The Mourner questline in Assassin’s Creed: Shadows presents a complex narrative arc closely tied to Yasuke’s journey. Like many assassination missions, tackling the ultimate target involves completing several preliminary side quests.
If you’re finding it challenging to navigate this questline or prefer a step-by-step guide, this resource will support you in unmasking your next target.
How to Start the Mourner’s Questline
To initiate the Mourner quest, ensure you have completed the Mibuno Showdown, which wraps up Act 1. Afterward, access your Objectives Board, navigate to the Shinbakufu section, and select “A Talk with a Lady” from the Mourner subsections.
The Omi region, located northeast of Yamashiro, is known for its large lake. If you have a scout, dispatch them to the Goshiki Outlands to mark Lady Oichi’s position. Alternatively, proceed to Nagahama at the lake’s northern shore and follow the northeastern path towards Odani.
Your initial encounter will be with Kuma, Oichi’s bodyguard, who wields a naginata. After your conversation, you’ll be escorted to Lady Oichi. While your dialogues with Oichi allow room for roleplaying, they do not influence the overarching narrative. Completing this interaction unlocks three additional quests that must be completed before confronting the Mourner directly.
Nagahama Black Powder
Head back to Nagahama, where plans to demolish a local Teppo factory are in motion. This factory is situated on the western edge of town. Utilize your observation skill or eagle vision to track guard movements, avoiding detection. The clue you seek is located atop a wooden platform near the factory’s southwestern wall; you can access it by circling around and climbing the outer wall.
Once armed with the necessary information, your focus shifts to a large gunpowder ship moored nearby. This ship is clearly visible off Nagahama’s shoreline. You can either swim to it or commandeer a smaller boat. To complete the mission, you will need to acquire a Horokubiya bomb housed in a secured room on the top deck, which is guarded by multiple sentries.
If stealth is your focus, consider entering through a window to quietly take out the lone guard inside. After dealing with him, navigate along the exterior of the ship to reach the bow, where you will find red pots to plant your bomb. Once positioned, retreat to a safe distance, detonate the charge, and escape while the ship burns.
Alternatively, if you’re inclined for a more aggressive tactic, leap onto the ship, eliminate the guards, and proceed systematically. While dispatching the crew won’t provide a special benefit, it simplifies looting any treasure chests before concluding the mission.
A Prayer for Omi
As Yasuke, mount your horse and engage the game’s pathfinding feature to reach Lady Oichi at Isakiji Temple’s pier. Once you arrive, escort her across the water to Shirahige Shrine, where Yasuke must perform a series of purification rituals.
The rituals are straightforward; track the blue quest markers and interact at each site. You will need to:
- Pray at the shrine’s Torii gate
- Make a donation to a Shinto maiden
- Cleanse a shrine fountain
- Accept a Gofu from a Shinto priest
Completing these rituals rewards Yasuke the prestigious Amaterasu’s Blessing amulet, along with a weapon engraving that enhances damage based on the number of unused ability slots. After the rituals, return to Oichi to trigger an important cutscene. If you wish to explore a romantic path, select the heartfelt dialogue option marked with a heart icon: “I would spend my last night with you.” This concludes the mission.
The Price of Rice
In the next stage, titled “The Price of Rice, ” you will find Kuma in the Shimmering Fields between Azuchi and the Mouth of Seta. He waits near a hillside house overlooking a canal, explaining a corrupt Daikan (regional governor) is exploiting farmers and hoarding their rice, leaving you with the crucial task of rectifying the situation with discretion.
Locate a group of frustrated farmers, who will inform you of a drunken samurai wreaking havoc in their fields.This samurai is formidable. While you can attempt an assassination move, it won’t eliminate him entirely. To defeat him, remain cautious of his unblockable red-glowing attacks and rapid blue-flashy moves. Parrying the flurries is essential, as even a single hit can spell disaster.
After conquering the samurai, the farmers will reveal the Daikan’s hideout located in a riverfront mansion just north of Azuchi’s merchant area. The mansion’s main entrance is heavily guarded, but a broken area along the right-hand wall provides an ideal entry point for stealthy players.
The Daikan will attempt to flee if he notices you, making it vital to eliminate his guards beforehand unless you can eliminate him stealthily.Choosing Naoe for this mission is advantageous due to her silent takedown ability. Once you handle the Daikan, report back to Kuma to finalize this segment of the quest.
The Wheel Unmasked
Your allies will be waiting at a shrine located east of Shiotsu in Omi. Ascend the shrine’s steps, and while approaching the top, look to your left for a kunai resting against the stone railing that overlooks the village below. Interact with it and choose the “Wait” option to commence the mission.
At this point, Naoe and Yasuke will split up for the investigation, but you can only pursue one pathway. Naoe prefers to investigate an inn frequented by the Shinbakufu, while Yasuke opts to explore their ship in the harbor. Both routes offer balanced difficulty, allowing you to choose based on your gameplay style preference.
The Naoe Route
As Naoe, head to the river’s fork in the village to locate a samurai at an inn using your observation skill. There are a few guards, but you can easily navigate through the town’s rooftops. After eliminating the samurai, rendezvous with Yasuke to proceed to the quest’s concluding phase.
The Yasuke Route
If you prefer Yasuke’s path, head towards the harbor. Within this area, you will discover critical information—one regarding the Harbormaster and another pertaining to a document found in his office. This route does not necessitate killing your target but does involve fending off his heavily armored guards. Once everything is secured, interrogate the Harbormaster and join forces with Naoe to complete the mission.
Once you begin the next segment, access to side content will be restricted until the assassination action concludes. Ensure that you are adequately equipped and have tackled any other objectives before moving forward.
Assassinating the Mourner
The decisive assassination of the Mourner takes place under the cloak of night, perfect for players who favor stealthy approaches. Naoe can utilize underwater tunnels and high grass to bypass most of the Mourner’s guards, while Yasuke can storm the beach directly. Should you choose the Yasuke route, engaging the Mourner’s soldiers in smaller groups is advisable to avoid being outnumbered.
Just before reaching the Mourner, keep an eye out for another corrupt Daikan known as The Hoarder, linked to the ‘An Education’ side quest. He poses minimal resistance and can be dispatched without trouble. Upon clearing the area, interact with the central building to initiate the final cutscene.
No matter the choices made throughout this sequence, the Mourner ultimately escapes. At the conclusion of this extensive questline, Yasuke is rewarded with the esteemed Myth Slayer, a sword that once belonged to Nobunaga himself. Furthermore, each mission within the Mourner path provides 1, 000 XP.
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