You're going to need a lot of rations in Assassin's Creed Shadows, at least for the first several hours where you're playing as Naoe—the shinobi who's not nearly as well-suited to close-quarters combat as Yasuke. At first you'll only have three of these healing items in your pouch and they're not all that effective, so you'll need to get more rations and upgrade them to improve your odds.
Just like knowledge ranks, the rations system is oddly complicated in Shadows, largely down to the lack of tutorials explaining how they tie into your progression. It doesn't help that the activity required to stuff your pockets with more rations isn't marked on the map in the same way that shrines, temples, and other important events are. Don't worry though, once you've got the hang of it, it's pretty simple.
How to get more rations in Assassin's Creed Shadows
You can increase your ration capacity by visiting food vendors in major cities. These are marked with a bowl icon on your compass when you get near them, though they won't be marked on your map like most other merchants and activities are.
Each food vendor is a one-time use, so no, you can't skip the grind and scoff soup at the same vendor every time. You'll need to visit each one to reach the maximum capacity. Importantly, the number of food vendors you need to visit to increase your capacity increases exponentially. The first stall you visit immediately gives you an extra ration, but then you'll need to find two more stalls just to get one additional ration.
The first food stand you'll have access to is at the southeast exit of Sakai in Izumi Settsu, a quick walk from the Firearm District kakurega. Speak to the merchant and you'll gain an extra ration slot.
Food vendor locations
I've found more food vendor locations to get more ration slots in the following areas:
- Kyoto, Yamashiro - In the north of the city, on the main road just south of the kakurega.
- Aekuni Shrine Town, Iga - On the path heading directly west out of the town in Ichinomiya.
- Nagahama, Omi - In a shop at the centre of the city, across the bridge east of the ornament vendor and port trader.
- Kakogawa Estuary, Harima - At the Horikawa Dock next to a rack of octopus.
- Miki, Harima - Just south of the kakurega in the Miki Docks.
- Himeji, Harmia - In a shop on the main market street, south of Himeji Castle.
- Obama, Wakasa - In a shop on the main market street in the Red Lamp district.
- Kameyama, Tamba - In a shop just northwest of Kameyama Castle on the road out of town.
Once you unlock Yasuke and start playing as the historic samurai, your ration capacity will automatically increase. Suiting his more head-on approach, Yasuke has more rations than Naoe.
How to upgrade rations in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Alongside increasing your capacity, you can also upgrade your rations by increasing their efficiency by:
- Building the Zashiki and Tea Room themed rooms
- Using the +20% ration healing engraving
Expanding your hideout is one of the biggest long-term projects in the game, as each new building and upgrade brings with it powerful new upgrades for you, too. Two of the most important upgrades early on are building the Zashiki and Tea Room. Hidden in the themed rooms section of the build menu, the Zashiki and Tea Room both increase ration efficiency by 20% each.
You can also improve your ration efficiency by using the ration healing engraving on your gear. It's a useful upgrade, though keep in mind that each piece of gear only has one engraving slot, so you'd potentially be trading an offensive engraving for a more passive, defensive one. If you swap your gear, make sure to transfer the engraving as well.
How to refill rations in Assassin's Creed Shadows
You can refill your rations in three ways:
- Refill your supplies at a kakurega (including at your hideout)
- Finding ration boxes out in the world
- Looting enemy bodies
Visiting a kakurega is the best way to refill your available supplies. These safehouses have boxes to recover both your tools and your rations. All you have to do is pay the 800 Mon fee to set them up in the first place. Remember, you'll also have a kakurega at your hideout so you can always return home, too. Whenever you come to refill your scouts, you should also pick up some supplies.
Another way to recover your rations is at stations, most often inside enemy camps, castles, and occupied areas like temples. They look just like the ones at your kakurega.
You can also get a ration or two from looting dead enemies. It's rare for one to drop but it's worth checking bodies if you're out exploring and don't want to travel back to a kakurega to refill your rations.
It's also worth pointing out that you'll restore a portion of your health outside of combat. It's not much, but you can sometimes avoid using a ration altogether if you can wrap up a fight quickly, relying on self-healing to patch you up afterwards.
