Should you let Assassin’s Creed Shadows guide your every step, or trust your instincts in feudal Japan? Guided exploration mode promises a streamlined journey by marking quest and side mission locations directly on your map-making navigation a breeze, but potentially robbing you of the thrill of discovery and the satisfaction of piecing together clues yourself. Before you toggle this feature on, consider: will you savor a more immersive, challenging adventure, or opt for efficiency at the cost of some achievements and the franchise’s signature investigative gameplay?
While the setting is a helpful tool for the lost and the frustrated, it also removes some friction from an already pretty frictionless game. However, unlike other startup settings, like canon mode – which removes dialogue options from the game – you can turn guided exploration mode on and off at will. So your choice isn’t permanent.
Below, we’ll cover what guided exploration mode is in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and share some thoughts on if you should play with it.
What is guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is an optional gameplay setting that adds precise waypoints and quest markers to your map, making it much easier to locate objectives and navigate missions. When enabled, the game highlights exact destinations for main and some side quests, removing much of the need to search for clues or explore the environment to find your targets. This mode is designed for players who prefer a more streamlined experience or want to avoid getting lost, but it also reduces the challenge and immersion that come from investigating and uncovering locations on your own. Guided exploration can be toggled on or off at any time, allowing for flexibility in how you approach the game. However, enabling it may prevent you from earning certain achievements or trophies, as some are tied to playing without this assistance.
In short, guided exploration mode will add waypoints to your map during missions that require exploration and investigation.
Many quests in Assassin’s Creed Shadows task you with finding a specific person or item. You’ll get a handful of parameters regarding your target’s general location, and then will have to use those directions to narrow down a search area.
For instance, during the “Way of the Blacksmith” quest, you’re tasked with finding a blacksmith named Heiji. You’re told that he’s in southwestern Settsu, specifically in the city of Sakai, somewhere east of the port. Turn on guided exploration mode, though, and the game will just show you his exact location. See the image below for an example of what the map looks like during that mission with guided exploration turned off compared to on, though note that the second screenshot does give away Heiji’s location:
Beyond objective markers for currently active quests, turning guided exploration mode on will also reveal the locations of some side quests in your current province. Otherwise, you’d have to stumble across those naturally.
However, guided exploration mode won’t populate your map with any unseen synchronization points. And the question mark icons on your map that indicate “undiscovered locations” will remain question marks. You’ll still have to manually trek to those waypoints to see if it’s something interesting – like a Kofun or Hidden Trail – or if it’s yet another enemy outpost.
Should you play guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Should you play guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
Guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows adds waypoints and precise quest markers to your map, streamlining navigation and making it much easier to locate objectives. This can be helpful if you find yourself frustrated or lost, especially in the game’s expansive and sometimes challenging environments. However, enabling this mode significantly reduces the challenge and sense of discovery, as it bypasses the game’s clue-based exploration and the use of scouts, which are core to the intended experience. Additionally, some achievements and trophies cannot be unlocked while guided exploration is active, making it less appealing for completionists and achievement hunters. Most guides and experienced players recommend starting with guided exploration turned off to fully enjoy the investigative gameplay and immersive world design, only enabling it if you get stuck or prefer a more straightforward experience. Ultimately, the choice depends on your playstyle: use guided exploration for convenience, or keep it off for a richer, more rewarding adventure.
While it’s ultimately up to you, we’d recommend not playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows with guided exploration mode.
If you’re an achievement or trophy hunter, you’ll especially want to make sure it stays off. When guided exploration mode is turned on, you’re unable to complete “some achievements,” according to the in-game menu (though it’s not immediately clear which achievements are disabled).
Plus, part of the fun of modern Assassin’s Creed games comes from identifying and tracking down your targets; it’s one of the few ways in which these games actually push back against the player.
Yes, mission objectives in Shadows can sometimes be cloyingly vague. But you have other exploration tools at your disposal beyond guided exploration mode. Deploying scouts can help further narrow down search areas, and in some cases will straight up give you a waypoint. You can also use Eagle Vision and observe your immediate environment. Key objectives, like Heiji, will show up as blue dots (see above).
And if you’re still struggling after that? Well, in this very specific instance, that’s what our “Way of the Blacksmith” walkthrough is for!
Could guided exploration mode make Assassin’s Creed Shadows too easy to spoil the challenge
Guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows can indeed make the game significantly easier, potentially spoiling the challenge for players who enjoy investigation and discovery. When enabled, guided mode places direct waypoints on your map for main and side quests, removing much of the need to interpret clues, explore, or use in-game tools like scouts and Eagle Vision to locate objectives. This streamlined approach means you can move efficiently from one objective to the next, but it comes at the cost of immersion and the satisfaction of tracking down targets yourself-a core aspect of the Assassin’s Creed experience.
Many guides and community discussions recommend keeping guided exploration mode off if you want to preserve the sense of mystery and challenge, as well as unlock certain achievements that require manual scouting. Guided mode is best suited for players who prefer a more relaxed, less demanding experience or who get frustrated with vague quest directions. Ultimately, the choice depends on your playstyle, but if you’re seeking a more authentic and rewarding Assassin’s Creed adventure, leaving guided exploration off is advised.
Does guided exploration mode remove the satisfaction of discovering clues myself
Yes, guided exploration mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows removes much of the satisfaction that comes from discovering clues yourself. When enabled, the game marks quest objectives and target locations directly on your map, bypassing the need to interpret clues, investigate, or use tools like scouts. This streamlines the experience but eliminates the challenge and immersion of piecing together information and tracking down targets on your own-a core appeal for many players. If you enjoy the thrill of solving mysteries and exploring organically, guided exploration mode will likely diminish that sense of achievement.
