In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's mastery over stealth and assassination makes her a formidable force in the shadows. However, she's not limited to covert operations; with the right skills, she can handle direct confrontations effectively. For players looking to maximize Naoe's potential, here are the top skills to prioritize up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging in the game's open-world activities.
Best Skills to Get First for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Katana
- Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to strike back effectively after dodging.
- Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your melee damage, making you a more formidable opponent in close combat.
- Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enables you to turn enemy aggression into your advantage by countering their attacks.
- Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that maximizes damage, perfect for ending fights swiftly.
These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ready to exploit enemy aggression and deliver punishing counterattacks. If you're adept at dodging and deflecting, these abilities will allow you to deal significant damage and conclude battles with Eviscerate.
Kusarigama
- Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Increases affliction buildup, making it easier to control and damage enemies.
- Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your ability to apply afflictions, enhancing your crowd control.
- Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw larger enemies, dealing additional 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 devastating area-of-effect attack perfect for dealing with groups.
These skills make Naoe a versatile combatant, capable of handling both groups and single targets efficiently. Entanglement and Big Catch help control the battlefield, while the other skills ensure you can manage multiple enemies and deliver powerful blows.
Tanto
- Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies damage, especially against vulnerable enemies.
- Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to exploit enemy weaknesses.
- Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances damage when attacking from behind.
- Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts damage from back attacks.
- Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals significant damage to vulnerable enemies, making it ideal for quick kills.
These skills are all about maximizing the tanto's damage potential. They allow Naoe to exploit enemy vulnerabilities, particularly from behind, ensuring even armored foes fall quickly to her blade.
Tools
- 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 more flexibility in missions.
- Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for distracting and luring enemies away from your path.
- Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your smoke bombs, enhancing their utility.
- Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of your kunai, making them more lethal.
- Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Enables you to destroy alarm bells or trigger explosives, adding tactical options to your arsenal.
These tools enhance Naoe's ability to manipulate the battlefield, creating opportunities for stealthy assassinations and safe escapes.
Shinobi
- Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases your climbing speed, making navigation quicker.
- Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, ensuring safer descents.
- Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your mobility, allowing for quick repositioning.
- Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more reaction time in crowded areas.
These skills keep Naoe agile and out of sight, ensuring she can reach her targets without alerting the enemy. They are essential for maintaining stealth and efficiency in movement.
Assassin
- Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your assassination damage, making your strikes more lethal.
- Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Improves your ability to assassinate from a prone position.
- 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): Increases the damage of your assassinations.
- Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your Hidden Blade, enabling you to take down tougher foes.
These skills are best paired with the tanto, enhancing Naoe's assassination capabilities. They allow for swift, silent takedowns, even against larger and more resilient enemies.
With these recommended skills under each tree, you'll be well on your way to becoming Japan's most feared assassinating shinobi in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.
