Which DLC is Best? Assassin’s Creed Claws of Awaji Vs. Valley of Memory

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Ubisoft Bordeaux has had a productive year, releasing two new downloadable content packs for the popular Assassin’s Creed series.

This fall, Bordeaux launched two expansions for their popular games: the Claws of Awaji DLC for Assassin’s Creed Shadows in September, and the free Valley of Memory DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage in November.

We don’t have plans for large downloadable content packs like these games currently have in the future, but these expansions do let players experience more of 16th-century Japan and 9th-century Baghdad, and learn more about the stories of Naoe, Yasuke, and Basim.

Both the Claws of Awaji and Valley of Memory are excellent DLCs, but when considering factors like music, side quests, gameplay, the game world, enemy design, helpful features, and story, only one can be considered the best Assassin’s Creed DLC of 2025.

8. Music

Valley of Memory

Okay, so I was super stoked to hear that The Flight and Brendan Angelides – the guys who did the music for Shadows and Mirage – are back to create the soundtracks for the new levels, Claws of Awaji and Valley of Memory. It’s awesome they’re returning; their original work was amazing!

As a big fan, I’m really loving the new music tracks! They fit the vibes of the DLCs so well – Awaji’s tracks are seriously spooky and add to that eerie feeling, while the Memory tracks are beautiful and make exploring feel even more magical. Two of my favorites so far are “Awaji no Kami” from Awaji and “Ishaq’s Lullaby” from Memory.

I believe the music in Valley of Memory is more effective than in Awaji. Angelides’ score is deeply moving and strongly reflects Basim’s emotional path as he rebuilds his relationship with his father – something the Awaji soundtrack doesn’t quite achieve.

Additionally, Valley of Memory offers a unique musical experience, allowing players to play the Oud. This feature deepens their connection to Basim’s memories and provides a glimpse into a rarely seen part of AlUla’s culture.

7. Side Activities

Valley of Memory

Both the Claws of Awaji and Valley of Memory DLCs add new side quests and activities, enriching the overall gameplay experience.

In the Awaji update, players gained the ability to create stunning paintings of famous Japanese landscapes and historical sites. The Memory update then added traditional Oud music that can be performed at locations in AlUla.

Although the Landscape Sumi-e paintings are beautiful and enjoyable, Valley of Memory offers a wider variety of interesting side quests and activities compared to Awaji, including Animus Sequences, finding stolen items, and discovering new historical locations.

Aside from the Landscape Sumi-e and the Old Ashigaru fight, Awaji Island doesn’t offer many activities you can’t already experience in the main game.

6. Gameplay

Claws of Awaji

Downloadable content, or DLC, frequently enhances the original game experience by adding things like new characters, weapons, and items. The Awaji and Memory expansions did just that.

Claws of Awaji significantly enhanced the core gameplay of Shadows, whereas Valley of Memory offered only minor improvements over Mirage.

Awaji added a powerful new weapon, the Bo staff, for Naoe, and Yasuke received exciting upgrades to all of his weapons. These include a special burst attack for his Teppo and a wind-based slash for his Long Katana.

Awaji’s latest opponents brought fresh challenges to the game, forcing players to adapt their strategies. These new enemies introduced tools like tripwires, decoys, and strategically placed shuriken, significantly altering how the game was played.

5. Environment

Claws of Awaji

Valley of Memory builds on the desert settings of Assassin’s Creed Mirage by adding AlUla, a region steeped in history and featuring the ruins of both the Roman Empire and ancient Middle Eastern civilizations.

AlUla is a really enjoyable place to visit and discover, and it’s even cool that you might see real mirages there. However, I personally find the unique, winding forests and dramatic beaches of Awaji Island more appealing.

Awaji Island feels worlds away from the rest of Japan depicted in Shadows. It’s a place of eerie, windswept forests with gnarled trees, rugged coastlines featuring famous whirlpools, and harbors filled with abandoned, half-built ships.

Awaji Island feels just as unsettling and frightening as the Templars who once controlled it. However, what really sets this DLC apart from the ‘Memory’ section is its striking introduction – a 2D puppet show-style presentation of the island, and environments that call to mind the look and feel of the game Prince of Persia.

