Assassin’s Creed Shadows Level Cap Explained

adminMarch 19, 2025

0 15 3 minutes read

If you’re a longtime fan of the sprawling stealth action-adventure franchise, the level cap in Assassin’s Creed Shadows won’t be a big surprise. Many prior entries launched with a level cap between 30-50, such as Brotherhood and Odyssey, with Valhalla being a bit of an outlier and Mirage doing away with traditional experience leveling altogether. Assassin’s Creed Shadows is returning to form, and it’s very likely the level cap will increase with future patches, updates, or DLC releases, at least based on how things panned out with previous Assassin’s Creed games.

The level cap in AC Shadows is initially set at 60, which will be increased by earning experience through AC Shadows‘ main campaign, side quests, assassination target awards, and much more. The return to a more traditional Assassin’s Creed leveling system is likely going to be a breath of fresh air for anyone who wasn’t a fan of Mirage’s progression mechanics, where advancement was tied entirely to narrative elements, or Valhalla’s endless web of skill trees with a max power level of 535. However, don’t let the level 60 cap fool you, as progress isn’t strictly tied to level advancement.

Progression In Assassin’s Creed Shadows Uses Knowledge & Mastery Points

The Level 60 Cap Is A Bit Misleading

Level 60 is standard for a traditional level cap in Assassin’s Creed, but there are more ways to advance Naoe and Yasuke’s skills than simply leveling up with experience. Increasing your level boosts your base stats, while Mastery and Knowledge points enhance skills and abilities. Assassin’s Creed Shadows incorporates Knowledge and Mastery Points in its progression system. Mastery points are earned from advancing in level but can also be earned from other side quests, certain enemies, and more. Mastery Points allow you to unlock and enhance your abilities in any of the six skill trees for both characters.

Yasuke from Assassin's Creed Shadows with his hands together with Eivor from Assassin's Creed Valhalla and Kassandra from Assassin's Creed Odyssey behind him.

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Knowledge Points are earned from completing various exploration-based or location challenges, such as Kuji-kiri or Kofuns, and affect your Knowledge Level. There are six Knowledge Levels, which affect the specific tier of abilities and buffs you can access in the skill trees. Earning Knowledge Points is critical to spend your Mastery Points on more effective abilities or passives. Luckily, Naoe and Yasuke share their Mastery and Knowledge Points and their character level, so you don’t need to worry about leveling each character individually.

The Assassin’s Creed Shadows Level Cap Is A Return To Form

AC Shadows Learned Its Lessons From Valhalla & Mirage

Basim blending into a crowd in Assassin's Creed Mirage

The leveling and progression system in Assassin’s Creed has undergone some interesting evolutions over the franchise’s lifetime. In recent memory, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla had a ridiculously high power level at 535, and the skill trees were a messy, elaborate web of choices. Conversely, Mirage included skill points that allowed you to unlock new skills and abilities, but there was no traditional level, and your advancement through the “Hidden One Ranks” and access to skills was tied to narrative progression.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers a balance between earning experience through traditional quests and incentivizing exploration, as Knowledge Points are essential to skill tree progression

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a return to form (insofar as there is one), giving players a cap at level 60, which is more in line with previous Assassin’s Creed Games. AC Origins had a starting cap of 40 that increased to 55 with a DLC purchase, and Brotherhood had a hard-level cap of 50. Assassin’s Creed Shadows offers a balance between earning experience through traditional quests and incentivizing exploration, as Knowledge Points are essential to skill tree progression.

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Composers Joe Henson and Alexis Smith discuss a unique and terrifying feature included in Assassin’s Creed Shadows involving Naoe’s stealth ability.

Overall, the level 60 cap in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will be high enough to keep players busy for quite some time, and it doesn’t mean that your progression is limited to advancing to level 60, either. Because you can earn Mastery Points outside of leveling up, your abilities and skills are not limited by your main level, only by your Knowledge Level. Earning Mastery Points and Knowledge Points while increasing your base level is the best way to fully advance your character in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Set during Japan’s Sengoku period, two distinct protagonists—Naoe, a shinobi, and Yasuke, a historical African samurai—must navigate political intrigue and violent clashes between the Assassins and Templars. Players can switch between stealthy, shadow-based gameplay with Naoe and Yasuke’s direct combat approach, exploring the duality of their missions in a beautifully rendered open world.

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