In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, players can choose between Yasuke and Naoe, each offering unique approaches to tackling challenges. Here’s a detailed guide on the tools at your disposal and how to enhance them for maximum effectiveness.
All Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Players will unlock a total of five tools throughout the game, with two becoming available as part of the story progression. These tools are essential for both stealth and combat, and here's a rundown of each:
Grappling Hook
Naoe’s Grappling Hook is a game-changer for exploration, allowing you to latch onto structures and ascend without needing handholds. This tool is perfect for scouting enemy positions from high vantage points and swiftly crossing large gaps by swinging from one point to another.
Kunai
The Kunai is a lethal throwing knife capable of delivering significant damage. It's ideal for silent eliminations, instantly killing regular foes. Upgrades are necessary to penetrate the armor of tougher enemies, ensuring you remain undetected while dealing with high-priority targets.
Smoke Bomb
The Smoke Bomb is a versatile tool that can be used defensively or offensively. It creates a smoke cloud upon impact, breaking enemy line-of-sight to facilitate escapes or confuse opponents during combat, providing opportunities for surprise attacks and quick takedowns.
Shuriken
Shuriken, the classic throwing star, is essential for stealth missions in heavily guarded areas. While it doesn’t deal as much damage as the Kunai, it can stagger enemies and trigger environmental interactions like sabotaging alarms or explosives. Upgrades allow Shuriken to ricochet, increasing their effectiveness.
Shinobi Bell
For those who prefer non-lethal strategies, the Shinobi Bell can be thrown to divert enemy attention. The sound of the bell attracts nearby enemies, creating a distraction. Upgrades enhance its range and visibility, making it more effective at crowd control and path clearing.
How To Upgrade Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Upgrading tools in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is crucial for enhancing your gameplay. Tools can be upgraded using Mastery Points through the Tools skill tree, with the exception of the Grappling Hook. Here's how to upgrade each tool:
Grappling Hook
The Grappling Hook's only upgrade is found in the Shinobi Tree. For 2 Mastery Points at Knowledge Rank 2, you can unlock the Ascension Boost passive, significantly speeding up Naoe’s climbing, making it easier to ascend buildings undetected.
Kunai
To maximize the Kunai's effectiveness, focus on Kunai Assassination Damage upgrades to increase health segment removal per throw. Enhance its armor-piercing capabilities with the Armor Piercing passive skill, and use Everlast to ensure retrieval without breakage.
Smoke Bomb
After unlocking the Smoke Bomb, upgrade to Enduring Haze to extend its duration by 10 seconds. Further enhance its utility with Widespread to increase the area of effect, allowing you to obscure more enemies from view.
Shuriken
Upgrade Shuriken with Bank Shot to enable ricocheting between targets, dealing increased damage with each hit. Triple Threat allows you to throw three Shurikens at once for the cost of one, enhancing your stealth and combat options.
Shinobi Bell
The Shinobi Bell can be upgraded with Golden Bell to improve its visibility and attractiveness to enemies. Louder Chimes increases the effective radius by five meters, enhancing its distraction capabilities.
That’s everything you need to know about the tools and how to upgrade them in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For further assistance, check out resources at The Escapist.
*Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
