"Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Tools and Upgrade Guide"

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, players can choose between Yasuke and Naoe, each offering unique approaches to tackling challenges. Here’s a comprehensive guide on the tools available and how to enhance them to optimize your gameplay experience.

All Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

In the game, you'll unlock access to five distinct tools, with two becoming available as you progress through the story. These tools are:

Grappling Hook

Naoe's Grappling Hook is a game-changer for exploration. It enables you to latch onto structures and ascend without needing handholds, making it ideal for scouting and reaching high vantage points swiftly. You can also use it to swing across wide gaps, enhancing your mobility.

Kunai

The Kunai is a potent throwing knife, perfect for silent takedowns. A single hit can be fatal to common enemies, but against armored foes, upgrades are essential to increase its lethality.

Smoke Bomb

The Smoke Bomb is versatile, serving both offensive and defensive purposes. Deploy it to break enemy sightlines and escape detection, or use it in combat to create confusion, setting the stage for surprise attacks and quick strikes.

Shuriken

A staple for any shinobi, the Shuriken excels in stealth missions. While not as damaging as the Kunai, it can stagger enemies and trigger environmental hazards like alarms and explosive barrels. Its silent nature and potential to ricochet between targets make it a valuable asset.

Shinobi Bell

For those who prefer misdirection, the Shinobi Bell is perfect. Throwing it can draw enemy attention away from you, and with upgrades, its range and allure increase, allowing for better crowd control and path clearing.

How to Upgrade Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Upgrading your tools in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is done through the Tools skill tree using Mastery Points, with the exception of the Grappling Hook. To access the Shuriken, Shinobi Bell, and Smoke Bomb, you must first unlock them.

Grappling Hook

The Grappling Hook's only upgrade, Ascension Boost, is found under the Shinobi Tree. For 2 Mastery Points at Knowledge Rank 2, this upgrade significantly speeds up Naoe’s climbing, reducing the chance of enemy detection.

Kunai

To maximize the Kunai's effectiveness, focus on Kunai Assassination Damage upgrades to remove more health segments per throw. Enhance its damage and armor-piercing capabilities with the Armor Piercing passive skill, and use Everlast to ensure retrievability without breakage.

Smoke Bomb

Once unlocked, extend the Smoke Bomb's duration with Enduring Haze, adding 10 more seconds of cover. The Widespread upgrade increases its area of effect, making it more effective in obscuring multiple enemies.

Shuriken

Upgrade your Shuriken with Bank Shot to enable ricocheting between targets, increasing damage with each bounce. Triple Threat allows you to throw three Shurikens simultaneously for the cost of one, adding versatility in stealth and combat scenarios.

Shinobi Bell

Improve the Shinobi Bell's distraction capability with the Golden Bell upgrade, making it more noticeable to enemies. Follow up with Louder Chimes to extend its effective radius by five meters, attracting more foes with a single throw.

This guide covers everything you need to know about the tools and their upgrades in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For further assistance, visit The Escapist.

*Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.