Best armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows
The best armor sets and trinkets for both Naoe and Yasuke in AC Shadows
Wondering which is the best armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows? There's no shortage of awesome outfits in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and even the relatively humble shinobi and samurai outfits that Naoe and Yasuke start the game with are supremely stylish.
As you progress through your mission of revenge, you'll unlock lots more armor pieces and trinkets, but while all of them look cool, a select few stand out as the cream of the crop. This guide presents our picks for the best armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows for both Naoe and Yasuke, as well as trinkets that work well for each character. We'll also present maps showing the location of these armors so you can get started outfitting Naoe and Yasuke ASAP.
Best armor for Naoe
Our favourite armors for Naoe are the Master Assassin Set and the Tools Master Set. While trinkets are heavily dependent on your build, the Otakemaru's Battlecry Trinket works well for a wide variety of skillsets, hence its inclusion here.
Master Assassin Set
Definitely the strongest armor in the game, there are two pieces to the Master Assassin Set - the Master Assassin Gear and the Master Assassin Hood. The gear boasts excellent stat increases and grants Naoe +2 Health Segments on successful assassinations, making it the perfect garb for a sneaky infiltration that ends with taking out several samurai daisho in one of AC Shadows' many castles. The hood, meanwhile, makes ground attacks remove 2 Health Segments on a hit.
The Master Assassin Set bears an initial resemblance to the Apprentice Assassin Set, which makes Naoe look like Altair, Ezio, and all of the other classic protagonists of the AC franchise. But there are two main differences - the Master Assassin Set is all red and black, and it's only available after completing the game and finishing the final Epilogue mission, Out of the Shadows, which only unlocks after you've completed Naoe, Yasuke, and Junjiro's personal quests.
The following map shows the location of Out of the Shadows, which gets you both pieces of this legendary armor.
Tools Master Set
If you're looking for an armor set to tide you over until you beat the game, the Tools Master Set does the job wonderfully. This set contains two pieces - the Tools Master Gear and the Tools Master Mask. The gear's stat boosts are very respectable, and its passive makes Naoe chuck a kunai at the closest foe after an assassination. The mask, meanwhile, prevents shuriken from breaking on a hard impact. All in all, the Tools Master Set is a particularly worthwhile choice if you've maxed out the Tools tree in Naoe's Mastery Skills.
In order to obtain the gear, you need to clear Katano Castle in Izumi Settsu.
To get the mask, you need to clear Amagasaki Castle, also in Izumi Settsu.
Otakemaru's Battlecry Trinket
Depending on which of Naoe's weapons you prefer, you may want to go with a trinket that supplements her katana, kusarigama, or tanto. But for a nice all-around option, consider checking out Otakemaru's Battlecry, which offers +1% Health per Mastery Point in the Shinobi skill tree. Investing in this tree works for most builds, and since Naoe is the squishier of AC Shadows' two characters, it pays for her to have the extra health.
You can pick up this trinket in a legendary chest in Koriyama Camp.
Best armor for Yasuke
Our favourite armors for Yasuke are the Protector's Armor Set and the Master Archer Set. For trinkets, we've gone with the Kitsune's Trickery Amulet, which amplifies Yasuke's health and works with many different builds.
Protector's Armor Set
The Protector's Set consists of the Protector's Armor and the Protector's Helmet. Both offer good health and damage boosts, but the main reason to pick up this set is for the defensive capabilities. The armor lets Yasuke parry unblockable attacks, which is fabulous considering how important parrying is to the attack mechanics in Assassin's Creed Shadows. The helmet, meanwhile, makes Yasuke deal 50% damage to an attacker after a successful parry.
To get the Protector's Armor, you'll need to clear Nijo Palace, in Yamashiro.
To acquire the Protector's Helmet, you'll need to clear Hanazano Castle, in Omi.
Master Archer Set
To take full advantage of Yasuke's bow attacks, try wearing the Master Archer Outfit and the Master Archer Headband. The outfit gives you an awesome +200% damage with ranged attacks when you aren't in combat, letting you headshot plenty of unsuspecting enemies from afar before having to deal with them in an up-close-and-personal manner. The headband slows down time on headshots every 8 seconds, making your bow all the more user-friendly.
If you want the outfit, you can get it by clearing Tsuruga Castle in Wakasa.
The headband can be acquired by clearing Kanegasaki Castle in Wakasa.
Kitsune's Trickery Amulet
As was the case with Naoe, choosing the right trinket for Yasuke is highly subjective and dependent on which weapon or skill you want to prioritise. But the Kitsune's Trickery Amulet is a nice choice that offers +1% Health per Mastery point in the Samurai skill tree, which is where many of Yasuke's best Mastery skills lie. Yasuke is much hardier than Naoe, but it still pays to have hit points as high as possible.
To get Kitsune's Trickery, you need to kill Takahashi Inoshichi, the final target in The Twisted Tree sidequest in Kyoto. The following map shows the quest's location.
That wraps up our list of the best armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows. For more intel on this expansive adventure across 1500s Japan, see our quest list, which reveals the best order to tackle AC Shadows' missions. Our guides on how to change characters and the differences between Naoe and Yasuke will also come in handy as you learn the ins and outs of these two very different protagonists.