Every ending in Assassin’s Creed Shadows explained and how to get them.
In Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll play as both Yasuke and Naoe, who each have their own individual story and questlines.
As such, before you can get to the end credits of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you’ll have to wrap up both Yasuke and Naoe’s stories.
Moreover, in addition to Yasuke and Naoe’s plotlines, there is a third ending for the overall story of the game, focused on hunting down the Shinbakufu, i.e., the main quest of Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
Lastly, there is also an epilogue ending centered around the quests you get from Junjiro.
In this article, we’ll be looking at how to get all four of these endings,
Keep in mind, each ending has slight differences based on the choices you make during the game. However, as there aren’t very significant differences between these endings, we’ll be focusing on the canon/true endings in this article.
WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
Naoe Ending
Naoe’s ending sees her find Hattori Hanzo, a famous samurai. He explains his involvement in the Kakushiba Ikki (the Japanese division of the Assassin brotherhood) and his love for Naoe’s mother Tsuyu, a master assassin.
He then goes on to explain that he betrayed the Kakushiba Ikki out of jealousy for Naoe’s father, who was happily married to Tsuyu.
The good ending sees Naoe forgive Hanzo, as they agree to find Tsuyu together.
How to Get
To Naoe’s ending, you need to complete her four main quests one by one. Moreover, you’ll need to make some key choices during these missions:
- Before The Fall – Play through and complete Naoe’s backstory at any of the four Kuji-kiri locations.
- Wolves and Foxes – Fight the enemies at Uji Tawara, then speak to Hattori Hanzo.
- Secrets of the Blade – Explore the Tomb of the Ancients.
- The Meaning of the Blade – Enter the Sakafuneishi Ruins, then speak to Hattori Hanzo.
During The Meaning of the Blade, you’ll be given the choice to kill or forgive Hanzo. Choosing to forgive him will unlock the Good Ending for Naoe.
Yasuke Ending
Yasuke’s story sees him track down and kill Duarte de Melo, a slaver. Afterward, he faces off against Nuno Caro, the leader of the Templar Order in Japan.
During this, we learn Yasuke’s backstory, that he and his mother were slaves on Nuno’s ship. While Yasuke’s mother was killed as a suspected spy, Yasuke escaped his execution when an Assassin intervened.
As Yasuke is about to finish off Nuno, he learns that killing him would mean declaring war on the Templar order, which Yasuke is happy to do.
How to Get
Yasuke’s quests won’t start appearing until you make some progress with the Shinbakufu endings. As such, if you don’t see the quests, switch to Naoe and kill some more Shinbakufu targets.
The first batch of Yasuke’s quests are:
- Dark Waves, Black Ships – Find the note in the Trading Port of Obama. Afterwards, light the signal fires.
- My Name is Yasuke – Assassinate Duarte de Melo.
- The Path He Walks – Talk to Luis Frois.
Yasuke’s quests will then move to the Templars section in the objectives tab, right below the Shinbakufu section. You’ll need to progress further through the Shinbakufu missions to unlock these:
- Fighting for the Cause — Follow Kumabe Ujie to Kimura Kei and kill the Templar
- The Silver Queen — Meet the Silver Queen in Tada
- A Promise — Rescue Akechi Mitsuyoshi and retrieve his katana
- End of the Line — Kill Nuno Caro and his men
Furthermore, completing the final Shinbakufu mission will automically progress through some of Yasuke’s questline. And moreover, if you get Naoe’s ending before Yasuke’s, the credits will roll after you complete End of the Line.
However, to get the true ending of AC Shadows, you’ll need to complete all Shinbakufu encounters.
Shinbakufu Ending
After Yasuke and Naoe kill the final Shinbakufu member, Akechi Mitsuhide, they are led Ashikaga Yoshiaki, the unseated shogun.
Yoshiaki gives Naoe a box that was taken from her father, and points Yasuke to the direction of the templars. As such, both of them spare Yoshiaki.
How to Get
A large portion of Assassin’s Creed Shadows’ runtime is made up of hunting down Shinbakufu targets, and each has its questlines to complete.
Moreover, though the Samurai has to be killed first and the Two-Faced and The Horseman last, there is no strict order to complete these encounters, and as such you can pick and choose which targets to go after first.
| Target | Shinbakufu Member | Location |
|---|---|---|
| The Samurai | Ido Yoshihiro | Iga (During Prologue) |
| The Golden Teppo | Wakasa | Izumi Settsu |
| The Wounded | Wada Koretaka | Amagasaki Castle |
| The Fool | Ise Sadaoki | Yamashiro |
| The Ox | Bessho Harumasa | Miki Castle |
| The Noble | Ukita Naoie | Himeji Castle |
| The Mourner/The Wheel | Lady Oichi | Hogonji Temple |
| The Naginata | Akechi Kagemitsu | Sakamoto Castle |
| The Wise | Joken Hokkyo | Kofukiji Temple |
| The Fox | Takeda Motaki | Samurai Yashiki District |
| The Two-Faced | Akechi Mitsuhide | Oyamazaki Village |
| The Horseman | Ashikaga Yoshiaki | Kuramadera Temple |
You’ll have to go after The Two Faced and The Horseman last. However, the ending will only play after you complete both Naoe and Yasuke’s questline.
Epilogue
The epilogue plays out at the hideout and involves Junjiro, who is responsible for Yasuke and Naoe’s alliance, as well as Tomiko, who runs the hideout.
Tomiko advised Yasuke and Naoe on what to do now that their quest for revenge and justice has ended.
During the epilogue, Naoe also receives a message from Hanzo, saying he has a lead on Tsuyu. Hanzo also sends her a set of Master Assassin Robes. In their final exchange, Naoe tells Hanzo that she will find her mother when she’s ready.
Yasuke decides to take off Junjiro.
Finally, Junjiro expresses his to someday be an Assassin like Naoe.
How to Get
To get the Epilogue Ending, you’ll need to finish all the Junjiro Quests, as well and finally the Tomiko quest. These quests are:
- Raise a Cup – Meet at the campfire within the hideout.
- Eyes on the Future – Find the Tanuki for Junjiro.
- A Different Kind of Samurai – Perform the kata for Junjiro while playing as Yasuke.
- Soup for Sorin – Help Junjiro find ingredients for soup.
- The Pilgrimage – Speak to Sorin.
- Leaving a Mark – Find Junjiro’s banner located in the hideout.
- Out of the Shadows – Speak with Tomiko and the others in the hideout.
You can only complete the Tomiko quest after the credits roll. But you can get started on the Junjiro quests before you finish the Naoe and Yasuke quests.
