"Quick XP Gains and Fast Leveling in Assassin’s Creed Shadows"

Author : Eleanor May 16,2025

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, mastering the art of leveling up your Samurai and Shinobi characters hinges on your ability to efficiently earn XP. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you maximize your XP gains and elevate your gameplay.

What Awards XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Answered

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, XP can be earned through a variety of actions and activities. From slaying enemies and assassinating targets to completing main and side quests, every task contributes to your XP accumulation. However, the XP rewards vary, so it's crucial to focus on activities that offer the highest returns. You can preview the XP potential of any quest or activity by checking the details in the map or objectives tab. The most lucrative sources of XP are found in castle raids and optional assassinations.

How to Get Fast XP from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Sakamato Castle awards 3,000 XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.Castles across Japan in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* serve as prime locations for XP farming. Each castle is a fortress guarded by both basic and elite enemies, along with Samurai Daisho, who are key targets. Successfully eliminating the required number of Daisho within a castle not only grants you access to high-tier loot from the area's chest but also awards a substantial amount of XP—often a few thousand points per castle.

Beyond the primary objective, every enemy defeated, especially elites and Samurai Daisho, adds to your XP tally, with bonuses around 250 XP per high-value target. Additionally, synchronizing at the castle's high points not only yields a few hundred XP but also unlocks these locations as fast travel points, enhancing your mobility and strategy.

To maximize your XP from castles, consider these strategies:

  • Choose your protagonist wisely. Naoe’s Eagle’s Vision can pinpoint Daisho quickly, facilitating stealthy assassinations. Enhance Naoe’s assassination damage to ensure one-hit kills on these high-value targets.
  • At lower to medium levels, Yasuke’s brute force approach can be more effective. Deliberately trigger the alarm to draw enemies to you, allowing for swift combat and high XP gains.

With these tactics, skilled players can amass up to 4,000 XP or more in just a few minutes, making castles a highly efficient XP farm.

Assassinating Targets Nets Large XP Bonuses in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Naoe perches to assassinate an enemy from above, Image via UbisoftBeyond the main storyline assassinations, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* features numerous optional assassination targets, accessible through interactions with specific NPCs and using scouts to track their locations. Utilizing fast travel points like Kakurega, you can quickly reach these targets, mount up for a brief ride, and execute the kill.

Each assassination not only awards XP for the kill, similar to defeating elite enemies, but also grants a quest completion bonus ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 XP. Completing an entire group of assassinations and reporting back to the quest giver can net you a significant bonus, often around 5,000 XP.

By strategically engaging in castle raids and targeted assassinations, you can accelerate your XP accumulation, swiftly level up your characters, and unlock a host of new skills and abilities in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*.