Assassin's Creed Shadows best skills explained

Best Naoe skills in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Naoe is a budding assassin whose strengths lie in stealth and landing deadly blows quickly. Due to this, you'll want to ensure the skills you unlock for her increase her ability to move undetected, spot incoming threats and improve her chances of one-shot killing an enemy.

To help in your decision making, we've listed our recommendations for the best skills for Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows down below. Remember - there's a wide range of skills Naoe can learn and these are our top picks. Take the time to explore each of her skill trees where you'll easily uncover other useful skills.

Double Assassinate

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Assassin
• Knowledge Rank - 2

Why assassinate one person when you can kill two? If you haven't gathered by its name yet, Double Assassinate lets you double your killing pleasure. The only catch is that the two targets must be standing close together for Naoe to automatically use this skill. (She doesn't have stretchy arms like Luffy after all.)

Still, despite this caveat, Double Assassinate is an incredibly useful Passive skill that you'll want to unlock as quickly as possible - ideally when you first reach Knowledge Rank 2. It will come incredibly handy whether you're sneaking through a castle or encounter two foes whilst traveling the road. No matter the circumstances, this classic Assassin's Creed move grants you more tactical freedom while playing as Naoe since you'll no longer have to distract as many enemies.

Improved Sense

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Assassin
• Knowledge Rank - 3

Improved Sense is another Passive skill you'll want to unlock the moment you have the chance. In this case, when you reach Knowledge Rank 3.

Increasing the longevity of Eagle Vision's effect, Improved Sense grants you more freedom when sneaking around as Naoe. Since you'll be able to spot more enemies while on the move, you'll have more time to anticipate potential threats and plan your own attacks. It also has the added bonus of reducing the amount of time you'll have to activate Eagle Vision. An act which will speed up your gameplay since you simply won't have to press the button command for Eagle Vision as much!

Igan Roll

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Shinobi
• Knowledge Rank - 2

Who likes fall damage? No-one. Honestly, you're a little strange if you do. (Yes, I know it adds realism but do you really like it?)

Well Igan Roll will help you negate some of that pesky fall damage if you hit a certain button before hitting the ground. Thanks to this, Igan Roll is perfect for when you have to make a quick, unplanned, escape from a high location or simply misjudge the depth of a drop!

Just remember - you need to press that button command and Naoe will still take some fall damage. Igan Roll doesn't negate it completely, so, if she only has a little health left, then she might just meet her end. Though what if there was a way to remove fall damage completely…

Ninja Fall

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Shinobi
• Knowledge Rank - 4

Ninja Fall lets you remove damage completely! The upgraded version of Igan Roll, Ninja Fall works exactly the same way as the ability described above, but with the bonus of negating all fall damage.

Keep in mind though that you can't simply jump ahead to Ninja Fall. You must unlock Igan Fall first and then use additional Mastery Points for Ninja Fall. Plus, since Naoe's legs have suddenly transformed into titanium, you'll still need to press that button command! Though, thanks to Ninja Fall, Naoe can jump from the top of a castle without having to worry about getting hurt.

Heighten Senses

• Ability
• Skill Tree - Shinobi
• Knowledge Rank - 3

Heighten Senses is an excellent ability to pair with Improved Senses as, when Naoe is undetected, it will slow down time around her for eight seconds. Though if she touches an enemy, even by accident, the timer will automatically end there and then.

Still, if you know where the enemies are located, you can use Heighten Senses to quickly slip past them without having to draw a blade. On the other hand, if there's one particular foe you wish to dispatch, Heighten Senses can help Naoe reach the perfect spot for an assassination. Just remember - one touch of an enemy will add the ability, bringing time back to its usual pace! Thanks to this, while Heighten Senses can help you get out of trouble, you'll still want to be careful when moving Naoe!

Kunai Assassination Damage I, II and III

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Tools
• Knowledge Rank:
• Kunai Assassination Damage I - Rank 2
• Kunai Assassination Damage II - Rank 4
• Kunai Assassination Damage III - Rank 6

The Kunai is one of the most useful tools in Naoe's arsenal as it allows her to attack enemies from a distance. Sometimes even killing them in one blow. Since she has access to it from the beginning of the Assassin's Creed Shadows, there's also a good chance it will be the one you're most familiar with too. All of this means that unlocking Kunai Assassination Damage and possibly its upgrades, is an excellent way to improve an attack you're already skilled at completing. It will also hopefully help Naoe remain undetected as she goes about her assassin business.

Shadow Barrage

• Ability
• Skill Tree - Tanto
• Knowledge Rank - 2

Shadow Barrage causes Naoe to automatically perform a quick evade before getting hit. It's an effect that can last up to 20 seconds and up to seven hits, but it won't work on any grab attacks. (Make sure you keep that fact in mind in combat!)

Easily described as auto-evade, Shadow Barrage is perfect for those who are great at dodging and those who aren't. Not only will it save some of your precious health, but, by removing your need to think about evading, it offers you the time to consider your next attack.

Admittedly, if you're skilled with Assassin's Creed Shadows evade mechanic then you may want to skip unlocking this ability and save the Mastery Point for something else. Still, if this is the case for you, we recommend keeping it as a consideration as it could come in very handy during the end game.

Best Yasuke skills in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Yasuke is a samurai who uses the combined power of his blade and physical strength to destroy his foes. Though you don't want to neglect his mastery of the bow either as it can grant him even more control over the battlefield. When selecting which skills to unlock from him, you'll want to take all of his different assets into account!

