ states that, as of June 16, 2026, there were no plans for further major content updates and identifies Title Update 1.1.11 as the final major update. This is Ubisoft’s stated major-content status on that date; it does not establish that technical maintenance or platform-specific work cannot occur. Ubisoft’s official Shadows page is the publisher’s expansion and support reference.
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Where is the final update available?
Ubisoft listed the June 2026 update for Ubisoft+, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC through Ubisoft Store, Epic Games Store and Steam, and Macs with Apple silicon through the Mac App Store. Availability and subscription access can change, so check the relevant platform’s current listing before installing or subscribing. Ubisoft’s final-update announcement lists the platforms.
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