Assassin’s Creed Shadows Naoe Ability Guide

Assassin’s Creed Shadows stars two protagonists, and one of them is adept at all things related to the assassin fantasy. Naoe, a shinobi, possesses the sort of skillset one would associate with the most elite of the Assassin Brotherhood. Stealth, assassination, and subterfuge are but a few of the tricks up her sleeve.

If sticking to the shadows and striking unseen are more your style, Naoe is the obvious choice. If you have more of a bull-in-a-china-shop approach, you can check out Yasuke’s ability guide. If you’re happy with Naoe’s description, read on to see all available abilities for the star shinobi.

Every Naoe Ability Explained

Katana

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Katana Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	Increase Katana damage by 3%
Melee Expert	Passive	3	1	Increase damage with Melee Weapons by 2%
Dodge Attack	Passive	1	1	Press R1 after a Dodge to launch a fast counter-attack and quickly get back to the enemy
Tidal Wave	Active	1	1	An extremely fast strike dealing 25% ability damage and making the enemy Vulnerable
Affliction Effectiveness	Passive	3	2	Increase damage on Afflicted Enemies by 2%. An enemy is Afflicted when suffering from Bleed, Poison, or Daze
Generator	Passive	2	2	Dodge Attacks generate 25% of an Adrenaline Chunk on hit
Counter Attack	Passive	1	2	Press L1 at the last moment to turn your Deflect into a counter-attack
Second Wave	Passive	2	3	Tidal Wave can now be chained 2 times in a row
Eviscerate	Active	1	3	Strike an enemy, dealing 75% ability damage and pushing them away. Half as effective on large enemies
Momentum Builder	Passive	3	4	Increase damage with consecutive hits by 1%
No Mercy	Passive	2	4	Successful Dodge Attacks make the target Vulnerable
Guard Breaker	Active	1	4	Unleash 9 strikes, each dealing 10% ability damage and breaking armor. Half as effective on large enemies
Outclass	Passive	2	4	Eviscerate now has its full effect on large enemies
Swift Step	Passive	2	4	Counter Attack can now be performed on flurry attacks
No Quarter	Passive	2	5	Guard Breaker now has its full effect on larger enemies
Smokescreen	Passive	2	5	Can now drop a smoke bomb after the push
Unstoppable	Passive	2	6	Guard Breaker can no longer be blocked or parried
Third Wave	Passive	2	6	Tidal Wave can now be chained 3 times in a row
Hardened	Passive	2	6	Counter Attack can now be performed on unstoppable attacks

Kusarigama

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Kusarigama Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	Increase Kusarigama damage by 3%
Affliction Builder	Passive	3	1	Increase Affliction buildup by 1%
Entanglement	Passive	1	1	Before hitting an enemy with a Posture attack, hold down R1 or R2 to entangle them. Throw regular enemies in any direction using the Right Stick
Feral Outburst	Active	1	1	Launch Naoe towards a single enemy an unleash a flurry of 4 strikes dealing 20% ability damage each
Big Catch	Passive	1	2	Entanglement now has its full effect on large enemies
Exposed Wound	Passive	2	2	Feral Outburst’s final strike makes the target Vulnerable
Quick Strike	Passive	1	2	After any attack, momentarily pause and then press R1 or R2 to launch 2 extra strikes
Multi-Target Expert	Passive	3	3	Increase damage when hitting multiple enemies by 3%
Cyclone Blast	Active	1	3	Swing the Kusarigama in large circles around Naoe, dealing 8% ability damage per hit and pushing back struck enemies
Catalyst	Passive	2	3	After a combo ender, press R1 or R2 to extend the combo with a Quick Strike
Tug of War	Passive	1	4	When pulling an enemy towards Naoe, perform a powerful attack that deals 50% ability damage and knocks them down
Lasting Storm	Passive	2	4	Cyclone Blast now performs 4 additional swings
Feral Frenzy	Passive	2	4	Feral Outburst now unleashes 2 extra strikes
Snake Bite	Active	1	4	Wrap the chain of the Kusarigama around a single enemy’s foot to knock them out and deal 40% ability damage
Critical Proficiency	Passive	3	5	Increase Critical Damage by 2%
Hard Fall	Passive	2	5	After getting up from Snake Bite, the enemy is afflicted by Daze
Dazed	Passive	2	5	Quick Strike now inflicts 15% Daze buildup with each strike
Enhanced Impact	Passive	2	6	Cyclone Blast’s last hit pushes back the enemies significantly
Knock Out				Increase knockdown duration of Snake Bite by 10 seconds

