Honestly, if you played Assassin's Creed Shadows at launch back in March 2025, you know the vibes were... mixed. Japan looked gorgeous, but the glitches? Man. I remember my Naoe getting stuck in a kofun wall for twenty minutes while a guard just stared at me. It was rough. But Ubisoft has been surprisingly busy since then. We've seen a massive shift from "this is broken" to "this is actually the shinobi fantasy I wanted."
The recent Assassin's Creed Shadows patch notes for Title Update 1.1.7 and the late 2025 releases have essentially overhauled how the game feels. If you haven't jumped back in recently, you're missing out on a much tighter experience. They didn't just fix the bugs where Yasuke’s horse would walk through solid oak trees; they actually listened to the parkour nerds and the combat junkies who were complaining about the lack of variety.
What Changed in the Latest Assassin's Creed Shadows Patch Notes?
The big one—the one everyone is talking about—is Title Update 1.1.7. This dropped right before the 2025 holidays and basically served as a "thank you" to the players who stuck around.
New Finishers and Brutality
People were getting bored. Seriously. By the 30-hour mark, you’d seen every single kill animation Yasuke had. It started feeling like a chore. The devs finally added a fresh set of cinematic finishers for both Naoe and Yasuke. They’re faster, punchier, and way less "floaty" than the launch ones.
The Animus Hub and "Defiance"
They also launched a new Project called Defiance. If you’re into the modern-day meta-story (I know, some people hate it, but bear with me), this adds a new Bo staff and a few trinkets. More importantly, there’s a new Animus Rift called Lost and Found. It’s basically a digital obstacle course where you help "The Guide." It’s weird, but the rewards—like the clean white hooded outfit for Naoe—are actually worth the grind.
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The Nintendo Switch 2 Port
Let’s talk about the December 2025 update for the Switch 2. It was a massive technical feat. The Assassin's Creed Shadows patch notes specifically for the Switch 2 fixed that annoying bug where the game would ask you to reconnect your controller every single time you docked the console. Plus, they stabilized the FPS. It’s not PS5 quality, obviously, but it’s playable now without feeling like a slideshow.
The "Advanced Parkour" Toggle: A Game Changer
Wait. We need to talk about Title Update 1.1.4. This was the "Advanced Parkour" update. For years, AC fans have been begging for the "side ejects" and "back ejects" from the Ezio era. Ubisoft finally caved.
They added a toggle in the settings. If you turn it on, the "hand-holding" disappears. You can now perform side and back ejects from basically any height. It’s risky—you will 100% fall to your death a few times while learning—but it makes Naoe feel like a real ninja. You aren't just glued to the scripted path anymore.
- Vertical Ledge Grabs: You can now grab lanterns and beams mid-air.
- Manual Jumps: You can jump off non-standing objects (like lanterns) to create your own shortcuts.
- Sprint Lock: Your character won't stop sprinting just because you touched a fence.
It sounds like a small thing. It isn't. It changes the entire flow of Kyoto and Osaka.
Fixing the Cultural "Slip-ups"
The launch of Shadows was... loud. Between the controversy over Yasuke and the accidental inclusion of modern-style designs in historical settings, the PR team was sweating. The early Assassin's Creed Shadows patch notes actually addressed some of this.
Remember the destructible shrines? In the Day One patch (Update 1.0.2), Ubisoft made the major tables and racks in temples indestructible. Why? Because Japanese officials were actually worried about "copycat" vandalism in real life. It was a weird moment where gaming met international politics. They also fixed the "bleeding citizens" issue—unarmed monks no longer spill blood like they’re in a slasher movie if you accidentally bump them during a fight. It’s about respect, basically.
Performance and PC Stability
PC players had it the worst for a while. Stuttering was everywhere. The mid-2025 updates (specifically 1.0.5 and 1.0.7) finally ironed out the VRAM leaks. If you’re playing on a rig that’s a few years old, the "FPS stability" fixes in the recent notes are a godsend.
They also fixed the "Giant NPC" bug. Yes, for a few weeks, you could occasionally find a 10-foot-tall villager just chilling in the middle of a town. It was hilarious, but kinda immersion-breaking. That’s gone now.
The Expansion: Claws of Awaji
The patch notes aren't just about fixes; they're about the content roadmap. The Claws of Awaji expansion added a whole new island. But here’s the kicker: at launch, there was a bug where if you owned two versions of the game (say, PC and PS5), you could lose the ability to fast travel to the new island entirely. Update 1.1.7 finally killed that bug.
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They also added "Corrupted Castles." These are high-level endgame activities that reset every season. If you’ve finished the main story, this is basically the only reason to keep playing. The rewards are "Gold" tier weapons, including a Teppo (matchlock gun) that you get for hitting Hideout Level 13.
What Most People Still Get Wrong
A lot of people think the game is "finished" and Ubisoft has moved on to the next project (AC Hexe). They haven't. The Assassin's Creed Shadows patch notes show a team that is still tweaking the "Small Stuff."
For instance, did you know you can now whistle while using the "Follow Road" mechanic? You couldn't do that at launch. Or that they fixed Naoe's eyes staying wide open during romantic cutscenes? Yeah, she doesn't look like a terrified robot anymore.
Quick Checklist of Fixed Issues:
- Naginatas for Sale: You can finally sell your extra spears. Before, the vendors just... wouldn't buy them.
- Double Engravings: There was an exploit on the Sword of Fathoms that let you double-stack damage. It’s gone. Sorry, min-maxers.
- The "New Item" Ghost: That annoying yellow notification that wouldn't go away even after you checked your inventory? It’s finally dead.
- Language Fixes: The Japanese localization for "Kawarajiri Lumber Camp" was corrected. Accuracy matters.
Is It Worth Jumping Back In?
If you quit in April 2025 because of the bugs, yes. The game feels different. It’s heavier, more intentional. The stealth feels less like a guessing game and more like a toolset.
The "Advanced Parkour" alone is worth the re-download. It turns the world from a set of walls into a playground. Plus, the new finishers make the combat loop feel less repetitive. Ubisoft Quebec really put in the work to polish the rough edges of the Anvil engine.
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To get the most out of the current build, make sure you go into the gameplay settings and enable the "Advanced Parkour" toggle immediately. It's disabled by default because it's "hard," but it's the only way to play. Also, check the Animus Hub for the Defiance project. The rewards are some of the best-looking gear sets in the game right now. You'll need to clear a few Corrupted Castles to get the currency, but it's a solid weekend project if you're looking for a reason to roam through 16th-century Japan again.