In Assassin's Creed Shadows, you begin the game playing as Naoe, the more traditional assassin archetype. She is the black-clad shinobi, sticking to the titular shadows and picking off enemies methodically. As such, Naoe's weapon loadout is not suited for long stretches of direct combat. However, this being an Assassin's Creed game, there will undoubtedly come a time when striking from the shadows will not suffice. While her weapons may not be as powerful as Yasuke's, there are some incredibly powerful weapons you can find quite early in the game that will make fighting large groups of enemies as Naoe far more manageable. In this guide, we'll show you how to find Assassin's Creed Shadows' best early-game weapons for Naoe.
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The Best Early-Game Katanas for Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Kabukimono's Greed:
While Kabukimono's Greed is not a Legendary katana, it is one of the best katanas you can get almost as soon as you are set free in the open-world. This weapon is held by the Ghost General, one of the eight Kabukimono enemies in Assassin's Creed Shadows. You do not have to begin the associated quest to find any of the Kabukimono.
You can locate the Ghost General in Sakai's Money Lender District. Sakai is on the west coast of Izumi Settsu, and is where you'll go to begin the quest to find The Golden Teppo.
- Engraving: +1% Affliction Buildup on Consecutive Hits
- Affliction: Bleed
Bloodshade:
This Katana is not only one of the best in the entire game, it can be acquired the moment Naoe is free to explore the map of Japan. To locate Bloodshade, you'll need to either the west coast of Osaka, or the southern coast of Amagaski and Nakayama Peak in Izumi Settsu. If you look at the map, you'll see these areas form a corner around a large bay.
If you look just west of Osaka, you'll see the outline of two ships on the map. To collect this katana, you'll want to head out to the ship situated horizontally on the map, which is the westernmost of the two. When you enter the ship, you'll find the legendary chest on the upper floor of the castle-like structure built above deck.
Like all weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows, Bloodshade's level scales with Naoe, so the stats you get will depend heavily on when you acquire the weapon. However, there are two important facets of Bloodshade that are important to mention:
- Legendary Engraving: Affliction Buildup is not lost over time.
- Bloodshade Affliction: Bleed
Best Early Game Secondary Weapons for Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Igan Sunset Tanto:
Igan Sunset is a Legendary Tanto that can be found as soon as you are ready to go and collect it. For being as powerful as it is, it is remarkably easy to find. Igan Sunset is found in Tozuku's Lair, a small bandit hideout in the Katano Foothills region of Izumi Settsu.
Igan Sunset allows you to slow time while performing the Escape Strike skill. You will have to reach Knowledge Level 2 to unlock this skill, but this can be done very fast if you are searching out knowledge point POIs, which are found all over Izumi Settsu and Yamashiro.
- Legendary Engraving: Slow Down Time on Escape Strikes
Shinobi's Fury Tanto:
The Shinobi's Fury Tanto is not only one of the best early game weapons for Naoe, it's one of the best weapons in the game. However, Shinobi's Fury requires a bit more time to acquire. This weapon is the reward for Wakasa, The Golden Teppo. She is one of two possible Shinbakufu targets that you can pick from at the start of the game.
Shinobi's Fury allows you to chain two weak-point attacks, back to back. Once you cause the enemy to enter a vulnerable state, then perform a weak-point attack, a second vulnerable state will be automatically triggered. This is especially useful when fighting enemies above your level.
- Legendary Engraving: Weakpoint Attacks Make Enemies Vulnerable a Second Time
Death Whisperer Kusarigama:
Death Whisperer is perfect for players who don't like relying on the close-quarters combat of Katanas and Tantos. While there are other Kusarigma you can find, the first Legendary Kusarigama you'll come across – and also the best – is Death Whisperer.
The Death Whisperer is the reward for defeating The Wounded, one of two Shinbakufu targets Naoe will learn of at the start of her adventures. Generally speaking, he is the easiest of all available Shinbakufu to find and defeat, so it will not take long for you to gain access to this extremely powerful weapon.
- Legendary Engraving: +200% Damage on Enemy Collisions.
Don't forget that you can upgrade your weapons once you have recruited the Blacksmith, and built the forge at the Hideout. This is important, as it will allow you to keep your favorite weapons properly leveled throughout the game.
Assassin's Creed Shadows
- Released
- March 20, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language
- Developer(s)
- Ubisoft Quebec
- Publisher(s)
- Ubisoft
- Engine
- AnvilNext
- Franchise
- Assassin's Creed
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
