Horizon is the last Animus Rift in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and it closes out the Rift storyline with three separate portals instead of one straight path. You’ll split the run between Yasuke and Naoe, and each portal plays completely differently, so this AC Shadows Horizon Rift walkthrough covers the left, center, and right portals in order, plus the jumping puzzle and the stealth maze that trip most people up.

Horizon only shows up once you’ve cleared the two earlier Rifts, including the earlier Lost and Found rift, so make sure that’s already done before you go looking for it. It arrived with Title Update 1.1.11, which launched on June 16, 2026, and Ubisoft has confirmed it as the final Animus Rift the game will get, with the reward tied directly into the AC Black Flag Resynced crossover. By the way, bookmark this guide before you head in. The center portal especially has a few spots where one wrong step sends you right back to the start.

Where to Find the AC Shadows Horizon Rift

Head to the southeast part of the Kii region and follow the Nakahechi Route down toward the seashore. You’ll spot the new Rift opening near the coastline, and a prompt to Leap will appear once you’re close enough. After you leap in, just run forward and climb the wall right in front of you. That puts you on a platform with three branching paths, one for each portal, and you need to clear all three before the Rift lets you finish up.

Grab onto the eagle waiting at the edge of the platform to start with the portal on the far left, that’s the order this guide follows, but you can tackle them in any sequence you like since none of them depend on the others. The Domains added in the same update follow a similar branching layout, so if you’ve already poured time into one of those, the Horizon Rift will feel familiar fast.

Horizon Rift Left Portal Walkthrough: Yasuke’s Barrel Puzzles

The eagle drops you into the left portal as Yasuke, and a crowd of enemies shows up immediately. Yasuke’s the only one who can wade through a group like this, so just take them down one at a time, nothing fancy needed. If you’d rather lean on a setup built specifically for clearing groups of enemies, our Domain build guide for handling enemy crowds works just as well here. Past the fight, you’ll hit a locked door with a barrel sitting nearby. Shoot it from range if you want to be tidy about it, or just slice it open with your sword like I did. It’ll explode and clip Yasuke for some damage, but it’s minor and he shrugs it off fast.

Inside, debris blocks the path forward. Track down the gunpowder barrel sitting to the right, carry it over to the rubble, and blow it to clear the way. Climb to the second floor, deal with one more group of enemies behind the door on your left, then lift the trapdoor nearby and drop into the crawlspace.

That’s where you swap to Naoe for a short tunnel crawl. Exit through the window ahead, then use the rope and hook to pull yourself onto the roof. Go left across the roof to a window blocked by rocks and a gunpowder barrel. Hop onto the platform to the left first, then hook over to the ladder platform, restock your supplies at the top, and throw a kunai at the barrel to blow the window open.

Climb through, find the cube that turns you back into Yasuke, and deal with the one enemy waiting inside. Pick up another gunpowder barrel and head toward the rubble blocking the next room. You won’t make the jump carrying it, so don’t bother trying, just get to the corner directly underneath the window with the rubble and throw the barrel up at it instead.

That clears the path from below. Climb back up, head out onto the roof, turn left, and make your way across the rectangular structures using the ledges until you reach the circle marking the end of this portal. One more hook swing onto that roof and the left portal’s done.

Horizon Rift Center Portal: Naoe’s Stealth Section

This one’s Naoe only, no detection allowed, and the eagle does a lot of the heavy lifting if you pay attention to it. Stay crouched the entire time and move from one patch of grass to the next, since grass gives you the best cover by far. Watch the guards closely and only move when their backs are turned. If you’ve spent time building Naoe for stealth runs, the assassin-focused setup from our Naoe build breakdown from the Red Moon Domain carries over nicely to sections like this one.

The first real bottleneck needs the eagle’s help. Wait for it to distract the nearby guard, and only move once you get that signal. That opens the path to a tunnel you crawl through lying flat on the ground. Don’t rush out the other side, there’s a second group of guards waiting, and the eagle needs to scatter them again first. Once they break formation, sprint forward. One guard on the left always has his back turned, and the one on the right keeps pacing, so wait for his turn away before slipping between the two of them. A third eagle distraction clears your run to the cave entrance.

Inside the cave, go straight, then left, then left again. You’ll see a lit lamp on your right, and that’s your cue to turn right immediately after passing it, turning left there instead just sends you in circles through the maze. From that point on there are no more forks, so keep walking forward until the tunnel opens into the same circular room you saw in the other portals. That’s the center portal cleared, and it’s worth running through slowly the first time, since rushing the timing on any of the eagle distractions is what gets most players caught and sent back to the cave entrance.

Horizon Rift Right Portal: The Final Yasuke Showdown

The right portal is the quickest of the three. Grab the eagle again to fly straight to it, and you’ll spend the whole section as Yasuke. The ring you need sits in plain sight, but you’ve got to clear out the guards standing between you and it first. There are plenty of them, though none are individually dangerous. The one thing to watch for is the enemies that flash with an orange glow every so often, they only appear for a short window, and attacking them is a trap. Leave them alone and they vanish on their own. Focus only on the white-marked enemies, and once they’re all down, the ring is yours for the taking.

Tips for Beating the Horizon Rift Jumping Puzzle and Stealth Maze

A few things make this run noticeably smoother. On any ledge-to-ledge jump in the left portal, press jump without holding a direction, Yasuke and Naoe both grab the far ledge more reliably that way than if you try to steer mid-air. In the center portal, never move the instant a guard turns away, always wait for the eagle’s distraction cue first, since the timing windows are tighter than they look and a half-second early start gets you spotted. Keep an eye on your gunpowder barrel count too, the left portal hands you several puzzles built around carrying or throwing one, and grabbing the wrong barrel costs you a trip back. And in the maze inside the cave, just remember the one fixed rule, right after the lit lamp, every other turn from there is a straight shot forward.

Horizon Rift FAQ: AC Shadows Questions Answered

Is Horizon the last Animus Rift in AC Shadows? Yes. Ubisoft has stated Horizon is the final Rift, and the studio is shifting focus to other projects rather than adding more Rift content.

Do I need to finish the other Rifts first? Yes, Horizon only unlocks after you’ve completed the previous two Animus Rifts, including Lost and Found.

Where exactly is the Horizon Rift located? It’s in the southeast section of the Kii region, along the Nakahechi Route near the seashore.

Which character do I use in the Horizon Rift? All three. The left portal mixes Yasuke and Naoe, the center portal is Naoe-only stealth, and the right portal is entirely Yasuke.

What do you get for finishing the Horizon Rift? A Black Flag-themed cosmetic outfit, which ties directly into the AC Black Flag Resynced crossover content added in the same update.

That wraps up the AC Shadows Horizon Rift. Once all three portals are cleared, the circle objectives sit waiting back on the main platform, and finishing all of them triggers the closing cutscene and your reward. If you’re chasing more endgame content after this, the Domains added in the same update are worth a look too, including the Tidal Wave build guide for the Broken Sky Domain if you want a setup that holds up against tougher fights. Check out our other guides on ingametor.com for more AC Shadows walkthroughs.