Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers a range of skills for players to unlock and master. To quickly level up your Samurai and Shinobi, focus on earning XP efficiently. Here’s how to maximize your XP gains.
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What Boosts XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Explained How to Earn XP Quickly from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows Assassination Missions Yield High XP Rewards in Assassin’s Creed ShadowsWhat Boosts XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Explained
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, XP is earned through various actions like defeating enemies, completing missions, assassinating targets, and engaging in side activities. XP rewards vary, so prioritizing high-yield tasks is key to leveling up efficiently.
To see XP rewards, hover over quests or activities on the map or objectives menu. Castles and optional assassination missions are the most efficient ways to gain substantial XP quickly in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
How to Earn XP Quickly from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Scattered across Japan in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, castles are heavily guarded by standard and elite enemies, including Samurai Daisho that must be defeated. Clearing a castle’s Daisho unlocks a chest with high-tier loot and substantial XP rewards.
Castles are prime XP sources in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Completing a castle awards thousands of XP, with additional gains from defeating enemies, especially elites and Samurai Daisho, which yield around 250 XP each. Synchronizing at high points within castles also grants a few hundred XP and unlocks fast travel points for seamless character switching.
While castles are excellent for XP farming, they can be challenging. Here are tips to streamline your approach and boost XP gains.
Choosing the right protagonist matters when tackling castles. Naoe’s Eagle Vision helps locate and tag Samurai Daisho for quick stealth assassinations, which are faster than open combat. To ensure one-hit kills, enhance Naoe’s assassination damage through mastery and engravings.
For low to mid-level players, Yasuke is ideal for clearing castles quickly. Charge in, get detected intentionally, and fight enemies head-on. Trigger the castle’s alarm to draw enemies to you, making it easier to defeat them in bulk.
Skilled players using these strategies can earn up to 4,000 XP or more in minutes, making castles a highly efficient XP farming method.
Assassination Missions Yield High XP Rewards in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Beyond main story assassinations, Assassin’s Creed Shadows features optional assassination targets. Discover these missions by speaking with NPCs and use scouts to pinpoint target locations. With fast travel points like Kakurega, you can quickly reach targets, ride to their location, and eliminate them swiftly.
Each assassination target grants a quest completion bonus, typically 2,000–3,000 XP, plus additional XP for the kill itself, similar to defeating elite enemies. Completing an entire group of targets and reporting to the quest giver can yield a massive 5,000 XP bonus.