In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe embodies the essence of stealth and precision, making her an expert in the art of silent assassination. However, she's also capable of engaging in direct confrontations when the situation demands it. To maximize Naoe's potential, focusing on the right skills early on is crucial. Here's a guide to the best initial skills for Naoe up to Knowledge Rank 3, achievable through diligent engagement with the game's early open-world activities.
Best Skills to Get First for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Katana
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- 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): Enables you to punish enemies who leave themselves open after attacking.
- Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that maximizes your damage output.
These skills turn Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ready to capitalize on enemy mistakes and swiftly end battles.
Kusarigama
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- Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Allows for affliction buildup and the ability to manipulate enemies, even large ones, for extra damage.
- Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to apply afflictions, making your attacks more effective.
- Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Enhances your control over enemies, making group encounters manageable.
- 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 attack that can clear out groups of enemies.
With these skills, Naoe becomes an unstoppable force against both groups and single targets, leveraging the Kusarigama's unique abilities to control the battlefield.
Tanto
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- Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies damage against vulnerable enemies, making your strikes lethal.
- 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, perfect for stealth kills.
- Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts your backstabbing capabilities.
- Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals massive damage to armored foes, ensuring no enemy is safe from your blade.
These skills focus on maximizing damage output, especially against vulnerable and armored targets, making Naoe a deadly assassin with the Tanto.
Tools
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- 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 your tool capacity, allowing for more strategic options.
- Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for luring enemies away from your target.
- 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, making long-range kills more effective.
- Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Versatile for disabling alarms or triggering explosives, aiding in stealth operations.
These tools empower Naoe to manipulate the battlefield, creating opportunities for stealthy assassinations and safe escapes.
Shinobi
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- 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 quickly vault over obstacles.
- 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 in crowded or complex situations.
These skills ensure Naoe remains unseen and agile, swiftly moving towards her objectives without alerting the enemy.
Assassin
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- Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the lethality of your Hidden Blade, ensuring swift kills.
- Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ground assassination capabilities.
- Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows for simultaneous takedowns of two enemies, perfect for crowded areas.
- 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 effective against tougher enemies.
Best paired with a Tanto, these skills make Naoe an efficient assassin, capable of taking down targets quickly and quietly.
By prioritizing these skills, Naoe can become the ultimate shinobi assassin in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, adept at both stealth and direct combat. For more tips and guides, be sure to visit The Escapist.
