When Do You Unlock Yasuke In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

When Yasuke Becomes Playable

Yasuke technically appears at the start of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, but you only control him briefly during the opening section. After the prologue, the game shifts fully toward Naoe for the entire first major act.

Yasuke officially becomes playable again near the end of the Temple of the Horseman mission. This mission acts as the conclusion of the first major story arc and unlocks the ability to freely switch between both protagonists.

For most players, reaching this point takes around 10–20 hours depending on exploration, side quests, and optional activities.

---

Fastest Way To Unlock Yasuke

If your goal is unlocking Yasuke quickly, focus primarily on the main story objectives.

The most important early targets are:

• The Wounded
• The Golden Teppo

After eliminating both targets, return to the Hideout and continue progressing through the next available major story missions.

Eventually, the story moves into the historical Honnō-ji Incident sequence. After several major cutscenes and gameplay sections, Yasuke permanently joins your roster.

---

Yasuke And Naoe Play Very Differently

The game is designed around two completely different playstyles.

Naoe focuses heavily on stealth, mobility, climbing, and classic assassin gameplay. She uses the hidden blade, moves quickly across rooftops, and performs much better during stealth infiltration.

Yasuke is built for direct combat. He uses heavier weapons, stronger armor, and can survive much more damage during open fights.

However, Yasuke also has several limitations:

• Slower climbing
• No Eagle Vision
• Cannot walk tightropes
• Cannot perform traditional Leap of Faith jumps

In exchange, he hits like an absolute truck during combat encounters.

---

How Character Switching Works

Once both characters are unlocked, you can swap between Yasuke and Naoe in two main ways.

Inventory Or Mastery Menu

Inside the inventory or mastery screens, hold the swap button prompt shown at the bottom of the screen. The game reloads your current location and switches you to the other character.

Fast Travel Switching

While fast traveling, you can also choose to arrive as the other character immediately. This makes changing playstyles much faster while exploring different regions.

---

When You Cannot Switch Characters

There are some important restrictions on character swapping.

You cannot switch while:

• In combat
• Inside restricted areas
• During certain story missions
• During character-specific activities

If the game prevents fast travel, it usually prevents character switching as well.

This becomes especially important during castle infiltrations and major story encounters, so choose your character before heading inside. Nobody wants to realize halfway through a stealth mission that they brought the human battering ram instead of the ninja.