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What are the Best Ways to Earn Money in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

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On May 3, 2025

The truth is, money (Mon) matters even in a game like

Assassin’s Creed Shadows
. Whether you’re playing as Naoe or Yasuke, you’ll need Mon to get things done, be it gear upgrades, tools, or maybe even a bribe here and there. The game doesn’t throw piles of cash at you, though. If you want to keep moving without constantly scraping the bottom of your coin pouch, you’ll need to be smart about how you earn.

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There are a bunch of ways to bring in Mon, but not all of them are worth your time. Some are tied into story content and feel natural, while others are more about grinding and repetition. The good news is you don’t need to try everything. You just need to focus on a few methods that actually work and won’t pull you away from the parts of the game you enjoy.

5

Completing Side Quests

The Betrayers and the Corrupt Daikan

You can grab some cash by completing some side quests and objective boards in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. While it’s said that only a few side quests offer Mon as reward, completing them is not that difficult. Specifically you can complete “The Betrayers” and “The Corrupt Daikan” objective boards to earn some reasonable amount of Mon.

Take “The Betrayers” board, for example. It’s basically a hit list. Each target you take out pays a set amount. Endo Tomoyasu gets you 360 Mon, and Usami Yoshiko earns you 275 Mon. The “Corrupt Daikan” board is about rooting out local corruption, but it still pays. The Soiled Merchant quest gives you 275 Mon, and if you finish The Sword Hunter mission, that’s another 300 Mon in your pocket.

4

Complete Contracts

Earn Some Mon Rewards from Contracts

Completing Contracts Assassin's Creed Shadows

If you’re running low on Mon and don’t feel like raiding another castle or chasing down ronin on the road. Contracts are a nice alternative. They’re steady, short, and don’t demand too much prep. You’ll find contracts on the job boards at Kakurega safehouses (those little hidden hubs you unlock across the map). Each season, you can pick up to three.

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Most contracts give you XP and resources, but some will straight-up pay you in Mon. If you spot one of those, grab it. The goal of contracts is usually pretty simple. You can be asked to steal supplies, take out a target, clear a camp or destroy some cargo.

3

Check Out Castles

Chests and Locked Rooms Usually Hold Some Cash

Himeji Castle Infilitration Assassin's Creed Shadows

Castles are scattered across the map and found in places like Izumi Settsu, Harima, and Yamashiro. Inside, you’ll find chests, locked rooms, and guards carrying valuables. If you’re thorough, each castle can net you a solid amount of Mon just from looting and enemy drops.

Soldiers, especially high-ranking ones like Samurai Daisho, usually also drop Mon and sometimes useful gear. It’s also worth mentioning that

once a season passes in-game
, castles reset. That means you can return later and clear them again.

2

Loot Ronin

Fighting Harima ronin Assassin's Creed Shadows

One sure way of getting extra Mon is by taking out Ronin. These guys aren’t bosses. They’re just lone samurai who’ve lost their masters and now wander the countryside. When you come across one, they’ll usually pick a fight. With any

good Assassin’s Creed Shadows weapon
you can easily beat them and pocket around 500 to 900 Mon.

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This is not game-breaking money, but it’s consistent and adds up fast, especially early on. You’ll mostly find these ronin on roads, especially near bridges or between regions. If you’re in the area around Miki Kakurega, walk along the paths leading out of it and you’ll spot some Ronin.

1

Trade

Sell Your Valuables for Mon

Selling stuff to merchants in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is as straightforward as it gets. You pick things up while exploring—coins off guards, trinkets from treasure chests, bits and pieces from old forts—and instead of letting that stuff rot in your inventory, you flip it for Mon.

Merchants are easy to find. Most towns or outposts have one, and they’re always happy to take clutter off your hands. You just walk up, open your inventory, and offload anything labeled as sellable. These aren’t crafting materials or quest items; just loot with no other purpose than turning into cash.