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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe excels in stealth and assassination, embodying the essence of a shinobi working within the shadows. Yet, she's not limited to these tactics; with the right skills, she can handle direct confrontations effectively. For players eager to maximize Naoe's potential, here are the best skills to prioritize in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* up to Knowledge Rank 3.

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

These early skills, achievable up to Knowledge Rank 3, are crucial for enhancing Naoe's effectiveness and can be quickly acquired through consistent engagement with open-world activities in the starting regions.

Katana

• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances Naoe's defensive capabilities, turning dodges into opportunities to counterattack.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts Naoe's melee damage, making her a formidable force in close combat.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows Naoe to capitalize on enemy aggression, punishing them with powerful counterstrikes.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A devastating ability that can swiftly end battles when timed correctly.

These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ready to exploit enemy aggression. If you master dodging and deflecting, you'll find ample opportunities to counterattack, deal increased damage, and finish fights with Eviscerate.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling crowds or single targets, enabling Naoe to build up afflictions and throw enemies for additional damage.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances Naoe's ability to inflict status effects, making her more lethal over time.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of Entanglement, allowing Naoe to manipulate even larger enemies.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves Naoe's effectiveness against multiple foes, essential for handling groups.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful ability that can clear out groups of enemies, making Naoe a formidable force in any confrontation.

These skills empower Naoe to dominate both groups and individual targets. With Entanglement, she can control the battlefield, and the other skills ensure she can handle multiple enemies while keeping them at bay.

Tanto

• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies Naoe's damage output, especially effective against vulnerable enemies.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage dealt to enemies' weak points, enhancing Naoe's assassination capabilities.
• Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts damage when attacking from behind, a key tactic for stealthy kills.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further enhances backstab damage, making Naoe a silent but deadly assassin.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals increased damage to armored enemies, ensuring Naoe can take down even the toughest foes.

Focusing on the Tanto skills allows Naoe to maximize her damage output and exploit vulnerabilities. These skills ensure that even armored enemies fall swiftly to her blade, especially when targeting their backs.

Tools

• 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 Naoe can carry, enhancing her versatility.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Lures enemies away, creating opportunities for stealthy maneuvers.
• Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of the Smoke Bomb, providing more time for strategic actions.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances the damage dealt by Kunai, making them lethal at range.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for disabling alarms or triggering explosives, adding another layer of tactical options.

These tools enable Naoe to manipulate and control the battlefield, clearing paths to her targets. Whether it's using Shuriken to disable threats or the Smoke Bomb for escapes and assassinations, these skills offer a wide range of strategic options.

Shinobi

• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Enhances Naoe's climbing speed, crucial for navigating the game's vertical environments.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing Naoe to traverse the world more safely.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Improves mobility, helping Naoe evade detection and navigate through crowded areas.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving Naoe more room for error and precision in stealthy approaches.

These skills are essential for maintaining Naoe's stealth advantage, ensuring she can move silently and efficiently towards her objectives without alerting enemies.

Assassin

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases assassination damage, making Naoe's strikes more lethal.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances the effectiveness of ground assassinations, crucial for silent takedowns.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows Naoe to take out two enemies simultaneously, a vital skill for dealing with multiple targets.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further boosts Naoe's assassination damage, ensuring one-hit kills.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens Naoe's Hidden Blade, making it capable of taking down even the strongest foes.

These skills are particularly effective when paired with the Tanto, enabling Naoe to execute swift and silent assassinations. Double assassinations and enhanced damage make her a formidable assassin, though caution is advised against enemies with high health until further skill upgrades are obtained.

By focusing on these early skills in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, you can transform Naoe into the ultimate shinobi assassin in Japan. For further guidance, be sure to visit The Escapist.