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Assassin’s Creed Shadows brings some of the best skill trees for both Naoe and Yasuke. While some might not be fans of the RPG approach, the abilities are quite meaningful and make way for many interesting playstyles. Furthermore, the fact that you can mix and match and even enhance a few with specific items makes the system much more enjoyable. If you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with the system, however, or just want a few pointers on where to start, we’ve made a list of the best skills you can grab for each character.
As a quick disclaimer, we’re assuming you’re at least Rank 2 in terms of Knowledge and have already unlocked Yasuke as a playable character. Also, these skills are not “meta” or tailored toward a particular build. They are just good starting active and passive abilities that will let you get the most out of the combat mechanics in Shadows. Lastly, the skill count may vary on each playthrough because everyone will be getting mastery points at a different pace. If you’re short on them, completing quests, killing main and optional targets, and clearing forts are the best options. So, without further ado, let’s kick things off with our favorite shinobi first.
Best Skills for Naoe
| Skill | Description | Skill Tree |
|---|---|---|
| Dodge Attack | Press R1/RB after a dodge to launch a fast counter-attack and quickly get back to the enemy. | Katana |
| Tidal Wave | An extremely fast attack dealing 25% ability damage and making the enemy vulnerable. | Katana |
| Generator | Dodge Attacks generate 25% of an Adrenaline Chunk on hit. | Katana |
| Kunai | Hold L2/LT and Press R2/RT to throw a Kunai that deals 400& damage. Headshots on unsuspecting enemies will remove two Health Segments. | Tools |
| Smoke Bomb | Hold L2/LT and Press R2/RT to throw a smoke bomb that breaks all lines of sight. | Tools |
| Shinobi Bell | Hold L2/LT and Press R2/RT to throw a Shinobi Bell that distracts enemies. | Tools |
| Larger Tool Bag 1 | Increases maximum capacity for all tools. +1 to each. | Tools |
| Prodigy (Max) | Increases damage with abilities by 9%. | Shinobi |
| Grab | Press Triangle/Y while undetected to grab an enemy. Once grabbed, you can knock them out by holding Triangle/Y. | Shinobi |
| Grab Assassinate | Lets you assassinate a target you’re grabbing by pressing R1/RB. | Shinobi |
| Vault | Press Circle/B after deflecting an attack to jump over an enemy, making them Vulnerable. | Shinobi |
| Shoji Door Assassination | While using a katana, Naoe can assassinate a target through a Shoji panel. | Assassin |
| Assassination Damage 1 | Naoe removes an extra health segment with assassinations. | Assassin |
| Executioner (Max) | Increases damage on vulnerable enemies by 9%. | Assassin |
As you can see, Naoe has the larger list of both characters for a few reasons. First, Naoe needs more skills to perform better during stealth and combat, especially in the hardest difficulty. For that, we are focusing on skills like Grab Assassinate, Shoji Door Assassination, and the many shinobi tools she’ll need to distract foes. For combat, focusing on her katana first is ideal, but you can throw in a few skills in the Tanto and Kusarigama skill trees, too. The former for a more stealth-oriented approach with positional attacks in combat, and the latter for better skills against more than one foe. Beyond that, you’re free to place other mastery points wherever you want, but for the first couple of hours, aim for the above ones.
Best Skills for Yasuke
| Skill | Description | Skill Tree |
|---|---|---|
| Combat Expert (Max) | Increases damage with Melee Weapons by 9%. | Long Katana |
| Regeneration (Max) | Restores 6% of Yasuke’s maximum Health when killing an enemy. | Samurai |
| Vigor 1 | Increases Yasuke’s adrenaline chunks by 1. | Samurai |
| Heavy Impact | War Kick now has its full effect on large enemies. | Samurai |
| Improved Brutal Assassination | Yasuke can perform Brutal Assassinations on large enemies. | Samurai |
| One Man Army (Max) | Increases damage when hitting multiple enemies by 8%. | Naginata |
| Crescent Strike | ump to an enemy and swing the Naginata in a large arc in front of you, dealing 25% ability damage and pushing them back. | Naginata |
| Energizing Defense | Riposte now restores 5% health. | Long Katana |
You might wonder why there are fewer skills for Yasuke, and the reason is that these are the best few he needs to get started. Contrary to Naoe, Yasuke is all about going hard and loud in combat. While there are a few item perks and skills that will let you make a stealth-ish build, you won’t get them quickly. For that reason, it is better to increase his fighting capabilities and give him even better survivability. Skills like Energizing Defense and Regeneration are crucial, especially when reaching higher-level zones. Improved Brutal Assassination is also great, as it almost always guarantees a one-hit-kill on a large enemy. Also, we went with a few Naginata skills because that’s the first extra weapon you’ll get for Yasuke, and being able to dish out AoE damage is great.
While we consider these to be the best skills for Naoe and Yasuke during the early portion of the game, you can always try to experiment with others. Shadows lets you reset your mastery points whenever you want, so don’t be afraid to mix and match until you find the right playstyle for your protagonists.
