How to change seasons in Assassin's Creed Shadows

The introduction of seasons in Assassin's Creed Shadows is one of its most interesting additions, overhauling the massive map of feudal Japan to keep exploration fresh. While the difference between spring, summer, and fall is rather minimal, winter is a completely different experience. Knowing how to change seasons is not only key to seeing all Shadows has to offer, but a handful of mechanics are also built around the seasonal structure.

Now, you might expect changing seasons to be completely out of your control. You're an Assassin (or, more accurately, a shinobi of the Hidden Blade), not a deity. However, you do actually have a slight hand in how the seasons progress.

How to change seasons in Assassin's Creed Shadows

You can change the season by fast-traveling or using the 'change season' prompt in the top right of your map. This will play a short cutscene that transitions into the next season. You just need to be at least halfway through the current season, so you can't just skip over entire seasons from the beginning.

You can check the progression of the current season by looking at the compass in the top right of your map. As the circle fills, you'll be getting closer to the end of the season. Your current season is displayed by the icon at the centre of this compass. If you're getting an error claiming changing seasons isn't available, that's because the season hasn't run its course yet.

Here's everything important that happens when the season changes:

• Scouts refill
• Smuggled resources are claimed
• Provincial alerts and location wealth
• Enemy behaviour
• Weather patterns and the environment

You won't need to worry about manually changing the season most of the time, since you'll be fast-traveling across the huge map rather frequently and this automatically plays the transition cutscene. However, if you're waiting for scouts to refill and any smuggled resources to be claimed, then you might want to initiate the season change as soon as possible. Seasons don't change dynamically, so you will have to either fast-travel or manually change the season on the map screen.

I did run into an issue where I couldn't save my game and ended up losing progress, which I suspect had something to do with the season transition cutscene waiting to trigger in the background. So, if you're not able to save for whatever reason, check if the season is ready to transition and do it manually.

Seasonal differences in Assassin's Creed Shadows

The differences between spring, summer, and fall are minimal at best. The most obvious difference is the colour of vegetation, which is just a nice touch. However, there are gameplay changes between seasons that are hard to spot at first. For example, during the summer you're more likely to find guards asleep at their post, making it much easier to sneak by. On the other hand, if it's cold or raining, guards are more likely to seek shelter and change their patrol.

You'll see the biggest changes when winter rolls around and snow covers much of the map. Depending on how deep the snow is, you'll have to trudge through it, slowing down your movement. Likewise, water freezes over, causing you to slip and stopping you from diving under (which can be a useful stealth tool in other seasons). Vegetation is also much more limited, as some bushes disappear, meaning you'll have fewer places to hide.