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As you progress through the main storyline of Assassin’s Creed: Shadows, you’ll encounter several non-player characters (NPCs) that will assist you in your quest to locate the Shinbakufu. One notable NPC is Imai Sokun. After completing the assassination mission involving him, you can return to Imai to receive a side quest.
This side quest is known as the Iron Hand Guild quest. In it, Imai will request that you gather information about the Iron Hand from local merchants and eliminate his competition. However, to successfully complete this mission, you’ll need to find certain locations first.
What Should You Do With The Merchants?
Upon completing the Golden Teppo assassination and returning to Imai for the side quest, he will specifically ask you to spare the merchants and focus only on eliminating the Iron Hand. This allows him to gain their loyalty. However, following this direction is not mandatory for quest completion.
Whether you decide to spare or eliminate the merchants, the rewards for completing the quest remain unchanged. Nonetheless, Imai will express greater satisfaction if you choose to keep the merchants alive, and he will have different responses depending on your choices.
You only need to take one alternative approach to spare the merchants, which we will describe in their locations below.
Where To Find All Merchants
If you check the Iron Hand Guild section in your objective menu, you’ll notice four merchants located at the bottom of the circle, while the Iron Hand is at the top. You won’t be able to find the Iron Hand until you gather clues from all four merchants, whether by sparing or eliminating them.
Here’s where you can find each merchant:
Merchant Kanta
To find Merchant Kanta, enter the Omi region from the south. Move towards the left side of the river, where you’ll come across the Mouth of Seta area. Just north of there, you will find a settlement. The Otsu Upper District is located in this settlement, and you can activate observer mode to locate the merchant.
Kanta will be sitting in his home. You can choose to eliminate him from behind or capture him and then knock him out to spare him. Completing this step will fulfill this portion of the quest.
Merchant Ginroku
Merchant Ginroku can be located in the northwestern part of the Tamba province. Specifically, he is situated on the southwestern side of the city, right above where Mizuyu Bay is labeled on the map. He is exposed, so you can either take him out or spare him in the same manner as Kanta.
Merchant Tamao
To meet Merchant Tamao, head to the eastern side of the Honnoji Temple in the central part of Kyoko. Nearby, you will find the Honpoji Temple; to the left of this temple, Tamao is inside a building that cannot be entered. To lure him out, break a few jars placed in front of the building’s entrance. Be cautious, as he will notice you when he steps outside. If you want to spare him, approach him stealthily from behind and repeat the process of grabbing and knocking him out.
Merchant Kin-No-Suke
For Merchant Kin-no-suke, you need to take a slightly different route if you wish to spare him. First, go to the Kata area located in the northeast of where Onyu Pass is marked on your map. Here, you’ll find a letter guarded by a few bandits along the shore to the north of Kata. Defeat them to retrieve the letter, then head northwest to Obama City to locate the merchant. He will be situated just to the right of the Obama label on your map while zoomed in 3x. When you speak to him, share the letter you acquired from the bandits.
Kin-no-suke will then lead you to a different area. In this new location, go into a nearby warehouse to uncover another clue about the Iron Hand and complete this segment of the quest.
Where To Find The Iron Hand
After collecting clues from all four merchants, you can determine the Iron Hand’s position in the Fukuchiyama castle located in the northern Tamba province. You can either fast travel to this castle or make your way to its southern entrance if you haven’t visited it yet.
The Iron Hand is situated within a group of buildings southwest of the viewpoint and is heavily guarded by fully armored foes. Your best strategy is to take out these enemies one by one without being detected. However, if you choose to engage them directly, be sure to deactivate the alarm bell first.
This will prevent your character from becoming a wanted individual in the area.
You can also attract the attention of the enemies and then hide, which may help you isolate the Iron Hand and eliminate him. Once you’ve taken him down, return to Imai to receive 5,000 EXP, a piece of Gold, and a Fujin’s Tempest trinket.
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