All Assassin's Creed Shadows weapon types and the best ones to use

There are eight Assassin's Creed Shadows weapon types, but Naoe and Yasuke have access to their own sets, each with unique abilities and upgrades. Naoe's shinobi and assassin training means she gets access to a narrow range of deadly melee weapons, whereas Yasuke can choose between five different weapon types, including a Teppo gun and Kanabo club, giving him the best selection in Assassin's Creed Shadows. However, there are some clear standouts when it comes to what's best for each character, so I've ranked the best weapons for Naoe and Yasuke.

Best Assassin's Creed Shadows weapons for Naoe

Naoe has three weapons available for her to use: the regular Katana sword, the smaller Tanto dagger, and the Kurasigama, which is a hooked, sickle-like weapon with a ball and chain attached at the hilt. All of them are solid and you can very easily get away with using just one of them while playing as Naoe. Here's how we think Naoe's weapons compare in AC Shadows:

1. Tanto: With its rapid strikes and two of the best Assassin's Creed Shadows skills (Shadow Piercer and Shadow Barrage), the Tanto is ridiculously powerful. However, its short reach means perfect deflections are dodges are crucial to getting the most out of it.
2. Katana: Acting as Naoe's all-rounder option, the Katana is good in any fight, thanks to its versatile moveset and extended reach compared to the Tanto.
3. Kurasigama: The Kurasigama deals modest damage and is Naoe's best option for battling several enemies at once, but it feels slow to use and unnecessarily complicated compared to the others.

I recommend the Shinobi's Fury Tanto, awarded for killing the Golden Teppo (you'll need to make the Assassin's Creed Shadows Otama or Wakasa choice first). It has very high posture damage and the double weakpoint attack it comes with is excellent. The fact that it comes so early in the game means Naoe can cruise through future assassination missions – just make sure you know how to upgrade weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows to ensure it maintains its strength.

Remember, Naoe can of course use her Hidden Blade to assassinate enemies while undetected, dealing massive damage or insta-killing them. She also has access to deadly kunai, providing her with an excellent ranged stealth assassination option. Best of all, you can improve these a lot as you level up by spending your Assassin's Creed Shadows Mastery Points in the appropriate skill trees.

Best Assassin's Creed Shadows weapons for Yasuke

Yasuke's samurai training means he can master five different weapon types, letting him duel up close and snipe from afar. They are the Long Katana, the Naginata polearm, the colossal Kanabo club, the Bow, and the Teppo gun. Here's how we rank Yasuke's weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows:

1. Long Katana: Like Naoe's Katana, Yasuke's Long Katana is his most versatile melee weapon, offering good reach, speed, and power. For those reasons, along with it's relative simplicity, it's also arguably his best armament, and can benefit from many powerful abilities and upgrades.
2. Bow: The Bow is Yasuke's best ranged weapon, capable of dealing solid damage with a good fire rate compared to the slower Teppo. As well as some solid abilities that help with sniping enemies and short-range firing, the Bow's Silent Arrows are an excellent unlock, letting Yasuke perform ranged assassinations on weaker enemies.
3. Naginata: The Naginata offers the best reach out of Yasuke's melee weapons, making it better than the Long Katana at dealing with multiple enemies, but it's a little weaker overall.
4. Kanabo: The hefty Kanabo club looks impressive but then you realise how slow it is when you start using it. It's admittedly very powerful but is hard to use against some of the nimbler enemies in the game.
5. Teppo: Acting as the ranged equivalent of the Kanabo, the Teppo is much more powerful than the Bow but much slower. Unsurprisingly, it's also very loud, so bear in mind that using it will attract attention.

Of all the Assassin's Creed Shadows Yasuke and Naoe differences, the difference in weapons is one of the most notable as it means Yasuke has a few options when it comes to making loadouts. The Long Katana and Bow is a standout selection, covering both melee and range with the two best weapons, but the you could also combo Katana with the Naginata or Kanabo depending on if need extra reach or bludgeoning power. Considering that weapons are part of the animus projects, we don't doubt that more will be added in the future as part of the Assassin's Creed Shadows roadmap.

If you want to make this gear more powerful, find out how to upgrade weapons and armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows! Or, alternatively, check out the meanings of the various Assassin's Creed Shadows dialogue symbols, so you know what you're saying before you say it.

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