All castle locations in Assassin's Creed Shadows
The locations and rewards of all castles in AC Shadows
Looking for a list of all castles in Assassin's Creed Shadows? Castles in Assassin's Creed Shadows constitute a major portion of the game. Sometimes called forts, fortresses, or garrisons, they are always expansive and packed with guards, and you'll need to infiltrate their vast courtyards and assassinate tough samurai daisho if you want the best possible loot. Even if you're not searching for epic gear, you'll still need to scale castle spires if you want to unlock fast travel points throughout AC Shadows' expansive map of Japan.
This guide will present a useful list of all castle locations in Assassin's Creed Shadows, as well as all of the rewards that await you if you manage to clear these bastions. We'll also offer some handy tips for tackling castles in case you're having trouble.
Assassin's Creed Shadows: All castle locations
To help you track down all 38 castles across the map, take a peek at this interactive map of all of the castle locations in Assassin's Creed Shadows:
The following checklist contains all of the castles, the region they are located in, and their rewards. These rewards include legendary gear, experience, and mastery points.
| Castle Name | Location | Rewards | Found! |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amagasaki Castle | Izumi Settsu | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Legendary Tools Master Mask (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Katano Castle | Izumi Settsu | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Tools Master Gear (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Osaka Castle | Izumi Settsu | 3000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Peasant Clothes (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Takatsuki Castle | Izumi Settsu | 3,000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Legendary Peasant Hat (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Hanazono Castle | Yamashiro | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Protector's Helmet (Legendary Helmet) | |
| Nijo Palace | Yamashiro | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Protector's Armor (Legendary Heavy Armor) | |
| Shoryuji Castle | Yamashiro | 3,000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Yurei-Walker Robes (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Yamazaki Castle | Yamashiro | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Yurei-Walker Hood (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Himeji Castle | Harima | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Defense Master Clothing (Legendary Armor) | |
| Hiraiyama Fort | Harima | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Yami no Kage (Legendary Katana) | |
| Inariyama Garrison | Harima | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Funeral Pyre (Legendary Bow) | |
| Kanki Castle | Harima | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Samurai Daimyo Armor of Legend (Legendary Armor) | |
| Miki Castle | Harima | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Defense Master Headwrap (Legendary Helmet) | |
| Miyanoue Fort | Harima | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Lethal Lotus Petal (Legendary Long Katana) | |
| Takagi Otsuka Fort | Harima | 3,000 XP, 1 Mastery Point, Artist's Tear (Legendary Tanto) | |
| Azuchi Castle | Omi | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Ship Captain's Mask (Legendary Helmet) | |
| Kashiwabara Fortress | Omi | 3,000 XP, 1 Mastery Point, Time Honored Crescent (Legendary Naginata) | |
| Nagahama Castle | Omi | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Mamushi Snake Robes (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Omizo Castle | Omi | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Mamushi Snake Hood (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Sakamoto Castle | Omi | 3,000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Ship Captain's Gear (Legendary Armor) | |
| Hijiyama Fort | Iga | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Swift Shinobi Robes (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Kashiwara Fort | Iga | 3,000 XP, 1 Mastery Point, Bloodletter (Legendary Kusarigama) | |
| Kunimiyama Fort | Iga | 3,000 XP, 1 Mastery Point, Swift Shinobi Hood (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Mibuno Castle | Iga | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Minogame's Protection (Legendary Trinket) | |
| Koriyama Castle | Yamato | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Legendary Onna-musha Headband (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Uda Matsuyama Castle | Yamato | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Legendary Onna-musha Kosode (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Genbao Fort | Wakasa | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Dynasty Ender (Legendary Teppo) | |
| Kanegasaki Castle | Wakasa | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Master Archer Headband (Legendary Helmet) | |
| Nochiseyama Castle | Wakasa | 3,000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Masamune's Thorn (Legendary Tanto) | |
| Tsuruga Castle | Wakasa | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Master Archer Outfit (Legendary Armor) | |
| Fukuchiyama Castle | Tamba | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Kasa of the Legendary Ronin (Legendary Helmet) | |
| Kameyama Castle | Tamba | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Hidden Servant Kosode (Legendary Light Armor) | |
| Miyazu Castle | Tamba | 3,000 XP, 4 Mastery Points, Outfit of the Legendary Ronin (Legendary Armor) | |
| Takeda Castle | Tamba | 3,000 XP, 5 Mastery Points, Hidden Servant Hat (Legendary Headgear) | |
| Yakami Fort | Tamba | 3,000 XP, 1 Mastery Point, Tremor Strike (Legendary Kanabo) | |
| Akagi Fort | Kii | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Armor of the Legendary Samurai (Legendary Armor) | |
| Saika Castle | Kii | 3,000 XP, 3 Mastery Points, Tale Smasher (Legendary Kanabo) | |
| Tsuchibashi Fort | Kii | 3,000 XP, 2 Mastery Points, Helmet of the Legendary Samurai (Legendary Helmet) |
How to infiltrate castles in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Sneaking your way into castles requires some finesse. When entering a castle complex, use the following tips to ensure that you make it out alive with all the loot you desire.
- You need to take out all of the samurai daisho before you can open legendary chests, which are the lockboxes that contain your legendary gear. These chests are usually hidden away in high vantage points or in well-guarded rooms. Even if you find one ahead of time, you can't unlock it until your assassination work is done.
- The samurai daisho are marked via a helmet on your map. They're tough opponents, so consider switching to Yasuke if you're having trouble assassinating them with Naoe. You can also always turn on guaranteed assassinations if you want to make things easy for yourself.
- Prepare to use both Naoe and Yasuke as you infiltrate especially tricky castles. We have a full guide on the differences between Naoe and Yasuke, but when it comes to castles there are certain areas where you'll need their special abilities - for instance, Naoe's grappling hook, which lets her ascend to higher platforms, and Yasuke's ability to act like a human battering ram and smash doors, which can lead to hidden treasure and supply caches.
- You'll encounter servants in castles. Highlighted orange if you're using Eagle Vision, servants are weak and unarmed foes who can be assassinated quickly, but if they spot you they'll alert the guards. During evening, they walk around carrying lanterns.
- Many castles will have nightingale floors in their interiors. These make noise even if you're stepping on them slowly. If you're using Eagle Vision, you'll be able to identify nightingale floors by the nails under the floorboards. Avoid them if possible, unless you want endless squeaks to alert enemies to your position.
That finishes our guide on all castle locations in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Be sure to peruse our guides on how to change characters, and if you're looking for skill information, we have guides on the best Masteries for Yasuke and the best Masteries for Naoe. For more location-based info, see our guide on all Kuji-kiri in Izumi Settsu, which will help you get started on the first steps of this expansive adventure across 1579 Japan.