How To Assassinate The Wise In Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Naoe and Yasuke’s quest for vengeance and to take down the Shinbakfu has been a long one with plenty of battles, but if you’re up to this point then it means that you’ve not got too much longer to go in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.

Don’t start celebrating just yet, though, as there are still plenty of foes to take down before the Shinbakfu crumbles. Case in point, The Wise, who is one of the trickier targets in the game and one you won’t know the identity of until the quest ends.

A Chance Encounter

How To Find Fuyu

Before we even start thinking about The Wise, though, we’re going to have to find someone called Fuyu to get the quest started. She’s located in Omiwa Shrine in Yamato, an area you likely haven’t visited much at all yet. Head over there to the marker on the map above. Once you meet Fuyu, you’ll have to follow her for a bit and visit a shrine, before praying at a second and third location. As usual, these are easy to find by just Observing with LT on Xbox or L2 on PS5 to find the blue dot.

After praying at the third shrine, you’ll meet a mysterious character called Kojiro who seems to know what you’re up to. He’ll give you a lead to follow by saying to go meet with Tsutsui Junkei, a daimyo in Yamato. You can find him at the location marked on the map above, in a town near Koriyama Castle.

You’ll definitely want to stop along the way to visit a few Synchronization Points, since you likely haven’t explored much of Yamato as it’s one of the higher-levelled areas.

Junkei can be found at a location simply called “Tea Master’s House”, and talking to him will open up a few questlines for you to follow as well as introduce you to a few key characters.

Restless Spirits

Where To Find The Priests

There are three quests to choose from now and the order in which you complete them doesn’t really matter. I went for Restless Spirits first, and to find the priests you need to talk to, you’ll need to head to an arena near Katsuragi which we’ve marked on the map above. Head over there and then talk to the priest in white robes to get the mission started properly.

The priest will ask you to search for clues in the nearby Gokenin manor, which you’ll need to find your way into. Yasuke or Naoe are good choices for this mission since there are plenty of chances to sneak or attack, but I went with Yasuke to make the combat a bit easier. You’ll be glad to do that too since there are a lot of enemies inside the manor.

Once you’ve dealt with them, head to the blue dot near house and look for a message called “Urgent Instructions from the Messenger”. Once you’ve got this, it’ll tell you of a meeting spot at Hachiman Shrine, which you’ll need to find on the map. Don’t worry, though as we’ve marked it above so you can head straight over there.

Surprisingly, you’ll find Kojiro waiting for you at the meeting spot, which is something you should probably get used to for this quest line. He’ll ask you to kill a bandit chief just up the road from the spot, so head on over to the Takatori Castle Ruins. Once again, you’re better off going with Yasuke since Naoe’s assassination is unlikely to work on a bigger foe.

You’ll have to fight your way through the ruins to find the slightly more powerful than usual bandit chief and even when he’s dead you’ll need to “secure the area” by killing everyone, another reminder that Yasuke is the main man here. Take them out and then inspect the bandit hoard inside the castle to end the mission.

The Lost Envoys

Where To Find The Witnesses

The next mission on your list is to find the envoys that are missing in Yamato, which will have you questioning some witnesses who can be found at Hidden River. Head on over there and you’ll instantly get into a fight with a big brute called the Akiyama Soldier. I did this mission as Naoe, but Yasuke might be better to start off with since it’s a one-on-one fight.

Still, Naoe can handle her own just fine against the Kanabo-wielding brute. Beyond the big health bar, there’s nothing unique about this foe, so just take him out to move the mission on. You’ll be introduced to Lady Ayako who will point you towards the Tsutsui envoys, who are located near Utano Tower as shown on the map above.

Go over there to the Iron Ore Storage to rescue the envoy, who is being bothered by one enemy who can be stealthily killed as either Yasuke or Naoe. Talk to him and he’ll ask you to retrieve an invitation for him, which is some way away in Uda Matsuyama Castle, right near a fast-travel point. Make your way in from the south side to make things a bit easier, especially if you play as Yasuke.

This is one of the missions I played as Yasuke but wish I’d gone for as Naoe. Not only is there an alarm that will make things a total pain if you go in loud, but the castle architecture makes it a perfect place for Naoe to sneak around in. The invitation is marked clearly on the bottom floor of the top of the castle, so just head there and grab it, choosing to kill anyone in your way or to avoid them altogether.

Grab the invitation and you’ll be able to go meet Lady Ayako to follow her for a while and end the mission at Kasugataisha Shrine close to Todaji.

Temple Stories

Where To Find Joken Hokkyo

To start up this mission, you’ll need to head to Todaji Temple, where Joken Hokkyo is waiting to show you around. The invitation was meant for Yasuke, so I ended up picking him for the mission, but I’m not sure if you can go in as Naoe as well. A good portion of Temple Stories is just following Hokkyo around the temple as she shows you some of its artifacts, but that changes when Kojiro beckons you over.

Follow Kojiro for a bit and he’ll lead you to a room full of interesting evidence you need to investigate. They’re all right next to each other, though, so it’s not a hard task. You’ll then meet back up with Hokkyo, who will lead you outside until you’re ambushed by a group of thugs you’ll need to eliminate. They’re not tough, but it does help to have Yasuke here to make things a little easier.

The thieves will steal a sacred scroll in the scuffle, so you’ll need to retrieve it from them. They’re located west of Todaji, near a Megalithic Vault that we’ve marked on the map above for you. Kill the small group of soldiers and retrieve the scroll, which can be returned to Junkei, ending the mission and setting you up for the finale.

Darkness Falls

Who You Should Accuse Of Being Guilty

Once all of the above is done, you’ll need to head to Kofukuji Temple, which is near to where a peace talk is going to take place between the factions. If you choose to play as Yasuke, you’ll attend the peace talks, while Naoe will be on the outside making her way through the temple. Not to sound like a broken record, but Yasuke is the better choice here.

Attend the peace talks as Yasuke and then talk to everyone there one by one, including Kojiro who will suddenly show up. This will start a scene where Yasuke will have to determine who The Wise actually is out of the three people, which should be pretty obvious by now. You’re going to want to accuse Joken Hokkyo of being suspicious, which will cause him to confirm that he is indeed your target.

This will lead to a big fight against a bunch of surprisingly tough enemies, so you’re going to want to take them one at a time and be a bit more careful than usual. Once you’ve killed the attackers, you’ll get to choose whether Naoe or Yasuke goes after The Wise, which is personal preference but guaranteed to be a big fight either way.

I initially chose Naoe to mix things up a bit, but changed my mind after seeing how many enemies you need to fight to even get to The Wise. You definitely want to stick with Yasuke since there are a lot of foes between you and Hokkyo and Naoe does have some trouble with crowds.

You’ll also have to stick with whoever you choose her for the final fight with Jokken, so make sure you’re confident about it.

Assassinating The Wise

Once you clear out the enemies and reach Hokkyo, you’ll find that he’s actually a very easy target overall, since he doesn’t even have any armour to protect him. He mostly attacks with quick consecutive strikes that you’ll need to parry in a row, but he does occasionally throw in a heavy attack combo that needs to be dodged. He doesn’t seem to do one attack at a time, so it’s worth waiting to see his final hit before countering yourself.

Overall, though, he’s one of the easier members of the Shinbakfu to take down as he doesn’t put up too much of a fight. For your troubles, you’ll get the Winds of War Legendary Kusarigama and be just a few steps away from taking down the league altogether.