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

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's approach to eliminating targets is steeped in stealth and cunning, though she's no stranger to direct combat when the situation demands it. To truly harness her potential, it's crucial to prioritize the right skills early on. Here's a breakdown of the best skills to acquire first for Naoe, up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging with the open-world activities in the game's starting areas.

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

Katana

• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for turning defensive moves into offensive opportunities.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your melee combat effectiveness, making every strike count.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for punishing aggressive foes, allowing you to turn their attacks against them.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can end fights decisively.

These skills transform Naoe into a formidable defensive force, ready to capitalize on enemy aggression with swift counterattacks and devastating blows.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Ideal for controlling the battlefield and setting up devastating attacks.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to inflict debilitating effects on enemies.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to manipulate even larger foes, enhancing your control over the fight.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Perfect for dealing with groups, ensuring you can handle multiple threats at once.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A powerful area-of-effect attack that can clear out groups of enemies.

With these skills, Naoe becomes a master of crowd control, capable of managing both individual and multiple adversaries with ease.

Tanto

• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies your damage output, making you a lethal assassin.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to find and exploit weaknesses in enemy defenses.
• Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your stealth attacks, making them even more deadly.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further increases your damage from behind, perfect for assassinations.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): A devastating move that can take down even armored enemies.

These skills turn Naoe into a master of silent kills, maximizing her damage output and exploiting enemy vulnerabilities.

Tools

• Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): A versatile tool for escaping or setting up multiple assassinations.
• Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases your capacity to carry more tools, enhancing your versatility.
• Shinobi Bell – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Useful for 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): Boosts the damage of your kunai, making them more effective for ranged kills.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Useful for disarming traps or triggering explosives from a distance.

These tools allow Naoe to manipulate the battlefield, creating opportunities for stealthy kills and strategic escapes.

Shinobi

• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up your climbing, crucial for navigating the game's vertical environments.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to quickly move over obstacles.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring escapes.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you a tactical advantage in crowded areas.

These skills keep Naoe agile and elusive, enabling her to move through the environment with unmatched grace and precision.

Assassin

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases the effectiveness of your assassinations, making them more lethal.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to take down targets silently from the ground.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows you to eliminate two targets simultaneously, doubling your efficiency.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of your assassinations, ensuring quick and silent kills.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your hidden blade, making it capable of taking down even the toughest foes.

These skills make Naoe an unparalleled assassin, capable of executing targets with precision and efficiency, particularly when paired with the Tanto.

By focusing on these early skills, you'll set Naoe on the path to becoming the ultimate shinobi assassin in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more detailed guides and tips, be sure to check out The Escapist.