"Assassin’s Creed Shadows: Upgrade Guide for All Tools"

In *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*, players can choose to play as either Yasuke or Naoe, each offering unique approaches to problem-solving. Understanding the tools at your disposal and how to upgrade them can significantly enhance your gameplay experience. Here’s a detailed guide on all tools and their upgrades in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows*.

All Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

In the game, you'll have access to five different tools, two of which are unlocked through story progression. Let's explore each tool and its functionalities:

Grappling Hook

The Grappling Hook is a crucial tool for Naoe, enhancing exploration by allowing you to latch onto structures and ascend without using handholds. This tool is perfect for quickly reaching high vantage points and observing enemy movements. It also enables you to swing across large gaps, making navigation smoother and more efficient.

Kunai

Kunai are sharp throwing knives that deliver significant damage, ideal for eliminating targets discreetly. They are lethal to common enemies and can be upgraded to handle armored foes, ensuring you can take down even the toughest adversaries silently.

Smoke Bomb

The Smoke Bomb is a versatile tool that creates a smoke cloud upon impact, serving both defensive and offensive purposes. It can break enemy lines of sight, allowing for quick escapes or setting up surprise attacks during combat, enhancing your stealth and tactical options.

Shuriken

Shuriken, the classic throwing stars, are essential for navigating heavily guarded areas. While they don't hit as hard as Kunai, they can stagger enemies and trigger environmental hazards like alarm bells or explosive barrels. Their silent nature makes them perfect for stealth operations, and upgrades allow them to ricochet for increased effectiveness.

Shinobi Bell

The Shinobi Bell is used for distraction, drawing enemy attention away from you. When upgraded, its range and visual appeal increase, making it a more potent tool for crowd control and setting up strategic moves.

For more on *Assassin’s Creed*, check out how to play the games in order.

How to Upgrade Tools in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Image Source: Ubisoft via The Escapist

Upgrading your tools in *Assassin’s Creed Shadows* is done through the Tools skill tree using Mastery Points, except for the Grappling Hook. Here’s how to enhance each tool:

Grappling Hook

The Grappling Hook's only upgrade, Ascension Boost, is found in the Shinobi Tree. For 2 Mastery Points at Knowledge Rank 2, this upgrade significantly speeds up Naoe’s climbing, making it easier to ascend buildings undetected.

Kunai

To maximize the Kunai's effectiveness, focus on Kunai Assassination Damage upgrades, which increase the damage per throw. Enhance its armor-piercing capabilities with the Armor Piercing passive skill, and use Everlast to ensure thrown Kunai can be retrieved without breaking.

Smoke Bomb

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

Shuriken

Upgrade your Shuriken with Bank Shot, enabling them to bounce between targets with increasing damage. Triple Threat allows you to throw three Shurikens at once for the cost of one, offering more options in both stealth and combat scenarios.

Shinobi Bell

Enhance the Shinobi Bell with Golden Bell to make it more visually appealing and effective at drawing attention. Follow up with Louder Chimes to increase its effective radius by five meters, allowing you to distract 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, visit The Escapist.

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