Best Long Katana Build Guide in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

This guide explores the best Long Katana build that you can use on Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows to easily overpower and defeat enemies.

Although Assassin’s Creed Shadows does not have a class system, Yasuke and Naoe have different weapons that require different builds. These also determine your gameplay style. For Yasuke, there are more weapon options, since he does not have the “Assassin” tree altogether. As a Samurai, Yasuke’s default weapon is the Long Katana. This is a longer version of the Katana and is a heavier weapon in general.

It is not compulsory to use the Long Katana on Yasuke, but it is arguably one of the best weapons to exist in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. As a Samurai, Yasuke will have this weapon by default and will be your go-to weapon till you unlock the others. That said, the Long Katana has some excellent skills that can make him a daunting presence in the game.

This build guide will explore the best Long Katana build for Yasuke that you can use in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Long Katana Build Overview

The Long Katana is a versatile weapon that is great for both offensive and defensive abilities. Yasuke can deal massive attacks with his normal combos and skill moves and can also pull off defensive moves like Riposte with the block and counter mechanics.

Long Katana is a melee weapon, which means you have to be at close range to be effective. However, owing to Yasuke’s large stature, mid-range fights are also a breeze because he can cover a large portion of the ground with his steps.

Here are the basic pros and cons of the Long Katana in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:

Pros	Cons
Great damage output Has both offensive and defensive moves Has access to a wide variety of special skills Can perform a special “Brutal Assassination”	Melee weapon, and is not effective on enemies who are far away

Best Long Katana Build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Here are the details of the best Long Katana build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:

• Weapon: Crimson’s Edge
  • Rarity: Legendary Long Katana
  • Weapon Special Skill: Bleed Buildup
  • Default Engrave: Bleed kills enemies below 2 Health Segments
  • Secondary Engrave: +25% damage from Bleed on afflicted enemies
• Headgear: Protector’s Helmet
  • Rarity: Legendary Headgear
  • Default Engraving: Double Adrenaline Gain on Assassinations
  • Secondary Engraving: +60% Adrenaline Gain when hitting vulnerable enemies
• Armor: Defense Master Clothing
  • Rarity: Legendary Armor
  • Default Engrave: Restore 10% Health on next hit after a Parry
  • Secondary Engrave: Can Parry Unblockable attacks
• Amulet: Howl of The Dragon
  • Rarity: Legendary Trinket
  • Default Engrave: +2% Critical Damage per Mastery Point in Long Katana
  • Secondary Engrave: +6% Armor Piercing with consecutive hits

You can select any other weapon on Yasuke to pair with this Long Katana build. The Kanabo is a great choice if you want to go for a full brawl build, especially with its massive damage.

Skill Tree for Best Long Katana Build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Long Katana

Knowledge Rank 1	Knowledge Rank 2	Knowledge Rank 3	Knowledge Rank 4	Knowledge Rank 5	Knowledge Rank 6
Sheathed Attack	Combat Expert	Adrenaline Builder	Armor Avoidance	Melee Weapon Armor Damage	Chained Power Dash
Power Dash	Energizing Defense	Sheathed Posture	Overrun	Adrenaline Boost	–
Riposte	–	Payback	Defensive Strike	Unstoppable	–

Samurai

Knowledge Rank 1	Knowledge Rank 2	Knowledge Rank 3	Knowledge Rank 4	Knowledge Rank 5	Knowledge Rank 6
Regeneration	Improved Brutal Assassination	Stronger, Smarter…	Unbreachable Guard	Strength Builder	Absolute Protection
Brutal Assassination	Crash Collision	Assassination Damage 1	–	Assassination Damage 2	–
Link Attack	Vigor 1	Impenetrable Defense	–	Vigor 3	–
Bull Rush	–	Big Impact	–	–	–
–	–	Vigor 2	–	–	–

Assassin’s Creed Shadows Best Long Katana Build Explained

The Long Katana is a weapon that has almost no negative aspects. With the right skills, you won’t even have to worry about blocking attacks manually. Here are the key factors of our best Long Katana build for Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:

• Deal maximum Bleed damage.
• Parry attacks from enemies and counter them.
• Automatically heal from the Long Katana skills.

Here is an explanation of each point:

Deal Maximum Bleed Damage

Bleed is one of the best afflictions in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. It allows you to deal a massive amount of damage with the full bleed affliction and can also momentarily stun an enemy. The Crimson’s Edge Long Katana is the best weapon for this job, although you acquire it late in the game after completing Nobutsuna Sensei’s storyline.

Once bleed is active, enemies below two bars of health will die automatically. The damage is further improved by our secondary engraving, which deals 25% more damage with the bleed affliction.

Parry Attacks And Counter Them

Yasuke’s Riposte skill at Knowledge Rank 1 allows him to counter enemy attacks and hit them back. As you upgrade this skill in higher Knowledge Ranks, the damage increases, allowing you to deal some free damage.

The Impenetrable Defense skill at Knowledge Rank 3 automatically blocks all incoming attacks toward Yasuke and allows him to counter them. This is a game-changing skill, that increases his survivability on the field, as well as deals a lot of damage.

Automatically Heal From Long Katana Skills

If you are efficient with skill management, Yasuke can come out of most fights without using a single ration to heal himself. This is complemented by the Payback skill on the Long Katana at Knowledge Rank 3, which restores 10% of your health every time.

With proper adrenaline management, you can use this skill once every cycle, thereby gaining health every time. This also goes on to add to Yasuke’s massive survival skills, which makes him an unstoppable force in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

How to Use This Best Long Katana Build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Using the Long Katana in an actual battle is fairly easy, since it is a very straightforward weapon. That said, here is the gameplay loop that you should try to follow with this best Long Katana build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:

• Try to single out one enemy and initiate the fight with a Brutal Assassination. This will not be possible in many cases, but you should try to do this if available.
• Activate Impenetrable Defense and keep hitting the enemies. At higher levels, each counter with this skill will make enemies Vulnerable, which is your cue to deal a ton of damage. These actions will also build your Adrenaline Chunks to use more skills.
• Once the ability ends, immediately use Power Dash. This will once again leave the enemy you hit Vulnerable, and you need to prioritize hitting this enemy at this point.
• Use sheathed attacks and Posture attacks as much as possible. The Sheathed Posture skill at Knowledge Rank 3 for Long Katana will convert your Sheathed Attacks to Posture Attacks, which will allow you to deal significantly increased damage.
• To end your cycle, use the Payback skill. This will finish enemies who are on low health, while also healing 10% of Yasuke’s health.
• Switch to a secondary weapon and continue the attacks. Once you have enough adrenaline, swap back and restart this loop from the Impenetrable Defense skill.

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