Assassin's Creed Shadows' Pre-Order Quest Should Be a First…

Summary

Pre-ordering Assassin's Creed Shadows gives players access to the "Thrown to the Dogs" quest where they team up with a canine ally.
Players should be able to keep the dog after the quest, though, similar to Valhalla's wolf companion feature.
Having a dog companion in Shadows could aid in exploration and combat, adding a unique gameplay element.

Ubisoft's upcoming installment in the long-standing Assassin's Creed franchise, Assassin's Creed Shadows, has been met with a significant amount of controversy since its announcement, but it keeps pushing toward its November release date in spite of that. Some fans have even gone so far as to encourage the rest of the community not to pre-order this particular installment, as pre-ordering a game can sometimes lead to a non-refundable disappointment. Nevertheless, should fans pre-order Assassin's Creed Shadows, they will be given access to a unique bonus quest that they wouldn't be able to experience otherwise.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' "Thrown to the Dogs" quest is a pre-order bonus for the game in which players accompany a dog on a special adventure. Based on the description of "Thrown to the Dogs" on the official Assassin's Creed website, players will "help a loyal dog avenge his late master" during the quest. It's not the first time a quest in an Assassin's Creed game has centered around assisting an animal companion, but the official image for the bonus quest and its description have some weighty implications that Assassin's Creed Shadows should take further than the quest itself.

Assassin's Creed Shadows' 'Thrown to the Dogs' Quest Should Grant a Permanent Companion

Assassin's Creed Shadows' 'Thrown to the Dogs' Quest Should Let Players Keep the Dog

It's unclear what all Assassin's Creed Shadows' "Thrown to the Dogs" quest will entail, but, based on what has been revealed about it so far, it would make sense for Naoe and Yasuke to keep the dog once the quest is finished. As the dog's master is now deceased, he will have nowhere to go once vengeance has been enacted on the killer. If the dog were to naturally accompany Naoe and Yasuke on their adventure from that point on, it would have found a new home and a new purpose, possibly even assisting Assassin's Creed Shadows' protagonists with exploration and combat.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla introduced a similar feature via the quest "A Little Problem," in which players were tasked with freeing a trapped wolf near Ravensthorpe. Upon completion of that quest, the wolf became available as a companion, but not in the way that it followed Eivor around. Instead, players could call on the wolf to aid them in battle, but it would disappear after. However, if Assassin's Creed Shadows were to let players keep the dog from the "Thrown to the Dogs" quest, it should follow Naoe and Yasuke around, with the ability to dismiss it at any time still being an option.

A Dog Companion in Assassin's Creed Shadows Could Be Helpful in Several Ways

Assuming players would get to keep the dog in Assassin's Creed Shadows just as they were able to keep the wolf in Assassin's Creed Valhalla, he could prove to be very helpful in exploration and combat. Perhaps the dog could be called upon to aid in the discovery of items in the world, or maybe he could disable enemies in combat. For a bit of added flair, the dog might even be able to take out enemies in stealth during segments where players are in control of Naoe.

The fact that "Thrown to the Dogs" is only available to those who pre-order Assassin's Creed Shadows is a bit of double-edged sword. If the quest is nothing more than a one-off with no permanent effects, it might not be seen as worth the risk that comes with pre-ordering a game. On the other hand, if it ultimately benefits players by giving them a permanent companion, it could be seen as a sort of "pay-to-win" scenario in which players who pre-ordered are given a distinct advantage above those who didn't. Nevertheless, the case stands for a dog companion in Assassin's Creed Shadows once the "Thrown to the Dogs" quest is completed.

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