In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's approach to eliminating targets is rooted in stealth and precision, though she's also capable of handling direct confrontations with the right strategy. To maximize her potential, here are the top skills to prioritize for Naoe, focusing on skills up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging in the game's early open-world activities.
Katana
- Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to counter aggressive enemies effectively.
- Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making you a formidable force in close combat.
- Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for players skilled in dodging and deflecting, enabling powerful counterattacks.
- Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A devastating finishing move that can end fights quickly.
These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ready to exploit enemy aggression and deal significant damage.
Kusarigama
- Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for building up afflictions and controlling enemies, even larger ones.
- Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to inflict status effects on enemies.
- Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of your Kusarigama, making it easier to handle multiple foes.
- Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves your combat efficiency against groups.
- Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful area-of-effect attack that can clear out groups of enemies.
These skills make Naoe a versatile fighter, capable of dealing with both crowds and single targets effectively.
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 backstab damage.
- Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals significant damage to armored enemies from behind.
These skills focus on maximizing Naoe's damage output, particularly when targeting the backs of enemies.
Tools
- Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for escaping or setting up 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): Useful for luring enemies away from your path.
- Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your Smoke Bomb.
- Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of your Kunai assassinations.
- Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to disable alarms and trigger explosives from a distance.
These tools enhance Naoe's ability to manipulate and control the battlefield, making it easier to reach and eliminate your targets.
Shinobi
- Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, crucial for navigating the game's environments.
- Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
- Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your mobility and evasion capabilities.
- Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more control in crowded or tense situations.
These skills are essential for maintaining stealth and navigating the game world efficiently.
Assassin
- Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage of your assassinations.
- Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to take down enemies from the ground.
- Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to eliminate two enemies simultaneously.
- Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of your assassinations.
- Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your Hidden Blade, making it more effective against tougher foes.
These skills are perfect for Naoe when using the Tanto, enabling swift and lethal strikes with the Hidden Blade, and are crucial for handling multiple or stronger enemies.
By focusing on these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate assassinating shinobi in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.
