Written by Cygnus2012 & Selenia

Hints

• Never harm the innocents!
• Beware of enemies on the roofs.
• Use stealth to move silently through water.
• Exits to other areas are marked by red squares on the map.

Walkthrough
Layout A , Difficulty: Normal
Enemies: 21 (+ 3 dogs)
Max Score: 930

At the opening of the mission you will notice a samurai in your direct line of vision. He will not turn to see you until you get close enough to hear his conversation with another ronin. Run and grapple onto the house to the left of the samurai. When the two have finished talking, drop down and systematically kill the samurai and the spearguard. If you have to, cut the stealth-kill animation so you have enough time to kill the spear-guard. You do not want him running off too far. After killing the spear-guard, depending on where he was slain, another spear-guard to the north will come inspect the body. Anticipate this and react accordingly. Head back to the first house you grappled onto. You will notice that there are two more houses just like it in a line heading north. Jump from house to house and at the end of the third house there will be an archer. You can either drop down to the stream to your left and crawl directly below him or jump on top of him for the kill. Looking to the east from the northern perimeter you will find a patrolling samurai. Jump from house to house to get close enough for the kill. Just keep in mind that when you reach the last house that there is a ronin to your right. Kill at your own discretion. Once dealt with, move to the northern wall to find a hole. Crawl under it to access the next area.

Upon exiting the underpass you will see an archer on the high ground in the distance. Make sure you are crouching as you leave (or you will alert the guards with the noise you make while running through the river) and look to your right to find a ronin patrolling. He will go out of sight upon exiting to the right, so wait for him to come back before making your move. When you do leave make sure you do it quickly to avoid detection by the archer. Once you kill him move quickly back to your starting position. The archer may not see you, but he will notice the corpse. This works to your advantage because when he gives up looking for you, he will be vulnerable as he heads back to his post. Move to the position where the archer was first playing sentry to find a dog and a female villager in the water. You don’t necessarily have to kill him, but then again, you really don’t need to kill anyone, now do you? You can always use the bow from the archer to kill the dog but the carcass will alert the villager, so in my opinion, it would be in your best interest to avoid the confrontation altogether. You may
have noticed that there was an archer in the distance as you killed the ronin. Grapple onto the perimeter wall and have a look into the adjacent area to find actually two archers. These kill are completely optional because the area they are watching is not in the direct path to the next area. Follow the perimeter wall east to the stone wall. Remember to stay low to avoid detection by the archer to your left. Kill when the chance arises. In front of you will be a large house. Grapple onto the roof and look to the other side to find a ronin to the left of the house and a another one to the right. You will notice the 2nd ronin moves to the right side of the house, out of the line of the 1st ronin’s vision. Kill him first, then the samurai. If you wish to avoid the two altogether, simply jump onto the barrel in front of the house and jump into the doors in front of you. You will be sent to the next area before the enemies notice you.

The next area is filled with 8 barrels, all there for you to take advantage of the enemy. Jump to the first barrel you see to your left. Because of the elevated ground, you should be able to double-jump on top of it without any problem. Alternatively use the grappling hook. Move to the second barrel and assess the area. There are three enemies in total. First is the ronin in front of you. In the distance behind him is a spear-guard, patrolling the entrance to the final area. Finally there is a spear-guard patrolling the stonewall to your left. If you sit and wait long enough, he will come out. Because of the positioning of the barrels, you can easily jump from one to the other all the way to the exit. If you choose to fight the sentries, remember to use the terrain (i.e. the barrels) to your advantage.

To complete the mission, you must get to the gate in the southeast corner of the map. The easiest plan of action would be to follow the north-to-east walls all the way to the finish. While beginning to head east you will immediately see a ronin in front of you and a village girl in the distance. If you choose to kill him, remember to be wary of her. Follow the perimeter rooftops to the southeast corner. At the end of the last building you will find a single spear-guard patrolling the gate. Wait for the right opportunity and kill him. Proceed to the gate to complete the mission.

Grand Master Item
Dog Bone

Special Move
Grappling Hook Combo