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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe embodies the art of stealth and precision, excelling in the shadows while still capable of engaging in direct confrontations when planned meticulously. For players eager to maximize Naoe's potential, here are the top skills to prioritize, all achievable up to Knowledge Rank 3 through consistent engagement with the game's early open-world activities.

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

Katana

• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to punish aggressive enemies.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage output, making you more formidable in close quarters.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for those skilled in dodging and deflecting, enabling counterattacks that can swiftly turn the tide of battle.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful ability to finish off fights with devastating effect.

These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ready to capitalize on enemy aggression with lethal precision.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for building afflictions and controlling the battlefield.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to inflict status effects on enemies.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw even large enemies around for additional damage.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your effectiveness against groups of enemies.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): Unleashes a devastating attack against multiple targets.

With these skills, Naoe becomes a formidable force against both groups and single targets, adept at controlling the flow of combat.

Tanto

• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies damage and exploits vulnerable enemies.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to find and exploit weaknesses in enemy armor.
• 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 when targeting their backs.

These skills enhance Naoe's lethality with the tanto, allowing her to swiftly dispatch even the most heavily armored foes.

Tools

• Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for escaping or setting up assassinations.
• Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases your capacity to carry more tools.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Lures enemies away, creating opportunities for stealth.
• Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your smoke bomb's effect.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your kunai's lethality for longer-ranged kills.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for disarming alarms and triggering explosives.

These tools provide Naoe with versatile options to manipulate and control the battlefield, clearing paths and setting up lethal strikes.

Shinobi

• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up climbing, crucial for navigating environments quickly.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to vault over obstacles.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, keeping you agile and safe.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, allowing for more precise movement through crowded areas.

These skills ensure Naoe remains undetected and agile, reaching her targets without alerting enemies.

Assassin

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your assassination damage.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of ground assassinations.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows for simultaneous takedowns of multiple targets.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts your overall assassination damage.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your hidden blade, making it more effective against tougher foes.

These skills make Naoe an unparalleled assassin, particularly when equipped with a tanto, allowing for swift and deadly strikes.

With these prioritized skills across each tree, Naoe can become the ultimate assassinating shinobi in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For further guidance, don't hesitate to explore resources on The Escapist.