One of the main affliction effects in Assassin's Creed Shadows is the Bleed effect, which can be buffed through various legendary items and common engravings for a devastating Naoe build. The primary weapon types for this build are the Kusarigama and Tanto. The Tanto is an excellent single-target option, while the Kusarigama can deal with groups of enemies extremely effectively. This bleed build for Naoe does have best-in-slot weapon and armor options, but there are plenty of Epic-quality weapons with excellent bleed buildup percentages to choose from, so don't write these off.

There are a few ways to enhance bleed effects and affliction buildup, primarily through engravings, but Naoe also has specific Guaranteed Assassination enabled.

Best Gear For A Naoe Bleed Build In AC Shadows

Best Bleed Weapons For Naoe

Scarlet Fate is the best-in-slot legendary Tanto in AC Shadows for Naoe's bleed build with an inherently high bleed buildup effect, and it also has an excellent inherent engraving effect that increases impact with all attacks. There are a few great engraving options for this Tanto, but the best legendary engraving option comes from the Yukimitsu's Revenge engraving, causing all afflicted enemies to automatically become vulnerable. These two effects combined are ideal for single-target bleed damage.

The Bloodletter is the best-in-slot Kusarigama for a bleed build, and should be your primary weapon of choice against groups of enemies, and can be used to inflict bleed on large enemies instantly with its inherent effect, which triggers bleed on entanglement. The best engraving option here comes from a legendary item found in the Veiled Tumulus Kofun, the Stone Heart Kusarigama, which spreads Bleed Affliction buildup with combo enders.

Best Bleed Armor & Trinket For Naoe

Naoe's best-in-slot gear option for a bleed build is the Noh Masterstroke Set. The Noh Masterstroke armor will enable you to inflict bleed with your Tools extremely effectively. It has an inherent unique effect that increases Tool Bleed Buildup, with an engraving effect that spreads affliction buildup on every enemy kill. This means that nearby enemies will suffer bleed after a kill. The best engraving for this light armor is a common engraving sold by a merchant in Obama, Wakasa, which makes ALL Tool affliction buildup bleed buildup.

If you're looking for decent bleed gear and don't want to track down all the legendary items here, the Obama merchant has excellent Epic quality bleed options.

The Noh Masterstroke Mask will be your main driver for Adrenaline Chunks during combat, as it fills +20% when you inflict an affliction buildup attack. There is an incredible common engraving found via a rumor in Omi that gives +25% damage from Bleed on afflicted enemies, though it's a little tricky to track down. A more readily available option is the common 20% damage with affliction buff, which will work equally effectively.

The best-in-slot legendary trinket for this build will benefit from your Kusarigama skill investment and increase adrenaline gain substantially, allowing Naoe to use her abilities quite often. The Flight of the Ubagabi legendary trinket provides +1% adrenaline gain per mastery point in Kusarigama, and I recommend the common engraving that provides an additional +30% of an Adrenaline Chunk on hitting afflicted enemies. This trinket and the above mask will provide substantial adrenaline during every combat encounter.

Best Skills & Abilities For A Naoe Bleed Build

Best Global & ive Skills For A Bleed Build

This build invests in a range of different ives that will enhance the bleed effects for Naoe's weapons and Tools. First, take the Affliction Effectiveness ive from the Katana tree, increasing damage on afflicted enemies by up to 12%. Next up for global ives, be sure to take the Multi-Target Expert and Affliction Builder globals in the Kusarigama tree. Entanglement is an essential Kusarigama ive for this build, as the Bloodletter utilizes it heavily.

You can take the Backstab ive in the Tanto tree if you have the points to spare, but it isn't vital. In the Tools tree, you'll want to invest heavily in the full range of Tools ives at your disposal, but primarily the Kunai and Shuriken. These will benefit the most from the Noh Masterstroke buffs and inflict bleed easily on enemies. Tool Affliction Proficiency is the primary ive you'll want to grab, increasing bleed effects directly on Tools by up to 9%. There are no essential Shinobi ives besides the practical ones you might benefit from, like Igan Roll.

"Once you reach Knowledge Rank 6, you can start investing in the Damage With Affliction global ive, which can increase affliction damage by up to 40% when fully maxed out."

In the Assassin tree, you should take the Tanto and Kasurigama unique assassinations, Rush Assassinate and Double Assassinate. You will also want to take as many Adrenaline Chunk increases as you can in the Vigor ive branch, as this will make it possible to use abilities much more often. Once you reach Knowledge Rank 6, you can start investing in the Damage With Affliction global ive, which can increase affliction damage by up to 40% when fully maxed out.

Best Abilities For A Bleed Build

The best Kusarigama abilities for this build are Cyclone Blast and Scarlet Fate. Cyclone Blast will effectively inflict bleed buildup on all surrounding enemies, taking them down almost instantly. It's incredible for enemy swarms or if you get cornered. Snake Bite is a useful single-target ability for the Kusarigama, but your better option is to use the Scarlet Fate for single targets. You'll want to take both the Hidden Hand and Shadow Piercer abilities for the Tanto, both of which are ideal for inflicting bleed on large enemies or single targets.

Since this build emphasizes melee combat over stealth in most cases, the Lightning Kicks Shinobi ability is probably your best bet. If you want to add assassin strategies to this build, lean more heavily into stealth by taking the Heightened Senses ability and invest more heavily into the Assassin tree. Ultimately, the primary ability for this build is Cyclone Blast, with the Entanglement ive being a primary feature. The best strategy for this Assassin's Creed Shadows bleed build is to use Cyclone Blast on groups of enemies, Entanglement on large targets, and the Scarlet Fate on single targets.