As you navigate the expansive map of Assassin’s Creed Shadow’s, you’ll often find yourself sidetracked by various side quests and activities. This makes the map feel vibrant and engaging, and one of the standout side activities is Kata, which has numerous benefits.
By completing Kata challenges, you earn Knowledge Points and experience (EXP), and you also unlock various weapon combinations for your character, Yasuke. Once you gain access to Yasuke in the main storyline, these Kata activities become available, and below is a guide to all their locations.
Izumi Settsu Kata Locations
Izumi Settsu contains several Kata locations; however, you won’t be able to find them during your initial exploration since Yasuke won’t be unlocked. Once Yasuke is available, these locations will be visible on your map and include:
| 1 | The first Kata can be found just above Sakai city in the western Osaka area, on a small secluded island located to the left. |
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| 2 | To find the second Kata in Izumi Settsu, head to the northeastern border, where you’ll see it highlighted above Yawata Plains. |
Yamashiro Kata Locations
You will unlock Yasuke in this region, where you can also locate two more Kata points:
| 1 | Upon entering Yamashiro from the south, head northward to find the Shoryuji Castle alongside some islands in the water to its right. This Kata is located on those islands. |
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| 2 | To discover the second Kata, make your way to the northwestern boundary of Yamashiro, just above the Arashiyama region. You will find the Kata nestled between some mountains near the edge. |
Omi Kata Locations
Omi is the third area you’ll explore in the main story, and it appears quite vast despite being partially covered by water. To locate the Kata here, you’ll need to travel from the south while the Kata is situated in the north.
As you venture northward, look for the Goshiki Outlands and Shiotsu areas. Between these two locations, you will find a small pond, with the Kata located on its eastern side.
Harima Kata Locations
Finding the Kata locations in Harima will be much easier compared to Omi. Here’s where you can find them:
| 1 | To locate the first Kata, enter Harima via the southern road from Izumi Settsu. You’ll reach Takasago Wetlands, which has several islands in the water. Look for this Kata on the southern end of the largest island. |
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| 2 | From the first Kata spot, follow the river northward until it forks. Take the right path and keep going east, then slightly north to reach the second Kata. |
Yamato Kata Locations
The Yamato area is located on the southeastern side of Izumi Settsu, and here’s where to find the two Kata spots:
| 1 | For the first location, enter Yamato from the southeastern edge of Settsu and then proceed eastward. You’ll spot it in a pond amid the mountains. |
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| 2 | From the first Kata location, move directly south until you cross a river. The second Kata will be on the opposite bank. |
Iga Kata Locations
While Iga is the homeland of Naoe, it also has a couple of Kata locations:
| 1 | To find the first Kata, head up the mountain to the north of the Hijiyama marker on Iga’s map. |
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| 2 | From the first Kata spot, head southeast toward the river running through Iga, where you’ll see a smaller river heading east. Follow this river to find the second Kata. |
Tamba Kata Location
Tamba is situated north of Harima in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Here are the Kata locations within this region:
| 1 | To find the first Kata, follow the river north of The Silver Lands, taking the right path when you reach a fork. The Kata will be located in the middle of this river path. |
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| 2 | Return to the forked river and take the left path. Continue north until you reach Yakami, then move directly west, where you’ll find the Kata on a mountain near a pond. |
Wakasa Kata Locations
Wakasa is an expansive region in the northwest part of the Assassin’s Creed Shadows map, with the Kata locations spread far apart:
| 1 | The first Kata is found by heading northeast from the Onyu Pass location on the map, amidst some islands surrounded by water. |
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| 2 | The second Kata is located on the northwestern edge of the map, just south of a secluded island at the top. |
Kii Kata Locations
Kii is the largest and southernmost region in the game. Here’s how to reach its Kata spots:
| 1 | For the first Kata location, travel south from the Kinokawa Valley river by following the river that ascends the mountain, finding it at the top. |
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| 2 | The second Kata is situated to the southeast of the map, just below where Kumano Sanzan is labeled. Look for a pond to the left where you can find it. |
No matter the platform, each Kata requires you to input button combinations in a specific order during execution.
How Does Kata Work?
Each Kata teaches weapon combinations, and there’s no need to equip the weapons beforehand. Once you begin a Kata, the game will automatically equip the necessary weapon for Yasuke and prompt you with commands after a brief bow. The commands are organized into groups.
Each group contains between three and seven commands, and if you make a mistake, you’ll need to restart that entire group. If you err on one of the initial commands, you can quickly reset the group using the button indicated on the bottom left of the screen.
The combinations learned through Kata can be particularly beneficial during boss encounters in assassination missions, but they may not be as useful outside those situations.
The commands during the Kata can consist of the following:
- Pressing a button as it appears on screen.
- Timing your button press as a circle closes in. You can hit the button as the circle reaches the highlighted area.
- Holding down a button for a specified duration.
Typically, the placement of buttons remains consistent across the screen. For instance, if you’re using a controller, the RB/R1 button will consistently be found in the top-right area, making it easier to determine which command you need to execute just by its position.
