UbisoftNaoe can be the stronger of Assasin’s Creed Shadows’ dual protagonists if you play to her strengths. From deadly stealth attacks to nimble movement abilities, here are all the best skills you need to prioritize.
Where Yasuke is a brute on the battlefield, charging his way headfirst into battle, Naoe takes a far more considered approach, sticking to the shadows, timing her attacks and getting away without leaving a trace.
While stealth should absolutely be a priority for any Naoe build, that’s not to say the character doesn’t excel in other areas. She’s not to be trifled with in close range melee combat either, especially with the right tools equipped and the right skills at her disposal.
Below we’ve broken down all of Naoe’s strongest skills that should be a top priority in your playthrough of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Overall best skills
Ubisoft- Ninja Fall (Shinboi tree): Igan Roll now negates all fall damage.
The Ninja Fall is one of the best perks to grab as early as possible. While simple in its effect, it’s extremely effective in the long run. Completely removing fall damage from the equation is a game-changer as you explore mountainous regions, climb tall castles, and the like. It just makes Naoe’s life that much easier.
- Double Assassinate (Assassin tree): While using a Tanto, Naoe can Assassinate two targets standing close together with a single attack
The iconic Assassin’s Creed move is back once again as Naoe is able to assassinate two targets at once with this skill. However, a Tanto has to be equipped, meaning it takes up one of your weapon slots at all times, though the sacrifice is well worth it. Being able to quickly (and silently) take out two guards without raising an alarm is often crucial, especially in the later stages of the game.
- Reinforced Blade (Assassin tree) – Hidden Blade can be used against bigger enemies
As we mentioned above, using the Hidden Blade to quickly and effortlessly assassinate targets has long been a staple in the AC franchise, and here with Naoe, it’s well worth upgrading. Reinforcing the blade can help ensure it works effectively against enemies of all shapes and sizes.
Best Katana skills
Ubisoft- Eviscerate: Strike an enemy, dealing 75% ability damage and pushing them away
Eviscerate is among the best Katana skills for Naoe as it does exactly what the name suggests. One single, devastating attack against an enemy wipes their health away. It’s brutal but extremely effective, especially when clearing out strongholds and facing down tankier foes like the Daimyo.
- Counter Attack: Press L1 at the last moment to turn your Deflect into a counter-attack
One of the most essential upgrades is the Counter Attack skill. Previously, tapping L1 or LB at the right time simply blocked an incoming strike. Now, however, doing so will automatically launch a counterattack, swatting back at a nearby foe. It’s an excellent trick and one that seriously pays off over time. Before long, you’ll be wondering how you ever made do before this perk.
- Unstoppable: Final upgrade on the Guard Breaker skill. Cannot be blocked or parried
Once again, as the name implies, this is just an outright insane attack. Guard Breaker by itself is already a strong ability, but fully upgrading it makes it one of the most powerful moves in Naoe’s arsenal. No enemy can prevent damage from this attack, and that’s why it’s a must-pick when wielding a Katana..
Best Kusarigama skills
Ubisoft- Feral Outburst: First on the tree. Launch towards a single enemy and unleash a flurry of four strikes dealing 20% ability damage each.
Although the Kusarigama is often best when attacking multiple enemies at once, that’s not to say it doesn’t hold its own against single targets. Feral Outburst is a brilliant skill that, when building towards ability damage, can annihilate targets before they can even react.
- Multi-Target Expert: Increases damage when hitting multiple enemies
On the left-hand side of every skill tree are stat boosts. A bit less exciting than new abilities or attack patterns, but in this case, it’s absolutely vital nonetheless. The Kusarigama excels in bigger combat scenarios when Naoe is surrounded by enemies. Upgrading this skill will ensure she’s dealing as much damage as possible.
- Cyclone Blast: Swing the weapon in large circles around Naoe, pushing back enemies
The single best ability for the Kusarigama is the Cyclone Blast, as Naoe swirls the weapon in circles and tags any enemies in the vicinity. Not only is it great at area-of-effect damage, especially when combined with the Multi-Target Expert perk listed above, but it even pushes foes back, giving you a bit of breathing room between attacks.
