Best Abilities In Yasuke’s Long Katana Mastery Path In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Yasuke is unique in many ways that make him different from Naoe beyond the samurai vs ninja theme in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. He can wield five weapons whereas Naoe can only equip three. This includes Bow, Kanabo, Long Katana, Naginata, and Teppo and they each have a skill tree attached which unlocks after players gain at least one related weapon.

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Let’s focus on the Long Katana path in Assassin’s Creed Shadows as many forms of the katana are a samurai’s greatest ally. Most abilities in this skill tree are active, meaning players can attack enemies with abilities set to a hot bar and need to cooldown like in other RPGs. There are passive skills too, so let’s get to the best ones to focus on first for Yasuke.

7

Adrenaline Builder

Restore Adrenaline Faster

Most of Long Katana’s best skills are active abilities that players can assign to hotkeys like the face buttons on a PS5 controller. To use abilities, like Power Dash which will be later highlighted, players will need Adrenaline.

Once a chunk of Adrenaline is used, it will rebuild over time as players strike enemies. Adrenaline Builder is a skill that will increase the recovery rate of these Adrenaline chunks, meaning players can use more abilities during combat.

6

Combat Expert

Melee Damage Increased

Combat Expert is a basic skill that will increase the damage players can do with Yasuke’s melee weapons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Long Katana, Naginata, and Kanabo will all get a boost the more Mastery Points players dump into this skill. It may not be the wildest upgrade on the planet but it’s another way to make Yasuke unstoppable no matter what melee weapon he wields.

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Next to Combat Expert is Melee Weapon Armor Damage, which will break through armor on enemies faster. Armor is dictated by a yellow meter above an enemy’s health bar which should be obvious but an extra tip will never hurt anyone while playing Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

5

Payback

A Powerful Solo Strike

Payback is a cool move to witness and a powerful one that will strike at a single enemy. Yasuke will stab his Long Katana into the enemy and then chop at their head. Upgrades along this path will increase damage with the final upgrade making the attack unblockable.

It’s a good move to use against enemies with armor, like Elites, or targets found on side quests or during the main mission in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Of Yasuke’s many active abilities for the Long Katana, this might be the most useful one.

4

Power Dash

Cut Through Enemies

Power Dash is another active ability and this will turn Yasuke into a lightning terror. After a brief charge, Yasuke will dart forward with a powerful strike, creating an artistic aesthetic like Yasuke is channeling his inner Kurosawa. It’s a sight to behold considering how large Yasuke is, but Assassin’s Creed Shadows does have a bit of magic behind the scenes even though the two heroes can’t exactly cast spells.

Upgrades along this path can increase the attack power, allow Yasuke to break through armor, and even add two dashes to the attack. This move is most useful when Yasuke is surrounded by enemies as players can time it right to dash through multiples in a straight line.

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Riposte

Counter With A Deadly Strike

Countering, blocking, and dodging is a tricky thing in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. For Yasuke, it’s best to counter or block attacks as his dodge is barely visible. For Naoe, her dodges cover more ground, making any other defensive moves useless.

Riposte is a stronger version of a counterattack if players time their block correctly. Upgrades to this part of the skill tree can heal him based on how much damage Yasuke does to the enemy. Riposte is not the strongest ability down the Long Katana skill tree, but it’s worth picking up.

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Samurai Showdown

Taunted Enemies Take More Ability Damage

Samurai Showdown has to be a clear homage to the fighting game series of the same name or at least it is in the West as it’s called Samurai Spirits in Japan. Regardless, Samurai Showdown in Assassin’s Creed Shadows will taunt enemies in a small area around Yasuke.

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It’s kind of like his Samurai ability, Battle Cry, which can stagger enemies. Samurai Showdown’s taunts will weaken enemies for a short time, allowing Yasuke to do more damage with active abilities like Payback or Power Dash. Upgrades to this skill can increase the attack power and how many enemies can be taunted.

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Sheathed Attack

Strong Attack Upon Sheathing Your Blade

Sheathed Attack will turn Yasuke into the ultimate anime samurai, allowing players to tap and button to sheath his Long Katana. Once unleashed, the attack will be stronger like a normal charged attack for melee weapons.

Upgrades along this path can heal more Adrenaline chunks, making it a useful passive ability if players like using active abilities during combat. It’s also just cool to see in a game or anime when a samurai sheathes their sword and then cuts down an enemy in one blow. Sheathed Attack is not as strong for Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows compared to anime heroes unfortunately.

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Released

March 20, 2025

OpenCritic Rating

Strong