In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's gameplay is centered around stealth and precision, but she can also hold her own in direct combat with the right strategies. To maximize her effectiveness, here are the best skills to prioritize for Naoe, focusing on skills up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging in the game's initial open-world activities.
Best Skills to Get First for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Katana
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to counterattack effectively after dodging.
- Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making you more lethal in close combat.
- Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to punish aggressive enemies with powerful counterattacks.
- Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A devastating finishing move that can end fights quickly when used at the right moment.
With these skills, Naoe becomes a formidable defensive force, ready to capitalize on enemy aggression and turn the tide of battle in her favor.
Kusarigama
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Great for controlling crowds and building affliction, making it easier to manage multiple foes.
- Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply and stack afflictions, increasing your overall damage output.
- Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw even larger enemies, adding a tactical advantage in combat.
- Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your effectiveness against groups, keeping enemies at bay.
- Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful ability that can clear groups of enemies, making it invaluable in chaotic situations.
These skills transform Naoe into a versatile fighter capable of handling both groups and single targets with ease.
Tanto
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies your damage output, especially against vulnerable enemies.
- Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to exploit enemy weaknesses, increasing your damage potential.
- Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases damage when attacking from behind, perfect for stealth kills.
- Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts your backstab damage, making you a deadly assassin.
- Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to deal significant damage to armored enemies, ensuring no target is safe.
These skills focus on maximizing Naoe's damage output, particularly when targeting enemies from behind or exploiting vulnerabilities.
Tools
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for escaping or setting up chain assassinations.
- Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases your tool capacity, allowing for more strategic options.
- Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for luring enemies away from your path.
- Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your smoke bomb, giving you more time to maneuver.
- Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances the damage of your kunai, making them more effective for long-range kills.
- Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to disable alarms and trigger explosives, adding to your tactical arsenal.
These tools provide Naoe with the means to manipulate and control the battlefield, ensuring she can reach her targets with minimal resistance.
Shinobi
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, crucial for navigating the game's vertical environments.
- Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
- Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your mobility, helping you evade and reposition quickly.
- Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you a strategic advantage in crowded areas.
These skills ensure Naoe remains undetected and agile, crucial for maintaining stealth and reaching objectives swiftly.
Assassin
Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist
- Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your assassination damage, making your strikes more lethal.
- Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to take down enemies from the ground, adding versatility to your assassination techniques.
- Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to take out two targets simultaneously, perfect for clearing groups.
- Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further boosts your assassination damage, ensuring quick and efficient kills.
- Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your hidden blade, making it more effective against tougher enemies.
These skills are best utilized with a Tanto, enhancing Naoe's ability to execute swift and deadly assassinations, even against more resilient foes.
By focusing on these skills, you'll equip Naoe with the tools and abilities needed to become the ultimate shinobi assassin in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.
