How to Get Tool Master Gear Legendary Armor in Assassin's Creed Shadows
I have spent dozens of hours testing stealth loadouts in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and I keep coming back to one legendary set for Naoe: the Tool Master Gear. As enemies grow more punishing through the main campaign, a stronger armor is not a luxury—it is a requirement. What makes this set special is not just its early-game stats, but a perk that lets you turn a single assassination into a double kill before nearby guards even react.
Where to Find the Tool Master Gear
You can find the Tool Master Gear legendary armor inside a legendary chest at Katano Castle. If you are traveling toward Osaka, you have probably seen this hostile castle northwest of your Hideout. It is one of the first true tests of your infiltration skills, and the chest is locked behind a small gatekeeping challenge: you must eliminate two Samurai Daisho before the legendary chest will open.
These elite samurai patrol different sections of the compound. You cannot simply sprint in and loot the chest while ignoring them—the game wants you to prove you can move like a shinobi. I found the most reliable approach is to stick to the rooftops and use Naoe's Eagle Vision ability. When you activate it, look for enemies marked with a samurai helmet icon. Those are your mandatory targets.
Are the Daisho dangerous? Absolutely. At this stage of the game they can punish aggressive play, especially if you have not upgraded your gear. I recommend taking them out one by one, using assassinations or a quick kunai follow-up to prevent alarms. Once both are dead, climb the main Pagoda—the same structure with a synchronization point on top—and enter the room at the highest level. The legendary chest waits there, and opening it rewards you with the Tool Master Gear legendary armor plus the Kunai Throw on Assassination engraving.
Step-by-Step Route
Here is the route I use every time I run a fresh save:
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Fast travel or ride to Katano Castle, northwest of the Hideout.
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Unlock or use the synchronization point on the Pagoda to gain a high vantage point.
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Activate Eagle Vision and scan the compound.
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Locate and eliminate the two Samurai Daisho marked by the samurai helmet icon.
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Climb the main Pagoda and enter the top room.
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Open the legendary chest to claim the Tool Master Gear and the Kunai Throw on Assassination engraving.
Why This Armor Feels So Strong Early
The Tool Master Gear comes with high stats that can carry you through the opening regions. But let's be honest: the real reason you want this set is its legendary perk. After Naoe assassinates an enemy, she automatically throws a kunai at the nearest enemy. That is effectively a free double assassination before you have unlocked the double assassination skill in the mastery section.
Have you ever assassinated a guard and then immediately had another guard spot you from two meters away? That frustrating moment almost disappears with this perk. The follow-up kunai can interrupt an alert, finish a wounded target, or simply clear two enemies from a rooftop without breaking stealth. For a shinobi playstyle, that is huge.
How to Use the Perk Effectively
I like to pair this armor with stealth-focused engravings and tools. Here is a quick table that summarizes how I approach different situations:
| Situation | Recommended Tactic |
|---|---|
| Two guards standing close together | Assassinate one; let the free kunai hit the second, then finish if needed |
| A Samurai Daisho near weaker guards | Use the kunai perk to thin the crowd before engaging the elite |
| Rooftop sentry pairs | Climb behind them and let the automatic kunai remove the lookout |
| Alarm risk | Eliminate two enemies quickly to prevent a full alert |
Remember, the perk works on the nearest enemy after an assassination. Position yourself so that the nearest enemy is the one you actually want to hit. If three enemies are clustered, do not assume the kunai will always pick the most dangerous target; it may hit whichever guard is closest at the moment of the kill.
What If You Find Better Armor Later?
This is an important question. As you progress, you may find other legendary armor sets with higher base defense or more specialized bonuses. Does that make the Tool Master Gear useless? Not at all.
If you have already found a better legendary armor, you can still engrave the kunai legendary perk onto that new armor at the blacksmith in the Hideout. This means you keep the powerful automatic kunai follow-up while wearing whatever set best fits your current build. I did exactly that after I started experimenting with a more aggressive Naoe setup, and the engraving remained one of my favorite tools.
Final Thoughts
Katano Castle is a location you should not ignore. The Tool Master Gear is one of the most accessible legendary armors for stealth-focused players, and it gives you an early taste of a skill that normally takes much longer to unlock. Kill the two Samurai Daisho, open the Pagoda chest, and enjoy the feeling of chaining assassinations before your enemies even realize what happened.
Will this armor solve every fight? No. Against heavily armored bosses you still need timing, gear upgrades, and patience. But for clearing castles, silencing patrols, and moving through the world like a true shadow, the Tool Master Gear remains a top-tier pick in 2026.
Data referenced from HowLongToBeat helps contextualize why an early, reliable stealth setup like Naoe’s Tool Master Gear can feel disproportionately valuable in Assassin’s Creed Shadows: when you’re planning long sessions of castle clears and main-quest progression, shaving time off repeated infiltrations matters. In practice, the set’s “kunai throw on assassination” effect turns many two-guard problems into a faster, cleaner route—reducing the number of improvisational fights and reloads that can quietly inflate overall completion time.