Assassin's Creed Shadows: Best skills

Both playable characters in Assassin's Creed Shadows have as many as six skill trees. Although new skill points are acquired quite often, the number of available skills can be overwhelming. On this guide page, you will find a list of the most useful skills in each available tree; it is recommended to unlock them as soon as possible.

• Katana
• Kusarigama
• Tanto
• Tools
• Shinobi
• Assassin
• Long katana
• Naginata
• Kanabo
• Teppo
• Samurai
• Bow

Katana

1. Counter Attack - every perfect deflection entails an immediate counter attack. Katana is a defensive weapon based on parrying, so adding some extra damage to each deflection is definitely worth it.
2. Generator - dodge attacks give you increased amounts of adrenaline. Naoe has significantly less adrenaline than Yasuke, so any way of getting it is invaluable.

Kusarigama

1. Entanglement - holding the attack button during the strong attack animation binds the enemy and allows you to throw them in any direction. Although initially somewhat unintuitive, this skill comes in very handy when fighting single enemies, allowing you to easily knock them over or throw them to spots that are more convenient for you.
2. Quick Strike - waiting a moment after an attack and attacking again continues the combo with two strikes instead of one. The biggest weakness of kusarigama is fighting single enemies, and this skill significantly increases the damage dealt to them.
3. Cyclone Blast - Naoe performs pirouettes and swinging the kusarigama, dealing damage to all nearby enemies. Thanks to this skill, you can force enemies to retreat when you are surrounded from all sides.

Tanto

1. Shadow Piercer - Naoe throws the tanto at an enemy and pulls it out of them. This skill makes the enemy vulnerable to charged attacks. Naoe won't take damage while her attack animation still plays. Use this advantage to easily escape by attacking the enemy with this skill and thus, interrupting their attacks.
2. Shadow Barrage - Naoe automatically dodges up to 7 hits for 20 seconds. This is a sort of a temporary shield, thanks to which you can focus on attacking without having to worry about dodging. Beware of grab attacks though - this skill doesn't work on them.
3. Backstab - hitting the enemy's back with a charged attack is treated like attacking their weak point. Using the tanto, you are encouraged to be mobile, and this skill will allow you to inflict considerable damage without the need to make the enemy vulnerable beforehand.

Tools

1. New tools - three skills unlocking new tools (smoke bombs, shurikens, shinobi bells). Purchase them as soon as possible to have access to all Naoe's tools.
2. Larger Tool Bag - permanently increases the number of tools that Naoe can carry. The more, the better - it's worth acquiring this skill as soon as possible.
3. Quick Throw - through a specified key command, Naoe can automatically, without aiming, throw a selected tool at the nearest enemy. It's especially useful for smoke bombs, which allow for a quick escape, and for shurikens, which make it easier to stagger enemies.
4. Kunai Assassination Damage - increases the damage dealt by throwing a kunai at the head of an unsuspecting enemy. Improving this skill turns the kunai into a tool for silent, armor-piercing, long-range assassinations.

Shinobi

1. Igan Roll - pressing the dodge button before hitting the ground reduces fall damage. This skill is used in rather specific situations, but can save your life in case you make a mistake.
2. Ascension Boost - Naoe climbs faster while using the grappling hook. The faster Naoe gets onto the roofs, the less chance of her being detected.
3. Lightning Kicks - Naoe knocks two enemies to the ground. An incredibly useful skill; it works on almost every enemy. While the animation is on, Naoe is untouchable, and the defeated enemies lie on the ground for a few seconds. Afterwards, you can stab them with a hidden blade, inflicting substantial damage or destroying their armor.

Assassin

1. Double Assassinate - with a tanto equipped, Naoe can perform an assassination on two enemies standing next to each other at the same time. It's a very useful skill that can solve many problematic situations.
2. Assassination Damage - increases the damage dealt by assassinations. Improving this skill allows you to get rid of increasingly stronger enemies. Be careful: in the game settings you can find an option that allows the hidden blade to always kill with one hit. If you have activated it, this skill is useless.
3. Reinforced Blade - enables assassinating large enemies. Large enemies are often the most dangerous ones, so getting rid of them undetected is very important.

Long katana

1. Sheathed Attack - while holding his guard, Yasuke delivers a hit that breaks through the enemy's guard. Improving this skill will even allow for charging these hits, and will enable knocking down enemies.
2. Power Dash - Yasuke dashes towards an enemy and gets behind their back, making the hit enemy vulnerable to a strike at their weak point. It easily reveals enemies and serves as a makeshift area attack - all enemies in the samurai's path will receive damage.
3. Payback - Yasuke slashes the enemy three times and restores 10% of her health with each hit. It significantly facilitates your survival and allows for much more frequent healing.

Naginata

1. Crescent Strike - Yasuke performs a quick, sweeping strike of a large range, which pushes enemies back. Although the damage is low, the attack is very useful when you need to get yourself some space.
2. Whirlwind - a strong combination of hits against a single enemy. It's your best option when fighting with the Naginata against a single, powerful opponent.

Kanabo

1. Forward Momentum - kanabo combos are faster. The first blow in the kanabo combo is always weak, but the next ones are devastating - the sooner you start a full-fledged combo, the more dangerous you will be.
2. Devastation - changing the type of attack at the end of a combination (from weak to strong or vice versa) results in a more powerful final blow. The last hits of the combination are the most powerful attacks available to the kanabo, so their improved form is devastating.

Teppo

1. Armor Buster - Yasuke reloads his weapon and fires a shot that destroys the enemy's armor. Apart from piercing enemy's armor, Yasuke is also invincible while the attack animation is on. As a result, you can safely reload the teppo in the middle of a fight.
2. Larger Pouch - increases the maximum capacity for ammunition. The more ammo, the better.
3. Explosive Surprise - Yasuke throws gunpowder pouch and automatically shoots at it, causing an explosion. Your best tool for crowd control is wielding a teppo.

Samurai

1. War Kick - one of the most useful skills in the game. Yasuke performs a very fast, powerful kick that pushes the enemy several meters away. Thanks to it, you can increase the distance between you and the enemy, instantly interrupt dangerous combinations, knock enemies off roofs and cliffs, and slam them into walls.
2. Regeneration - killing enemies heals Yasuke. As a samurai, you will fight multiple enemies at once, so this skill will greatly facilitate your survival.
3. Brutal Assassination - approach an unsuspecting enemy to perform a loud, but incredibly powerful assassination, which most often will kill them instantly. If you manage to sneak up on an enemy or hunt someone down in a public place, a brutal assassination will allow you to immediately get rid of the most dangerous enemy before an open fight begins.

Bow

1. Marksman's Shot - hitting an enemy with a charged shot to the head allows for an immediate second shot to the head. It works well against lightly armored enemies - the first shot destroys the armor, and the second one kills them.
2. Larger Quiver - increases the maximum capacity of arrows. The more of them, the better.
3. Silent Arrows - unlocks a special type of arrows that ignore armor and deal massive damage when hitting an unaware target in the head. This is the only way for Yasuke to perform silent assassinations, allowing him to get rid of the most dangerous enemies from a distance before an open fight begins.

See also:

1. All quests
2. Fast travel
3. Hideout

Assassin's Creed: Shadows

March 20, 2025

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