Ubisoft's commitment to Assassin's Creed Shadows is nothing short of astounding. After delaying the game to make sure it was properly polished, the team set out a post-launch roap crammed with free updates that'd make a live-service game blush. Now that AC Shadows is here, then, these patches have been steadily improving and expanding the stealth RPG to the point that it may very well be the best game in the series. The latest Shadows update is a big one, too, with new quests, Balatro and Dead by Daylight crossovers, and some welcome changes to the parkour system.
Assassin's Creed Shadows title update 1.0.5 is practically overflowing with things to do, so I'm going to break it all down for you. For starters, every single one of us is getting access to the pre-order exclusive quest 'Thrown to the Dogs.' You need to help a pooch avenge his master, and for doing so, you'll unlock the loyal Tsuki-maru as a pet in your hideout. If you didn't get this pre-order bonus, you simply need to have beaten the main quest 'From Spark to Flame' and head to Tennoji Temple outside Osaka.
This isn't the only quest Ubisoft has added to the teased Dead by Daylight crossover event is here, and it's got a lot of meat on the bone. Once you've unlocked Yasuke as a playable character, you need to head to the hideout to unlock the new mission.
Villagers are disappearing, and Naoe has become incredibly suspicious as to why. Turns out the people are falling victim to an otherworldly threat, and you'll need to use some unique mechanics to save them. I won't spoil anything here, but upon completing the quest, you'll get a free trinket and banner, with even more DBD-inspired tools available in the AC Shadows store. You can see Ubisoft's teaser image of the crossover below.
But 1.0.5 comes with more than just DBD, as Ubisoft has also added a surprising Balatro crossover to the game. Naoe has a new trinket and Yasuke has a new amulet, called Winning Hand. Both of these items come with a legendary perk that gives you a chance to trigger a random affliction effect on combo enders. As for where these can be found, however, you'll want to keep an eye out online. Ubisoft says we'll "need to work together to figure out how to get it."
The AC Shadows update also comes with plenty of parkour improvements, after Ubisoft secretly added some to the game with the last patch. To begin, you now have access to a sprint parkour lock, which means running no longer disengages when using parkour up or down. You also have a brand new vertical jump for both Naoe and Yasuke, which reduces the need for an upwards wall run to grab things within reach. You just need to press the jump button near a low overhang to see it in action. Lastly, Ubisoft has overhauled back and side ejects. The distance and height of these moves have been improved, and Naoe even has some new animations while doing a height-gaining side eject.
To round out 1.0.5, Ubisoft has greatly expanded the AC Shadows photo mode. You can now play around with the time of day, poses and facial expressions, toggle headgear on or off, and a whole lot more. There are also a load of bug fixes, which you can read about right here.
Ubisoft is releasing Assassin's Creed Shadows title update 1.0.5 on Tuesday May 27 at 7am PT / 10am EDT / 3pm BST and 1am AEDT on Wednesday May 28.
As you sneak around feudal Japan, make sure you check out the Assassin's Creed Shadows skills.
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