Tanto

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Hidden Blade & Tanto Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	Increase Tanto damage by 3%
Gap Seeker	Passive	3	1	Increase Armor Piercing by 3%
Leap Strike	Passive	1	1	While holding R1 or R2, press Circle and a direction with the Left Stick to leap toward the target and strike
Shadow Piercer	Active	1	1	Throw the Tanto, then dash forward to stab the target and make them Vulnerable, dealing 40% ability damage with each strike
Backstabber	Passive	3	2	Increase damage from behind by 2%
Escape Strike	Passive	2	2	While holding R1 or R2, press Circle to perform a strike and backward dodge
Shadow Barrage	Active	1	2	Naoe will automatically perform a quick evade before getting hit, lasting 20 seconds and up to 7 hits. Does not work on Grab attacks
Backstab	Passive	1	2	Light Posture attacks that hit an enemy’s back trigger Weak Point attacks
Blood Rush	Passive	2	3	Leap Strike and Escape Strike generate 25% of an Adrenaline Chunk on hit
Invigorating Kill	Passive	2	3	Shadow Piercer generates 80% of an Adrenaline Chunk on kill
Back Breaker	Passive	1	3	Posture attacks performed behind an enemy now have 100% Armor Piercing
Hidden Hand	Active	1	4	Sheath your Tanto and extend the Hidden Blade in its classic form to perform an Assassination while in combat
Shadow Reach	Passive	2	4	Increase Shadow Piercer throw distance by 10 meters
Endless Barrage	Passive	2	4	Each kill while Shadow Barrage is active increases all damage by 5%
Critical Thinker	Passive	3	5	Increases Critical Chance by 1%
Hidden Onslaught	Passive	2	5	+1 Health Segment removed when Hidden Hand is used against unaware enemies
Contemplation	Passive	2	5	Increase Shadow Barrage duration by 10 seconds or up to 3 additional hits
Broken Spirit	Passive	2	6	Hidden Hand cannot be blocked or parried
Healthy Sting	Passive	1	6	Weakpoint Attacks triggered from behind an enemy restore 5% Health

Tools

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Tools Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	+1% chance to refill a Tool on use
Tool Professional	Passive	3	1	Increase damage with tools by 3%
Smoke Bomb	Passive	1	1	Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw a smoke bomb and break all lines of sight
Kunai	Passive	1	1	Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw a Kunai that deals 400% damage. Headshots on unsuspecting enemies will remove 2 Health Segments
Quick Throw	Passive	1	1	Hold L2 and press R1 to automatically throw the equipped tool at the closest enemy or object
Larger Tool Bag I	Passive	1	2	Increase the maximum capacity for all tools. +1 Kunai, +1 Shuriken, +1 Smoke Bomb, +1 Shinobi Bell.
Shinobi Bell	Passive	1	2	Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw a Shinobi Bell that distracts nearby enemies
Enduring Haze	Passive	1	2	Smoke Bomb has its duration increased to 10 seconds
Kunai Assassination Damage I	Passive	1	2	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Kunai
Shuriken	Passive	1	2	Hold L2 to aim and press R2 to throw a Shuriken that deals 100% damage. Staggers enemies and can be used on the environment
Adrenaline Generator	Passive	3	3	Increase Adrenaline Gain by 3%
Golden Bell	Passive	1	3	Shinobi Bell is now golden, and its shine can attract enemies from afar
Armor Piercing	Passive	2	3	Kunai now have 50% Armor Piercing
Larger Tool Bag II	Passive	1	4	Increase the maximum capacity for all tools. +1 Kunai, +1 Shuriken, +1 Smoke Bomb, +1 Shinobi Bell.
Widespread	Passive	1	4	Smoke Bomb has its radius increased to 10 meters
Kunai Assassination Damage II	Passive	1	4	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Kunai
Bank Shot	Passive	2	4	Shuriken can now bounce between targets
Tool Affliction Proficiency	Passive	3	5	Increase Affliction buildup with Tools by 2%
Louder Chimes	Passive	1	5	Shinobi Bell has its radius increased to 5 meters
Triple Threat	Passive	2	5	Naoe can now throw 3 Shuriken at the same time for the cost of 1
Larger Tool Bag III	Passive	1	6	Increase the maximum capacity for all tools. +1 Kunai, +1 Shuriken, +1 Smoke Bomb, +1 Shinobi Bell.
Everlast	Passive	2	6	Kunai can no longer break on hard impact and can be retrieved indefinitely
Kunai Assassination Damage III	Passive	1	6	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Kunai

