Outskirts Wall gatehouse, General Kawarada, Crow's Bed Merchant, Chained Ogre, Gyoubu Oniwa, and the Blazing Bull beast.
Act 1 — Ashina Outskirts: Departing the Dilapidated Temple, Wolf ventures into the fortified outer perimeter of Ashina. Ashina Outskirts introduces full exploration gameplay — featuring grapplable rooftops, merchant mobs, prosthetic tool pickups (Loaded Shuriken, Shinobi Firecracker), mini-bosses (Kawarada, Chained Ogre, Yamauchi, Blazing Bull), and mounted main boss Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa.
| Item / Upgrade | Type | Location & How to Acquire |
|---|---|---|
| Gourd Seed #1 | Key Upgrade | Dropped by General Naomori Kawarada near Outskirts Wall Gate Path. |
| Gourd Seed #2 | Key Upgrade | Inside wooden chest in the gateway building directly behind Chained Ogre. |
| Gourd Seed #3 | Key Upgrade | Purchased for 1,000 Sen from Battlefield Memorial Mob merchant near Gyoubu's arena. |
| Prayer Bead #1 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by General Naomori Kawarada at Gate Path. |
| Prayer Bead #2 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by Chained Ogre at Outskirts Wall Stairway. |
| Prayer Bead #3 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by General Tenzen Yamauchi in courtyard past Chained Ogre. |
| Prayer Bead #4 | Health Upgrade | Found in wooden chest inside Tengu's attic rafters past Gyoubu arena. |
| Prayer Bead #5 | Health Upgrade | Dropped by Blazing Bull mini-boss just before Ashina Castle Gate. |
| Young Lord's Bell Shrine | Key Item | Given by old woman in ruined house at Outskirts Wall (unlocks Hirata Estate). |
| Mechanical Barrel | Key Item | Dropped by main boss Gyoubu Oniwa (unlocks prosthetic upgrade tree at Sculptor). |
| Shinobi Esoteric Text | Skill Tree Key | Given by Sculptor after acquiring first Skill Point (unlocks Shinobi Skill Tree). |
| Tool / Material | Type | Location & Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Loaded Shuriken (Nightjar Wheel) | Prosthetic Tool | Found on corpse inside 2nd-floor gatehouse near Outskirts Wall Gate Path. |
| Shinobi Firecracker (Robert's Firecrackers) | Prosthetic Tool | Purchased for 500 Sen from Crow's Bed Memorial Mob atop stone cliff peak. |
| Scrap Iron x3 | Crafting Material | Found in courtyard behind Tenzen Yamauchi and near Under-Bridge Valley idol. |
| Scrap Magnet x1 | Crafting Material | Found inside Tengu's fortress building near Gyoubu arena. |
| Consumable / Item | Type | Effect & Location |
|---|---|---|
| Heavy Coin Purse (500 Sen) | Currency Item | Contains 500 Sen. Found in hidden cave below Great Serpent shrine path. |
| Light Coin Purse x2 (100 Sen ea.) | Currency Item | Contains 100 Sen each. Found near Gatehouse roof and under-bridge ledge. |
| Ako's Sugar x2 | Buff Consumable | Increases Vitality and Posture damage for 30s. Found near General Kawarada and Chained Ogre. |
| Ungyo's Sugar x1 | Buff Consumable | Reduces physical damage taken for 30s. Found in building past Tenzen Yamauchi. |
| Gachiin's Sugar x1 | Buff Consumable | Suppresses sound and presence for stealth for 45s. Found near Under-Bridge Valley. |
| Pellet x4 | Consumable Healing | Gradual health recovery. Dropped by riflemen and found near Gate Path. |
| Oil x3 | Combat Consumable | Douses enemies to increase fire burn buildup when hit by Flame Vent. Found near ruined house. |
| Dousing Powder x2 | Status Cure | Reduces Burn status buildup and grants temporary fire resistance. Found near Blazing Bull path. |
Area Clearance Order: From the Dilapidated Temple, use your newly acquired grappling hook to swing across the tree branches. Follow the linear mountain path and leap across the gap to find your first Sculptor's Idol (Ashina Outskirts). Grapple up to the ruined wall and stealth-kill the rifleman. Drop down to the lower path to find a pack of dogs and two guards; take them out and collect the Pellet x2 nearby. Look up at the gatehouse structure and grapple to the second-floor opening. Inside, you will find a corpse holding the Nightjar Wheel. Take this back to the Sculptor later to craft the Loaded Shuriken prosthetic tool.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Exit the gatehouse and activate the Outskirts Wall - Gate Path Idol just ahead. Sneak along the high rooftops on the left side overlooking General Kawarada's courtyard. Wait until he turns away, then plunge down for a free stealth Deathblow to remove his first health bar. In combat, focus on deflecting his slash flurries and watch for his sweep attack to jump over. Once defeated, he drops a Prayer Bead and a Gourd Seed. Don't forget to grab the Ako's Sugar hidden in the corner of the courtyard before moving on.
