Master the art of subterfuge in Assassin’s Creed Shadows by unlocking the true power of your scouts-a hidden network that can turn the tide of your journey. Whether you’re hunting elusive targets, smuggling valuable resources, or erasing your wanted status, learning how to use and expand your scout team is the key to dominating feudal Japan’s shadows. Ready to outsmart your enemies and build an unstoppable network? Here’s how to make every scout count.
Our Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide will tell you how to use scouts, how to refill your scouts, how to get more scouts, and how make them more efficient.
How to use scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are a versatile resource that you can deploy for several key tasks once you’ve unlocked your Hideout. To use scouts, open your world map and look for the scout icon in the bottom left, which shows how many scouts you have available for the current season. When you need to pinpoint quest objectives, especially when only vague clues are provided, select the relevant area on the map and dispatch scouts to reveal the exact location. Scouts can also be assigned to collect large resource bundles from enemy bases or outposts-just tag the resource, and the scouts will bring it back to your Hideout after the season changes. Additionally, if your wanted level rises, you can send scouts to help clear your status, making it safer to explore. Each scout use is limited per season, so plan their deployment carefully to maximize their effectiveness.
Scouts have three main purposes in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
- You can use them to help you find objectives
- They can smuggle resources
- You can spend scouts to clear your wanted level
Whenever you have a vague objective, you can use scouts to help you find it. With an objective tracked, head to your map. There will be a prompt underneath the objective clues on the left to Scout Objective. This has a relatively small search area, so you’ll have to be close. You can increase the search area with the right trigger and upgrading your Study at the Hideout. The level 1 and level 3 upgrade both affect the search area.
While you’re raiding a castle, camp, or one of the enemy-controlled temples, you might come across stockpiles. These are pallets of resources that you can flag to be smuggled out at the end of the season. You’ll assign scouts to smuggle resources, and then they’ll show up in your inventory the next time the season changes.
If you pick up a wanted level while raiding castles or just by being a menace, you can use scouts to clear it. You’ll need to upgrade the Kakurega at your Hideout to unlock this ability. Head to the map and hover over the region where you’re wanted. There will be a new prompt in the lower right to Clear Regional Alert along with the cost in scouts. (You can immediately refill your scouts at a kakurega, so this is really just a bribe with extra steps.)
How to refill scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Refilling scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows can be done in several convenient ways. The most straightforward method is to visit a Kakurega, which are fast-travel hideouts found throughout the game world and at your main base. Inside, look for the colorful sacks hanging on the wall-interacting with these allows you to spend 200 Mon per scout to instantly replenish your scout uses, with the cost reduced to 140 Mon if you’ve built the Nando upgrade at your Hideout. Alternatively, all your scouts automatically refresh at the end of each in-game season, which occurs after about an hour of play, or you can manually trigger a season change via the map screen if you don’t want to wait. Another option is to help civilians in distress while exploring; after saving them from threats, you can choose “Scout Intel” as a reward, which refills one scout for free. These methods ensure you can keep your scouting network active without long downtimes.
Scouts refill automatically at the end of every season, so if you just wait a while, they’ll come back on their own. If you want, you can also (sometimes) manually change the season from the Map screen.
If you don’t feel like waiting, though, you can defeat bandits out in the world or spend money at a kakurega.
When you’re riding around, watch for bandits harassing a local. When you jump in and stab all the bandits, head over and talk to the person you saved.
You can ask them for a world rumor or scout intel. World rumors adds points of interest to your map. Scout intel refills one scout. Just note that, if you are already full up on scouts, it’ll automatically default to a world rumor.
The other solution is to throw mon(ey) at the problem. At any kakurega – like the ones you unlock in towns or the Kakurega room at your Hideout – you can refill scouts at a rate of 200 mon each.
How to get more scouts
To get more scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, focus on upgrading your hideout, specifically by building and enhancing the Study room. Each time you upgrade the Study, you increase your maximum scout capacity, allowing you to deploy more scouts for tasks like finding objectives, gathering resources, and lowering your wanted level. Upgrading the Study requires materials such as wood, crops, and minerals, so it’s worth investing time in resource gathering to maximize your scout roster. Additionally, you can refill your available scouts between seasons or by spending money at certain hideout buildings like the Kakurega. Early in the game, you’ll also unlock a few scouts automatically through story progression and by recruiting new allies during quests.
Scouts are tied to your Hideout, so upgrading your Hideout will get you more.
- You’ll get your first scouts for building the Kakurega.
- You’ll get one scout when you build the Study (60 crops, 40 wood, 10 mineral).
- Each upgrade to the Study gets you one extra scout.
Upgrading your Stable affects your scouts, too. Each level of Stable upgrade means you need fewer scouts each time you tag a pallet of resources – which basically works out to having more scouts to work with.
How can I maximize the number of scouts I get in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To maximize the number of scouts you have in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, follow these key steps:
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Build and upgrade the Study at your Hideout. Each upgrade to the Study permanently adds one more scout to your roster, allowing you to reach the maximum of nine scouts if you complete all upgrades and related quests.
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Complete specific side quests such as “Tea Bowls for Rikyu,” “The Pirate Alliance,” and defeat Yagyu Munetoshi. These quests reward you with additional scouts, so prioritize them as you progress.
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Upgrading your Hideout overall, especially by constructing and enhancing the Kakurega, is essential for unlocking your first scouts and increasing your total capacity.
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While the Stable upgrade does not increase your maximum scout count, it does make your scouts more efficient by reducing the number needed for certain tasks, effectively stretching your available scouts further.
By focusing on Hideout upgrades and completing key side quests, you can reach the maximum scout limit and use them more efficiently throughout your adventure.
What is the most efficient way to upgrade the Study for more scouts
The most efficient way to upgrade the Study for more scouts in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is to:
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Build the Study at your Hideout as soon as it becomes available.
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Upgrade the Study to level 2 to unlock an additional scout slot.
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Prioritize gathering the required resources for each upgrade, as each level directly increases your scout capacity.
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Focus on upgrading the Study before other facilities if maximizing your number of scouts is your main goal, since each upgrade immediately grants you more scouts to use for missions and resource gathering.
By following this upgrade path and prioritizing Study improvements, you will efficiently unlock additional scout slots and maximize your scouting potential.
