Assassin's Creed Shadows: Why Instant Assassinations Are the Only Way to Play in 2026
As a veteran of the Assassin's Creed series, I've always believed that the perfect assassination—a silent blade in the back—should be the cornerstone of the experience. It's right there in the name, after all. Yet for years, Ubisoft has complicated this simple pleasure, splitting open worlds into level-based regions and turning would-be targets into damage sponges. In 2026, however, I've finally found salvation in Assassin's Creed Shadows, thanks to a single toggle: instant assassinations. And I'm never turning it off.
The Level-Gating Problem That Nearly Broke the Fantasy
Remember Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla? Each of them carved their vast worlds into level-gated zones. Wander into a region above your pay grade, and enemies would squash you like a bug. Worse, they'd have absurd health pools, making instant assassinations a distant memory. That design choice was borderline sacrilegious. The coolest way to dispatch foes—the stealthy one-shot—was stripped away, replaced by forced combat and endless grinding. On the flip side, scaling enemies to your level made everything trivially easy. There was no middle ground, and the fantasy of being a shadowy assassin suffered for it.
How Shadows Fixed It (With a Toggle)
Shadows still features leveled enemies with different health pools, just like its predecessors. But it also includes an option to turn on instant assassinations, eliminating the annoyance altogether. Standard soldiers and bandits can be dispatched with a cheeky stab, while more hardened samurai or primary targets will take a chunk of damage, pulling you into a standard fight. That might sound like a compromise, but for me, it's a lifeline. You can level up Naoe's assassination skills to deal more damage with a single sneak attack, but that still won't down every target. So why bother? I flipped the switch, and the game transformed.
My Castle Infiltration: A Tale of Two Playstyles
Last night—well, in 2026, but who's counting—I was invading a high-level castle. My goal: defeat four samurai to access a treasure chest in the central tower. Three of them went down with a single strike. It felt incredible, sneaking around as Naoe without being spotted. All of Shadows' mechanics clicked: eagle vision, high vantage points, predictable patrol routes. I was a phantom threading a needle in a thunderstorm, untouchable and precise.
Then I found my final target: a huge fella with an even bigger weapon. I shanked him in the gut, and he shrugged it off. Cue a massive combat encounter, the alarm raised, and me swarmed by soldiers I wasn't strong enough to handle. I could flee and ruin my perfect run, or die and reload, stuck in the same predicament. Frustration doesn't begin to cover it.
So I switched on instant assassinations and tackled the castle again. The result? I had way more fun.
The Case For and Against Instant Assassinations
Let's be clear: instant assassinations make the game easier. But is that a bad thing? Stealth is a condition you're responsible for maintaining, and Shadows gives you all the tools to do it. Instant assassinations let you eliminate enemies one by one without artificial barriers. When a target is a mandatory objective, being forced into combat because the game decided someone is too strong feels like a betrayal of the core fantasy.
| Pros 👍 | Cons 👎 |
|---|---|
| Preserves stealth flow | Can trivialize tough encounters |
| Rewards careful planning | Reduces challenge for some players |
| Keeps immersion intact | Might make combat skills atrophy |
| Eliminates forced combat | Less incentive to level up assassination |
That said, I still find myself in plenty of combat outside of stealth. The world is massive, with castles to conquer and secrets to uncover. Having that broken up by needless barriers—like a symphony with a broken metronome—sounds like a terrible time. Shadows finally offers a way to avoid that.
Why I'm Keeping It On
It's 2026, and I've logged hundreds of hours in Shadows. Instant assassinations are staying on until I stumble upon an instance where the game is suddenly too easy. But I'm unsure if that'll ever happen. The sheer volume of content—especially castles—means that having my rhythm broken by an unkillable brute is a dealbreaker. Turning on instant assassinations was like switching from a rusted butter knife to a laser scalpel. It's the only way to play.
So if you're like me, clinging to the fantasy of being a silent blade in the dark, do yourself a favor: flip the switch. Assassin's Creed should always be about the assassination, not about hitting a wall. And in Shadows, it finally is again.