Assassin's Creed Shadows has a massive library of legendary armor, trinkets, amulets, tons of unique skills, and an array of different weapons for Naoe and Yasuke. There are so many different directions you can go when creating the best build for both characters, and there are options for various playstyles. Whether you're trying to figure out the best overall build for Naoe or you want to exclusively follow the way of the Samurai with Yasuke, there are specific skills and items to grab to ensure your build is fully optimized.

If you don't know what to expect in of legendary trinkets and amulets, you can design a build around any specific weapon. Alternatively, there are more obscure builds I've included here, such as the Naked Yasuke build, which utilizes an effect that boosts Yasuke's damage when not wearing any armor. These general builds can all be tweaked based on your individual preferences.

Best Builds For Naoe In Assassin's Creed Shadows

Best Overall Build For Naoe (Kusarigama Assassin)

The AC Shadows' Guaranteed Assassination feature enabled.

Naoe's best build utilizes the Demon Tooth kusarigama, a legendary item that removes two additional health segments on rush assassinate, which is the build's primary assassination method. It also features the Mamushi Snake Robes ability, which causes dead bodies to release poison clouds when investigated. The build s for all situations you might find yourself in during the various quests and exploring different regions, enabling stealth and melee options.

Best Affliction Builds For Naoe

Affliction damage types in Assassin's Creed Shadows include Poison, Bleed, and Daze, and all three can be build-defining depending on the specific armor, engravings, and/or weapons you have equipped. There are unique engravings that cause all melee damage to build up each of the individual affliction types, and specific weapons and armors in AC Shadows further enhance these buildup effects.

Best Kunai Build

The Kunai Build in AC Shadows is a unique Tool option available to Naoe that can be buffed through the Tools skill tree. The Kunai can be enhanced to become an incredible item capable of easily taking out entire castles. The build utilizes the Tools Master Armor Set and the Tatsu's Triumph legendary trinket, considerably increasing your damage with Kunai. This build is ideal for a strictly stealth playstyle that avoids open combat as much as possible.

Best Shinobi Build

The Shinobi tree features unique and powerful acrobatic-type skills that can be the focus of an entire Naoe build. Diving deep into the Shinobi tree, you'll utilize Naoe's Lightning Kicks ability and Vault ive that allows her to somersault over enemies and hit them with additional attacks. It incorporates the Otakemaru's Battlecry trinket, which increases health based on Shinobi tree Mastery Points.

Best Katana Build

The Katana is Naoe's premiere weapon and will be your first introduction to her combat mechanics. However, due to featured engravings from the Dragonfly's Cunning trinket, which increases stats if you have only a Katana equipped, you'll be able to use Katana to significant effect and can design an entire build around any of the many legendary Katanas available in the game.

Best Tanto Build

Like a Katana build, the Tanto can serve as a build-defining weapon thanks to the Omukade's Feast Trinket, increasing stats by 15% with only a Tanto equipped. Tanto is the only weapon in the game that allows dual assassinations, and it is used in conjunction with the Hidden Blade. Dual assassinations can also be buffed with certain gear and are a core feature of the Tanto build.

Best Tools Build

Unlike the Kunai-specific build that features certain Tools investment, the best Tools build incorporates Smoke Bombs, Shinobi Bells, and Shuriken in addition to Kunai. This build dips into the Katana tree for the Smokescreen ive, which drops a Smoke Bomb after using Eviscerate, as well as the High Vault Shinobi ive, which throws Shuriken when Naoe performs a vault.

Best Builds For Yasuke In Assassin's Creed Shadows

Best Overall Yasuke Build

Yasuke's best overall build is damage-intensive and features armor-piercing effects, combining the Kanabo and Teppo to eliminate the largest enemies and group encounters. As Yasuke is best for melee combat and head-to-heads, this build leans into the armor-piercing effects available to Yasuke in various forms, featuring the engraving effects from Scale of the Koi and Warrior's Respite to enhance both the Teppo and Kanabos efficacy.

Best Affliction Builds For Yasuke

As with Naoe, affliction items are scattered around the various regions for Yasuke as well, with Poison, Bleed, and Daze being equally effective for Yasuke as it is for Naoe. This build features the Naginata and/or Katana and incorporates the Armor of the Undead, which, despite needing to be purchased from the store, has an incredible poison effect that creates a Poison Cloud on a successful parry.

Best Yasuke Samurai Build

This build is the truest to Yasuke's character and makes full use of the Samurai skill tree and its many excellent abilities and ives. The Samurai tree is the only one in the game with four available abilities to choose from, and although one is locked behind story progression, it's absolutely worth the wait. The Samurai Stand ability can be enhanced to allow Yasuke to become invincible as he continues killing surrounding enemies.

Best Stealth Yasuke Build

While Yasuke isn't designed for stealth, his Brutal Assassination ability and the Bow can be incorporated into a build that makes Stealth somewhat viable. Brutal Assassination is Yasuke's version of an assassination, and it can be enhanced to take out enemies that are even bigger than Yasuke.

The Bow's special Silent Arrows can effectively be used from range to stealthily wipe out even the toughest of enemies if properly buffed. This build uses the Master Archer Outfit for a massive damage increase when outside of combat.

Best Ranged Weapon Build For Yasuke

The best ranged weapon build for Yasuke incorporates the Teppo and the Bow, which can be swapped out with a melee weapon if desired. This build includes the engraving from the Armor Eater amulet, which gives Yasuke +15% to stats with a ranged weapon equipped, as well as the Master Archer Set mentioned above. Using two ranged weapons sounds less than ideal, but the Bow and Teppo are not so bad at close range, at least with the various slowed-time effects available.

Best Kanabo Build

This build is Kanabo-centric, and you'll want to drop all points in the other weapon skill trees and save a handful of global ives. The Kanabo is the heaviest damage-dealing weapon in the game and can be used to significant effect. There are a ton of great Kanabo that can be built around, such as the Daybreak's Fury, which sends shrapnel flying to nearby enemies after breaking armor. This build also incorporates the Scale of the Koi for the +15% stat boost for only wielding a Kanabo.

Best Naginata Build

The Naginata is a bladed pole weapon that is equally effective against single targets as it is on groups. It has a few distinct movesets that are unlike any other weapon in the game, allowing Yasuke to spin it around and deal damage to multiple surrounding enemies.

The Naginata-focused +15% stat increase comes from the Encouragement Amulet.

One of the best Naginata effects is featured in this build, found from Sage's Reach, stacking +10% Damage for your next hit with each block.

Best Long Katana Build

Like the other single-weapon builds, the Long Katana build features a stat booster from the Headhunter amulet. The Long Katana is a versatile weapon with a range of excellent ives that pair really well with the Samurai tree. Possible Long Katanas to incorporate include the Turquoise Zephyr, which pushes enemies back on parries, or the Whisper of Muramasa, which makes enemies Vulnerable when Yasuke lands a Riposte.

Best Naked Yasuke Build

Finally, the Naked Yasuke build is designed around a unique legendary amulet that gives Yasuke a +50% damage buff per empty Armor slot, making him extremely powerful when facing opponents when he doesn't have any clothes on. Despite the funny premise, it's actually an incredible build, and you don't have to worry about tracking down legendary armor since you won't be equipping it anyway.

These are the main build types in AC Shadows, suited for various play styles. Ultimately, all of these builds allow for experimentation, and legendary weapons, armor, and trinkets/amulets can all be switched around to match your individual preferences. No matter what build you choose, be sure to upgrade your gear and invest your Mastery Points to avoid any pitfalls along your journey in Assassin's Creed Shadows.