In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, mastering the art of leveling up your Samurai and Shinobi is crucial for enhancing your gameplay. To accelerate your XP gains, you'll need to engage in a variety of activities and prioritize those that offer the most substantial rewards. Here's a comprehensive guide on how to maximize your XP earnings in the game.

What Awards XP in Assassin’s Creed Shadows? Answered

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, XP can be earned through numerous actions and activities. From slaying enemies and assassinating targets to completing quests and engaging in side content, every action contributes to your XP pool. However, the XP rewards vary significantly, so it's essential to focus on the most lucrative activities. You can preview the XP reward for any quest or activity by hovering over it in the map or objectives tab. The most efficient ways to earn XP quickly are by tackling castles and executing optional assassinations.

How to Get Fast XP from Castles in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Throughout Japan in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, you'll encounter numerous castles, each heavily guarded by basic and elite enemies, including Samurai Daisho. To complete a castle, you must eliminate a specific number of Daisho, after which you can access the area's chest, which contains high-tier loot. Castles are a goldmine for XP, offering thousands of XP just for completion, not to mention the additional XP from defeating each enemy, especially the elites and Daisho, who can yield around 250 XP each. Additionally, synchronizing at high points within the castles not only awards XP but also serves as fast travel points, enhancing your mobility across the map.

However, conquering castles can be challenging. Here are some strategies to streamline your XP farming:

• Choose Your Protagonist Wisely: Naoe's Eagle’s Vision ability is invaluable for quickly locating and tagging Samurai Daisho, allowing for stealthy assassinations. Enhance Naoe's assassination damage through mastery and engravings to ensure one-hit kills on Daisho.
• Use Yasuke for Direct Combat: At lower to medium levels, Yasuke can clear castles more efficiently by engaging in open combat. Trigger the alarm bell to draw enemies to you, making it easier to dispatch them in large numbers.

By employing these tactics, you can potentially earn up to and beyond 4,000 XP in just a few minutes, making castles an excellent XP farm.

Assassinating Targets Nets Large XP Bonuses in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

In addition to the main quest assassinations, *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* features numerous optional assassination targets. These can be discovered by interacting with specific NPCs and using scouts to track targets. Utilize fast travel points like Kakurega to quickly reach a target's vicinity, then swiftly eliminate them. Each assassination not only grants XP for the kill (comparable to elite enemy kills) but also a quest completion bonus of around 2,000-3,000 XP. Completing an entire group of assassinations and returning to the quest giver will net you an additional large XP bonus, typically around 5,000 XP.