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Assassin’s Creed Shadows preload guide: release date, file size, and more

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A character sneaks around at night in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft

Plenty of upcoming video games have been delayed, but few as much and as far as Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Finally, the game is coming out one way or another very soon, giving us fans the ancient Japanese setting they’ve been asking for since the series began in 2007. Whether or not this will be one of the best Assassin’s Creed games is yet to be determined, but we’re not far from getting that answer. If you’ve been waiting for months to get your hands on this new open-world game, these are all the preload details you need to know to be ready to enter the world of assassins as soon as possible.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows release date

One of the protagonists in Assassin's Creed Shadows.
Ubisoft

There’s no more room for delays, so Assassin’s Creed Shadows will come out on March 20 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC no matter what.

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Assassin’s Creed Shadows file size

shadows
Ubisoft

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is clocking in at 107 GB on Xbox, 100 GB on PC, and 123 GB on Mac. While PS5 sizes haven’t been confirmed yet, it should be nearly identical to the Xbox Series X version.

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No matter what platform you’re on, over 100 GB is a huge file size even by today’s standards. If you’ve got a slow connection, preloading will be essential to play the game in a reasonable amount of time after launch.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows preload options

The AC shadows preload times
Ubisoft

Preloading is available right now for Xbox Series X gamers, with PS5 preloads starting on March 18 at 12 AM local time and PC preloads at 4 PM local time on March 17. In either case, that will hopefully be plenty of time for players to get most of that massive file size downloaded.

As long as you have preordered any version of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you are eligible to preload the game when the option is available on your platform.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows preorder details

The two protagonists in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Ubisoft

If you haven’t preordered Assassin’s Creed Shadows yet, it isn’t too late. There are three editions to pick from, but note that preordering any version will allow you to preload the game. Here’s a breakdown of your preorder options.

Standard Edition – $70

  • Assassin’s Creed Shadows
  • Thrown to the Dogs day 1 quest
  • Claws of Awaji expansion (expected 2025)

Digital Deluxe Edition – $90

  • Everything from the Standard Edition
  • Deluxe Pack which includes:
    • Sekireyu Dual Pack (Sekiryu Gear Set for both Naoe and Yasuke, Eye of the Dragon Katana, Claw of the Dragon Long Katana, Sekiryu Beast Mount, and Dragon Tooth Trinket.)
    • Hideout Pack (Sekiryu Wagasa, Sekiryu Tapestry, Sekiryu Mask, and Sekiryu Mizubachi.)
  • 5 Mastery points

Collector’s Edition (GameStop exclusive) – $230

  • Everything from all prior editions
  • Naoe and Yasuke dual character statue (15.7 inches tall).
  • Unique SteelBook case.
  • Collector’s art book (76 pages).
  • Naoe’s katana tsuba (life-sized).
  • World map.
  • Creed wall scroll (27.6×11.8 inches).
  • Two sumi-e lithographs (5.3×7.5 inches each).
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Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox
Jesse Lennox has been a writer at Digital Trends for over five years and has no plans of stopping. He covers all things…

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The best Naoe skills in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
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Now that there are double the protagonists in Assassin's Creed Shadows, there are twice as many skills to learn. Earning XP, as well as the new Knowledge Points, will let you access six skill trees for both characters, with around a dozen or more skills in each to unlock. The game is long enough that you could unlock them all, but that would require a lot of time or grinding. Plus, not all the skills are as useful as the others. Building up both characters is important, but we will be focusing on the most powerful skills you should be getting with the shinobi Naoe.
Double Assasinate

First introduced in Assassin's Creed 2, the ability to stealth assassinate two targets is a mechanic you won't feel complete without. You need to have a Tantop equipped to make it work, but it is worth taking up a slot even if you dislike its moveset. After all, this skill is all about avoiding open combat. Guards move and stand in pairs more often than not, and there is no good way to peel one away without alerting the other. This skill streamlines your stealth approach by letting you take down a pair with ease and not risk raising an alarm.
Melee Expert

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How to get Knowledge Points and what they do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
One of the protagonists in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

By the time we get to Assassin's Creed Shadows, most of us will be familiar with how the games work. Since transitioning more towards RPGs than stealth games, the titles have not only gotten longer but also embraced skill trees. Naoe and Yasuke each have unique progression paths to work through, but right away you will notice that most of the best abilities are gated off. Like Scouts, Knowledge Points are a new feature that you will need to master if you want to be the best assassin possible. We'll share all our knowledge about Knowledge Points with you.
How Knowledge Points work and how to get them

Knowledge Points are a separate system to XP that allows both Naoe and Yasuke to unlock the better and more powerful skills in all their skill trees. Unlike XP, you can't earn them by performing normal tasks or taking out enemies. Instead, Knowledge Points are rewarded for doing specific non-violent activities in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

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How long is Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows fighting an enemy. He's dressed in his samurai armor.

It's no secret that the Assassin's Creed games have gotten longer and longer over the years. This is typical for Ubisoft open-world titles, but many are hoping that Assassin's Creed Shadows has scaled back on the bloat a bit. There's always fast travel and finding the fastest ways to earn XP to cut down on the grind, but there's only so much time that can be saved. If you're worried that this game might be another 100-hour time investment to fully complete, let's use our Eagle Vision to scout out how long Assassin's Creed Shadows is before you start playing.
How long is Assassin's Creed Shadows?

As you would expect, the amount of time you could put into Assassin's Creed Shadows will vary wildly based on how you approach it. You can focus on just the story and nothing else, tackle a handful of side missions and activities, or attempt to complete anything and everything the game has to offer.

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