Detailed Combat Strategy:
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Grapple past Kawarada's courtyard and drop down into a ruined residential village section. Clear the roaming guards, and pick up the scattered Fistful of Ash. Look for a destroyed house with a bell hanging outside and a crow gathering nearby. Speak to the elderly woman sitting inside the rubble to receive the Young Lord's Bell Charm. Speak to her dying son outside as well. You can take this bell back to the Dilapidated Temple's Buddha statue later to unlock the Hirata Estate detour.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: From the ruined house, proceed forward and grapple onto the wooden gate structure. You will spot a rifleman and a cannon-wielding brute. Grapple up to the high stone cliff peak to the left of the gate. At the very top, you'll find a tent and the Crow's Bed Memorial Mob merchant. Speak to him to purchase Robert's Firecrackers for 500 Sen. This item can be fitted at the Sculptor to become the highly useful Shinobi Firecracker tool.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Before challenging the Chained Ogre, return to Dilapidated Temple, offer the Young Lord's Bell Charm to the Buddha Statue, and clear early Part 3: Hirata Estate to collect the Flame Vent (the Ogre's major weakness), Loaded Axe, Mist Raven, and extra Prayer Beads!
Area Clearance Order: From the Crow's Bed peak, grapple down and activate the Outskirts Wall - Stairway Idol. Eavesdrop on the guards below to learn about the Ogre's fear of fire. Clear the spearman and guards below the stairway. Walk up the stairs to aggro the Chained Ogre, then run back to hide until he de-aggros. Sneak up for a free stealth Deathblow. During the fight, throw Oil and blast him with the Flame Vent to burn and stun him for heavy free damage. Once defeated, collect Prayer Bead #2. Grapple up into the gateway building directly behind where the Ogre was chained to find Gourd Seed #2 inside a wooden chest and the Nightjar Slash Skill Note.
Detailed Combat Breakdown & Fire Weakness:
Area Clearance Order: Drop down into the large courtyard past the gateway building. You must first stealth-kill the alarm gong sentry and the four surrounding riflemen and sword guards. Retreat back to the gateway roof until General Tenzen Yamauchi de-aggros. Sneak along the right side wall and deliver a plunging stealth Deathblow to remove his first health bar. Defeat him to claim Prayer Bead #3. Afterward, check behind the courtyard house for Scrap Iron x1 and grab Ungyo's Sugar x1 near the broken bridge before proceeding.
Detailed Combat Strategy:
Area Clearance Order: Grapple down the broken bridge, grab the Under-Bridge Valley Idol, and sneak through the canyon past the giant snake. Grapple up to the fortress wall and drop down into the massive battlefield arena to face mounted spear general Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa. Deflect his spear swings and deploy Firecrackers when his horse rears. Defeating him rewards you with the Mechanical Barrel (unlocks prosthetic upgrades) and a Memory to increase Attack Power.
Detailed Main Boss Guide: Gyoubu rides a massive armored warhorse and wields a long spear attached to a rope.
Area Clearance Order: Before moving to the next area, activate the Ashina Castle Gate Idol. Turn around and head up the opposite stairs to find the Battlefield Memorial Mob merchant—buy Gourd Seed #3 from him for 1,000 Sen. Continue into the fortress building. Speak to Tengu of Ashina to start his "Rats" quest (kill the three small assassins in the field outside). Return to him to receive the Ashina Esoteric Text. Before leaving the building, grapple up into the wooden attic rafters. Open the hidden chest at the very top to claim Prayer Bead #4.
Items to Keep Picking Up:
Area Clearance Order: Head through the large Castle Gate near the Idol. Grapple over the walls, defeating the riflemen on the rooftops. Drop into the walled courtyard ahead to be ambushed by the Blazing Bull. Chase its hind legs constantly and use Firecrackers to stun it. You can also run far away and deflect its head-scoop charge to stun it. Defeat the Bull to obtain Prayer Bead #5 and the Fisheye Medicine Skill. The gate to Ashina Castle will open.
Detailed Bull Battle Strategy:
Items to Keep Picking Up:
The Chained Ogre was captured and bound by Ashina forces to serve as a desperate frontline defense against incoming Interior Ministry invaders. Gyoubu is a former bandit leader turned loyal commander under Isshin Ashina. Defeating him unlocks access to Tengu of Ashina, who gives you the Ashina Arts skill tree. The Blazing Bull was ignited with burning logs by Ashina defenders to break enemy lines.
Having cleared Hirata Estate and defeated Lady Butterfly, you are now well-equipped with Prosthetic Tools and higher Attack Power. Return to the Ashina Outskirts and proceed past the Chained Ogre to face Gyoubu Oniwa and the Blazing Bull.