Assassin’s Creed Shadows — The “Broken” Perk/Weapon Combos (and Likely Nerfs)

The meta builds melting bosses right now — from Igan Sunset + Escape Strike slow‑mo to posture‑spam and vulnerability loops — plus exactly how to engrave the key perks at the Forge (before patches tame them).

Patch context (as of Sept. 2, 2025): Ubisoft has already changed some outliers (notably Igan Sunset’s slow‑mo behavior in TU 1.0.4), and future updates may continue to rebalance. I’ll call out what’s been nerfed already and what looks likely.

TL;DR of “still busted” combos

• Naoe — Igan Sunset + Escape Strike slow‑mo: Time dilation on demand; engrave it to a better tanto once your Forge hits Level 3. (Timing matters post‑nerf.)
• Naoe — Vulnerability loop: Yukimitsu’s Revenge (“Afflicted enemies are Vulnerable”) + an engraving that makes Weakpoint Attacks inflict Vulnerable a second time, stacked with Bleed/Poison procs. Results: stun‑lock chains and huge multipliers.
• Yasuke — Kanabo “No‑Sell” posture machine: Boulder Fall (uninterruptible attacks) + the Instant Posture engravings (e.g., Venom Pillar’s “instantly charge posture by alternating attack types”). Turns slow heavies into crowd‑deleting shockwaves.
• Yasuke — Kyūdō bow posture spam: Kyūdō Master (makes shots count as Posture Shots when upgraded) + Instantly Charge Arrows and posture‑crit engravings → rapid staggers and deletes.
• Trinket stacking (careful!): Masakado’s Vengeance (+1% damage per unspent Mastery Point) and other “per‑point / per‑slot” damage trinkets can skyrocket numbers — but these are balance‑watch material.

How engravings & the Forge work (so you can copy the OP perks)

You unlock Heiji’s Forge at the Hideout during the early “Way of the Blacksmith” progression. The essentials:

1. Upgrade the Forge to Level 2 to apply base (non‑legendary) engravings. Talk to Heiji and pick the Engrave tab.
2. Upgrade to Level 3 to attach Legendary engravings (the “gold” ones). This is the threshold you need to put slow‑mo (or other legendary perk effects) onto different weapons/gear.
3. How you “learn” an engraving: When you loot a Legendary piece, its default engraving is unlocked for re‑use on other compatible gear (once your Forge is L3). In the Engrave UI, locked items show a clue to their world source if you don’t have them yet.
4. Costs add up: expect hefty Hideout resource costs for each Forge tier (crops, wood, minerals, iron); plan upgrades around your build goals.

1) Naoe’s Igan Sunset + Escape Strike slow‑mo (the classic “this breaks the game” setup)

What it is: The Legendary tanto Igan Sunset has a built‑in engraving: “Slow down time on Escape Strike.” You can grab it very early from a hidden chest in Tozuku’s Lair (Izumi Settsu, Katano Foothills).

How to use it:

• Unlock Escape Strike on the Tanto path (Knowledge Rank 2). Execution: hold Posture Attack + press Dodge to perform Escape Strike (Leap Strike uses the same hold but with a directional input).
• Pre‑1.0.4, you could loop slow‑mo almost endlessly. Post‑1.0.4, slow‑mo now triggers when Escape Strike interrupts enemies, so you need to bait a swing and time your Escape Strike to proc the effect. It’s still strong; it just rewards timing over spam.

Why it’s busted: Slow‑mo during a dodge strike trivializes reactions, letting you chain Leap→Escape→Leap while avoiding hits and carving posture/HP. Media outlets and guides widely flagged it as “game‑breaking” at launch.

Min‑max tips:

• Engrave the slow‑mo perk to a higher‑stat tanto (once Forge L3). You’ll retain the effect but with better base stats and a second slot to stack damage or utility.
• Synergies: Vulnerable damage engravings and adrenaline gain on Vulnerable hits keep ability loops rolling; crit chance on Vulnerable is excellent here. (Community testing suggests identical engravings may not stack additively — spread effects across slots.)

Likely nerfs / watchlist: Already constrained in TU 1.0.4; any future update could further limit chain‑procs. If it’s toned down again, pivot to the Vulnerability Loop below.

2) Naoe’s Vulnerability Loop — Yukimitsu’s Revenge + “Vulnerable (again)” engraving + Bleed/Poison

What it is:

• The Legendary tanto Yukimitsu’s Revenge makes Afflicted enemies (e.g., poisoned/bleeding) instantly become Vulnerable. Pair that with the engraving that makes Weakpoint Attacks inflict Vulnerable a second time, and you get repeatable Weakpoint chains and massive multipliers.
• Get Bleed from the Bloodshade Katana (permanent affliction build‑up) or Poison on Deflect from katanas like Violet Night to seed the “Afflicted” tag quickly.

How to run it:

1. Proc an affliction (Bleed via Bloodshade swings or Poison via a Deflect on Violet Night).
2. Affliction → Vulnerable (Yukimitsu’s Revenge).
3. Perform a Weakpoint Attack (light posture attack on a Vulnerable target) to trigger your “Vulnerable again” engraving.
4. Chain another Weakpoint or combo ender during the stacked window.

Why it’s busted: You double‑dip on Vulnerable windows, pumping Vulnerable Damage multipliers while afflictions tick/burst. It’s consistent, patch‑proof so far, and scales with engravings and Assassin/Katana mastery bonuses.

