The Assassin's Creed Shadows map is made up of nine regions, each packed with all sorts of landmarks, settlements, and quests. It's far bigger than AC Mirage's map, but it's also quite a lot smaller that Odyssey's abnormally colossal area. Assassin's Creed Shadows strikes a good middle ground, offering both lots of space to explore while also being dense with activities and points of interest. I've explored and measured the Assassin's Creed Shadows map as best as I can and have laid out the most exciting features in each region.
Assassin's Creed Shadows map of Japan
The map in Assassin's Creed Shadows is massive, measuring roughly 14km from the most northerly and southerly landmarks (Sotomo Cave in Wakasa and the Hashigui-iwa Overlook viewpoint in Kii) and just under 10km between the most easterly and westerly landmarks (Kashiwabara Tower viewpoint in Omi and Miyazu Ship Mainmast viewpoint in Tamba).
Taking inspiration from the modern Kansai region of Japan, the AC Shadows map consists of nine provinces that you'll explore throughout the game, with many recognizable real-world landmarks and places making it into the game:
- Izumi Settsu: The starting province of the game where Naoe's journey begins. Contains the Assassin's Creed Shadows Hideout, Sakai, and Osaka.
- Yamashiro: A relatively central province that borders all others aside from Kii. It's where the largest city in the game, Kyoto, lies. Nijo Palace in the middle of Kyoto also has some of the best Assassin's Creed Shadows armor for Yasuke.
- Harima: A mountainous and war-torn region in the west, home to Himeji Castle. Some of the Assassin's Creed Shadows Kabukimono targets are found in Harima.
- Omi: The largest province in the game, Omi notably features Lake Biwa and Azuchi Castle with its urban sprawl. There's also an Assassin's Creed Shadows romance opportunity to pursue here.
- Iga: A small and mountainous region in the east and Naoe's home. You'll explore parts of this region through Naoe's Kuji-Kiri meditation flashbacks but it's also where you can recruit Ibuki – one of the few Assassin's Creed Shadows Allies.
- Wakasa: A large region that dominates the northern coast of the map, with its main settlements being Obama in the middle and Tsuruga in the north.
- Yamato: A late-game region bordering Izumi Settsu with lots of rolling hills. It features several smaller settlements, such as Koriyama and Katsuragi, as well as the massive Todaiji temple area in the north.
- Tamba: The northwestern region of the Japan map in AC Shadows, containing Takeda, Fukuchiyama, and Miyazu Bay.
- Kii: A relatively sparse region featuring lots of jungle hills and paths on the south coast. One quest in Junjiro's questline takes you here.
Seas on the north and south coasts and some extra forest and mountain space on the east and west map borders mean there's actually a little more space beyond these regions, making the AC Shadows map even large, though you'll find all the fun stuff inland.
Unfortunately, Assassin's Creed Shadows scouts can't help you explore the map faster but will help in other ways. However, ensuring you've got plenty of Assassin's Creed Shadows money to unlock any Kakurega you discover will give you far more fast travel options.
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