As Naoe and Yasuke’s investigation into the member of the Shinbakufu known as The Wheel draws to a close, a surprising revelation on an island in the north of Lake Biwa leads to a troubling discovery: Lady Oichi, Yasuke’s supposed friend and romantic interest, is in fact the one you’ve been looking for.
Or maybe the revelation wasn’t surprising? Did you spot the clues?
Perhaps it was the ominous music that played over Yasuke and Oichi’s meeting in the Godai Tenshu, or maybe you spotted the connection between Lady Oichi’s situation in losing her husband and brother in violent circumstances and the tear-streaked mourner’s mask this member of the nefarious Shinbakufu wears.
Either way, your choice is the same: should you spare Lady Oichi as Yasuke or attack as Naoe seeking vengeance for her father?
How to reach The Wheel in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Head to Yasuke and Naoe’s meeting point at Shiotsu Shrine on the northern shore of Lake Biwa. Naoe and Yasuke will both have their assigned jobs, with Yasuke looking for the Wheel/Mourner’s boat in the port.
Go down to the marker and talk to the port official, then defeat his guards before questioning him. This will tell Naoe and Yasuke that they need to visit an island in the north of Lake Biwa that very evening.
Your objective now is to assassinate the Wheel. Jump from the boat and there’s an underwater tunnel in the cave in front of you which leads to a cenote that emerges right in the middle of where you need to go.
Sneak through the island undergrowth towards the viewpoint, then peek into the building next to the viewpoint pagoda, rather than the tower itself.
Inside, Lady Oichi is revealed to be the Mourner/Wheel, and after a cutscene you’re given the opportunity to spare her as Yasuke or attack as Naoe.
Should you spare or attack Lady Oichi?
If you choose to spare her as Yasuke:
- No one is injured, the quest concludes and you’re free to move onto your next target in the Shinbakufu
- Naoe is upset, but respects Yasuke’s decision and comes to agree with it
- Oichi leaves with Kuma to repent her misdeeds and resolves to work with you against the Shinbakufu, giving you a new quest: The Wheel Turns which continues the romance line between Yasuke and Oichi
- Oichi gives Yasuke Oda Nobunaga’s own katana, a powerful legendary sword
- You also get another quest – Cloud Gazing – which furthers Naoe and Yasuke’s friendship on the shores of Lake Biwa
- The final Corrupt Daikan, The Hoarder, is revealed to you in Kyoto
However, if you choose to attack as Naoe:
- Oichi’s bodyguard, Kuma, takes the tanto blade in Oichi’s stead and Yasuke steps in to break up the fight
- Despite the injury, everyone survives and the outcome is basically the same as if you’d chosen the spare option
- You get some unique dialogue where Naoe asks Yasuke if he’s upset with her, but the rest of the conversation plays out the same
- You get the same two quests, Cloud Gazing and The Wheel Turns, as well as revealing The Hoarder and getting the Katana
So really, while this is framed as a binary decision, it’s more the illusion of choice where everyone is destined to survive the encounter, no matter what.
This means you should choose the outcome which you feel best suits your playthrough and plan for the different characters.
Do you feel like Naoe is consumed by a need for vengeance, or is she coming around to the desire for peace and justice preached by the likes of Yasuke and Yaya? Do you feel like Yasuke’s love for Oichi is sufficiently earned for him to spare her unconditionally?
Although the outcome is largely the same, you still get to choose the context of how it arrives and it can still help set the tone of your personal story and how you deal with the Shinbakufu and future choices later in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.
For more Assassin’s Creed Shadows action, check out our other walkthrough guides as well as our pages on the Iron Hand Guild locations, Yokai locations and the Godai Shinobi.