When Can You Play as Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

One of the key features of Assassin’s Creed Shadows is how you can play as both Naoe and Yasuke throughout the game. However, it takes a while to unlock access to both of them and you can initially only play as Naoe. Here’s everything you need to know on how and when you can unlock Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

When is Yasuke Unlocked in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

It will take you roughly seven hours to unlock Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows if you’re solely focused on completing the story. Normal playthroughs might increase this number to around 10 to 12 hours.

For a more story spoilery and specific explanation of when you unlock the ability to freely switch between Naoe and Yasuke, I’ve outlined the point in the story this happens below. Avoid the following sentence if you want to enjoy AC Shadows spoiler-free:

Yasuke does not unlock until Naoe slays three members of the Onryo AKA Shinbakufu and takes on the quest to assassinate Oda Nobunaga. After these story events and their fallout, Yasuke will pledge loyalty to Naoe’s cause and become a staunch and reliable ally.

How to Swap Between Yasuke and Naoe

Once you have Yasuke unlocked, you can switch between him and Naoe freely unless you are in a combat or high-alert situation. There are two ways to swap between Yasuke and Naoe.

When you’re fast traveling, you’ll have the option to fast travel as either Yasuke or Naoe.

You can open your menu and go to the inventory screen where you’ll see a prompt to swap between Yasuke and Naoe at the bottom. Note that doing so will force you to reload the world and your character will spawn at the exact same location.

Yasuke vs Naoe Differences, Explained

While Naoe is a typical assassins similar to those we’ve seen in previous entries in the series, Yasuke is much more of a heavy hitting, bruiser-type character. He is much bulkier and makes use of larger and ranged weapons such as the Bow and Teppo.

The main difference with Yasuke is that he doesn’t have a hidden blade, is slower, and can’t parkour. This forces you into a far more confrontational style of play, as opposed to the stealthy approach of Naoe. It also means he’s not great for exploring the world. Naoe is faster and generally more enjoyable to use for getting around the world.

His firearms also use bullets and arrows as ammunition which need to be restocked once you fire enough shots. Yasuke also has his own unique Mastery trees but the Mastery Points between Yasuke and Naoe aren’t shared.

Yasuke also doesn’t have access to Eagle Vision or shinobi tools such as the grappling hook, smoke bombs, and golden bells. He also makes a lot more noise when sneaking around and can even break some parkour ropes that are too thin to carry his weight.

That’s all you need to know about unlocking Yasuke and his kit in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For more guides you can also check out our complete list of all weapons and the best skills to level up first.