To help in your decision making, we've listed our recommendations for the best skills for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows down below. Just remember, like with Naoe, Yasuke has a range of skills he can learn and we've pulled out our favourites. Make sure you take the time to look at every skill Yasuke has to offer as there might be one we haven't included which suits your build perfectly.

Brutal Assassination

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Samurai
• Knowledge Rank - 1

Brutal Assassination is Yasuke's version of the Assassination ability Naoe has access to from the moment you start playing as her. Since you'll be playing as Naoe for quite a while before regaining control of Yasuke, you'll also most likely become quite used to having Assassination. For this reason, it's a good idea to make Brutal Assassination one of the first skills you unlock for Yasuke.

Brutal Assassination removes five Health Segments when you first unlock it, which is a decent amount of damage. Sure, it might not always guarantee a foe's death but it will make it easier for Yasuke to send them to the afterlife. It will also align more with the gameplay loop you've become accustomed to, making Yasuke easier to play if you've been having trouble with him.

War Kick

• Ability
• Skill Tree - Samurai
• Knowledge Rank - 1

War Kick is Yasuke's 'This is Sparta!' attack! With it you can perform a powerful kick and, if you're near a well, you might even want to recreate the scene from the movie. (Haven't tried this myself yet though… Hopefully I'll get the chance soon.)

Returning to War Kick itself, this skill can deal 20% ability damage and will push the enemy away. Although it's only half as effective on larger enemies. Still, it's an excellent move for when an enemy is getting too close for your liking - either because you need to heal or would just like some personal space. You could also use it to thin out a herd of enemies, providing Yasuke with more room to perform other attacks or the time you need to change tactics.

Heavy Impact

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Samurai
• Knowledge Rank - 2 and requires War Kick

Unlocking Heavy Impact allows Yasuke to use War Kick on large enemies. If you want to learn more about War Kick, then take a look at the above section where we go into more detail. For here, we'll say that if you're unlocking War Kick then you must unlock Heavy Impact. Being able to use this attack on large enemies is, as you can probably tell, incredibly useful and could be what helps you win a fight. (Or just knock someone off a cliff.)

Remember - you must unlock War Kick first.

Impale

• Ability
• Skill Tree - Naginata
• Knowledge Rank - 2

Impale does exactly what it says on the tin - impale your enemy. In doing so it deals 15.00% ability damage and has the potential to move them up to 13 meters. (Though if there's a wall in your way that distance is obviously going to be shorter.) Once they're released from Yasuke's Naginata, your foe will find themselves Vulnerable. Not a good state to be in at all as you're now free to inflict even more attacks upon them.

Impale is an excellent move for separating a single enemy from a crowd. You can use it to either thin the field of weak opponents or single out the foe who you think will cause the most trouble. The amount of space it puts between you, along with your chosen victim, and the other foes means you'll be given some vital seconds to complete their demise. If the amount of damage you've already dealt hasn't done it already…

Crescent Strike

• Ability
• Skill Tree - Naginata
• Knowledge Rank - 1

Crescent Strike is the skill to use when you want to inflict AOE (area of effect) damage. Once unlocked, it allows Yasuke to jump to an enemy, swing his Naginata in a large arc and deal 25% ability damage while also pushing them back.

Like War Kick, this move can be used to create some space between yourself and your foe. Yet, the extra advantage of Crescent Strike is that another enemy (or enemies) could get caught in the path of Yasuke's blade. If they do, then you'll also see them experience some lovely damage. Crescent Strike also helps Yasuke move across the field of battle - taking you into the face of your enemy before tossing them away.

Poison Arrows

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Bow
• Knowledge Rank - 5

If Pokémon has taught me anything, it's that Poison is a great status effect to inflict, but not a fun one to experience. While Yasuke isn't a Beedrill, he can deal Poison thanks to the Poison Arrow skill. Once you've unlocked this new Arrow Type, you'll be able to select it before firing at an enemy.

An enemy hit with a Poison Arrow will build up Poison affliction and, of course, gradually begin to take damage from it. Thanks to this, Poison Arrow is the perfect skill for when you want Yasuke to cause damage at a distance for, even when the enemy does reach him, they'll have already lost some health. This, in turn, will make it easier for Yasuke to cut them down with his blade. It's also ideal for fighting groups of enemies, because, whether you decide to focus on a particular foe or hit them all with a Poison Arrow, you'll have already made the fight easier by the time they arrive.

Silent Arrows

• Passive
• Skill Tree - Bow
• Knowledge Rank - 2

Another Arrow type we recommend unlocking are the Silent Arrows. These arrows have 100% Armor Piercing and remove four Health Segments with headshots on unsuspecting enemies. Thanks to this, they are the perfect arrow to choose when Yasuke wants to make a surprise attack. You may even find that a successful headshot instantly kills an enemy.

Silent Arrows can also be upgraded - having two additional ranks. Each extra rank you unlock will add an additional two Health Segments to the amount Silent Arrows can deal. This means, if you fully upgrade them, Silent Arrows have the potential to deal six Health Segments when headshotting unsuspecting foes. Who knows, you might even kill them…

Even without this additional bonus, the fact Silent Arrows have 100% Armor Piercing means they can cause a good amount of damage to whoever is hit by them. Since you'll most likely unlock Silent Arrows before Poison Arrows too (due to them being at a lower Knowledge Rank), it's worth adding them to Yasuke's arsenal.

Best of luck selecting your skills in Assassin's Creed Shadows! If you're looking for more help in your adventure across Japan, check out our guides on how to upgrade weapons, how to upgrade armor and how to build the Hideout. We've also got an explainer on the Animus Hub, as well as a primer on the best Hideout building upgrades.