AC Shadows: All weapon types

Assassin's Creed Shadows features two main characters with two different gameplay styles. Yasuke and Naoe have access to several types of weapons - Naoe can use three types, while Yasuke can use as many as five. Each of these weapons is recommended for different situations and involves a different playstyle. However, they can only carry two weapons at a time, so the player is forced to choose. On this guide page, we have listed all types of weapons in the game, described their strengths and weaknesses, and advised on the most recommended weapon sets.

• Katana
• Kusarigama
• Tanto
• Long katana
• Naginata
• Kanabo
• Teppo
• Bow
• Which weapon to use?

Katana

1. Character: Naoe
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: Katanas are the most balanced weapons in the game. They don't have any exaggerated advantages or disadvantages - they are suitable for any situation and are never a bad choice. This is Naoe's most defensive weapon - its upgrades focus mainly on improving its defense, making enemies vulnerable to more powerful blows and allowing for devastating counterattacks. By improving katanas, you will eventually become capable of parrying a series of blows and unblockable attacks.

Kusarigama

1. Character: Naoe
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: Kusarigama is a weapon focused on crowd control. It provides you with attacks of an enormous and wide range that can hit multiple enemies at once, as well as the ability to chain enemies together and throw them in different directions. Kusarigama is an aggressive weapon that doesn't have too many defensive options - when using it, you should try to keep enemies at a distance and not let them approach you. This is also the best weapon for a dire situation - if you get caught as Naoe, with a kusarigama you can fight your way out more easily and deal with a whole crowd of enemies.

Tanto

1. Character: Naoe
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: Tanto is a weapon focused on fighting single, powerful enemies. Single blows are weak, but they quickly destroy enemy armor, and combinations of blows end with very strong attacks. When using a tanto, you are encouraged to be mobile and perform dodges, as many purchased upgrades are only applied when striking enemies from behind. This is also an excellent weapon for stealth, as it allows you to perform double kills: silently killing two enemies standing next to each other at once. One of the later improvements will even allow you to perform instant kills during combat.

Long katana

1. Character: Yasuke
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: The long katana is Yasuke's basic and most balanced weapon. There are no exaggerated advantages or disadvantages to it: it is suitable for any situation and is never a bad choice. Compared to Naoe's katanas, long katanas are more offensive-oriented. Their most unique improvement are sheath attack: they deal considerable damage, break through enemy guards, and can knock down opponents.

Naginata

1. Character: Yasuke
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: Naginata is an area weapon, best suited for fighting several enemies at once. It is know for its wide swings and long attack combinations covering the area around the hero. After upgrading, it also deals more damage if you keep enemies at a certain distance. Although it is mainly an area weapon, it also has several strong combinations and attacks against single targets.

Kanabo

1. Character: Yasuke
2. Type: Melee
3. Comment: Kanabo is a huge blunt weapon, crushing armor and using stronger blows to push back enemies. It's know for its slow, powerful combinations - the first blow is weak, but the next ones are devastating. So, this weapon works best when no one can interrupt your combinations: it's suited for combat against single enemies or small groups. This is Yasuke's most offensive weapon - it has no additional defensive options and needs some time to reach full power, but once the combo is started, it is unstoppable.

Teppo

1. Character: Yasuke
2. Type: Long-range
3. Comment: Teppo is a rifle know for the high damage it deals and its long reload time. It is capable of destroying armor. It can also be upgraded to gain some area functionalities. Since teppo shots are pretty loud, this weapon is designed for open combat, allowing you to shoot enemies during a fight.

Bow

1. Character: Yasuke
2. Type: Long-range
3. Comment: The bow is characterized by a high rate of fire and maintaining bow string tension - after upgrading the weapon, releasing the bowstring at the right moment increases the damage dealt. This is a silent weapon, and also Yasuke's only option if he wants to sneak around. One of the upgrades equips the bow with special arrows that ignore armor. It allows you to silently eliminate the most dangerous enemies without having to rush into open combat.

Which weapon to use?

As Naoe, we recommend using both tanto and kusarigama. Tanto allows you to perform double kills, while kusarigama will help you both keep enemies at a distance and defeat entire groups at once. As Yasuke, the choice is much less obvious, as the samurai excels in combat regardless of the choice of weapon. However, we recommend using both melee and ranged weapons - unlike Naoe, Yasuke has neither kunai nor shurikens, so the bow and teppo are the only ranged weapons he can use. We described these choices in more detail on a separate guide page.

See also:

1. What are Boards?
2. All missions
3. How do skill trees work?

Assassin's Creed: Shadows

March 20, 2025

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