Assassin's Creed Shadows will feature a progression loop that allows players to fine-tune the skills of protagonists Naoe and Yasuke, while also ensuring that no character is left behind thanks to shared progression systems. Ubisoft says its goal for the game was to stay as close as possible to the philosophies of mastery and martial arts, as players will be able to focus on investing points in the Mastery skill-trees and gaining ranks in Knowledge.Mastery features a traditional gameplay system of earning experience points by leveling up your character through the normal course of play, eliminating targets, and defeating unique enemies like samurai Daisho who lurk inside fortified castles. By earning enough points, players can expand their skills by learning new combo attacks, increasing their proficiency with weapons, and by unlocking new abilities. Yasuke will gain new samurai abilities, while Naoe will gain new stealth-focused skills that will turn her into a lethal assassin.A closer look at Naoe's Mastery tree in Assassin's Creed ShadowsWhat's important to note here is that Naoe and Yasuke share their progression, so if you focus on playing as one character specifically, the other won't be under-leveled when you decide to tag out. "With the unique Mastery trees, we want to give players the freedom to dedicate themselves into a specific weapon, playstyle, or archetype, and ensure they can deepen their mastery of it," associate game director Julien explained in a blog post. "The points you invest in a Mastery tree also unlock additional bonuses for that weapon or archetype, further reinforcing your progress."Continue Reading at GameSpot