In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, intelligence is crucial, and you won’t advance far without a reliable group of scouts. Many missions won’t reveal the specific locations of objectives; instead, you receive general areas where your tasks lie, prompting you to deploy scouts to gather detailed information. These scouts can provide more specific markers for your quests or even hint at a target’s whereabouts within the larger search area. Additionally, scouts can be tasked with transporting valuable resources from enemy outposts back to your hideout.
Regardless of how you use them, scouts are essential—albeit limited in number. While you can recruit more throughout the game, there will always be a cap on how many you can send out at once. However, your available scouts will refresh under certain circumstances. Mastering the timing of these refreshes and strategically deploying your scouts is vital for success in AC Shadows. Let’s delve into when you can expect your scouts to reset.
Seasonal Scout Resets
One of the simplest, though not frequent, methods to reset your scouts is to wait for a change in season. Assassin’s Creed Shadows features a dynamic seasonal cycle that affects both the weather and the passage of time. When the seasons shift, any deployed scouts will return to your hideout, allowing you to send them out once more for intel or resource gathering. If you’re short on scouts, consider completing some side quests to pass the time.
The seasonal transitions happen approximately every two hours during gameplay, but they can’t be reliably triggered. To check if you are due for a season change, look at your map screen for the "Change Seasons" option in the upper right corner, just below the compass. Press right on the D-Pad or fast travel anywhere to move time forward. Seasons can also change during specific points in the storyline, but these instances are much more challenging to initiate.
Completing Quests & Random Encounters
Additionally, finishing certain quests can reward you with extra scout slots in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. This is most commonly found in random encounters but can also occur with specific story missions. If you gain additional slots after completing a mission, you will receive a notification on-screen.
While exploring the rich landscapes of AC Shadows, you may come across NPCs making requests—usually during your travels. Often, fulfilling a simple task for them, like taking out a bandit or advising them on a meal, will grant you options for rewards:
- World Rumor
- Scout Intel
Choosing World Rumor allows them to reveal a nearby objective or location, assisting you in mapping. If you opt for Scout Intel, that NPC effectively becomes a temporary additional scout for the remainder of the current season, automatically refilling one of your scout slots.
Refreshing Scouts at Your Hideout
If you need to refresh your scouts, another option is to do so at your hideout. This method is the most reliable but comes with a cost. Within your main hideout, you’ll find a bundle hanging on the wall that costs 200 mon to gain an additional scout for the current season. You can repeat this action as often as needed, so you can essentially have an infinite number of scouts if you have the funds.
You can refresh your scouts at your main hideout in Izumi Settsu, as well as at various smaller hideouts scattered across the game’s cities. Each smaller hideout typically costs 800 mon to unlock, providing a new fast-travel point and some essential resources. Use these mini-hides to refill supplies or refresh your scout count as necessary.
Conclusion
Buying up as many hideouts as you can is excellent advice. While the fast travel points are worth it alone, having a base in every city for resource replenishment is incredibly convenient. Acquiring more scouts is beneficial, but knowing when and how to refresh them is arguably more critical. Timing your scout deployments around seasonal resets and wisely using Scout Intel rewards will help ensure your scouting capabilities remain robust throughout your journey in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Be sure to keep recruiting, too!