Best Tanto skills
Ubisoft- Shadow Barrage: Naoe will automatically perform a quick evade before getting hit, lasting 20 seconds and up to 7 hits.
Undoubtedly the coolest ability for Naoe, Shadow Barrage can certainly be quite helpful too. Say you’re in a combat scenario with multiple enemies or even just one bigger foe. Triggering this skill means you won’t have to worry about evading or blocking for quite some time. It’s great for hitting the gas and going all-out on the offensive.
- Hidden Hand: Sheath your Tanto and extend the Hidden Blade in its classic form to perform an Assassination while in combat.
The instant-kill effect of assassinations is so powerful that any chance you can use it, you should be making it a priority. Here, Hidden Hand gives you that power in the middle of a fight.
- Critical Thinker: Increases critical chance. With Tanto, slashing dozens of times per enemy, great skill here.
The Tanto is all about combinations. You’re often striking enemies four or five times before they have a chance to strike back. As a result, boosting critical hit chance is an essential way to deal more damage, as the more you strike, the more likely you’ll land a crit.
Best Tools skills
Ubisoft- Triple Threat: Naoe can now throw 3 Shurikens at the same time for the cost of 1
What’s better than one or even two Shurikens? Three Shurikens, of course. Without expending any further resources, you can launch out three Shurikens all at once, triple dipping for the price of one. It’s a fantastic upgrade and well worth the investment.
- Everlast: Kunai can no longer break on hard impact and can be retrieved indefinitely.
This is the ultimate perk for any avid tool user. Rather than it being down to chance, Kunai are guaranteed to survive every hard impact. Not only does this mean you can then collect them, but in essence, you no longer need to resupply as you’ll always have Kunai out in the wild.
- Larger Tool Bag: Increase maximum capacity for all tools
Rounding out the best upgrades for tools is the simple but effective tool bag expansion. By focusing on this part of the skill tree, you’ll quickly have more options and more ammunition at your disposal across every type of playstyle, whether it’s smoke bombs or Kunai.
Best Shinobi skills
Ubisoft- Ninja Fall: Igan Roll now negates all fall damage
As we mentioned in the best overall perks, putting a stop to any and all fall damage is simply a must-have for Naoe. She’s the more agile of the protagonists, so naturally, she’ll be scaling towers and leaping from perches far more than Yasuke. Take fall damage out of the equation to make your life that much easier.
- Heighten Senses: While undetected, time slows down around Naoe for 8 seconds. Aborts on enemy contact
More of a fun one than anything, the Heighten Senses skill feels almost like a cheat code. For a brief moment, you can run around like the Flash. While everyone else is in slow motion, you’re moving like the wind, advancing to a better position or triggering a perfect assassination.
- Ascension Boost: While using the Grappling Hook, Naoe can climb much faster
Given how much traversal plays a role throughout the game, Ascension Boost is another one of those lifesavers like Ninja Fall. Saving time when scaling up taller structures can help you keep your sanity as before long, those valuable seconds start to add up.
Best Assassin skills
Ubisoft- Reinforced Blade: Hidden Blade can now be used against large enemies
The Hidden Blade is Naoe’s best weapon, letting her instantly kill most foes in the game. Upgrading it only makes it more effective, and in this case, lets her target even the chunkiest enemies Shadows throws at you.
- Viger: Increase Naoe’s Adrenaline Chunks
Adrenaline is what lets Naoe trigger any number of weapon-specific abilities in combat. The more Adrenaline you have at the ready, the more you can do in a fight. Upgrade this as soon as you can and reap the benefits in the long term.
- Assassination Damage: Naoe removes additional Health Segments with Assassinations
Last but not least is a simple but effective boost to Assassination Damage. For the targets Naoe can’t kill off instantly with her Hidden Blade, upgrading this part of the skill tree will help get her closer to doing just that. In some cases, it might not be enough to outright kill a bigger foe, but it’ll give you a huge headstart.
