Honestly, if you're looking at the Assassin's Creed Shadows trophy guide thinking it's going to be another thousand-hour slog like Valhalla, take a breath. It isn't. Ubisoft actually listened for once. They trimmed the fat. You won't be clearing every single map marker just to see that platinum pop.
It's manageable. It's fun. But—and this is a big "but"—there are a few things that will absolutely wreck your progress if you aren't paying attention to the seasons.
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The Platinum Roadmap That Won't Kill Your Social Life
You've got two protagonists: Naoe and Yasuke. One is a whisper in the wind; the other is a literal tank. The good news? You don't need two playthroughs. You can swap between them and still grab everything. The game has 55 trophies in the base set. That breaks down to 42 bronze, 11 silver, 1 gold, and that shiny platinum.
Most people expect a "hard mode" trophy. There isn't one. You can play on the easiest setting and the trophies will still trigger. If you just want the digital trophy for your collection, crank the difficulty down. No judgment here.
Start with the Story (Mostly)
Basically, just play. The main story takes you through three Acts and an Epilogue. You'll naturally unlock trophies like A New League Rises (Act 1) and An Oath Fulfilled (Act 2).
By the time you hit the Epilogue trophy, you’ll have met the core cast: Gennojo, Oni-yuri, and the rest. These are unmissable. They are the "gimme" trophies. But while you're doing this, you need to keep an eye on the calendar.
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The Season Trap: A Rare Occurrence
This is the one that gets everyone. The A Rare Occurrence trophy requires you to find and paint five legendary animals (Sumi-e). Here is the kicker: four of these animals only appear during specific seasons.
If you finish the game and then decide to go for this, you might find yourself sitting in a bush for three real-world hours waiting for the game's internal clock to move from Summer to Autumn. It sucks.
- Spring: Look for the specific legendary creature near the blossoms.
- Summer: Often requires midday heat.
- Autumn: Think harvest areas.
- Winter: The snow-specific animal is usually the last one people find.
Don't wait. Whenever the season changes, check your map. Go find that legendary beast immediately. If you miss the window, you have to wait for a full "year" cycle to pass in-game. It’s the closest thing this game has to a "missable" trophy, even though it technically isn't.
Combat Shenanigans and Specific Kills
Ubisoft threw in some cheeky references this time. Would You Kindly? is a blatant BioShock nod, but it just requires completing a contract in each province. Easy enough.
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Then there’s the weird stuff. Overdesign III asks you to perform a Finisher on an enemy that is both Poisoned and Dazed. You'll want to use Naoe for this. Use a poison trap or dart, then hit them with a heavy blunt strike or a smoke bomb to daze them before the final blow.
Yasuke has his own fun. For the This is Japan, Actually trophy, you just need to kick someone off a high ledge. Find a rooftop archer, get close, and let 'em fly.
Mastery and the Hideout
You’re going to spend a lot of time in your Hideout. You need to fully upgrade a building for Against Wood and Stone.
The Art of Ninjutsu and Art of Kenjutsu trophies require you to max out Naoe and Yasuke’s respective mastery trees. This means you need XP. A lot of it. Don't skip the side objectives on the Mortal Reminder objective board. They give the best XP-to-time ratio in the game.
Things to Do Right Now
If you are just starting your journey through Sengoku-era Japan, keep these points in the back of your head so you don't have to backtrack later.
- Don't Sell Legendary Gear. You need to equip a legendary item in every slot for Better than a Bucket. If you sell a unique piece early on, you're making your life much harder.
- Scouting Mission Requirement. Turn "Guided Exploration Mode" OFF in the settings. You need to gather info using a scout while this is disabled to trigger the trophy. You can turn it back on right after.
- The Waterfall Secret. Go to your Hideout. Look behind the waterfall. There's a cave. Entering it gives you the Made You Look! trophy instantly. It’s basically a freebie.
- Adopt a Pet. Seriously. Find an animal in a village, interact with it, and get the Everybody Benefits! trophy. It’s wholesome and easy.
- The Leap of Fail. Do a Leap of Faith as Yasuke. He isn't exactly built for it, and the animation reflects that. It's hilarious and it's a trophy.
Check your Assassin's Creed Shadows trophy guide progress every time you hit a new province. If you stay on top of the Sumi-e paintings and the legendary gear, you'll hit that platinum around the 50-60 hour mark. It's a solid, rewarding list that doesn't feel like a second job.
Focus on the legendary gear sets first. Specifically, look for the "Settsu" and "Yamashiro" sets early on. They provide the best stats while helping you work toward the Limitless silver trophy, which requires finding a legendary piece of gear for every single category. Once you have those, the combat trophies become a total breeze.