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

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 punishing enemies who leave themselves open after attacking.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can end fights swiftly.

These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ideal for players skilled in dodging and deflecting, enabling them to counterattack and deal significant damage.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Great for building up afflictions and controlling enemies.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply and stack afflictions on enemies.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw even large enemies around for extra damage.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves your effectiveness against multiple foes.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A devastating area-of-effect attack perfect for crowd control.

These skills make Naoe a formidable opponent against both groups and single targets, enhancing her crowd control and damage capabilities.

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 damage from back attacks.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): A powerful move that can break through even armored foes.

These skills focus on maximizing damage output with the tanto, making Naoe a lethal assassin capable of exploiting enemy vulnerabilities.

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 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 room for error in crowded areas.

These skills are essential for maintaining stealth and reaching your objectives without alerting enemies, making Naoe a true master of the shadows.

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 take out 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 best utilized with the tanto, enabling Naoe to execute swift and lethal strikes, particularly useful for taking down multiple or heavily armored targets.

By focusing on these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate assassinating shinobi in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more tips and strategies, be sure to visit The Escapist.