How to play the A Critical Encounter quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Ubisoft released Assassin's Creed Shadows patch 1.0.6, featuring a new quest called A Critical Encounter. In this quest, Naoe and Yasuke meet a new person who asks for help to eliminate a treacherous group that is causing problems in feudal Japan. The quest includes several follow-up missions, and finishing them will grant you prominent rewards and a new achievement.

Here are more details regarding the A Critical Encounter quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows and how to complete it.

---

How to access the A Critical Encounter quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows

A Critical Encounter quest location on the map (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

With the latest AC Shadows patch 1.0.6 released on June 25, 2025, ensure to download the update on your respective platforms. Afterward, hop onto the game and load your save file.

To access the A Critical Encounter quest, you must complete the Way of the Blacksmith main quest and ensure Yasuke is available as a playable character. Following that, navigate to your Hideout and find the new quest symbol in the southeast segment.

As you reach there, you will find a man hiding behind a rock. Interact with him to start the A Critical Encounter quest.

---

A Critical Encounter quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows: Walkthrough

Choose any of the prompts to proceed (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

In the first cutscene, you must choose one of the following prompts when the man asks, "Are you going to introduce me?":

• A friend of Tomiko's is a friend of ours.
• I don't know about him.

You can select any of the options, as it does not affect the narrative. After that, Yasuke and Naoe discover that this man is named Rufino and is an old friend of their ally Tomiko. Rufino then tasks you to destroy a sinister organization's research.

---

Destroy the research

The ship's location on the map (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

To begin, navigate to the objective marker (shown in the image above), where a large ship is anchored in the water. This location can be found to the west of the Sakai town within the Izumi Settsu region. You may either swim or utilize a boat to reach the ship.

Climb onto the ship from the back side (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

Go to the back side of the ship to climb and reach the deck. Then, defeat the enemies there and destroy the first container. You can simply attack with your weapon to break it.

Strike with your weapon to destroy three containers (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

Subsequently, enter the cabin and destroy the second container. Finally, ascend the ladder within to reach the next level to break the last container. There is also a chest located on that floor that contains the Floral Kusarigama of Tangling.

Eliminate the enemies to save Rufino (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming // Ubisoft)

After all containers have been destroyed, climb down and navigate to the front side of the ship. Defeat the Contractor and the remaining enemies to rescue Rufino.

With this, the Critical Encounter quest concludes and marks the beginning of the Hunting the Hunters quest.

---

Check out more Assassin's Creed Shadows guides below:

• How old is Naoe in Assassin's Creed Shadows?
• AC Shadows system requirements: Minimum and recommended PC settings
• All you need to know about AC Shadows map
• Can you play AC Shadows as a newcomer to the series?
• Assassin's Creed Shadows abilities explained: How to get Mastery points and unlock skills