I feel like not many people are aware of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ huge DLC, Claws of Awaji. I say that because, until recently, I was also not aware that it existed, beyond some leaked rumors earlier in the year that suggested it may be coming. Ubisoft has been fairly tight-lipped about it, not giving too much information about what it entails outside a few key details. However, while details have been scarce, what Ubisoft has confirmed about this expansion is incredibly intriguing and has me excited to play the game all over again.

Perhaps more interesting is that players can get Claws of Awaji for free by pre-ordering Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It is all part of Ubisoft’s move to distance itself from its once traditional season pass model that fans, including myself, quickly soured on. It’s great that people can get such an impressive piece of DLC for free just by pre-ordering the game, so long as they’re confident enough they’ll enjoy it, of course, but that isn’t what has me so eager to play through Claws of Awaji. Rather, it’s one important mechanic the DLC adds which has me excited.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows First DLC Is Huge

It’s 10-Hours Of Extra Content

I have always had a bizarre fascination with DLCs, especially expansive ones, and it’s even led me to buy games I’m not even interested in, just because I know they have lengthy DLC that I’m probably never going to play anyway. Fortunately, Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ first expansion, Claws of Awaji, feels like one I’m certain to play, thanks to just how much content it adds. Shadows’ first DLC was leaked back in January, and I’m grateful it was as the information we learned from it made me pre-order the full game.

I was drawn to Claws of Awaji as it’s roughly 10 hours long, adds a whole new area to explore, more skills, and a new weapon type, making it yet another DLC bigger than most games. My love of all things lengthy kicked in, and I was immediately drawn to it. I mean, how can one turn down a 10-hour expansion to a game as gorgeous as Assassin’s Creed Shadows. With all the improvements Ubisoft has made to Shadows, I can easily imagine myself, after beating the full game, gleefully awaiting the first expansion when it launches in late 2025.

A Ubisoft game having big DLC that adds new areas and mechanics isn’t particularly new, however. Even the ill-fated Star Wars Outlaws has DLC, some of which will be around the same scale as Claws of Awaji. What has me particularly excited about AC Shadows’ first expansion is not just its length, which looks to be around as big as Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion, or the fact that it’s adding a new region, but rather one new mechanic it is introducing centered around its villainous faction, the Sanzoku Ippa.

Shadows’ DLC Has One Exciting Mechanic

A Brand-New Enemy Awaits

The Sanzoku Ippa, as far as I know, didn’t exist. However, they sure make for terrifying enemies in the Claws of Awaji expansion with their oni masks and tendency to hide in the dark. They will stalk Naoe and Yasuke as they venture around the island of Awaji in search for buried treasure, and will, occasionally, ambush them in an attempt to prevent them from uncovering their secrets. The description of the DLC on the official AC Shadows website doesn’t explain much about the Sanzoku Ippa faction or its intentions, but there’s one detail that has me very excited:

On the island, Naoe & Yasuke will be relentlessly hunted by the Sanzoku Ippa, a new faction. Hide from your trackers and outwit them, avoiding the traps and ambushes set by those deadly new foes, and hunt them down on your terms.

The idea of an enemy faction that waits in the shadows and can ambush the player as they explore Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ open world is extremely appealing to me. I loved it in Breath of the Wild when the Yiga clan soldiers would ambush Link, even though I could see their ploy coming from a mile away every time. I also really enjoyed Assassin’s Creed Odyssey’s bounty system, which the Sanzoku Ippa ambush mechanic sounds somewhat similar to. In Odyssey, players could get hunted by bounty hunters, who were usually quite challenging to take down.

It was a novel way of making the world feel more alive and it certainly immersed me while ensuring there were consequences for my actions. The Sanzoku Ippa sound like a completely different type of enemy for Naoe and Yasuke to contend with while remaining somewhat accurate for the time, even if they weren’t real – for reference, Awaji Island is real. I feel like it could be completely game-changing, which will be necessary considering AC Shadows’ lengthy runtime will mean players will require fresh ideas when jumping into the DLC.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ DLC Could Be Game Changing

It’ll Change How Players Approach Exploration

I don’t feel I’m one for hyperbole, so using the term game-changing can feel a little extreme. However, within the context of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, I feel like the inclusion of a more stealth-focused faction does feel somewhat game-changing. After all, Ubisoft’s bread and butter has always been enemies that typically brute force their way to the player and attempt to take them down via conventional means.

What I love about the Sanzoku Ippa, at least from their admittedly vague description, is how they shake up AC Shadows’ combat, forcing the player to adjust their strategies. It may see players approach Shadows in new ways, or even see it return to Assassin’s Creed’s stealthier roots. I’m under no illusion that this mechanic could end up being a tad underbaked, with players quickly becoming privy to the Sanzoku Ippa’s tactics and feeling it’s all a little predictable. As aforementioned, this is exactly what happened with me and the Yiga clan in BotW after my first encounter with them.

However, Ubisoft, as quick as it can be to rush to the simplest approach to game design, can also create some truly unique ideas that pay off. I have some faith that Ubisoft can pull this off and make it feel like an integral part of the DLC, almost giving it a horror vibe as the trailer seems to suggest. I hope that’s the case, as I’d love not just for Assassin’s Creed Shadows to have a sneaky, ambush-prone faction, but also to see how Ubisoft tackles this interesting and somewhat innovative mechanic.