A hotfix just got released by Ubisoft for Assassin’s Creed Shadows on PC, trying to fix one major combat issue that drove the players nuts. What was the issue? I mean light attacks that weren’t properly working after you executed heavy attacks using the light attack hold + heavy press combo. So basically, your character just stands there doing nothing exactly when they should be getting to the fighting. Unacceptable for an assassin-type game, eh?
Funny thing is, the patch sizes are quite different. Steam is asking for 348 MB download, whereas PC/Epic needs to take down a whopping 12 GB file. Thirty times larger for a same fix?! Now the fandom is calling Ubisoft for this discrepancy. The user Hat3Asylum dared to comment: “12GB for a combat mechanic fix? That’s some serious bloat in your patch deployment system.” And I must agree with the point raised: why would fixing one combat mechanic require downloading what would amount to a half new game?
The combat fix was merely the tip of the iceberg, the replies flooding the announcement literally call for many-more fixes. Players are reporting all kinds of wild bugs that still need addressing. Like PoisonX67 and others reporting that when you die your skills reset and allies get unselected, movement gets “shity” (their words, not mine), and your character just starts walking even when you are holding the run button. Achievement syncing is also considered a huge problem, with several players stating that trophies and achievements are not syncing between PC, PS5, and Xbox.
The new DLC appears to be spawning its breed of issues. ReNnAn_CoRdEiRo cannot start the DLC because the game crashes immediately after finishing the 2D bit on PS5. JimArcherPhD said that the DLC has completely disabled audio on their Xbox. And JDJoker19 is blocked in a mission where Naoe cannot move anywhere during the Tsuyu key quest. What a pain when you’re straightforwardly trying to savor fresh paid content.
It’s being reported that there are also some map issues – luanvimo has unfogging issues in the harima, tamba, and wakaza regions. Across the other side, BoAgEyBoY has noted that new skills get deselected whenever you load a new instance or after a cutscene, meaning you have to assign them again. NordicVikingur has said ally deselects bugs after every time you kill, so you’re stuck having to make a trip to a safe house to reselect your companions.
The official Assassin’s Creed account replied about some of the concerns “We are still working on other stability issues and will share more soon!” at least something reassuring to hear, but… the players are really wanting more fixes and faster. Many comments were requesting the dodge button (which frankly does seem like a fairly baseline feature for a combat-heavy game), better facial animations and lip sync, and more variety in the exchange items instead of the same things going in endless cycles.
There are players confused about the patch sizes even – alphaiionline has seen 17.2 GB on Steam instead of the announced 348 MB, which probably means the patch is being rolled out inconsistently for everyone right now. And then Ghostwriter260 simply asked, “When for ps5,” suggesting that console players are waiting for their fixes as well.
However, despite said issues, the community seems genuinely thankful about the combat fix. DCUSteel literally said, “THANK YOU THIS WAS DRIVING ME CRAZYYYY,” and martuf01 added, “omg, I dont know how many times I’ve died because of that.” So at least, this specific big combat problem is being addressed while the long list of others still needs attention.
With Shadows, Ubisoft is really up against it. The game’s been out for a little while, yet players are constantly bumping into numerous bugs affecting gameplay, progression, and basic functionality rather than an occasional little graphical glitch. When you find that core mechanics like combat, movement, and progression are broken, it just hurts the experience. Hopefully, the next patch will be able to do more of these fixes minus a heavy download. Players just want to get on with their feudal Japan assassination journey without the game itself being an obstacle.
