This guide explores the best Yasuke build that you can use in Assassin’s Creed Shadows to take completely crush all opponents.

Yasuke is a big brute who is the crowned king of combat when it comes to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Stealth is not really his forte, but he thrives in frontal strikes with massive damage and a lot of collateral destruction. Generally, he is easier to play than Naoe, since he has a higher base attack and defense (owing to his physique.) Interestingly, he also has access to more weapon options, which makes his build an even tougher task.
Being a Samurai, the Long Katana is going to be the primary weapon in our best Yasuke build guide for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. That said, he has access to some long-range options like the longbow and the Teppo (or gun), which can make him more flexible. Unfortunately, neither of these makes it to the best build for him. In this guide, we will explain the best build for Yasuke that you can use in Assassin’s Creed Shadows to completely dominate and crush your opponents.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke Build Overview
Yasuke is a big, brute Samurai, who wields the heavier weapons. His gameplay is aggressive and brash, and the developer has very prominently differentiated it from Naoe’s methodical assassin approach. He can easily handle a mob and make short of them. Moreover, you can even “lineup” enemies and use a special move to deal the effect to multiple enemies.
To balance things out, Yasuke is not made for stealth or finesse. He cannot easily climb walls or stay hidden, and the “assassin” aspect is very limited for him. If you want to get the maximum damage out of Yasuke, you will have to properly focus on the weapons, their individual skill trees, and his special abilities.
Here are the basic pros and cons of Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
Very aggressive and prefers frontal attacks Deals massive damage, and has a decent amount of defense More health boosters as compared to Naoe Can easily deal with mobs Takes less times for boss fights | Lacks stealth and finesse Does not have access to any tools |
Best Yasuke Build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Here are all the details for the best Yasuke build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows:
- Weapons:
- Primary: Crimson’s Edge
- Rarity: Legendary Long Katana
- Default Engrave: Bleed kills enemies below 2 Health Segments
- Secondary Engrave: +25% damage from Bleed on afflicted enemies
- Secondary: Boulder Fall
- Rarity: Legendary Kanabo
- Default Engrave: Attacks cannot be interrupted
- Secondary Engrave: +8% Adrenaline Gain by consecutive hits
- Primary: Crimson’s Edge
- Headgear: Protector’s Helmet
- Rarity: Legendary Headgear
- Default Engrave: Deal 50% damage to the attacker on Parry
- Secondary Engrave: +12% damage with abilities
- 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 Amulet
- Default Engrave: +2% Critical Damage per Mastery Point in Long Katana
- Secondary Engrave: +6% Armor Piercing with consecutive hits
Best Yasuke Build Skill Trees in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

You must unlock the following skills from the various skill tress for Yasuke in this build:
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 | – |
Kanabo
Knowledge Rank 1 | Knowledge Rank 2 | Knowledge Rank 3 | Knowledge Rank 4 | Knowledge Rank 5 | Knowledge Rank 6 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Devastation | Combo Ender Damage | Ability Master | Infinite Devastation | Damage Reduction | Absolute Showdown |
Spine Breaker | Turmoil | Irresistible Force | Unstoppable Strength | Constant Pressure | – |
Forward Momentum | Power Surge | Crushing Shockwave | Greater Shockwave | – | – |
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 Yasuke Build Explained

Our best Yasuke build for Assassin’s Creed Shadows focuses on these particular factors:
- Deal Bleed damage with the Long Katana
- Parry attacks and regain health
- Deal uninterrupted attacks with the Kanabo
Yasuke’s plastyle is very straightforward. Here is an explanation of all the pointers listed above:
1) Deal Bleed Damage With Long Katana
The Crimson’s Edge is a Long Katana that you will get after completing the Nobutsune questline. The sword has a jagged edge, which by default screams of the bleed ability. By further honing the affliction, you will be able to deal massive damages to enemies. With our selection of engraves for this best Yasuke build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you will deal 25% additional bleed damage, and also instantly kill enemies once they get below two health segments.
2) Parry Attacks And Regain Health
Yasuke is great for Parrying attacks. As such, this can be used in two special ways: for healing and for dealing some extra damage at the same time. With the Defense Master Clothing armor, your next hit after a parry will automatically restore 10% health. The Payback ability on your Long Katana will also restore another 10% health. Given that Yasuke has access to more health packs in general, he can literally be immortal if you play it right.
3) Deal Uninterrupted Attacks With The Kanabo
Our best build for Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows features the Kanabo as the secondary weapon. This weapon is slow, although it deals a massive amount of damage. One of the primary disadvantages of the Kanabo is that enemies will often hit you in between. This will not only stop your combo, but will also deal damage. The Boulder Fall legendary Kanabo’s passive ensures that attacks cannot be stopped, that is, they cannot be interrupted. Pair this with the extra adrenaline gain on successive builds, and you will be able to deal huge damages while also building charges for abilities.
How to Use This Best Yasuke Build in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Here is the gameplay loop that you should look to achieve with our best Yasuke build for Assassin’s Creed Shadows:
- Immediately activate Impenetrable Defense once the fight starts, and then use your Katana to attack. This will automatically counter all attacks, and also make the enemies vulnerable. Keep slashing to build up bleed and maybe even kill some weaker enemies.
- Once Impenetrable Defense ends, swap to your Kanabo and keep hitting to build up adrenaline. Once full, use the Spine Breaker or Crushing Shockwave to deal huge damage. If a boss enemy or a Samurai Daisho is there, try to target these enemies with your Spine Breaker instead.
- Swap back to the Long Katana and use your Power Dash and Payback abilities. The latter will also restore some health if you took damage at any time.
- Focus on parrying as many attacks as you can with the Long Katana, since your armor engraving will allow you to even block the red, unblockable attacks.
- When your cooldown for Impenetrable Defense has reset, follow this loop all over again.
- Use rations to heal as needed, although you will survive most fights without needing to use any rations at all.
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