In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, Naoe's approach to eliminating targets is rooted in stealth and precision, though she's also capable of handling direct confrontations with the right strategy. To maximize her potential, here are the top skills to prioritize for Naoe, focusing on skills up to Knowledge Rank 3, which you can achieve quickly by engaging in the game's early open-world activities.

Katana

• Dodge Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your defensive capabilities, allowing you to counter aggressive enemies effectively.
• Melee Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Boosts your melee damage, making you a formidable force in close combat.
• Counter Attack – Katana Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Perfect for punishing enemies who leave themselves open after attacking.
• Eviscerate – Katana Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): A powerful finishing move that can end fights swiftly.

These skills transform Naoe into a defensive powerhouse, ideal for players skilled in dodging and deflecting, enabling them to counterattack and deal significant damage.

Kusarigama

• Entanglement – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Great for building up afflictions and controlling enemies.
• Affliction Builder – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Enhances your ability to apply and stack afflictions on enemies.
• Big Catch – Kusarigama Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to throw even large enemies around for extra damage.
• Multi-Target Expert – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Improves your effectiveness against multiple foes.
• Cyclone Blast – Kusarigama Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 7 Mastery Points): A devastating area-of-effect attack perfect for crowd control.

These skills make Naoe exceptionally effective against both groups and single targets, enhancing her crowd control and damage output.

Tanto

• Shadow Piercer – Tanto Ability (Knowledge Rank 1, 5 Mastery Points): Amplifies damage, especially against vulnerable enemies.
• Gap Seeker – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases your ability to exploit enemy weaknesses.
• Backstab – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances damage when attacking from behind.
• Backstabber – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Further boosts backstab damage.
• Back Breaker – Tanto Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 3 Mastery Points): Deals significant damage to armored enemies from behind.

These skills focus on maximizing damage output with the tanto, making Naoe a lethal assassin capable of taking down even the toughest foes.

Tools

• Smoke Bomb – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1 Mastery Point): Essential for escaping or setting up assassinations.
• Larger Tool Bag I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Increases the number of tools you can carry.
• 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.
• Kunai Assassination Damage I – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Boosts the damage of kunai assassinations.
• Shuriken – Tools Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Allows you to disable alarms and trigger explosives from a distance.

These tools enhance Naoe's ability to manipulate and control the battlefield, making it easier to reach and eliminate your targets.

Shinobi

• Ascension Boost – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 2 Mastery Points): Speeds up climbing, crucial for navigating the game's environments.
• Vault – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Reduces fall damage, allowing for more daring maneuvers.
• Igan Roll – Shinobi Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 1 Mastery Point): Enhances your ability to evade and reposition quickly.
• Heighten Senses – Shinobi Ability (Knowledge Rank 3, 5 Mastery Points): Slows down time, giving you more control in tense situations.

These skills are essential for maintaining stealth and navigating the game world efficiently, keeping Naoe out of sight and on track to her objectives.

Assassin

• Executioner – Global Passive (Knowledge Rank 1, 1/2/3 Mastery Points): Increases assassination damage, making Naoe's strikes more lethal.
• Improved Ground Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Enhances the effectiveness of ground assassinations.
• Double Assassinate – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Allows for simultaneous takedowns of two enemies.
• Assassination Damage I – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 2, 3 Mastery Points): Further increases the damage of your assassinations.
• Reinforced Blade – Assassin Passive (Knowledge Rank 3, 4 Mastery Points): Strengthens your hidden blade, making it more effective against tougher enemies.

These skills are perfect for players using the tanto as a primary weapon, enabling Naoe to execute swift and deadly assassinations, even against stronger foes.

By focusing on these skills, you'll transform Naoe into the ultimate shinobi assassin in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, adept at navigating Japan's landscapes and eliminating targets with unparalleled efficiency. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.