Acquisition hits:

• Yukimitsu’s Revenge — Ancient Tomb of Nanjo (Naoe‑only Kofun, Yamashiro).
• The Weakpoint→Vulnerable again engraving appears on certain legendary tantos (e.g., via Golden Teppo route) and can be re‑used once unlocked.

If nerfed: Swap in Vulnerable on first hit/interval engravings and lean into +Vulnerable Damage per Assassin Mastery Point trinkets to keep the math in your favor.

3) Yasuke’s Kanabo “No‑Sell” — Boulder Fall + Venom Pillar posture engines

What it is:

• Boulder Fall (Legendary Kanabo): “Attacks cannot be interrupted.” It solves the kanabo’s biggest weakness.
• Venom Pillar (Legendary Kanabo): “Instantly charge Posture attacks by alternating attack types.” Even if you don’t equip it, engraving the effect onto your preferred stick gives you posture nukes on tap.

How to run it:

• On Boulder Fall, mash light↔heavy rhythms to keep posture smashes instant (via Venom Pillar’s engraving).
• Use Crushing Shockwave / Spine Breaker type kanabo abilities for AoE stuns → free enders. (Build guides recommend this loop exactly because you can’t be staggered while winding up.)

Why it’s busted: With uninterruptible swings and instant posture charge, Yasuke turns into a walking crowd control blender. It deletes elite packs and staggers bosses reliably.

Acquisition hits:

• Boulder Fall — Kurai Eikyō board target (Katsuragi Agent, Gokenin Manor).
• Venom Pillar — Hidden chest at Kajimiya Cemetery (Mount Hiei, Ōmi). Engraving can then be applied elsewhere (Forge L3).

If nerfed: Equip Protector’s Armor/Helmet for parry‑centric tanking (lets Yasuke even parry attacks you normally couldn’t), or blend in a naginata posture‑spam variant.

4) Yasuke’s Kyūdō Posture‑Spam — “Machine‑gun” staggers at range

What it is:

• Kyūdō Master on the Bow tree eventually makes all shots count as Posture Shots (at higher rank/upgrade), which means every quick charged shot staggers.
• Layer the “Instantly Charge Arrows” Legendary engraving and +Crit Chance with Posture Attack for brutal chains at mid‑range.

Why it’s busted: You apply posture breaks before enemies can close distance. Bosses hemorrhage posture; crowds get stagger‑locked while you pick targets. It’s safer than melee and still absurdly fast.

Where to get the parts:

• Kyūdō Master — Bow Mastery Path.
• Instantly Charge Arrows (Legendary) — reward from assassinating a Tsutsui agent (Kurai Eikyō line). Engrave at Forge L3.

If nerfed: Keep “Instantly charge posture after a posture hit” engravings and multi‑shot/draw‑speed effects — you lose a little burst, but the posture engine still hums.

5) Trinket math that gets silly fast (be cautious — patch magnets)

• Masakado’s Vengeance (Trinket/Amulet): +1% damage per unspent Mastery Point. Hoarding points converts directly to raw damage — it’s as silly as it sounds. (Players have used it to one‑shot builds.) Balance‑watch territory.
• Minogame’s Protection: +50% damage per empty Armor Piece (yes, really). Great for memes/glass‑cannon speedruns.
• Oni’s Fury: +15% damage per non‑Legendary gear equipped — encourages epic‑gear min‑maxing rather than set‑and‑forget legendary routes.

Heads‑up on tool refills: A popular consumable engraving (e.g., kunai refill on kill) saw a heavy nerf per community reporting (from ~50% → ~10%), significantly slowing “infinite tools” loops. Adjust expectations.

Step‑by‑step: Engrave Igan Sunset’s slow‑mo onto your best tanto

1. Get Igan Sunset from Tozuku’s Lair (Izumi Settsu → Katano Foothills). Loot the hidden chest in the shack.
2. Unlock Escape Strike (Tanto, Knowledge Rank 2) so you can actually trigger the effect.
3. Upgrade the Forge to Level 3 at your Hideout. Talk to Heiji, open Engrave, select your target tanto, and choose “Slow down time on Escape Strike” — it’s in your library because you looted a Legendary with that default engraving.
4. Practice the TU 1.0.4 timing: Bait a swing, then Escape Strike through it to proc slow‑mo (no more brainless spam).

“Safe” engravings that keep these builds humming even after nerfs

• Instant Posture variants (by alternating attack types / on timed hits / after a posture hit) — these keep posture loops healthy across weapons.
• Vulnerable Damage per Assassin Mastery Point and crit/Adrenaline on Vulnerable — plug‑and‑play multipliers for both Naoe and Yasuke once you’re creating Vulnerable windows routinely.
• Protector’s set effects (parry unblockables, heal/Adrenaline on Weakpoints) — carries melee survivability if your “broken” piece gets tuned down.

Notes on stacking & slot economy

• Legendary engravings unlock account‑wide in your library once you loot the item; they’re not one‑time transfers. This is why the Forge Level 3 rush is so valuable.
• Do identical engravings stack? Community testing suggests many identical effects don’t stack additively in the way you’d expect; mixing synergistic but distinct effects tends to outperform duplicate lines. (Treat triple‑duplication claims with skepticism.)

If (when) nerfs land: easy pivots

• From slow‑mo → Vulnerability loop (affliction→Vulnerable→Weakpoint again) and posture engines. These rely on broader systems, not a single perk.
• From kunai/tool spam → Weakpoint economy (headgear/armor that refund Adrenaline/Health on Weakpoint keeps the loop sustainable without refills).