Assassin’s Creed Shadows' First Story Expansion Gets September Launch Date, New Game Plus Arrives Next Week

Ubisoft has revealed the launch date for Assassin’s Creed Shadows' first story expansion. It also detailed other significant updates coming as part of the summer stretch of its Year 1 content roadmap.

Claws of the Awaji, the game’s first big story DLC, is launching on September 16. Set after the conclusion of Shadow’s events (meaning you need to beat the game to unlock it), it centers on Naoe tackling a fresh slate of foes on the new island setting of Awaji. The expansion is touted to feature over 10 hours of content and will be free to players who pre-ordered Shadows. It is unclear how much Claws of Awaji will cost to purchase standalone. 

New Game Plus arrives in an update next week on July 29. The mode resets story and objective board progression, but allows players to retain their character level, gear, skill points, knowledge rank, and Hideout progression in a fresh campaign. When starting New Game Plus, players have the option of restarting the story from the very beginning or skipping the prologue and starting when Naoe first acquires the Hideout.

In terms of progression, the July update also raises the level cap from 60 to 80. New Knowledge Ranks, Mastery, and Knowledge Skill ranks will also be introduced. The Hideout will receive new upgrades, including those for Heiji’s Forge. July 29 will also add Project 3, adding new resources, data files, and exclusive Animus-themed rewards.

Lastly, an update coming at the beginning of September, ahead of Claws of Awaji, will introduce the following quality-of-life improvements:

• The world map unfogging after completing viewpoint synchronization (per region).
• The ability to skip time-of-day, jumping ahead to dusk or dawn.
• A new Forge upgrade level to reach Mythic (from Epic) and Artifact (from Legendary) equipment rarities.
• Hideout Updates and Upgrades.
• Uncapped framerate for cutscenes (PC only).
• Additional goodies that may be familiar to long-time series fans.

For more on Assassin's Creed Shadows, you can read our review here. You can also check out this story on Netflix green-lighting a live-action Assassin's Creed series.