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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's approach to eliminating targets is a masterclass in stealth and precision, yet she's versatile enough to handle 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, achievable through diligent exploration and engagement in the game's starting regions.

Katana

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• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to swiftly counter aggressive enemies.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, essential for dealing significant blows.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for punishing enemies after a successful dodge.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finisher that maximizes your damage output.

These skills turn Naoe into a formidable defensive force, ideal for players who excel at dodging and deflecting, enabling swift and punishing counterattacks.

Kusarigama

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• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling crowds and building affliction.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply and stack afflictions.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of your entangling moves.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Crucial for handling groups of enemies effectively.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A devastating area-of-effect attack to clear out multiple foes.

These skills make Naoe a versatile combatant, capable of managing both groups and single targets with ease, using entanglements and powerful area attacks.

Tanto

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• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies your damage output, especially against vulnerable enemies.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to 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): Allows for devastating attacks that can break through armor.

These skills focus on maximizing damage, particularly when exploiting vulnerabilities, making Naoe a lethal assassin even against heavily armored foes.

Tools

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• Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for quick escapes or setting up multiple assassinations.
• Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases your tool capacity, crucial for prolonged missions.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for distracting and luring enemies away.
• Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your smoke bomb, providing more time to maneuver.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of your kunai, enhancing long-range assassination options.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Versatile for disabling alarms or triggering explosives.

These tools give Naoe the flexibility to manipulate her environment and control enemy movements, ensuring a clear path to her target.

Shinobi

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• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up climbing, essential for navigating the game world efficiently.
• 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 mobility, crucial for quick escapes and positioning.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, providing a tactical advantage in crowded or complex environments.

These skills ensure Naoe remains undetected and agile, perfect for stealthy approaches and quick escapes.

Assassin

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• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases assassination damage, vital for swift and silent kills.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances ground assassination, making it more reliable.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows for simultaneous takedowns, doubling your efficiency.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further increases your assassination damage.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your hidden blade, crucial for tackling tougher enemies.

These skills enhance Naoe's assassination capabilities, making her deadly with the tanto and hidden blade, ideal for quick, silent kills.

By prioritizing these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate shinobi assassin in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, capable of navigating the challenges of feudal Japan with unmatched stealth and lethality. For more tips and strategies, be sure to check out The Escapist.