Should You Play as Yasuke or Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

Yasuke is one of the most interesting protagonists in Assassin’s Creed history from a gameplay perspective alone. With his skills as a Samaurai and his powerful stature, Yasuke handles like no other. This large, formidable warrior is an absolute powerhouse. With Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ From Software inspired melee combat, plays out like if you could control a boss in Dark Souls.

Yasuke isn’t like any other Samurai. His background and physical attributes make him stand out from the rest of the warriors across Shadows’ Feudal Japan, and he’s able to conquer several of them with ease. He excels at crowd control, and has powerful melee attacks. Not only can Yasuke handle base enemies just fine, but as you level him up in the game he can make short work of higher tier enemies, like the Daimo who patrol castles. He is also able to use a Bow and Arrow, which can make Yasuke effective at range.

That being said, while Yasuke excels at open combat, he struggles with a lot of the things you expect the typical Assassin to do in Assassin’s Creed. His assassinations take far longer than Naoe’s, and leave him exposed for discovery. While he does have some parkour abilities, they are limited. Yasuke’s climbing and shimmying are far slower than playable protagonists from the past. Granted, he can in theory climb up to a synchronization point to reveal more of the map. However, many of the synchronization points in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are either impossible or extremely difficult for Yasuke to find, but you won’t know which until you get there. This can be incredibly frustrating when trying to explore a new province.

Naoe the Shinobi Pros and Cons

Naoe the Igan Shinobi both looks and handles more like the typical Assassin from other games in the Assassin’s Creed series. She excels at stealth and parkour. She is incredibly nimble, and able to get around with ease. With a combination of ninja-like skills and the weapons of an Assassin, Naoe can become a master of stealth when the player spends their Mastery points.

While Naoe is effective at remaining unseen, she can really struggle when detected. Naoe has lower health and far less powerful melee abilities than Yasuke. While a skilled player might be able to slash, dodge, and parry their way out of an enemy encounter with Naoe, it can often be overwhelming to face even two or three enemies as this character. When detected, running out of combat to re-enter the anonymous state is almost always the better option. Then, she can return to the area and do all the hidden blade takedowns, aerial assassinations and parkour fans would expect from the greats of the series.

When Should You Play as Each Protagonist in Assassin’s Creed Shadows?

Oftentimes, whichever protagonist you choose to play as in Assassin’s Creed Shadows is up to personal preference. Other times, the story will decide which character is available for which quest, especially when playing in canon mode. However, when able to switch between the two, there are clear instances where each excels.

You should play as Naoe in Assassin’s Creed Shadows in exploration. Due to Naoe’s higher mobility and faster speed, she’s much better at clearing the fog of war, synchronizing, and discovering a province of feudal Japan. For contracts and quests that require assassinating a target, Naoe is highly effective once you’ve reached knowledge Level 2 and investing some Mastery in Assassin and Shinobi skills.

Once you’ve made sense of a region and discovered its most dangerous targets, Yasuke is the character you’ll want to take into combat. There are many castles containing Daimyo Samurai lords, which need to be killed in order to get the castle’s high value loot. Yasuke is able to defeat these enemies with brutal assassinations or in open sword fights far easier than Naoe.

If a mission, quest, or side activity requires lots of open combat, Yasuke is the best fit. On the other hand, Naoe excels at traversal, exploration and discovery. Beyond those situations, either character is capable. As a result, which protagonist a player picks for most of their playthrough will likely come down to which personality they resonate with more, and whether they prefer the classic Assassin’s Creed gameplay or the newer RPG titles.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on March 20th.