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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe embodies the art of stealth and assassination, navigating the shadows with finesse and using an array of tools to outsmart her enemies. While she excels in covert operations, Naoe can also hold her own in direct confrontations with strategic planning. For players eager to maximize her potential, here are the top skills to prioritize for Naoe, categorized by weapon and skill type, all achievable up to Knowledge Rank 3.

Best Skills to Get First for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

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 combat skills, making you more formidable in close-quarters combat.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Punishes enemies who attack you, turning their aggression into your advantage.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can end fights swiftly when used at the right moment.

These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, perfect for players adept at dodging and deflecting attacks.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling and afflicting enemies, enhancing your crowd control capabilities.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to build up afflictions, making your attacks more potent.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to manipulate even large enemies, adding versatility to your combat strategy.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your effectiveness against multiple foes, crucial for handling groups.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A devastating area-of-effect attack that can clear out clusters of enemies.

These skills make Naoe a formidable force against both groups and individual targets, leveraging the Kusarigama's unique capabilities.

Tanto

• 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 weaknesses, increasing your lethality.
• Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases damage when attacking from behind, perfect for stealth kills.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts damage from back attacks, making you a deadly assassin.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): A powerful move that can break the defenses of even armored foes.

These skills focus on maximizing damage with the Tanto, turning Naoe into a silent but deadly assassin.

Tools

• Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for escaping or setting up multiple assassinations.
• Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the number of tools you can carry, enhancing your tactical options.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Distracts and lures enemies away from your position.
• Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your Smoke Bomb, giving you more time to act.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage of your Kunai, making them lethal from a distance.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for disabling alarms and triggering explosives, adding to your stealth arsenal.

These tools allow you to manipulate and control the battlefield, clearing the way for your assassinations.

Shinobi

• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, crucial for navigating the game's vertical environments.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to vault over obstacles, maintaining your momentum.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more control over your surroundings and reducing the risk of detection.

These skills keep Naoe elusive and agile, perfect for navigating complex environments without alerting enemies.

Assassin

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage of your assassinations, making them more effective.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to take down enemies from a prone position.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to take out two enemies simultaneously, a valuable skill for crowded areas.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts your assassination damage, making your strikes more lethal.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your Hidden Blade, allowing you to tackle tougher targets.

These skills are ideal when paired with the Tanto, enabling Naoe to execute swift and powerful assassinations, even against stronger foes.

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.