In the world of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Naoe's approach to eliminating targets is steeped in stealth and cunning, leveraging the shadows and her toolkit to navigate through challenges. However, she's equally capable in direct confrontations, provided you strategize accordingly. To maximize Naoe's potential, here are the top skills to prioritize early on, up to Knowledge Rank 3, which can be achieved swiftly through diligent engagement in the game's initial areas.
Katana
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- Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to swiftly counterattack after dodging.
- Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making each strike more impactful.
- Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): A crucial skill for punishing aggressive enemies who leave themselves open after attacking.
- Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can swiftly end confrontations.
With these skills, Naoe becomes a formidable defensive force, ready to capitalize on enemy mistakes and deal significant damage.
Kusarigama
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- Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling enemies and setting up for affliction buildup.
- Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to inflict status effects, making combat more manageable.
- Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw larger enemies, adding a tactical edge to your encounters.
- Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your effectiveness against multiple foes.
- Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A devastating area attack that can clear crowds or finish off a single target.
These skills transform Naoe into a versatile fighter, adept at handling both groups and individual threats with ease.
Tanto
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- Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): A high-damage move that can penetrate even armored foes.
- Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your chance to land critical hits, amplifying your damage output.
- Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances damage when striking from behind, a key tactic for Naoe.
- Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts backstab damage, making stealth kills more lethal.
- Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): A devastating move that can incapacitate enemies from behind.
These skills are essential for maximizing Naoe's damage potential, especially against vulnerable targets.
Tools
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- Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): A versatile tool for escaping or setting up chain assassinations.
- Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the number of tools you can carry, enhancing your flexibility.
- 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 smoke bombs, providing more time for strategic moves.
- Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of kunai, making long-range assassinations more effective.
- Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Essential for disarming traps and triggering explosives.
These tools are crucial for manipulating enemy positions and creating opportunities for Naoe to strike.
Shinobi
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- Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up climbing, allowing for quicker navigation.
- Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, making risky maneuvers safer.
- Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to dodge and evade.
- Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more control in tense situations.
These skills are vital for maintaining stealth and efficiently reaching your objectives without detection.
Assassin
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- Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases assassination damage, crucial for quick kills.
- Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances ground assassinations, making them more reliable.
- Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to take out two enemies simultaneously.
- Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further 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 enemies.
These skills are perfect for Naoe when using the Tanto, ensuring that her assassinations are swift and effective.
By focusing on these skills, you'll unlock Naoe's full potential as the ultimate shinobi assassin in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For further assistance, don't hesitate to explore resources on The Escapist.