4. Enemy Design

Claws of Awaji

Both downloadable contents feature new enemies pursuing Naoe, Yasuke, Basim, and the people of Awaji and AlUla, though the motivations behind these pursuits are distinct in each case.

I’m really fascinated by the power struggles on Awaji Island! It’s controlled by these incredibly powerful Templars – Yukari Kimura, Tomeji Imagawa, Nowaki, and Yasuhira. They’re not just content with ruling the island, though. They’re actively trying to take over the mainland and, get this, they’re after the legendary Kusanagi no Tsurugi sword – one of the Imperial Regalia! It’s a seriously ambitious plan.

I’m really getting into the story, and it turns out AlUla is being terrorized by this awful gang of robbers! Their leader, Abis, is a seriously scary chemist, and then there’s Nimlot, who’s just completely twisted. Apparently, he’s been hunting Basim ever since Basim killed his dad, Al-Ghul – it’s all about revenge, and he’s been actively trying to kill Basim for it!

While all the villains have interesting origins and reasons for their actions, Awaji’s Templars are particularly engaging and enjoyable to battle. Tomeji and Nowaki stand out as some of the most original and memorable boss fights in the entire Assassin’s Creed series.

3. Quality of Life Features

Valley of Memory

Each downloadable content pack and its new areas also brought improvements to how the game plays in both Shadows and Mirage.

As a player, I was really excited about the Claws of Awaji update! It let us level up to 100, and we got two extra levels for upgrading our Hideout. Plus, Kakuregas became way more useful – they could clear the fog of war for an entire province at once! And the best part? We could upgrade our weapons to super powerful Mythic and Artifact tiers. It really changed the game!

Okay, so the Valley of Memory update was HUGE! They finally let us free jump, which is awesome, and added back and side ejects – seriously, game changer for escapes! The controls got a nice overhaul with a modern preset, and now we can replay missions through these things called Animus Sequences, which is perfect for perfecting runs. Plus, my gear got a boost with tier three tool upgrades, and I can customize the difficulty even more with options like Hardened, Ultimate, and a totally custom setting. It’s really letting me tailor the experience to exactly how I want to play.

While the enhancements in both Shadows and Mirage are great, the Memory update added significantly more helpful features that players will likely use regularly compared to the improvements made in Awaji.

2. Narrative

Valley of Memory

A downloadable expansion for an Assassin’s Creed game can really make or break the experience. Some, like The Hidden Ones for Assassin’s Creed Origins, elevate a good game to something truly special. Others, like The Last Maharaja for Assassin’s Creed Syndicate, fall completely flat.

Both Awaji and Memory add compelling stories to their original games, but I think Memory’s story is stronger than the one in Claws of Awaji.

Okay, so the puppet show at the start of Awaji was awesome, but the story itself felt like it didn’t quite hit its potential. I really wanted to see Naoe shine, but Tsuyu was super distant with her, and honestly, it felt weird that Yasuke did most of the heavy lifting with the Templars. It would have been way more impactful if Naoe had been the one to prove herself to her mom, you know?

Despite Ishaq’s memory loss, Basim’s reunion with his father was deeply moving and felt incredibly real. The path Basim took to find Ishaq showed how he’d matured into the kind, courageous man his father always believed he could be.

1. Winner

Valley of Memory

Honestly, the Valley of Memory DLC for Assassin’s Creed Mirage totally blew me away. I think a lot of us weren’t expecting much from a free add-on, especially since Mirage itself got a bit of a mixed reaction from fans. It was a really pleasant surprise!

Basim’s search for his father is what makes Mirage truly special, lifting it from a decent Assassin’s Creed game to one of the best in recent years. It’s difficult to picture the game without this compelling story now.

The Assassin’s Creed Shadows Claws of Awaji DLC wasn’t bad, but it didn’t quite reach its full potential. Considering it’s meant to be the final chapter of the main story, it felt a little lacking compared to the fantastic, though optional, Memory sidequest.

I’d recommend Valley of Memory to anyone who enjoys the Assassin’s Creed series or is interested in Middle Eastern history, even if it wasn’t a free game. I’d also suggest checking out Awaji, especially when it’s discounted.

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2025-11-30 16:41