How to change characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Here's how to switch between Yasuke and Naoe
Wondering how to switch characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows? Having dual protagonists is one of the major highlights in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Rather than simply choosing your protagonist by gender preference, you get to play as two characters with their own distinct playstyle and story arc: Yasuke, the tough combat-focused samurai, and Naoe, the agile stealth-focused shinobi.
To begin, you'll play each character as designated in the story, but after a certain point, you will be free to change characters to tackle most missions as you see fit - though a few missions will remain exclusive to a specific character. In this guide, we'll explain how you can switch between Yasuke and Naoe as you make your way through feudal Japan.
How to change character in Assassin's Creed Shadows
To change character freely in Assassin's Creed Shadows, you must first reach the main story chapter: "A New League". This chapter begins after you finish the main story mission "Lightning And Thunder", and takes place about 10 hours into the main story. Before this point, you're locked to a specific character for each mission; but after this point, you are able to freely switch between Naoe and Yasuke at any time.
Once you can play as both Yasuke and Naoe, you'll usually watch a story cutscene where you're given the option to "Play as Yasuke" or "Play as Naoe". Despite how this is presented, you're not actually locked to that character and can change between them during the mission.
To change character at any time, simply open the menu screen and go to either the Inventory or Mastery tab, then hold X to change character.
While you'll have to wait for a loading screen as you "synchronize" character, the character you have changed to should be in the same spot as your other character was previously, allowing you to continue what you were doing without restarting a checkpoint or having to retrace your steps.
Another way to change characters is available while you're fast-travelling on the world map. Just hover your cursor over any fast travel location and it will give you a second option allowing you fast travel and change over to the other character.
There will be times when you can't change characters and you will get a message stating, "Not available in current gameplay context". This will happen if you're in the middle of combat, but also when you're trespassing in a location where an enemy can turn hostile if you're detected. Even when there are no enemies (at least none that are visible to you), you might still get this message so you may just need to move a bit further out of the area before trying again.
It's still possible to change characters when fast-travelling to a location like a castle or temple that's fortified by enemies.
There are also a few story missions where you will have to take control of the character as dictated, although these also have sections specific to Yasuke or Naoe. But if you encounter an NPC who has a mission that can only be accepted by Yasuke or Naoe then you can just change characters in the menu and then speak to them.
And that's all you need to know about changing characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows. For more on important features in Assassin's Creed Shadows, be sure to peruse our guides on how to change characters, the differences between Naoe and Yasuke, and how to parry and deflect. If you'd rather dig into locations, 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.