The Tool Desk
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Match the trigger to your play first
Every armor perk fires under a specific condition. A modest perk that triggers constantly in your style is worth more than a stronger one you rarely meet. Use this routing to narrow the choice:
- You chain assassinations and use tools often as Naoe: start with Tools Master Gear.
- You want a full adrenaline chunk as soon as a fight starts: look at the Peasant Hat.
- You make many attacks in a long fight as Naoe: consider Peasant Clothes.
- You parry reliably as Yasuke: consider Defense Master Clothing.
- You spend time with adrenaline chunks full as Yasuke: consider Elegant Samurai Outfit.
- You prefer to start encounters from range as Yasuke: consider Master Archer Outfit.
Guides updated in March 2025 place these pieces in legendary chests at named castles. Acquisition is therefore a matter of visiting specific locations, and the locations below reflect those guides rather than a current patch check.
Naoe: stealth and tool-focused armor
Tools Master Gear: assassination and tool chains
PC Gamer identifies the Tools Master chest armor in a legendary chest at Katano Castle in Izumi Settsu. Its effect throws a kunai at the closest enemy after an assassination. GamesRadar reports that this effect can combine with the double-assassination skill to take out up to three enemies at once. The matching Tools Master Mask is listed at Amagasaki Castle by Push Square, and its effect keeps shuriken from breaking on hard impact. This set makes the most sense for players who assassinate and use tools regularly. In open fights where you rarely assassinate, the kunai trigger will seldom fire.
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- PREMIUM EDITION CONTENT — Includes the full Assassin’s Creed Shadows base game plus premium gear, weapons, mount, trinket, and the expansive Claws of Awaji story expansion.
- CLAWS OF AWAJI EXPANSION — Continue your journey with a major expansion featuring a new region, a new weapon type, new skills, and over 10 hours of additional story-driven content.
- DEEPEST STEALTH GAMEPLAY — Master the most advanced stealth systems in the series as Naoe, using light, sound, shadows, parkour, grappling hook traversal, and classic Assassin tools.
- COMPLEMENTARY HEROES — Play as Naoe, a stealth-focused shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a powerful legendary samurai, and master their contrasting playstyles.
- FEUDAL JAPAN OPEN WORLD — Explore a vast, reactive open world featuring castle towns, shrines, ports, dynamic weather, and changing seasons in a time of chaos.
Peasant Hat: an adrenaline head start
The Peasant Hat grants 100% of one adrenaline chunk when you enter combat. GamesRadar and Push Square place it in a legendary chest at Takatsuki Castle in Izumi Settsu. The perk is only useful if you spend that adrenaline on Naoe’s adrenaline abilities; a full chunk you never use adds nothing to the fight.
Peasant Clothes: chance-based health-segment damage
Peasant Clothes are reported in a legendary chest at Osaka Castle in Izumi Settsu. Their perk gives each attack a 3% chance to remove one health segment on a hit, according to PC Gamer and Push Square (2025 guides). Because the effect is a per-hit chance rather than a guaranteed result, it rewards players who land many attacks over a fight. It is not a dependable payoff from a single decisive hit.
Yasuke: three builds by approach
Yasuke’s armor pieces are distinct builds rather than a ranked list. Choose the one whose trigger you can hit reliably.
Rank #2
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- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
Defense Master Clothing: recovery after parries
Push Square lists Defense Master Clothing at Himeji Castle; the guide does not give a region for it. The perk restores 10% health on the next hit after a parry. It fits players who parry dependably and want recovery during extended fights.
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Elegant Samurai Outfit: posture pressure
Push Square places the Elegant Samurai Outfit in the Megalithic Vault at Koriyama. It adds 20% posture damage per filled adrenaline chunk. The bonus is strongest while chunks stay full, so spending adrenaline on abilities reduces the bonus for as long as those chunks are empty.
Master Archer Outfit: ranged openings
Push Square lists the Master Archer Outfit at Tsuruga Castle. While you are out of combat, it gives 200% damage with ranged weapons. It is well suited to opening an encounter from distance. The bonus does not apply once combat is underway.
Rank #3
- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content includes the base game and Sekiryu Character Pack
- Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles.
- Make information your weapon as you explore the world, and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions.
- Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s layout, decorations, and accessories.
Comparison at a glance
| Piece | Character | Perk | Trigger | Where the guides place it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tools Master Gear | Naoe | Throws a kunai at the closest enemy | After an assassination | Legendary chest, Katano Castle, Izumi Settsu (PC Gamer) |
| Tools Master Mask | Naoe | Keeps shuriken from breaking | Hard impact | Amagasaki Castle (Push Square) |
| Peasant Hat | Naoe | Grants 100% of one adrenaline chunk | Entering combat | Legendary chest, Takatsuki Castle, Izumi Settsu (GamesRadar, Push Square) |
| Peasant Clothes | Naoe | 3% chance to remove one health segment | Each hit | Legendary chest, Osaka Castle, Izumi Settsu (PC Gamer, Push Square) |
| Defense Master Clothing | Yasuke | Restores 10% health | Next hit after a parry | Himeji Castle (Push Square); region not stated |
| Elegant Samurai Outfit | Yasuke | 20% posture damage per filled adrenaline chunk | Adrenaline chunks filled | Megalithic Vault, Koriyama (Push Square) |
| Master Archer Outfit | Yasuke | 200% damage with ranged weapons | Out of combat | Tsuruga Castle (Push Square) |
Values are game effects as reported in 2025 guides from PC Gamer, GamesRadar, Push Square, and GameSpot. They are not independent test results.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Upgrading armor at the Forge
A perk piece stays useful in later levels only if you can keep its stats current. GameSpot’s upgrade guide, published March 19, 2025, describes the process:
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- Recruit Heiji.
- Build the Forge at your hideout.
- Spend currency and materials to raise gear up to your character’s current level.
Upgrades cannot take gear beyond your character’s current level. GameSpot’s March 2025 guide lists Forge level caps of 20, 40, and 60 for Forge levels one through three. PC Gamer adds that legendary pieces have engraving slots, that a hideout blacksmith can add buffs, and GameSpot notes that epic and legendary weapons and armor can receive engravings. Because these figures come from guides updated in March 2025, check the current game version before relying on exact caps, perk values, or chest locations.
Rank #4
- ENTER FEUDAL JAPAN - Explore the captivating open world of feudal Japan, from spectacular castle towns and bustling ports to peaceful shrines and war-ravaged landscapes. Adventure through unpredictable weather, changing seasons, and reactive environments.
- MASTER COMPLEMENTARY PLAYSTYLES - Become Naoe, a shinobi Assassin, and Yasuke, a legendary samurai, as you experience their riveting stories and master their complementary playstyles. As Naoe, use stealth to avoid detection and agility to confound your enemies. As Yasuke, strike your foes with lethal precision and power. Unlock new skills, gear, and progression independently for each character.
- MAKE INFORMATION YOUR WEAPON - Travel the world and build your own network of spies to be your eyes and ears across locations to hunt down your next target. Along the way, recruit new allies with unique abilities to help accomplish your missions
- BUILD A PLACE TO CALL HOME - Create a fully customizable hideout for your growing shinobi league as you train your crew, craft new gear, interact with key characters, and choose your base’s buildings layout, decorations, and accessories.
When you revisit an older piece, compare its perk against your current trigger rather than its raw stats. A piece whose perk matches how you fight is usually worth the Forge investment.
Use the routing above to choose a set. Then use the table to confirm where each piece is found, and check the Forge after you reach the level you want to upgrade to.
Quick Recap
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