Should You Play As Naoe Or Yasuke In Assassin's Creed Shadows?

Having a hard time deciding whether you should play as Yasuke or Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows? These two protagonists have their own unique playstyles, weapon options, and even specific challenges that they could complete. We take a look at all these facets in our comprehensive guide.

Should you play as Yasuke or Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows

The dual protagonist system in Shadows is quite unlike what we've seen in previous iterations of the Assassin's Creed franchise. Characters like Kassandra and Alexios (Odyssey), and male/female Eivor, were more like peas in a pod. Evie and Jacob (Syndicate), meanwhile, had notable differences, though not quite on the same level as Yasuke and Naoe this time around.

The game opens with linear introductory sections for each character. Eventually, though, the pair will cross paths in the main story. From this point forward, you can play as either Yasuke or Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows through the following means:

• While free-roaming, you can swap between the two via the inventory screen. A prompt should appear at the bottom of the screen, so just hold the button down to make the switch.
• Alternatively, you can mouse over a fast travel point on the world map. The different buttons that you press and hold allow you to fast travel as the same character or switch to the other one.
• There are also several segments in the campaign where you're prompted to choose whether you'd control Yasuke or Naoe.
• Certain activities that grant Knowledge Points can only be completed by a specific character. Note that Knowledge Points and Mastery Points (i.e. skill points) that you've earned equally apply to both characters.
• More importantly, there are a few allies/companions and romance options that only a specific character can interact with.

• Melee weapons: Katana, kusarigama, and tanto
• Ranged weapons: Kunai (thrown)
• Traversal methods: Grappling hook, faster/higher climbing, and tightrope walking
• Additional perks: Eagle Vision

Naoe has trained all her life to be a ninja, a shinobi from the land of Iga, making her a silent killer. She does not have a lot of quirks that allow her to stand toe-to-toe against tougher foes, but she can take out her enemies through deft avoidance, swift strikes, and stealthy assassinations.

• Melee weapons: Long katana, naginata, and kanabo
• Ranged weapons: Bow and teppo (medium-ranged musket)
• Traversal methods: Barreling through doors and moving heavy obstacles
• Additional perks: N/A

Conversely, Yasuke is all about going into the thick of battle and pounding his enemies into the dirt. His movement might be more cumbersome, and his attacks are slower, at least when compared to Naoe, but every blow is bone-crunchingly terrifying to behold. Yasuke can stand his ground when facing multiple foes, but he does struggle with general traversal.

If you still need to decide between Yasuke or Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows, then think of them as having two different facets of the series' previous offerings:

• Yasuke exemplifies the series' focus on action and adventure, such as having to fend off countless soldiers in Greece or England--with maybe a Spartan Kick or two.
• Naoe is your traditional stealth-focused character--she can't survive numerous direct engagements, but you're going to enjoy sneaking around and stabbing foes with your Hidden Blade.

Given the above, we can say that Naoe is the better character in Assassin's Creed Shadows. Her movement is faster and she can climb easily, especially with the use of her grappling hook. In fact, she can walk on ropes without issues, whereas ropes themselves would snap if Yasuke attempts to use them. What seals the deal further is her Eagle Vision, which causes the bright red outlines of enemies to appear. With it, you'll be able to move around restricted areas while watching out for nearby threats.

Considering how enemies are at a set level throughout the regions of Japan, both Yasuke and Naoe will have a tough time unless you grind more experience points. However, if you enable the Guaranteed Assassinations option, and with Naoe's inherent quirks, you should find progression much easier even when going through high-level areas.

There's a gameplay option called Canon Mode, which does the following:

• It automatically picks a certain character that you play as for specific missions, somewhat in keeping with the theme or objective.
• You no longer get to make choices when responding to NPCs.
• You get to experience how the story unfolds the way it was originally structured.

The concept might sound good, at least on paper. However, there are some crucial issues, too. Since you can't choose dialogue responses, you might miss out on recruitable allies or romanceable NPCs. As such, we do not recommend playing with Canon Mode enabled.