Assassin's Creed Shadows - Skills
The abilities and skill systems of Assassin's Creed Shadows, split across Naoe's stealth-driven shinobi kit and Yasuke's strength-based samurai combat. Each protagonist carries a distinct progression of traversal, assassination, and combat techniques that reinforce the game's core Light and Shadow d...
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of 20 entries
· updated 2026-09-15
| Name | Type | Description | Weapon Type | Cost | Prerequisite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shinobi Parkour & Grappling | Traversal Skill | Naoe's signature mobility suite of chained parkour, wall-running, and the grappling hook, letting her climb, swing, and traverse rooftops and castle architecture with speed and silence, opening stealth routes Yasuke cannot reach. | Naoe (Mobility) | Skill tree progression | Naoe protagonist unlocks |
| Clandestine Assassination | Special Skill | The core Hidden Ones assassination skill, allowing silent, one-shot eliminations of unaware targets with the hidden blade, including faster chained takedowns and multi-kill sequences as the tree advances. | Naoe (Hidden Blade) | Skill tree progression | Hidden blade kit |
| Throwing Tools Mastery | Passive | Enhances Naoe's smoke bombs, poison, and throwing instruments, increasing their duration, area, and utility for thinning patrols and creating the openings needed for stealth kills. | Naoe (Tools) | Skill tree progression | Unlocks in Naoe's tool branch |
| Heavy Samurai Combat | Combat Skill | Yasuke's committed open-combat skillset of parries, posture-breaking heavy swings, and armor-shattering finishers, built around standing his ground with a katana, kanabo, naginata, or great blade in the light. | Yasuke (Melee) | Skill tree progression | Yasuke protagonist unlocks |
| Matchlock Firearm Skills | Special Skill | Skills governing Yasuke's use of teppo and matchlock firearms, improving accuracy, reload, and his ability to apply gunpowder pressure between heavy melee openings. | Yasuke (Ranged) | Skill tree progression | Unlocks in Yasuke's ranged branch |
| Asymmetric Dual-Protagonist Progression | System Skill | The overarching progression system that keeps Naoe and Yasuke's skill trees, gear, and upgrades entirely separate, reinforcing their distinct roles and letting players invest in whichever playstyle matches each mission. | Shared (Naoe + Yasuke) | None (systemic) | Both protagonists available |
| Katana Mastery | Weapon Skill | Naoe's katana tree, the straight fight she falls back on when stealth fails. | Naoe (Katana) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Katana equipped as Naoe |
| Kusarigama Mastery | Weapon Skill | The chained sickle tree, Naoe's crowd-control weapon. | Naoe (Kusarigama) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Kusarigama equipped as Naoe |
| Tanto Mastery | Weapon Skill | The short-blade pair tree, built for fast, low-damage chains that keep Naoe mobile. | Naoe (Tanto) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Tanto equipped as Naoe |
| Shinobi Mastery | Passive | Naoe's stealth tree, covering prone crawling, hiding spots, silent movement, and the bonuses she gains from darkness. | Naoe (Stealth) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Unlocks through Naoe's shinobi branch |
| Eagle Vision and Observation | Special Skill | Naoe's scouting toolkit: Eagle Vision highlighting enemies, objectives, and loot through geometry, paired with the observation mechanic used to study a target before committing to an approach. | Naoe (Reconnaissance) | Skill points / unlocked during the prologue | Naoe protagonist unlocks |
| Long Katana Mastery | Weapon Skill | Yasuke's two-handed katana tree, the all-round heavy blade. | Yasuke (Long Katana) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Long Katana equipped as Yasuke |
| Naginata Mastery | Weapon Skill | The polearm tree, giving Yasuke reach and wide sweeps that no other weapon in his kit matches. | Yasuke (Naginata) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Naginata equipped as Yasuke |
| Kanabo Mastery | Weapon Skill | The war-club tree, the slowest and heaviest option in the game. | Yasuke (Kanabo) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Kanabo equipped as Yasuke |
| Bow Mastery | Weapon Skill | Yasuke's archery tree, his quiet option in a kit built around noise. | Yasuke (Bow) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Bow equipped as Yasuke |
| Samurai Mastery | Passive | Yasuke's general combat tree, sitting above the individual weapon branches. | Yasuke (Combat) | Skill points (Knowledge Rank gated) | Yasuke protagonist unlocks |
| Knowledge Rank Progression | System Skill | The gate on the whole skill system. Completing side activities, synchronising viewpoints, and clearing temples and shrines raises Knowledge Rank, and each new rank unlocks the next tier of skills in both protagonists' trees, so exploring the map is what actually advances a build. | Shared (Naoe + Yasuke) | Earned from activities and viewpoints | Available from the start |
| Adrenaline Abilities | Special Skill | Charged special attacks tied to each weapon type. | Naoe + Yasuke (per weapon) | Adrenaline gauge built through combat | Skill unlocked per weapon branch |
| Engravings and Gear Perks | System Skill | The gear half of character building. Weapons, armour, and trinkets carry engravings that add stat effects and conditional perks, and smiths can add or swap them, so a build is a combination of skill points and engraved gear rather than skill points alone. | Shared (Naoe + Yasuke) | Crafting materials and smith services | Smith and forge access |
| Kakurega Hideout and Scouts | System Skill | The hideout and network layer: the Kakurega safehouses built across the provinces, the scouts dispatched from them to reveal regions and gather resources, and the allies who can be recruited and called into combat. | Shared (Naoe + Yasuke) | Resources spent on hideout and network upgrades | First hideout unlocked in the prologue |
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