Summary
With the release ofAssassin’s Creed Shadows, players have been given two very distinct protagonists to play. In addition to Naoe, a ninja in the vein of traditional series assassins, there is Yasuke, the hulking tank of a samurai, who feels as appropriately unique in combat as he does in his adopted home of Japan.
This tank is not without versatility, however, asYasukehas just as much variability in his tools, weapons, and moves as Naoe. One fun way to mix up Yasuke’s shoulder-tackling melees is with his bow, which may not be as flashy as the teppo but makes up for it with satisfying precision and impact. A few of his bow abilities stand out from the rest, and the very best make Yasuke deadly effective at range.
1Retreating Shot
An Impressive Looking Flurry
Retreating Shot is one of Yasuke’s few activebow attacksand one of the most useful in melee combat. In addition to shooting four arrows in rapid succession, upgradable to six, Retreating Shot gives Yasuke a window of evasion during the whole flurry.
One of the best uses for Retreating Shot is first equipping Yasuke’s poison arrows and using it to begin an encounter with a tough daimyo or other boss. As four to six poison arrows sink into one enemy, the poisoned state is virtually a guarantee, dealing a lot of damage over time.
2Kyudo Master
The Right Timing Makes Yasuke Lightning Fast
Right away, players will notice that Yasuke’s main drawback is his speed. The bow takes a while to charge into a stance shot, and though perks like Swift Hand help to speed the process up slightly, Kyudo Master allows Yasuke’s speed to be determined by the player.
By releasing a shot right as the bow flashes, Kyudo Master gives players five seconds of faster reloads and criminally easy posture shots. Even better, this can essentially be chained until arrows are spent, as long as the player’s reaction time is good enough.
3Silent Arrows
Assassinate While Safely At Range
In general, Yasuke’s Silent Arrows are his most powerful ammo type. While Poison Arrows and Serrated Arrows may look flashier and contribute more in the long run, Silent Arrows are the best choice to assassinate a target at range instantly.
When fully upgraded, Silent Arrows combine 100% armor piercing with a massive eight health segments in damage. That makes one shot enough for a hidden rooftop Yasuke to eliminate even powerful ronin and samurai with one swift, silent shot.
4Larger Quiver I-III
The More Poison Arrows, The Better
Some of the best abilities in RPGs are also the most boring, and Larger Quiver is certainly both. As its name suggests, Larger Quiver increases the size of Yasuke’s quiver, allowing him to carry more arrows, which is important for two major reasons.
Firstly, Yasuke’s main quiver is sorely undersized when first unlocked, at a mere ten. The three levels of Large Quiver bring Yasuke’s quiver up to 40, enough for any castle siege. Secondly, Yasuke’s damage is at its best with special arrow types, and until upgraded, players are only allotted six of each. Upgrading brings the total to a much more usable 15.
5Clear Mind
A Franchise Staple For A Reason
By now, it’s expected for anyAssassin’s Creedgame to have a bow ability that slows time, and the same is true for many other RPGs that include archery. In the often frenetic chaos that isAssassin’s Creedcombat, a window of relative calm to aim and fire off a shot can be an actual lifesaver.
Clear Mind works easily and for an especially long time, simply triggering upon activation and slowing time around Yasuke for ten seconds. Given Yasuke’s lack of speed normally, the feature works wonders in making it possible for players to switch out their meleeweaponsfor a bow and finish an enemy before they cover that last bit of ground.
6Level-Headed
Upgrade Clear Mind to Maximum Utility
Level-Headed is actually an upgrade to another ability. It’s the third in a chain that begins with Clear Mind and goes through Effective Mindset, but it may be the most important of them all.
Level-Headed makes it so that successful headshots during Clear Mind extend the duration by four seconds each. Like otherAssassin’s Creedgames, headshots are relatively easy to pull off inShadows, meaning that a player with Level-Headed can feasibly fight an entire ranged battle with time slowed just for them.Yasuke’s playstylefeels anything but slow this way.
7Marksman’s Shot
Make Every Shot Into Two
Marksman’s Shot is a rare ability that is not technically an activated ability, but players will still have to trigger it for it to take effect. It works by giving players a window after any charged headshot, which most will be anyway, in which to fire off a rapid second arrow.
The real gift of Marksman’s Shot is that it does not need to be slotted and activated, but rather is always an option after unlocking. Especially early in the game and with powerful enemies, Yasuke’s headshots often leave the targets with one or two health bars remaining. With good timing, Marksman’s Shot fixes this problem quickly.
8Marksman’s Stance
Chain Headshots As Needed
The direct upgrade to Marksman’s Shot, Marksman’s Stance takes the ability to its logical and extremely powerful conclusion. The perk makes the bonus arrow fired with Marksman’s Shot a posture/charged shot itself, meaning that the bonus shot now doubles Yasuke’s damage.
Marksman’s Stance makes every arrow fired twice as strong, including twice as much poison or bleeding buildup. Further, it is a massive improvement in the utility of Yasuke’s regular shows for assassinations. With appropriately scaled gear, two posture shots in a row should fell any non-boss enemy instantly, or at least in two instants.
9Poison Arrows
The Best For Damage Over Time
For how hardAssassin’s Creed Shadowspushes Yasuke to be a dismembering, wall-smashing tank, abilities like Poison Arrows make Yasuke also a fun option forstealthand subterfuge. The only thing keeping the high-damage arrows from becoming many players' default is their low quiver size and refill availability, but that can be addressed.
Once players know the map, invest in the many Kakurega scattered around, and especially if they invest in Larger Quiver, Poison Arrows can easily become their default ammunition. At that point, Yasuke’s every bow ability can utilize the arrows and therefore increases the damage dealt exponentially throughout the entire playthrough.
10Staggering Blast
A Powerful, Dazing Burst
Staggering Blast is likely to be the first ability many players opt for in Yasuke’s bow mastery path, and rightly so. When fully upgraded, the blast is arguably Yasuke’s most useful overall, and even in its most basic form, its pushback ability can be invaluable.
Done right, Staggering Blast can be used like Yasuke’s melee version of War Kick, sending enemies flying back. This could mean giving the samurai space or it could mean sending tough enemies sailing over cliffs, turning drawn-out battles into instant kills. Once upgraded, it automatically dazes the enemy as well, meaning even those that don’t fly off a ledge are all but dead already.
