Yasuke’s Samurai skill tree in Assassin’s Creed Shadows contains all the best buffs and abilities that are most true to Yasuke’s character. For a Yasuke build that incorporates the best Samurai skills and abilities, my preference is a Long Katana build that takes full advantage of the Samurai Daimyo Armor of Legend’s damage buff. This build balances the debuff from this armor (limits health to 25%) by utilizing the Samurai regenerative healing abilities and features.

This build is the fastest you’ll see Yasuke move, and you’ll wish he always had this degree of mobility. He tends to be slow and clunky in the open world, and generally not built for exploring in AC Shadows. The Samurai tree is the only tree in the game with four available abilities, each one dealing fast blows, with the Sumarai Stand ability being the most OP. You’ll need to progress the main story substantially before having full access to the skill, but a version of it is available early on a legendary piece of armor.

Best Gear For A Yasuke Samurai Build In AC Shadows

The Elegant Samurai Set Is Yasuke’s Best Samurai Armor

The Long Katana is the featured legendary weapon in AC Shadows for Yasuke’s optimal Samurai build, with either the Whisper of Muramasa or Loyal Traveler being the best-in-slot options. The Crimson’s Edge Long Katana is another great option if you want to lean into Bleed effects, but it isn’t available until much later in the game during the Nobutsuna’s Students target board. You’ll be utilizing the full range of Yasuke’s Long Katana skills, so Riposte and Sheathed Attack buffs are prime.

Slot
Item
Effect
Recommended Engraving

Long Katana
Loyal Traveler / Whisper of Muramasa
Sheathed Attacks are Postured and make enemy Vulnerable
Riposte makes enemies Vulnerable

Armor
Elegant Samurai Outfit
+20% Posture damage per adrenaline chunk filled
+75% Damage but limit health to 25%

Helmet
Samurai Daimyo Helmet of Legend
Reduce damage taken by 5% per enemy in conflict
Trigger Samurai Stand on death, once per combat

Trinket
Kitsune’s Trickery
+1% health per mastery point in Samurai
+15% to stats with only a Long Katana equipped

You should engrave whichever Long Katana you choose with the other one’s effect. In other words, if you choose the Whisper of Muramasa, engrave it with the “sheathed posture attacks make enemies vulnerable” engraving from the Loyal Traveler, or vice versa. You will need to collect both items to get access to both engravings.

In terms of armor, the Elegant Samurai Set is your best option, and can be engraved with a number of different effects to complement varying aspects of this build. Feel free to experiment with engravings, armors, and weapon choices to fine-tune your preferences with the Samurai build, but I don’t think this build works without one item: the Kitsune’s Trickery legendary amulet in AC Shadows.

You can track down legendary gear by looking at the legendary engraving hints in the forge menu.

There are also two excellent engraving options here for your amulet. The first is from the Headhunter amulet found in a legendary chest near Blackstone Cascades, and it provides +15% to stats with only a Long Katana equipped. The second option is the Howl of the Dragon, which gives +2% critical damage per Mastery Point in Long Katana, but you will need to kill Baltazar during the “A Promise” quest to acquire it.

Best Skills For A Yasuke Samurai Build In AC Shadows

Invest Heavily In Samurai & Long Katana Skill Trees

If it wasn’t obvious, the best skills in AC Shadows for Yasuke’s Samurai build come from the Samurai and Long Katana skill trees, but there are some clear choices in terms of best-in-slot abilities. You’ll also want to grab some of the global passives from the other melee weapon trees, but you should max out the Samurai tree if you have the Mastery Points for it, as each point spent will increase your health and help balance your build so that Yasuke isn’t such a glass cannon.

Samurai Showdown should be your primary move alongside the Samurai Stand ability from the Samurai tree.

The featured Long Katana ability is Samurai Showdown, while both other options are viable for your second choice. Samurai Showdown should be your primary move alongside the Samurai Stand ability from the Samurai tree. Samurai Stand can be activated once from the Samurai Daimyo Helmet of Legend effect (which you should have engraved or equipped), but is much better as an actual skill – you’ll have to advance the story considerably to access it though.

Outside these two featured abilities, Riposte and Sheathed Attack are essential passives and should be a central part of your strategy in combat. You should also consider taking the Damage Reduction passive from the Kanabo tree to further mitigate the health debuff on your armor. Samurai Stand will also help with this, as enemies will not be able to deal lethal damage once the skill is fully ranked up.

How To Play A Samurai Build For Yasuke

Rely On Riposte & Sheathed Attacks For Effective Damage

This build is combat-intensive and is the best representation of Yasuke’s character. It requires some finesse with the Long Katana, and it may take you a bit to get the timing right for a Riposte if you’re unfamiliar with it. However, by the time you collect all the pieces for this set, you should be more than skilled enough in the Samurai and Long Katana abilities and passives to simply cut through enemies like it’s nothing.

Ultimately, the Samurai build is a must-play for Yasuke, as it is the most immersive in terms of Yasuke’s character, and it is the most fun to play. Samurai Stand is an incredible move and worth the wait, and there are plenty of awesome abilities and passives to learn as you progress through the main story and eventually unlock the most revered Samurai skill in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.