All the best Assassin's Creed Shadows weapons and how to get them

The best weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows are all here, no matter what your preferred weapon type is. And with eight to pick from, the protagonists of Assassin's Creed Shadows are incredibly well equipped to deal with whatever foes are in their way. Naoe's best weapons are focused on exploiting weakness, while Yasuke's greater arsenal allow him to survive in the midst of combat for long periods. If you want to know which Assassin's Creed Shadows weapons are the best, from katanas to tantos to kanabos, we've got all the info you need to know below, with both rankings of the greatest weapon types and each ones' best in show.

All best weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Below we've listed all the best weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with the best in show for each weapon type. Below that, you can find out how to get each weapon for yourself!

• Best Naoe weapons
  • Katana: Bloodshade (Afflictions do not decrease over time)
  • Kusarigama: Ocean's Grip (+60% damage to distant enemies)
  • Tanto: Shinobi's Fury (Performing a weakpoint attack makes the target Vulnerable a second time)
• Best Yasuke Weapons
  • Long Katana: Crimson's Edge (Inflicts bleed. Enemies below two health segments you inflict bleed on die immediately).
  • Naginata: Vengeful Foe (+35% Bleed Buildup on Successful Parry)
  • Kanabo: Venom Pillar (Instantly charge Posture Attacks by alternating attack types)
  • Bow: Dragon's Wrath (Instantly charge arrows)
  • Teppo: Patient Harbinger (Can be fired twice before the need to reload)

Obviously it's worth saying that these are generally powerful weapons that don't take into consideration certain builds - for example, less obviously powerful weapons might find their niche when combined with specific armor, engravings and skills accordingly.

Bloodshade Katana location

The Bloodshade Katana is found inside a legendary chest on a large ship in the Izumi Settsu Region, South of Amagasaki. Its ability to prevent affliction from draining makes it lethal for many builds and abilities, especially with Naoe's more defensive combat style that means you can't always keep landing strikes.

Ocean's Grip Kusarigama location

The Ocean's Grip Kusarigama does massive damage to distant foes. You can find it by completing the Pirate's Alliance Assassination side quests chain.

To unlock this, you need to kill the Fox, one of the main Shinbakufu. After that, you'll unlock a side quest from Shido that allows you hunt all the Pirate Alliance targets around the region of Wakasa, especially in the Shattered Coast. Kill them all, and you'll be rewarded with the Ocean's Grip.

Shinobi's Fury Tanto location

This amazing Tanto allows you to hit a vulnerable target with two posture attacks, and it's really easy to get - just complete the early main quest as Naoe where you kill The Golden Teppo, after the Assassin's Creed Shadows confront Otama or Wakasa choice.

Crimson's Edge Long Katana location

The Crimson's Edge Long Katana for Yasuke is a reward for defeating all of Nobotsuna's students. To do this, progress the main story until complete the quest An Education, which you can access in Azuchi in Act 2. Once all the students are defeated, return to him to get this amazing sword.

Vengeful Foe Naginata location

This deadly Naginata works for defensive players, building bleed on every parry. It's a reward for completing the quest known as The Tournament, which is accessible just on the Southwest path outside of the Hideout after killing at least 9 of the Shinbakufu targets. It's a quest where you have to fight numerous enemies in Ominesanji Temple in Southeast Yamato, and after killing the last of them, you'll be rewarded with the Vengeful Foe Naginata.

Venom Pillar Kanabo location

The Venom Pillar Kanabo allows you to do heavy-power posture attacks by just alternating light and heavy strikes, meaning you have a massive damage output without loss of speed. To find it, head to Kajimiya Cemetery in the Southeast of Mount Hiei, in the Western Omi region. There's a legendary chest there with the Venom Pillar inside.

Dragon's Wrath Bow location

This bow charges shots instantly, and you can find it as a reward for killing the Tsutsui Agent, one of the targets of the optional Kurai Eikyou assassination subquest. You don't need to start this quest to actually find and kill them - just head to the Retainer's Quarters in Koriyama Castle, to the East of your Hideout. The Tsutsui Agent will be there - kill him to get the bow.

Patient Harbinger Teppo location

This legendary Teppo allows you to load two bullets at a time, meaning you can fire twice between reloads. It's in a legendary chest next to Kamikoga's Ippon Sugi in Western Omi, North of the Ago River Valley. Just head there and hold L2/Left Trigger to find the gold light that marks this treasure.

Best Assassin's Creed Shadows weapons for Naoe

Now we should address which of the AC Shadows weapon types is best on their own terms as a rule. 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.

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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