Shinobi

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Shinobi Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	Increase Health by 2%
Prodigy	Passive	3	1	Increase damage with Abilities by 2%
Grab	Passive	1	1	Press Triangle while undetected to grab an enemy. Once grabbed, you can move with them and hold Triangle to knock them out
Grappling Hook	Passive	1	1	Press L1 to launch your Grappling Hook. Press Circle to drop, Left Stick to swing and to move up or down and X to jump
Shallow Water Breathing	Passive	1	1	Allows Naoe to breathe through a reed while remaining still in shallow water
Grab Assassinate	Passive	1	2	After grabbing an enemy, press R1 to Assassinate them
Ascension Boost	Passive	1	2	While using the Grappling Hook, Naoe can climb much faster
Vault	Passive	1	2	Press Circle quickly after deflecting an attack with L1 to jump over an enemy and make the target Vulnerable
Igan Roll	Passive	1	2	Press Circle before hitting the ground to reduce fall damage
Evasive	Passive	3	3	Increase damage after a Vault by 2%
Lightning Kicks	Active	1	3	Knock down the 2 closest enemies and deal 15% ability damage to each
Heighten Senses	Active	1	3	While undetected, time slows down around Naoe for 8 seconds. Aborts on enemy contact
Destabilizing Vault	Passive	1	3	Increase Critical Chance by 25% over 10 seconds after using Vault
Immobilized	Passive	2	4	Increase the knockdown duration by 4 seconds
Extended Perception	Passive	2	4	Increase Heightened Senses duration by 4 seconds
Ninja Fall	Passive	1	4	Igan Roll now negates all fall damage
Efficient	Passive	3	5	+3% less Cooldown with Abilities
Quick Knock Out	Passive	1	5	Knock out after Grab can now be performed faster
High Vault	Passive	1	5	Throw a Shuriken mid-air on a successful Vault
Sweep the Leg	Passive	2	6	Lightning Kicks can now perform 1 additional leg sweep on a nearby target that is not already knocked down
Critical Insight	Passive	2	6	Duration of Heightened Senses is reset on a successful assassination. Can only be reset once per activation

Assassin

Ability Name	Ability Type	Number of Ranks	Knowledge Rank Required	Description
Assassin Mastery	Passive	8	N/A	Increase Adrenaline Gain on Assassination by 5%
Executioner	Passive	3	1	Increase damage on vulnerable enemies by 2%
Ground Assassinate	Passive	1	1	Press R1 to Assassinate regular enemies while they are on the ground and remove Health Segments
Shoji Door Assassination	Passive	1	1	While using a Katana, Naoe can Assassinate a target through a shoji panel
Hidden Blade	Passive	1	1	Press R1 to Assassinate regular enemies and remove Health Segments
Eagle Vision	Passive	1	1	Hold R3 to highlight enemies around you
Nightcrawler	Passive	3	2	Increase damage during the night by 2%
Improved Ground Assassinate	Passive	1	3	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Ground Assassinate
Double Assassinate	Passive	1	2	While using a Tanto, Naoe can Assassinate two targets standing close together with a single attack
Assassination Damage I	Passive	1	2	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Assassinations
Vigor I	Passive	1	3	Increase Naoe’s Adrenaline Chunks by 1
Reinforced Blade	Passive	1	3	Hidden Blade can now be used against large enemies
Improved Sense	Passive	1	3	Increase the longevity of Eagle Vision’s effect after deactivation
Frontrunner	Passive	3	4	Increase damage while Health is full by 2%
Vigor II	Passive	1	4	Increase Naoe’s Adrenaline Chunks by 1
Assassination Damage II	Passive	1	4	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Assassinations
Rush Assassinate	Passive	1	5	While using a Kusarigama, Naoe can close the distance and deal Assassination Damage to a single target
Hand of the Creed	Passive	1	5	Hidden Blade can no longer be denied when enemies see Naoe coming
Vigor III	Passive	1	6	Increase Naoe’s Adrenaline Chunks by 1
Assassination Damage III	Passive	1	6	Naoe removes 1 additional Health Segment with Assassinations