All Assassin’s Creed Shadows skills and best skills to unlock first

What are the Assassin’s Creed Shadows skills? Whether you want to be a feather-footed shinobi or a one-man samurai army, AC Shadows includes multiple skill trees with various abilities you can unlock to improve your performance in combat. Our complete list of all skills can help you decide which to unlock first.

With so many to choose from, the best AC Shadows skills can often mean the difference between life and death, especially against AC Shadows bosses. Aside from new abilities, Assassin’s Creed Shadows skills can provide passive buffs to your AC Shadows weapons and combat moves. If you’re spoiled for choice, here are the best skills and how to unlock them.

Best AC Shadows skills

Skills require Mastery Points and Knowledge Points to unlock. Mastery Points are the currency spent to activate skills, and you can earn more by leveling up and completing AC Shadows quests. Knowledge Points unlock higher tiers on the skill tree, and can be earned via side activities like Kuji-Kiri and collecting Lost Pages. Both can be difficult to come by early on in your adventure, so we’ve picked the best skills to help you spend them wisely.

Best Naoe skills

Here are the best skills for Naoe in AC Shadows:

• Dodge Attack (Katana)
• Counter Attack (Katana)
• Quick Throw (Tools)
• Smoke Bomb (Tools)
• Shinobi Bell (Tools)
• Shuriken (Tools)
• Double Assassinate (Assassin)
• Grab Assassination (Shinobi)

Dodge Attack (Katana)

Dodge Attack is the best skill to quickly disengage with foes to avoid incoming damage, then close the distance quickly before they can recover. This lets Naoe stay light on her feet but remain aggressive, letting you take advantage of small windows to press your advantage.

Counter Attack (Katana)

Counter Attack transforms your defensive deflection into an offensive powerhouse, letting you parry and riposte like a regular soulslike protagonist. This skill also causes enemies to stagger, letting you sneak in another attack or switch focus to another foe.

Quick Throw (Tools)

All too often, we’ve stepped out of cover to assassinate a guard, only for one of his pals to turn around at the same moment. Quick Throw lets you dispatch witnesses in the blink of an eye with your kunai without the need to aim.

Smoke Bomb (Tools)

Once you’ve been detected, it can be a real pain to escape unseen. That’s where the Smoke Bomb comes in. This series staple lets you break all lines of sight in the area, letting you disappear while taking out a few enemies in the process.

Shinobi Bell (Tools)

Whistling is one way to get a guard’s attention, but it also means they’ll inevitably move towards your position. The Shinobi Bell lets you throw down a distraction anywhere you like, whether you want to reposition enemies for the perfect takedown or simply get them to look the other way so you can sneak past.

Shuriken (Tools)

The shuriken might deal less damage than the kunai, but it’s worth unlocking. These swift throwing stars can extinguish light sources and stagger enemies, so you keep more powerful ranged tools for the times in which they’re most needed.

Double Assassinate (Assassin)

Two assassinations are better than one, especially if you want to leave no witnesses behind. Double Assassination is another series staple, and it’s a must-have skill to clear heavily guarded castles and temples quickly and quietly.

Grab Assassinate (Shinobi)

Naoe is all about stealth, but leaving dead bodies lying around is a quick way to alert anyone in the vicinity. Grab Assassinate lets you drag guards from their posts and into the shadows, then hide the bodies without the slow and arduous process of carrying them.

Best Yasuke skills

Here are the best skills for Yasuke in AC Shadows:

• Combat Expert (Long Katana)
• Payback (Long Katana)
• Riposte (Long Katana)
• Teppo Tempo (Teppo)
• Armor Buster (Teppo)
• Brutal Assassination (Samurai)
• Regeneration (Samurai)
• Link Attack (Samurai)

Combat Expert (Long Katana)

Yasuke is an incredible fighter, so any way to boost his melee damage will benefit his core fighting skills across the board. Combat Expert does just that, bestowing a 9% melee damage bonus. This applies to the myriad powerful close-quarters combos further along his skill trees, making it an exceedingly valuable passive buff throughout your playthrough.

Payback (Long Katana)

Yasuke thrives on the front lines of any battle, so it’s natural for him to take a hit or two. Payback lets you repay your enemies in kind with three powerful revenge strikes that replenish your health, making it less likely to end up on the brink of death during the heat of battle. All you have to do is keep swinging that katana.

Riposte (Long Katana)

Staying on the defense is a good way to stay alive, but to emerge victorious from any battle, you must turn the aggression back on the enemy. Riposte ensures that every standard guard has an opportunity to do just that. The timing is also fairly forgiving – you don’t have to be a parry expert to prosper. Don’t forget to invest a few Mastery Points into the next skill on its branch, Energizing Defense, for easy health restoration.

Teppo Tempo (Teppo)

Yasuke’s ranged weaponry lets you strike first when engaging enemies at a distance, but they can be inefficient at close range. Teppo Tempo solves that problem, allowing Yasuke to pull out his teppo and fire off a quick shot after a dodge. It can even make enemies vulnerable at higher branches on the skill tree.

Armor Buster (Teppo)

Hacking away at an armored foe can be an exercise in frustration. Armor Buster does what it says on the tin, able to break the most impenetrable armor after a short reload time. It also deals additional damage in its own right, which makes it an excellent opener when taking on a particularly dangerous foe.

Brutal Assassination (Samurai)

Yasuke’s version of an assassination lets you approach unsuspecting enemies and remove health segments before they even see you coming. Invest in the skills farther along this branch to target large enemies and remove even more health segments in one precise blow.

Regeneration (Samurai)

The best self-sustain comes from attacks that can simultaneously regenerate your health, especially when you’re in the thick of it. While Riposte can do that at higher levels, Regeneration lets you regain health after every kill, so you can continue your onslaught without relying solely on rations to stay alive.

Link Attack (Samurai)

Combos are an important aspect of Yasuke’s fighting style, letting you extend your attacks and tap into higher damage potential. Link Attack allows you to extend a regular combo by switching to your secondary weapon on the fly. This remains viable across all combos, giving your foe no quarter to retreat and recover.

All AC Shadows skills

The AC Shadows skills are spread across 12 unique skill trees, equally divided between Naoe and Yasuke. Some skills are only available to unlock later on in the story, while others require you to unlock the previous skill on its branch.

All Naoe skills

Here are all the skill trees for Naoe:

• Katana
• Tools
• Shinobi
• Assassin
• Kusarigama
• Tanto

Katana

Tools

Shinobi

Assassin

Kusarigama

Tanto

All Yasuke skills

Here are all the skill trees for Yasuke:

• Long Katana
• Teppo
• Samurai
• Bow
• Naginata
• Kanabo

Long Katana

Teppo

Naginata

Samurai

Bow

Kanabo

Now that you’re up to speed on all the AC Shadows skills, start saving up your points for the best AC Shadows builds. We’ve also got the AC Shadows legendary gear locations plus the best trinkets and amulets for our two favorite assassins to help take those skills you’ve unlocked to new heights. Finally, our AC Shadows review delivers our verdict on Ubisoft’s feudal Japan.