"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 problem-solving. Here’s a comprehensive guide on all the tools available in the game and how to upgrade them to enhance your gameplay experience.

All Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Players will unlock five different tools throughout the game, with two becoming available as you progress through the story. Let's delve into each of them:

Grappling Hook

Naoe's Grappling Hook is a game-changer for exploration. It enables you to attach to structures and ascend without the need for handholds, making it easier to reach high vantage points swiftly. Additionally, it can be used to swing across large gaps, enhancing your mobility and tactical positioning.

Kunai

The Kunai is a sharp throwing knife perfect for those who prefer stealthy eliminations. A well-aimed Kunai can instantly kill common enemies, though upgrades are necessary to penetrate the armor of stronger foes, ensuring you remain undetected while taking out specific targets.

Smoke Bomb

The Smoke Bomb serves dual purposes as both a defensive and offensive tool. Upon impact, it releases a cloud of smoke that breaks the line of sight with enemies, allowing for quick escapes or surprise attacks during combat. It's an essential tool for creating confusion and gaining the upper hand in battles.

Shuriken

The Shuriken, a traditional throwing star, is crucial for navigating heavily guarded areas. While it doesn't deal as much damage as the Kunai, it can stagger enemies and trigger environmental interactions, such as disabling alarms or igniting explosive barrels. Its silent nature makes it ideal for stealth missions, and upgrades can enhance its ricochet capabilities.

Shinobi Bell

For players who favor distraction over direct confrontation, the Shinobi Bell is invaluable. When thrown, it attracts enemies within its range, allowing you to clear paths or set up crowd control scenarios. Upgrades can increase its range and add a gold shimmer, making it even more effective at diverting attention.

How To Upgrade Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

All tools, except the Grappling Hook, can be upgraded using Mastery Points through the Tools skill tree. Here’s how to enhance 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, which significantly speeds up Naoe’s climbing, making it harder for enemies to spot you as you ascend.

Kunai

To maximize the Kunai's effectiveness, focus on upgrades like Kunai Assassination Damage, which increases the health segments removed with each throw. Enhance its armor-piercing capabilities with the Armor Piercing passive skill, and ensure every Kunai can be retrieved without breaking using the Everlast upgrade.

Smoke Bomb

After unlocking the Smoke Bomb, extend its duration with the Enduring Haze upgrade, giving you an additional 10 seconds to exploit the smoke. Further enhance its utility with Widespread, which increases the area of effect, allowing you to obscure more enemies at once.

Shuriken

Upgrade the Shuriken with Bank Shot, enabling it to bounce between targets and deal increasing damage with each hit. Triple Threat allows you to throw three Shurikens simultaneously for the cost of one, providing more options for both stealth and combat scenarios.

Shinobi Bell

Enhance the Shinobi Bell's distraction capabilities with the Golden Bell upgrade, making it more noticeable to enemies. Follow up with Louder Chimes to increase its effective radius by five meters, allowing you to lure more enemies with a single throw.

That’s everything you need to know about the tools and their upgrades in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*. For more tips and guides, be sure to check out The Escapist.

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