Upon familiarizing yourself with Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you'll quickly notice the familiar gameplay rhythm—stealth, combat, exploration, and character development. With the series' transition into a full-fledged RPG genre, the leveling system has become significantly more complex.

Both main characters, Naoya and Yasuke, have their own skill trees with powerful abilities, but many of the best skills are locked behind a new resource—Knowledge Points.

They are one of the key resources for unlocking the full potential of the heroes, so understanding how to acquire them will be important for you.

What are Knowledge Points and what do they do?

Knowledge Points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are a resource necessary for increasing the knowledge rank. Each new rank unlocks a new level of abilities in all skill trees for both Naoya and Yasuke.

Unlike Mastery Points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which are earned by gaining experience (XP) and leveling up your character, Knowledge Points are obtained by completing specific actions related to world exploration or rituals available throughout feudal Japan.

The more Knowledge Points you collect, the higher your knowledge rank will become. Each rank opens up increasingly powerful skills. There are a total of six knowledge ranks, and reaching the final one allows you to unlock new knowledge trees for further character enhancement.

Difference between Knowledge Points and Mastery Points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

It's important to distinguish between these two resources. Knowledge Points unlock new levels in skill trees, affecting all 12 trees for both characters. Mastery Points are used to unlock individual skills on open levels. You earn them through regular XP leveling, while Knowledge Points require exploration, meditation, or completing specific challenges.

How to acquire Knowledge Points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Knowledge Points are tied to unique activities on the map, marked by orange icons. These icons lead to tasks, and each successful completion grants one Knowledge Point. Activities vary in complexity and time required, but all lead to the same goal—increasing your knowledge rank.

Temples

Temples are locations where the player must find three lost pages scattered across a certain area. They can be hidden in buildings, on rooftops, or near trees and rocks.

Use the "Focus" ability (activated by holding the left trigger or a similar button) to highlight objects around you. Naoya, with her agility and grappling hook, is well-suited for quickly collecting pages in such locations.

Shrines

Shrines are spiritual places where you need to pray at several altars in a specific area. After activating all prayer points, you will receive a Knowledge Point in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These tasks can be completed by both characters, but Naoya will do it faster due to her greater mobility.

Kuji-Kiri

Kuji-Kiri are meditative points available only to Naoya. To earn a Knowledge Point, you need to complete a short story task (memories from the heroine's past) and then perform a mini-game by pressing buttons in the correct rhythm. The first few points contain many cutscenes, but they become quicker as you progress.

Kofun

Kofun are tombs or caves with puzzles, traps, and treasures. Your task is to reach the legendary chest and open it. This not only grants you some equipment but also a Knowledge Point. Both characters can participate in these challenges.

Hidden Trails

Hidden Trails are parkour routes where you test your movement skills. They are marked with flags, lanterns, or paint. Often, a grappling hook is needed to complete the course. This task is mostly available only to Naoya, thanks to her higher mobility. At the end, you will find a chest with equipment and earn a Knowledge Point.

Kata

Kata are rhythm-game-style training sessions where Yasuke performs a series of combat moves with weapons. You need to press the indicated buttons on time across several series to complete the exercise and earn a Knowledge Point. Horseback archery follows a similar principle, but here you automatically move on a horse and must hit targets, requiring good reflexes.

Horseback Archery

Playing as Yasuke, you need to mount a horse and use a bow. Then, you must shoot the required number of targets to earn a Knowledge Point in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Which activities are the fastest for farming Knowledge Points?

Not all tasks are equally time-efficient. Temples and Shrines are the most convenient for quickly acquiring Knowledge Points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, especially when playing as Naoya.

She can quickly move across rooftops and reach lost pages much faster than Yasuke. Shrines are available to both characters and only require basic navigation, so they can be completed very quickly if you are already familiar with the area.

Kuji-Kiri and Kata in the latter half of the game also progress much faster than at the start, once there are no more story cutscenes. Kofun and Hidden Trails take more time but also provide valuable equipment, so they should not be neglected.