Best weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Wondering what the best weapons are in Assassin's Creed Shadows? There are eight different weapon types for twin protagonists Naoe and Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and they all have their own brand of deadly. Whether you like the reliable katana, enjoy the swings of the chain-linked kusarigama, or simply hope to blast your foes in the face with a flintlock rifle, you're bound to be thrilled with the tools on display.

The best weapons in the game all have legendary status, and can only be acquired by completing quests and tackling some tough enemies. This guide presents our picks for the best weapons in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with one major armament picked for all of the eight weapon groups.

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Assassin's Creed Shadows: Best weapons

The following are the best weapons for Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows:

• Best katana: Bloodshade
• Best kusarigama: Ocean's Grip
• Best tanto: Yukimitsu's Revenge

The following are the best weapons for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows:

• Best long katana: Crimson's Edge
• Best naginata: Vengeful Foe
• Best kanabo: Rage of Red Mist
• Best bow: Dragon's Wrath
• Best teppo: Patient Harbinger

Below, we'll delve into these weapons in greater detail, as well as how to obtain them.

Best katana: Bloodshade

Bloodshade boasts excellent DPS as well as 18% Bleed Buildup. Its main claim to fame, however, is that Affliction Buildup won't go down over time while using it. This means that you can inflict all sort of conditions on tough and heavily armoured foes - for instance Bleed and Poison - without fear of the status effects disappearing.

You can find the Bloodshade in Osaka, hidden in a chest on the top floor of a castle boat west of the Burnt Village of Nakajima.

Best kusarigama: Ocean's Grip

Ocean's Grip deals +60% damage to enemies who are over 3 metres away. Since the kusarigama is the one weapon in Naoe's arsenal with extensive range, wielding Ocean's Grip is an excellent way to dispatch enemies without letting them come close. Pair it with Cyclone Blast - one of Naoe's best Mastery skills - to truly specialise in the art of crowd control.

Ocean's Grip can only be found after killing the Fox, one of the main Shinbakufu targets. This unlocks the side quest Pirate's Alliance, which has you hunting pirates in Wakasa. Once you kill Lopo Cruz, you'll get Ocean's Grip as a reward.

Best tanto: Yukimitsu's Revenge

Yukimitsu's Revenge is a wonderfully stabby tanto, but I've highlighted it as the best option here due to its perk, which makes Afflicted enemies Vulnerable. This offers nice synergy with the Bloodshade katana listed above - once your opponent is bloodied, switch to Yukimitsu's Revenge for a quick slice to the guts.

To find Yukimitsu's Revenge, you need to use Naoe to loot the legendary chest hidden within the Ancient Tomb of Nanjo Kofun. Refer to our guide on all of the Kofuns in Assassin's Creed Shadows for tips on these deadly mini-dungeons.

Best long katana: Crimson's Edge

Crimson's Edge is another weapon that specialises in inflicting Bleed. (If you haven't guessed it yet, I like applying this condition!) It makes Bleed insta-kill enemies below 2 Health Segments, which is obscenely useful. This will immediately slaughter regular opponents and deal hefty, consistent damage on bosses.

Crimson's Edge can be acquired after completing the side quest Nobutsuna's Students. This quest requires you to face off against all of the others who studied under Nobutsuna, the teacher who helped transform Yasuke into a samurai. Once you finish off Sanada Masatoyo, the last opponent, this jagged blade is yours.

Best naginata: Vengeful Foe

Vengeful Foe is a true naginata - nicely balanced at dealing damage and poking enemies from afar, and guess what, it too inflicts Bleed. Specifically, you're looking at +35% Bleed buildup on a successful parry. You can combine this with Deep Cut, one of Yasuke's best Mastery skills, to knock enemies backwards while inflicting copious amounts of damage.

You'll get Vengeful Foe as a reward for completing The Tournament side quest, which only becomes available late in the game after you've killed 9 of the 12 Shinbakufu. Speak with Gyoji in Yamato to start this quest, which requires beating six opponents in one-on-one fights.

Best kanabo: Rage of Red Mist

Rage of Red Mist is a hefty kanabo that does what kanabos do best, busting apart armor with extreme gusto. You'll generate +100% of an Adrenaline Chunk after a successful Armor Break with this weapon, letting you switch into bigger and better attacks and pulverise all oncomers into a pulp.

You can find the Rage of Red Mist by visiting the Grave of Buried Hopes which is northwest of Hanazono Castle. Explore the area until you see three tombstones. To the right of the tombstones is a path with a red tree; a legendary chest containing the Rage of Red Mist lies under it.

Best bow: Dragon's Wrath

Dragon's Wrath helps make up for the bow's lack of power, which can only be fixed by charging your arrows - normally a very slow process. With this legendary bow, you can instantly charge arrows, delivering an impact similar to a teppo but without the massive boom and reloading faff.

Dragon's Wrath is a reward for killing the Tsutsui Agent, an enemy in Koriyama Castle and one of the targets of the Kurai Eikyou assassination sidequest. You don't need to start the actual side quest to kill the agent and get the bow.

Best teppo: Patient Harbinger

Parient Harbinger lets you load two bullets at once, meaning you can fire twice before having to reload. Since the teppo is such a slow (but powerful) weapon, two shots can make all the difference in taking out an enemy from afar or killing them in the midst of a battle.

It's pretty easy to locate the Patient Harbinger - it's located in a legendary chest near Kamikoga's Ippon Sugi in Wakasa.

That concludes our list of the best weapons 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.