How to Loot Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Castles are the major dungeons you need to conquer in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These imposing fortresses contain many dangers but the rewards inside are well worth the effort. To help you get your hands on them, I’ve put together this guide on castle infiltration, looting and opening chests, and locked doors in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Looting Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Pick a Castle and Check Rewards

Before you take on the task of looting a castle you can check its details from your map to see the rewards in the main treasure chest. You’ll gain a certain amount of XP and Mastery Points along with a high-tier piece of gear for each castle.

The castle treasure chest rewards don’t refresh but all of the minor collectible chests around the castle refresh along with the season. You can also check the recommended level, number of Samurai Daisho, and total treasure chests at a castle from the map marker.

Get a Vantage Point

The first thing you want to do when you approach any castle is gain a Vantage Point and observe your surroundings. You need to do this to better understand the castle layout and mark all enemies in sight. There are dozens of enemies in castles and you can mark them using your Focus sight by holding LT/L2 on your gamepad or right-click on your mouse. This lets you track enemies more easily and helps you to avoid being spotted. You’re also more likely to spot the Samurai Daisho from here.

Find the Samurai Daisho for the Treasure

The main treasure chest of the castle will not unlock until you eliminate all the Samurai Daisho in the area. Each castle will have anywhere between two and five Samurai Daisho that you need to eliminate first. These elite enemies are often found roaming different areas of the compound and are much stronger than your average foot soldier. The best way to deal with them is to isolate them and perform an assassination before starting combat. Otherwise, you might find yourself overwhelmed by the reinforcements.

Infiltrating the Main Castle Building

Once you’ve cleared out the Samurai Daisho, you can make your way towards the main treasure chest. It will be marked by a large treasure chest symbol and is generally found within the main castle building. These are hard to enter from the front so you’re going to want to climb a bit higher and look for open windows.

Due to these spaces being confined and swarming with enemies on every floor, we highly suggest using your Eagle Vision as you move along the building. Eventually, you’ll find the treasure chest and can claim your hard-earned reward to clear the castle.

Search for the Key to Open Locked Doors

The treasure chest is not the only locked reward. There are certain areas where you’ll see three resources tucked together and locked away in a shed. However, these sheds are generally locked. To unlock the sheds you need to find the key for the castle.

These keys can either be found in treasure chests or on the bodies of important officials in the castle. To find a key, use your Focus mode once again and search for the yellow key symbol. This will lead you to the location of the key and if it’s on an official you must either kill them or knock them out to steal the key.

With the key in hand, you can go around and unlock the locked doors around the castle to loot the material inside. You can also mark some of this material for your Scouts to smuggle if you have 2 or more available.

Additional Tips

• It’s better to play as Naoe for castle infiltration missions because she excels at sneaking and is more nimble than the bulkier Yasuke.
• If you’re infiltrating an area that’s extremely difficult to sneak around in, it might be better to pick Yasuke and cut through the enemies instead.
• As Naoe, make sure to unlock and use the golden bells and smoke bombs to distract and confuse enemies whenever you’re having difficulty pathing around.
• Look for underground passages for important buildings in castles as they usually provide a safe way inside.
• You can find Samurai Daisho by looking for the glowing white dots in your Focus Vision whenever you’re getting close to them.
• Infiltrating at night is usually a lot better because enemies have a harder time tracking you.

That’s a quick and comprehensive guide on everything you need to know about looting castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For more guides, check all Kuji Kiri locations and the best skills to level first.