Abilities inAssassin’s Creed Shadowsaren’t all built equal. Some are straightforward: they help you hit harder, move faster or stay alive longer. Others seem useful at first, but once you’re knee-deep in trouble, you realize they don’t pull their weight. Whether you love the brutal strength of Yasuke or the quick, stealthy takedowns of Naoe, the right abilities can completely change how you approach every fight.
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This list isn’t about showing off abilities that sound cool. It’s about sorting through the noise and pointing out the abilities that give you real results. The abilities you’re able to actually lean on when the game stops being polite.
10Cyclone Blast
Naoe – Kusarigama
Cyclone Blast is Naoe’s way of saying, “Back off,” without needing to shout. It’s a short-range Kusarigama move where sheswings her weaponin a full-circle motion, knocking enemies away and dealing a bit of damage while she’s at it.
This ability isn’t about wiping people out – it’s more about buying space. If you’re boxed in by a few enemies and things are getting claustrophobic, Cyclone Blast gives you room to breathe. It pushes them back just enough so you can reset your position, line up your next move or even make a quick escape if needed.
Yasuke – Samurai
Normally,during combat whether as Naoe or Yasuke, you land hits, build adrenaline and then you spend it on a powerful move, usually right away because you don’t have much room to hold it. With Vigor, Yasuke gets extra slots to stockpile that adrenaline.
You can bank multiple chunks, set up a sequence of devastating abilities and hammer tough enemies, thanks to Vigor. Instead of spamming one big move every time you fill up, you can plan a bigger punch or keep something in reserve for emergencies without feeling like you’re wasting potential.
8Devastation
Yasuke - Kanabo
After you finish a combo, you can swap your attack type and immediately throw out another combo finisher with Devastation. It’s basically giving you a second chance to end things with style. Thereal trick with this Assassin’s Creed Shadowsability is getting the timing right. You can’t just button mash and hope for the best. You need to pay attention to the rhythm of Yasuke’s swings and be ready to switch up your inputs just as you’re wrapping up a combo.
Done right, you’ll be chaining together heavy hits that keep the pressure on enemies without giving them a breather. It’s especially useful when you’re trying to keep bigger enemies off-balance or when you’re just tired of regular combos feeling too short.
7Far Reach
Yasuke – Naginata
Far Reach is an ability that quietly rewards smart positioning. As Yasuke, if you’re using your naginata the way it’s meant to be used – keeping enemies at the edge of your reach – it starts to shine. When you land a hit with the tip of the naginata instead of the base or mid-section, you deal a bit of extra damage.
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Far Reach comes into play when you treat Yasuke like a patient brawler, not just someone who bulldozes through every enemy. Instead of rushing in, you play with distance. Space things out. Far Reach makes each of those long-reaching strikes sting just a bit more, and over time, that makes a real difference, especially when you’re swinging through a crowd.
6Hidden Hand
Naoe – Tanto
Hidden Hand lets you use your Hidden Blade mid-fight. That’s the core idea. It doesn’t pause the action or pull you out of combat; it just gives you a quick way to deal with a single enemy instantly, without needing to back off. This ability works well when you’re trying to thin out a group quickly without alerting more guards.
Say you got caught sneaking and now you’re locked in with three enemies – use Hidden Hand, take one out instantly and suddenly you’re back in control. It’s also helpful if you just need a clean exit. Just take someone down, break line of sight and slip away before things escalate.
5Regeneration
Regeneration just does its job in the background. There’s no flash, no big animation; just a slow drip of health coming back to Yasuke every time he puts someone down. Every time you defeat an enemy, you get a small bit of health back. The more enemies you drop, the more that healing adds up.
This ability fits well if you’re playing aggressively – staying in fights longer and cleaning up groups without needing to pause and heal. It’s not going to save you from a big mistake or replace proper defense, but it does help you stay on your feet over time. The trick is keeping up the momentum. If you’re consistently landing kills, you’ll notice you don’t have to rely on consumables as often.
4Shadow Piercer
While Hidden Hand is more like a surprise attack, Shadow Piercer is more of an in-your-face kind of attack. It starts with a quick toss of Naoe’s tanto, and the moment it hits the enemy, she dashes straight in and stabs them, causing about 40% damage. That stab doesn’t just deal damage; it leaves the enemy Vulnerable, meaning they’ll take more damage from whatever you do next. If you’re quick about it, you can chain in a heavy strike or finish them off before they even know what happened.
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Shadow Piercer shines when you’re picking off enemies who are standing just out of reach. Maybe it’s a guard who turned his back or someone pacing a little too far from the others. This move gets you to them in a heartbeat and leaves them wide open for the rest of your combo.
Yasuke – Long Katana
If you’re the type of person who likes to go hit for hit, you’ll love Yasuke’s Payback ability. When you use it, Yasuke unleashes three heavy swings with his long katana. Each one deals solid damage, and with every hit, he regains a bit of health– about ten percent per strike. So if you land all three, that’s a nice chunk of health coming back your way.
Payback is best used when you’re toe-to-toe with a tougher enemy. Maybe you’ve taken a few hits and you’re not quite ready to back off. That’s where Payback shines. You turn defense into offense and heal yourself while keeping the pressure on.
2Guard Breaker
Naoe – Katana
Guard Breaker is one of those abilities that does exactly what it says. It helps you break through an enemy’s guard. You should use it when you’re facing someone who’s clearly not letting their guard down anytime soon. Instead of waiting for them to give you an opening, Guard Breaker lets Naoe go on the offensive. You can unleash a fast combo of nine strikes, which is enough to overwhelm a defender and open them up for follow-ups.
This is especially helpful when you’re up against enemies that can parry or block a lot of your usual attacks. You don’t want to waste time baiting them over and over. Just trigger Guard Breaker and keep the pressure on. It’s also handy if you’re in tight duels where the enemy likes to turtle up behind their defenses.
1Assassination Damage
Naoe – Assassin
Assassination Damage basically boosts how much damage you deal when taking out enemies. At first, that might sound nice to have, but as the game progresses and enemies start getting tougher with multi-segment health bars, having that extra damage on tap is what turns a one-hit kill from a gamble into a guarantee.
If you want to get the most out of this skill, you’ll need to commit to stealth. Stick to the shadows, move slowly and use tools like smoke bombs or distractions to split up enemy groups.
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