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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe embodies the art of stealth and precision, making her an ideal assassin who thrives in the shadows. Yet, she's also equipped for direct combat when the situation demands it. To maximize Naoe's potential, here are the top skills to prioritize early on, up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve swiftly by engaging in various open-world activities in the game's starting regions.

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 counterattack effectively.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making you a formidable force in close quarters.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for turning the tables on aggressive enemies.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finisher that maximizes your damage output.

These skills transform you into a defensive powerhouse, ready to exploit every opportunity to counterattack and deal devastating blows.

Kusarigama

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• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling and damaging enemies through affliction buildup.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply afflictions, crucial for crowd control.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to handle larger enemies with ease.
• 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.

With these skills, you'll become a formidable opponent against both groups and individual targets, leveraging the Kusarigama's unique abilities to your advantage.

Tanto

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• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies your damage, especially against vulnerable targets.
• 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.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts your backstab damage.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals significant damage to armored enemies from behind.

These skills focus on maximizing your damage output with the tanto, making you a lethal assassin capable of taking down even the toughest foes.

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 the number of tools you can carry.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Distracts and lures enemies away from your path.
• 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): Enhances your kunai's lethality.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for disabling alarms and triggering explosives.

These tools will give you the flexibility to manipulate guards and clear the path to your target, making your missions smoother and more efficient.

Shinobi

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• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, essential for navigating the environment quickly.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing you to take risks without fear.
• 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 ensure you remain undetected and reach your objectives swiftly, enhancing your overall stealth gameplay.

Assassin

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• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the damage of your Hidden Blade, making assassinations more effective.
• 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 you to take out two targets simultaneously.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts your assassination damage.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your Hidden Blade, enabling you to take down tougher enemies.

These skills are best utilized with the tanto as your primary weapon, allowing you to execute swift and deadly assassinations. Be cautious, though, as you'll eventually face enemies with higher health who can resist your attacks until you further upgrade your skills.

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