Allies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are more than just background characters. They can fight with you, help with useful abilities, and some can even be romance options. In this guide, we will show you all available allies and how to recruit, plus get the most out of each of them.
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How Allies Work in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Allies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows don’t follow you around all the time. Instead, you can summon them like special abilities. They’ll jump in to fight enemies or give support based on what they’re good at, then leave after helping or if they take too much damage. You can choose which allies to bring from the Manage Allies board in any Kakurega. At first, you can take one ally with you, but upgrading your Dojo to Rank 2 lets you bring two at once.
How to Upgrade Your Allies
Building and upgrading the Dojo in your hideout is essential for improving your allies’ effectiveness. Each ally can be trained through three ranks:
- Novice: Basic ability.
- Initiate: Unlocks a second passive ability.
- Veteran: Unlocks their most powerful passive ability.
Upgrading costs quite a lot of Mon, so be prepared to save up if you want to maximize their potential.
All Allies and How to Recruit Them in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Here’s a complete breakdown of all recruitable allies and how to recruit them in the game:
Gennojo
| How to Recruit | • Play as Naoe and start “Sake and Swords” in Yamashiro after defeating The Fool. • In “The Godless Harvest,” stop him from using explosives and choose “We make a good team.” |
| Basic Ability | Mischievous Sabotage – Throws a bomb to startle enemies. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Over Here! – Distracts enemies about to detect you. |
| Rank 3 Ability | Charming Presence – Servants don’t report crimes they witness. |
| Best For | Stealth gameplay and avoiding detection |
Ibuki
| How to Recruit | • Play as Yasuke and start their questline with the “Ambush Interrupted” side quest outside Kashiwara Village in Iga. |
| Basic Ability | Petals in the Wind – Performs impact attacks. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Strike of the Ronin – Destroys enemy armor when entering combat. |
| Rank 3 Ability | Blade of Fujin – Can use Strike of the Ronin frequently. |
| Best For | Breaking enemy defenses and armor. |
Also Read:
- Assassin’s Creed Shadows: 12 Important Early-Game Things to Do
- Things You Need to Know Before Playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Katsuhime
| How to Recruit | • Play as Naoe and start her questline with “Letter from Katsuhime” in Omi after defeating The Naginata. • Choose “Yes. Join us.” during “The Diary of Lady Rokkaku.” |
| Basic Ability | Teppodo – Performs daze attacks. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Explosive Entrance – Throws a dazing bomb when entering combat. |
| Rank 3 Ability | Bullet Ricochet – Bullets hitting dazed targets bounce to another enemy. |
| Best For | Ranged gun combat and dazing enemies. |
Oni-Yuri
| How to Recruit | • Start her questline with the “Sweet Lies” quest in Tsuruga, Wakasa. • Can be played as either Naoe or Yasuke. |
| Basic Ability | Sleep Dart – Puts an enemy to sleep. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Increased Dosage – Creates a poisonous cloud that affects nearby enemies. |
| Rank 3 Ability | Poison the Rations – Delays enemy reinforcements. |
| Best For | Controlling enemy forces and buying time. |
Yagoro
| How to Recruit | • Complete the “A Blade in the Dark” side mission in Harima. • Unlocks after defeating one of the final five main targets. |
| Basic Ability | Assassinate – Instantly kills an enemy with 3 or fewer health chunks. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Chain Assassination – Can assassinate an extra enemy. |
| Rank 3 Ability | One with Death – Can assassinate enemies with up to five health chunks. |
| Best For | Eliminating tough enemies quickly and silently. |
Yaya
| How to Recruit | • Complete “The Stray Dogs” quest in Izumi Settsu after defeating The Wounded. • Choose “Killing isn’t justice,” then “We forgive him” and “You need to forgive each other.” |
| Basic Ability | Rikishi – Performs pushback attacks on enemies. |
| Rank 2 Ability | Oshitaoshi – Knocks down an enemy when entering combat. |
| Rank 3 Ability | Inner Strength – Kicks enemies and sends them flying. |
| Best For | Crowd control and creating space in combat situations. |
Best Ally Combinations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Just like we mentioned above, upgrading your Dojo to Rank 2 lets you bring two allies at once. The optimal allies to use depend on your playstyle and which character you’re controlling:
| Playstyle | Best Combination | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Stealth Gameplay | Gennojo + Yagoro | Gennojo distracts enemies and prevents servants from reporting crimes; Yagoro silently eliminates key targets. |
| Combat-Focused | Ibuki + Yaya | Ibuki breaks enemy armor; Yaya provides knockdowns and crowd control, creating openings for powerful attacks. |
| Balanced Gameplay | Gennojo + Katsuhime | Gennojo maintains stealth; Katsuhime offers ranged gun support when combat breaks out. |
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you have to use your allies’ special skills wisely and team them up in the right way to make battles and missions in the game easier as you explore feudal Japan. Don’t forget to upgrade your Dojo, so you can unlock the second ally slot as soon as possible!
