After successfully liberating the city of Sakai from the malevolent influence of the group that was responsible for her father’s death in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Naoe’s connection with the Imai family continues to evolve.
During her exploration of the Money Changer District, one of the bandit-controlled territories in Settsu, she uncovers a suspicious letter that hints at the Imai family’s ambitions to fill the power void left by Nobunaga, operating under the guise of the Iron Hand Guild.
However, a conversation with Imai Sokun reveals that the Iron Hand Guild is merely a group of imposters attempting to leverage the Imai name for their own influence. To counter this threat, Sokun tasks Naoe with gathering intelligence from merchants across Japan.
This mission introduces her to new targets with levels ranging from teens to level 35, albeit with an important caveat: Imai Sokun requests that Naoe spare the merchants during her interrogations, as many are simply victims of the larger scheme, unwittingly caught in the crossfire.
Assassin’s Creed Shadows often emphasizes combat-centric gameplay, making the decision to take a non-lethal approach challenging, though it is clearly the ethical choice in this narrative.
Strategies for Sparing the Iron Hand Guild
While tasked with sparing the merchants entangled with the Iron Hand Guild, the temptation to eliminate them can easily arise. Notably, even if you disarm yourself and defeat a target using your fists, they will still be marked as “killed” in your objectives menu.
To successfully spare a target, players must first isolate them.Approach quietly from behind and press Triangle (or your controller’s equivalent) to grab the target. Then, before they can escape, swiftly hold Triangle again to execute a non-lethal “knockout.”
This technique is the only method acknowledged by the objectives menu as a non-lethal solution.
Iron Hand Guild Target Locations
Merchant Tamao – Level 15
Tamao, your first target, is located in Kyoto. Below are some clues to help navigate your search:
- Located in the Yamashiro region
- Operates a brewery
- Found west of Honpoji Temple
Honpoji Temple is marked as a white diamond on the map. Just to the immediate west, players can find Tamao’s workers expressing concern about his absence, as he has apparently locked himself inside a warehouse.
To draw him out, Naoe proposes destroying a portion of his inventory.Look for the illuminated blue markers scattered throughout the area—these represent the items to demolish. After causing a ruckus among the barrels, Tamao will emerge, sword drawn.
Be cautious; even a single hit on Tamao will result in his death, negating your objective. To avoid this, you must sneak up on him and utilize the previously mentioned method to achieve a non-lethal result.Once you manage to grab him and perform the knockout, you’ll gain a lead on the Tamba Highlands, a mountainous area requiring further investigation.
As this game has just recently launched, many of the later targets are still being discovered. This page will be updated shortly to provide you with the latest information without revealing essential plot details.
In the meantime, players can explore other early-game targets, including the Kabukimono, Twisted Tree, and Origami Butterflies.
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