Top Initial Skills for Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's gameplay thrives on stealth and precision, making her the perfect assassin for those who prefer to strike from the shadows. Yet, she's not just limited to covert operations; with the right skills, Naoe can handle direct confrontations as well. Here’s a guide on the best skills to prioritize for Naoe up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging 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 swiftly counter aggressive foes.
Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your overall melee damage, making you more formidable in close combat.
Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to turn enemy attacks against them, punishing their aggression.
Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that maximizes your damage output, perfect for ending fights decisively.

With these skills, Naoe becomes a defensive powerhouse, ready to exploit enemy mistakes and deliver devastating blows.

Kusarigama

Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling the battlefield and building up afflictions on enemies.
Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to inflict status effects, making your attacks more debilitating.
Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to manipulate even larger enemies, increasing your tactical options.
Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves your effectiveness against multiple foes, perfect for crowd control.
Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful area-of-effect attack that can clear out groups of enemies.

These skills turn Naoe into a versatile combatant, capable of handling both groups and individual targets with ease.

Tanto

Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies your damage output, especially against vulnerable targets.
Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to exploit enemy weaknesses, enhancing your lethality.
Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts damage when attacking from behind, perfect for stealth kills.
Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further enhances your backstabbing prowess, making you a formidable assassin.
Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals massive damage to armored enemies, breaking their defenses.

These skills focus on maximizing damage and exploiting vulnerabilities, making Naoe a deadly assassin with the Tanto.

Tools

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 your tool capacity, allowing for more strategic options.
Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for distracting and luring enemies away from your path.
Enduring Haze – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Extends the duration of your Smoke Bomb, giving you more time to maneuver.
Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ranged assassination capabilities.
Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to disable alarms and trigger explosives from a distance.

These tools provide Naoe with the means to manipulate the battlefield, creating opportunities for stealthy takedowns.

Shinobi

Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, crucial for navigating the environment quickly.
Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your agility, helping you evade detection.
Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you a tactical advantage in crowded areas.

These skills ensure Naoe remains undetected and agile, facilitating stealthy approaches to your objectives.

Assassin

Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your assassination damage, making your strikes more lethal.
Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to take down enemies from a prone position.
Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to eliminate two targets simultaneously, perfect for crowded areas.
Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further boosts your assassination damage, ensuring quick kills.
Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your Hidden Blade, enabling you to take down tougher enemies.

These skills make Naoe a master of assassination, particularly effective when using the Tanto and the Hidden Blade.

By focusing on these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate shinobi assassin in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, ready to tackle any challenge in feudal Japan. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.