Top Skills to Prioritize for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, mastering Naoe's skills is key to becoming a formidable shinobi. Whether you prefer the stealthy approach or are ready for direct confrontations, selecting the right skills early on can significantly enhance your gameplay. Here are the top skills to prioritize for Naoe up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging with the game's open-world activities.

Katana

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to punish aggressive enemies with counterattacks.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making you a more effective combatant.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to turn the tables on enemies who attack you.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can end fights swiftly.

With these skills, Naoe becomes a formidable defensive force, ready to counter and deal significant damage to aggressive foes.

Kusarigama

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for building affliction and controlling enemies.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply afflictions to enemies.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw even large enemies around for extra damage.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves your effectiveness against multiple foes.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful ability to deal with groups or a single strong target.

These skills make Naoe exceptionally effective against both groups and individual targets, leveraging the Kusarigama's unique capabilities.

Tanto

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies damage and exploits vulnerable enemies.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to find and exploit enemy weaknesses.
• Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases damage when attacking from behind.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts backstab damage.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances damage against armored enemies.

These skills focus on maximizing damage output with the Tanto, particularly effective against vulnerable and armored targets.

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 the number of tools you can carry.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Lures enemies away, creating opportunities for stealth kills.
• Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of smoke effects.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage of kunai assassinations.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for destroying alarm bells or triggering explosives.

These tools offer versatile ways to manipulate and control the battlefield, enhancing your stealth and assassination capabilities.

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 world.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to quickly vault over obstacles.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more room for error in crowded areas.

These skills are essential for maintaining stealth and navigating the environment efficiently.

Assassin

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your assassination damage.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of ground assassinations.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to take out two targets simultaneously.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts your overall assassination damage.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Enhances the durability and effectiveness of your Hidden Blade.

These skills are perfect for those who prefer to use the Tanto and Hidden Blade, making Naoe a deadly assassin capable of taking down even the toughest foes.

By focusing on these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate assassinating shinobi in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more tips and strategies, be sure to visit The Escapist.