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Feudal Japan is teeming with dangers, and even though Noae and Yasuke are potent fighters a little help never goes amiss especially when battles go awry. In come allies, a useful system introduced in Shadows that allows you to recruit and summon friendly NPCs in fights to unleash special abilities.
If you’re still in the early hours and haven’t come across a single ally yet, not to worry, this is normal. You’re looking at anywhere up to 10-12 hours of playtime before the option is available. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to unlock, recruit, train, and summon allies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Take on The Stray Dogs quest Osaka. Captured by VideoGamer
Find Tetsu to complete the quest. Captured by VideoGamer
Help Yaya find Tetsu. Captured by VideoGamer
When prompted, ask Yaya to join you. Captured by VideoGamer
How to unlock and recruit allies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Allies aren’t immediately available at the start of Assassin’s Creed Shadows and you’ll need to jump through a few narrative hoops before you can unlock and recruit your first one. Here’s what’s involved.
- Kill Wada Koretake in Amagasaki Castle in Isumi Settsu as part of the Heads Will Roll quest. During the final cut scene, side with Yaya by telling Mitsumune not to kill the enemy soldier. This unlocks The Stray Dogs quest in Osaka.
- Take on The Stray Dogs quest and help Yaya defeat the enemies in the courtyard in Osaka. Naoe will then suggest that Yaya join her. She’ll ask you to help her investigate what the monks wanted. Choose to forgive the monk when given the option.
- You’ll then need to track down the Kanzashi and Tetsuo at the Church of Takatsuki in northern Izumi Settsu. Chase him down and then choose forgiveness when prompted by Yaya. Choose ‘Let’s work together’ when it pops up and Yaya will join you as a recruit and ally as part of the Kakushiba ikki, or League of the Hidden Blade.
Yaya will then show up at the Hideout and you can build the Dojo building, which is used to train allies.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows allies list and abilities
Aside from Yaya, you’ll bump into other potential allies on your journey across Japan. Choose to help them and they’ll consider joining the League. Here’s a list of all allies we’ve found so far along with their abilities and how to unlock them:
| Ally | How to unlock | Abilities |
|---|---|---|
| Yaya | Complete The Stray Dogs quest in Izumi Settsu | – Rikishi (Novice rank): Yaya joins the fight and performs pushback attacks. – Oshitaoshi (Initiate rank): When joining the fight, Yaya will knockdown an enemy. – Inner Strength (Veteran rank): Yaya uses a powerful kick to send enemies flying. |
| Gennojo | Complete the Lost Honor quest, then Sake and Swords, choosing the ‘I’m all in’ dialogue option’. Complete the Stolen Hearts and The Godless Harvest quests, choosing ‘soothe Gennojo’ then ‘We make a good team’ dialogue options when prompted. | – Mischievous Sabotage (Novice rank): Gennojo throws a startling projectile – Over Here! (Initiate Rank): Draw the attention of an enemy about to detect you. – Charming Presence (Veteran Rank): Servants do not inform enemies of crimes they see. |
| Katsuhime | Complete the Letter From Katsuhime, The Tale of Genin, and in The Diary of Lady Rokkaku quest ask Katsuhime to join the league. | – Teppodo (Novice rank): Katsuhime joins the fight and deals daze attacks. – Explosive Entrance (Initiate Rank): When joining the fight, Katsuhime throws a dazing bomb. – Bullet Ricochet (Veteran Rank): Bullets hitting a dazed target ricochet to another target. |
| Oni-yuri | Complete the Sweet Lies and Sweet Revenge quests in Wakasa province. | – Sleep Dart (Novice rank): Oni-yuri puts someone to sleep. – Increased Dosage (Initiate Rank): Releases a toxin cloud that envenoms people. Poison the Rations (Veteran Rank): Reinforcements are delayed in the event of an alert. |
| Obuki | Complete the Ambush Interrupted and Homecoming quests in Iga province. | – Petals in the Wind (Novice rank): Ibuki joins the fight and deals impact attacks. – Strike of the Ronin (Initiate Rank): When joining the fight, Ibuki shatters the armor of nearby enemies. – Blade of Fujin (Veteran Rank): Ibuki will often use Strike of the Ronin while fighting. |
| Yagoro | Complete the A Blade in the Dark quest in Harima. |
How to summon allies
To summon allies, hold L2 on PS5 or right-click on PC, then hold the button prompt for the ally you want to call up, triangle and cross on PS5 or the 5 and 6 keys on PC. Different allies will perform different actions and favour different playstyles. For example, Yaya will join the fight and pushback enemies to give you breathing room.
You can swap out allies at the nafuda panel in the Dojo or at any Kakurega across Japan. Interact with the nafuda and you’ll enter the Ally Assignation menu. Here, you can assign allies to slot, train them, and see what abilities will unlock when they rank up.
Build a Dojo in the Hideout to train allies. Captured by VideoGamer
Interact with the nafuda board in the Hideout or at a Kakurega. Captured by VideoGamer
In the Dojo, you can assign allies to slots and also train them. Captured by VideoGamer
Training costs Mon but unlocks new ally abilities and actions. Captured by VideoGamer
How to train allies in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Once you’ve recruited Yaya, you can build the Dojo room at your Hideout. It gives allies a space to practice and train to reach higher ranks. Much like other buildings, you can upgrade the Dojo to get better benefits and perks, as follows:
- Level 1: Allies can train up to Initiate rank.
- Level 2: Two allies can assist you in battle instead of one.
- Level 3: Allies can train up to Veteran rank.
To train an ally, visit the nafuda panel in the Dojo, select an ally and tap Manage Ally. On the next screen, you’ll see details about the next rank and the cost of training. Tap the Train Ally prompt (square on PS5 or F on PC).
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