Assassin's Creed Shadows: Exploration or Guided Mode?

Should you choose Exploration or Guided Mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows? An important decision that will shape the sort of open world experience you have, it's important to know what aspects and features change when picking between Exploration Mode and Guided Mode. In this Assassin's Creed Shadows guide, we're going to answer the question: Exploration or Guided Mode?

Exploration or Guided Mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

By default, Assassin's Creed Shadows is set to Exploration Mode. This is the intended, default experience and sees you search out your targets and objectives based on hints and clues provided in-game. The Scouts system lets you narrow the search, but by and large, you need to search places yourself for the next task. This builds on the mode from past games like Valhalla and Mirage to where it's no longer an option — it's considered the intended experience.

We strongly recommend starting the game on Exploration Mode to see what it's like and judge whether you can get to grips with its more freeform design. If you're ever struggling to find an objective but are convinced you're in the right place, here's a tip: hold down the L2 button.

Doing so will make a white dot appear in the centre of the screen, which is when you know you've done it correctly. Now, you can swing the camera around and look for a blue, pulsing light. You'll likely notice white and yellow ones as well, but the blue lights indicate the location of an objective.

If you still feel the need to switch to Guided Mode, then the hints and tips system tied to the Objectives board will be replaced with standard objective markers. That way, you'll immediately know where to go to complete every task. Be warned, though, that turning on Guided Mode disables some Trophies.

To change from Exploration Mode to Guided Mode, pause the game and open the System menu, then select Options. In the Gameplay tab at the end, you can toggle on Guided Exploration Mode.

Did you find our guide covering exploration or guided mode in Assassin's Creed Shadows useful? Let us know in the comments below and check out our Assassin's Creed Shadows guide for more information.