Whether Assassin’s Creed Shadows is your first time with the Animus or you’re a seasoned veteran who has lived with the bleeding effect since 2007, combat feudal Japan can be quite overwhelming when you first get started with Ubisoft’s latest addition to the franchise.
Look no further than our guide which gives you the best possible strategies to make the most of what either Naoe or Yasuke has to offer with our deep dive into the game’s combat systems.
How Is Combat Different In Assassin’s Creed Shadows?
The short answer? It isn’t. The long answer? It is a more finely-tuned system of parries, dodges, and special abilities that we’ve seen before.
When compared to Valhalla or Mirage, combat in Assassin’s Creed Shadows has quite a steep learning curve for both Naoe and Yasuke before you can have them tearing through enemy ranks with ease. However, that doesn’t mean that its systems don’t come with a few basic mechanics from past titles which include:
- Parries and dodges with variable timing – dodging or parrying enemies early on as they attack does help, but timing your parries or dodges to just before you get struck by an enemy triggers a sort of stagger, leaving them more vulnerable to a couple of slashes or Posture attacks of your own.
- Attack indicators with appropriate responses – a white flash on your foe’s weapon means an attack that can be perfectly parried easily, a blue one denotes a flurry of attacks that can each be parried, while red ones denote unblockable attacks that you can try and perfectly dodge if a little risk is how you like to approach a fight.
- Limited heals – Noae has only 3 rations available to her at any time while Yasuke fares no better with only 5. However, you can unlock skills that allow Yasuke to heal every time he takes down an enemy.
- Two equipable weapons with varying abilities that can be swapped out – your choice of weapons can vary but each of the weapons available to both protagonists is viable and fun to use.
- Elemental damage – you can cause Bleeding, Poison, or Daze on your enemies, either draining their health or leaving them unable to respond to your onslaught of attacks. Pay attention to your weapons, armor and Engravings to make the most of your build if you go that route.
With these common factors out of the way, it’s time to look at how each of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ new protagonists can make the most out of its combat loop.
Achieving Mastery Over Your Tools and Self
It’s a good idea to look at strategies for Naoe and Yasuke separately, considering how each character must be played differently thanks to their varying skills in the field.
Naoe Can Be Quite the Deadly Ninja With a Few Upgrades
While Naoe seems very destructible early on, that’s simply Assassin’s Creed Shadows training you to avoid taking damage in the first place, with some incredible skills soon giving you a lot of freedom on the battlefield.
Perfect dodges should be your go-to strategy with the agile Iga, her smaller physique making her perfect for weaving and dodging through flurries of blades. Each of these dodges leaves her enemies open for retaliation, which she can dish out quickly and with ruthless efficiency.
Parries are a viable way for Naoe to set up her enemies for failure, too. Ideally, you will want to control the flow of combat and keep your enemies off balance as much as possible by cleverly mixing dodges and parries to create space and launch counterattacks, ensuring that you don’t take unnecessary risks
As far as weapons are concerned, it comes down to how you like to deal with your enemies. The Katana and Tanto combination is an absolute treat for those who like to get up close and personal in fights or when striking from the shadows, with each of them unlocking a unique type of assassination with a couple of upgrades that we won’t spoil.
The Kusarigama is for those who like a versatile weapon with excellent crowd control balanced with respectable damage. It’s also very effective for status-based builds, giving Naoe the ability to inflict bleed, poison, or daze on multiple enemies which is a very effective way to help her control the fight.
Naoe’s Shinobi tools can also be very helpful in combat when used alongside skills like Shadow Barrage, which makes her untouchable for a while depending on how much you have it upgraded. It can be a treat to wear out your enemies’ armor in slow motion with shurikens, leaving you to unleash close-range attacks that tear through their health bars or leave them afflicted with a status.
Let Your Enemies Come To You As Yasuke
As Yasuke, you’ll soon find that wiping out wave after wave of enemies is what he was meant to do in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Each of his weapons is designed to take out chunks of enemy armor and health bars while his abilities are geared toward leaving enemies too stunned to respond to his next barrage of slashes or slams.
While the Long Katana was our personal favorite, the Naginata, Kanabo, Teppo, and Longbow are all viable alternatives although you’re better served using the bow to pick off a few enemies before entering the fight. Yasuke can use his arsenal to devastating effect. Unlike Naoe, combat with Yasuke is about easily staggering your foes to open them up to deadly, brutal counterattacks that they are unlikely to recover from.
The Kanabo is a perfect choice for this approach, with incredible knockdown capabilities via its Skill Tree, essentially allowing Yasuke to club his enemies to death. Investing in Skills that recover health in various situations goes a long way in allowing Yasuke to shine in the game’s early stages.
However, the best way to get the most out of Yasuke is to identify gear that maximizes his damage potential while choosing skills that can help sustain an aggressive approach to groups of enemies. That would mean using gear and Engravings to maximize offense while the Samurai skill tree offers up a modicum of healing while you are busy traumatizing your enemies.
In combat, waiting for enemy attacks and parrying them is a great way to ensure Yasuke gets to work his magic while his attackers are off-balance. A specific skill that enables this is Impenetrable Defense from the Samurai Mastery Tree, allowing Yasuke to automatically counter any attacks coming his way while he destroys heath bars in return. It can be a great addition to any Yasuke build while being a great way to keep desynchronization at bay if you’ve run of rations.
Remember, combat in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is a steady rhythm between offense and defense. These tips should soon see you using the weapons you like, flitting between your enemies and leaving them unable to comprehend what just hit them with ease.
For more Thumb Wars Gaming coverage, check out our guide to efficiently exploring ancient Japan in Shadows, or how Silent Hill f is facing a rather surprising ban.
Amazon Could Rue Shocking Decision for The Wheel of Time Game Adaptation
Even The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered isn't Stopping the Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Hype T...
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Finally Has Something in Common with Margot Robbie
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - Everything Confirmed You Need to Know
With a passion for gaming that is equaled only by his love for writing, Varun has either a controller, keyboard, or a guitar in his hands when he is not out exploring the middle of nowhere on a motorcycle. Soulslikes, RPGs, and action-adventure titles keep him awake at night and get him out of bed in the morning. He will never stop lamenting the lack of a Bloodborne sequel even as he spends another couple of hours exploring the Lands Between in Elden Ring.
