Yasuke is one of the two protagonists of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, though your time to enjoy his abilities in battle comes after you’ve completed enough Shinbakufu assassinations as Noae. Once you gain control of Yasuke and can customize his mastery abilities, you might be overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices available.
Related
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Will Now Come To Steam Deck At Launch
Ubisoft has reversed its decision about a Steam Deck version at launch.
While you receive superior abilities later in the game, the best skills to choose first for Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are clear. Not every weapon type is well-represented, as we narrowed the options only to the best, considering their usefulness and accessibility as two key factors.
How To Pick Yasuke’s Best Abilities
Yasuke boasts a plethora of abilities across six different categories, but not all are available from the start.
Since we will be focusing on Yasuke’s best abilities to unlock first, we’re keeping our sights focused on the available skills you can access within the first 15 to 20 mastery levels.
As such, no abilities above Knowledge Rank Three are included, as these abilities will typically take a long time and significant effort to unlock.
Furthermore, not all of Yasuke’s weapons are created equal, so we’ll focus on the best options to use before you’ve filled out Yasuke’s mastery tree, indicating the best weapons that don’t take much ability investment.
What Are Yasuke’s Best Early-Game Abilities?
From the get-go, Yasuke has access to his Long Katana, a staple weapon and an essential part of what it means to be a Samurai. This weapon and the Samurai style are mainstays in Yasuke’s repertoire, offering several powerful abilities.
We’ll also pinpoint the best early Teppo abilities to select, as you’ll want a little range to go with Yasuke’s domineering style in tight quarters.
Best Teppo Abilities
The best early-game Teppo abilities are:
- Armor Buster
- Explosive Surprise
Armor Buster reloads your weapon and follows up with a shot that deals 100 percent ability damage while also breaking the target’s armor.
This powerful ability is a massive help when fighting armored targets, and is the first half of a strong one-two punch that will see you decimating any foe.
Explosive Surprise allows you to toss and then shoot a gunpowder pouch, inflicting 35 percent ability damage on the targets within range. The nice part about this ability is its area-of-effect (AoE) bonus, which allows you to hit multiple enemies at once.
Best Samurai Abilities
The best Samurai abilities are:
- War Kick
- Brutal Assassination
- Impenetrable Defense
War Kick does exactly what it says, as Yasuke kicks an enemy, doing 20 percent ability damage and pushing the enemy away. Unfortunately, it’s less effective on larger enemies until you upgrade it, but it’s extremely useful for getting out of tight situations by creating space.
Brutal Assassination is straightforward, enabling Yasuke to perform his version of Naoe’s Assassination ability, which triggers when you sneak up on an unsuspecting enemy via Stealth.
Gaining the option to immediately defeat a foe or do a large chunk of damage to them is a huge boon.
Last, but not least is Impenetrable Defense, a level three ability that immediately counters every attack you receive for 20 seconds up to five hits.
What could be better than an easy way to avoid taking damage? This is a huge improvement to Yasuke’s already formidable defensive ability.
Best Long Katana Abilities
The best Long Katana abilities to invest in early are:
- Riposte
- Energizing Defense
- Power Dash
Riposte is a bread-and-butter ability that allows you to parry an enemy attack and immediately strike back with a powerful slash. This ability turns defense into offense and can shift the tide of battle instantly.
Energizing Defense is the upgraded ability to Riposte and adds five percent HP restoration to each successful riposte. In addition to providing a way for Yasuke to heal when he’s on the defensive, you can upgrade this ability again at Knowledge Rank Two to increase the riposte damage by 40 percent.
Lastly, Power Dash is one of the most useful Yasuke abilities in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as it provides 50 percent ability damage and leaves the enemy vulnerable. This move is so powerful because it accomplishes a few things at once:
- Inflicts ability damage
- Stuns the enemy/interrupts their attacks
- Makes the enemy vulnerable
- Repositions Yasuke
The variety of impressive utilities Power Dash provides makes it arguably Yasuke’s best early-game ability, as it can be used against larger or smaller enemies.
You can rely on Power Dash more than any other active ability, as it can keep Yasuke alive or finish off his foes with the press of a button.
Next
Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ Canon Mode Was Added Because Fans Wanted A “Definitive” Narrative
Don’t worry, Assassin’s Creed Shadows has a set place in the series’ canon.