Unlocking skills for Naoe and Yasuke will make them more powerful in combat as you make your way across Japan.
Both the main protagonists in Assassin’s Creed Shadows have plenty of skills to unlock, which are spread across six unique skill trees. The progression system in the game means that you can earn more skills as you earn Mastery Points and upgrade your Knowledge Rank.
To help you decide on the best skills for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, we have explained them in this guide.
Best Skills for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Naoe relies on her stealth, quick movement and possesses some outstanding weapons and tools that are quite helpful in both combat and non-combat scenarios. Owing to her basic skill set, the ideal skills to unlock for her would be undetected movement, be watchful about threats, and increase the chance of killing the enemy with one shot.
There are numerous skills Naoe can learn as you progress in the game. Below are our top picks for her; take your time to understand each and pick the ones that you think are best.
Double Assassinate
- Skill Tree: Assassin
- Knowledge Rank: 2
As the name implies, it lets you kill two enemies in one blow, provided that they are standing nearby so that Naoe can automatically use this skill.
Despite this small condition of proximity between two foes, it is still quite a useful Passive skill to have that’ll come in handy when you are escaping a castle or find two enemies on the road.
Improved Sense
- Skill Tree: Assassin
- Knowledge Rank: 3
It increases the range of the Eagle Vision’s effect and increases your ability to spot more enemies while moving. It simply gives you more time to anticipate threats and plan your move against them.
An added benefit of this skill is that it reduces the time Naoe requires to activate Eagle Vision. It speeds up the gameplay as you don’t have to press buttons to activate Eagle Vision repeatedly.
Igan Roll
- Skill Tree: Shinobi
- Knowledge Rank: 2
It partially reduces the fall damage. It works only if you hit a certain button during the fall and comes in handy when you have to jump from a high point or simply misjudge the length of the drop.
It only works when Naoe has considerable health left, as Igan Roll doesn’t stop the damage completely. Wondering if there’s a way to avoid damage from falls completely? Explore the next skill.
Ninja Fall
- Skill Tree: Shinobi
- Knowledge Rank: 4
It is the upgraded version of Igan Roll and negates fall damage completely while providing Naoe the freedom to jump from anywhere and stand unscathed (obviously by pressing that button command).
Ninja Fall comes only after unlocking Igan Roll. So, make sure you unlock both skills if you want to give Naoe immune to falls.
Heighten Senses
- Skill Tree: Shinobi
- Knowledge Rank: 3
An excellent choice to pair with Improved Sense and slows down the time around Naoe for 8 seconds when she is undetected. However, if she touches an enemy, either by accident or in combat, the timer will end right away.
It lets Naoe quickly slip through enemies without having to fight, or you can use it to reach a particular one unnoticed and execute them.
Kunai Assassination Damage I, II, and III
- Skill Tree: Tools
- Knowledge Rank: Ranks 2, 4, and 6 for Kunai Assassination Damage I, II and III, respectively.
The Kunai Passive skill is very useful as it allows Naoe to kill her enemies from a distance. Naoe has access to this skill right from the beginning of the game, and by the time you unlock all the upgrades, you’ll have full control over it.
Shadow Barrage
- Ability
- Skill Tree: Tanto
- Knowledge Rank: 2
It is an Ability skill that allows Naoe to evade quickly before getting hit by enemies. It lasts up to 20 seconds and evades up to 7 hits, but it doesn’t work against grab attacks.
If you have mastered the evade mechanic in AC Shadows, then you might want to skip this skill and use the Mastery Point for unlocking other skills that are more useful for you.
Melee Expert
- Skill Tree: Katana
- Knowledge Rank: 1
When fully upgraded, this Passive skill boosts damage by 9% for melee weapons. The best part is that it applies to all weapons Naoe has.
Tidal Wave
- Skill Tree: Katana
- Knowledge Rank: 1
If you are looking for easy Posture attacks for Naoe, then Tidal Wave is the skill you need. It is quite a useful Katana ability, so make sure you get all its upgrades. Naoe is able to land fast strikes, dealing 25% ability damage and making enemies vulnerable.
Vigor I
- Skill Tree: Assassin
- Knowledge Rank: 3
Naoe has only one Adrenaline Chuck by default compared to Yasuke, and getting Vigor I adds a second one. Unlock Vigor II and III to take Adrenaline Chucks up to 4.
That’s all there is to it! These were my 10 recommended skills and abilities for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
