Assassin's Creed Shadows abilities explained: How to get Mastery points and unlock skills

Assassin's Creed Shadows has two different playable protagonists, each boasting a multitude of abilities. There's a Mastery system in the game that includes these abilities and their respective skill trees. You are required to gather Mastery points through various activities and unlock skills to enhance the character attributes.

This article thoroughly explains the abilities featured in Assassin's Creed Shadows and how to unlock them with Mastery points.

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What are the abilities in Assassin's Creed Shadows?

The game features two playable protagonists, Naoe and Yasuke, each offering distinct playstyles and combat mechanics. Both characters possess six unique abilities and skill trees. By advancing Knowledge Ranks and accumulating sufficient Mastery points, you can unlock their desired skills to achieve success in the game.

Both of the protagonists' abilities in Mastery are shown below:

Naoe abilities

Naoe's six abilities in AC Shadows (Image via Ubisoft)

In Assassin's Creed Shadows, Naoe embodies the archetype of a silent assassin, operating stealthily in the shadows to take out enemies. Equipped with a variety of smaller weapons and effective tools, she showcases agile movement mechanics, capturing the true essence of an assassin within the franchise.

Here are Naoe's abilities:

• Katana (melee weapon): 18 skills
• Kusarigama (melee weapon with range advantage): 18 skills
• Tanto (melee weapon): 18 skills
• Tools: 22 skills
• Shinobi (attributes): 20 skills
• Assassin (attributes): 17 skills

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Yasuke abilities

Yasuke's six abilities in AC Shadows (Image via Ubisoft)

Yasuke, on the other hand, possesses abilities that are primarily focused on direct combat. He is capable of wielding various heavy weapons to engage effectively with enemies in close-quarters confrontations. It is particularly important to employ his heavy attacks to penetrate the robust armor of foes. Additionally, he can utilize a Bow and a Teppo for inflicting damage at long range.

Here are Yasuke's abilities:

• Long Katana (melee weapon): 18 skills
• Naginata (melee weapon): 18 skills
• Kanabo (melee weapon): 18 skills
• Teppo (ranged weapon): 24 skills
• Samurai (attributes): 26 skills
• Bow (ranged weapon): 26 skills

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How to unlock skills in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Increase Knowledge Ranks by completing various objectives (Image via Ubisoft)

Although Assassin's Creed Shadows offers an abundance of abilities for each protagonist, these must be unlocked progressively. Each of Naoe and Yasuke possesses over 100 skills available for unlocking. To successfully obtain a skill, it is essential to consider these three primary requirements:

• Reaching the required Knowledge Rank.
• Having enough Mastery points.
• Certain skills require you to progress further in the game's story.

The most effective approach to level up your Knowledge Rank and unlock skills is to complete various objectives. A range of main and side quests are available that provide Knowledge points, subsequently raising your rank upon reaching a specific threshold.

Notably, these objectives are indicated on the map by distinct red symbols. Meanwhile, the necessary points needed to advance to the next level can be found in the bottom-left corner of the Mastery section.

To unlock a particular skill, Mastery points are necessary. Complete various objectives and gain experiences as rewards to advance your character and acquire Mastery points. Nevertheless, it is essential to achieve sufficient progress in the main storyline to access certain skills.

Significantly, various regions on the Assassin's Creed Shadows map indicate the suggested player level. Therefore, it is essential to undertake numerous quests, possess robust armor, and effectively employ weapons to attain the necessary level and access higher-level areas.

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