How to Clear Azuchi Castle in Assassin's Creed Shadows Without Losing Your Head

Even in 2026, Azuchi Castle in Assassin's Creed Shadows behaves like a grumpy old fortress that has seen one too many trespassers, and it is absolutely not interested in making anyone's day easy. This place is a level 40 castle, so a player strolling up at level 20 might as well be knocking on a dragon's door with a toothpick. Worse, the castle gates are story-locked until players progress far enough into Yasuke's journey, which means no amount of early-game parkour will let someone waltz in and grab the shiny stuff. The good news? Once the story finally unlocks it, the castle reveals itself as a sprawling, multi-floor puzzle of samurai, tight corridors, and loot. The bad news? Those samurai do not understand the concept of personal space.

Where to Find This Stone Menace

Azuchi Castle sits in the Omi region, along the eastern coast of Lake Biwa, directly across the lake from Sakamoto. While Omi itself is not the scariest high-level area in the game, this particular landmark is the overachieving sibling that decided to hit level 40. The castle compound is huge, spreading southward with buildings and scaffolding that climb upward like a stone staircase built by someone who hated flat ground. Players approaching from the south or east will get the easiest bearings, and they should not be surprised if the castle seems to glare back at them from across the lake.

Sneaking In Without Becoming a Pincushion

For such a big fortress, Azuchi Castle offers more entrances than a tavern full of side doors. Players can try several routes, and each one has its own charm and risk level.

• Grapple up the exterior: Naoe can scale much of the structure. In many spots, she can climb a wall and then launch her grapple at the apex of a jump. The castle does not always cooperate, but there are enough grabbable ledges to make this a stylish option.

• Southeast staircase entrance: The straightforward choice. It is not the sneakiest, but it gets the job done.

• Northeast scaffolding: A very simple climb that lets a careful player slip inside without being spotted. This is the hidden side door that the castle forgot to lock.

• North side entrance: Another useful way in, especially for players who like to explore the backroads before the party starts.

The Samurai Squad: Four Very Grumpy Roommates

There are four samurai in Azuchi Castle, and they have paired off like overworked security guards sharing a tiny apartment. The first two are in the Eastern Barracks. One samurai watches two regular soldiers sparring, standing still as a statue unless something suspicious demands his attention. The other samurai patrols just south of the barracks, often inside view of his buddy. If one of them so much as hears a suspicious rustle, both will likely come running. It is the samurai equivalent of neighbors who share a wall and hate loud noise.

The other two samurai are inside the tallest building of the castle. Specifically, one is on the second floor and one is on the third floor. This is where the fight gets awkward, because the corridors are about as roomy as a cupboard. Enemies from other floors will also hear the commotion and jump in late like uninvited party guests. Using Yasuke here is a smart call. He can hold his own in a claustrophobic brawl, while Naoe might find the tight quarters more troublesome. She is still great for the sneaky scaffolding entry and for thinning out guards before the big showdown.

Legendary Loot: The Ship Captain's Mask and a Painting for the Road

The legendary chest is on the third floor of the main building, sitting smugly in the same room as the third-floor samurai. It may not actually smirk, but it might as well, because grabbing it means dealing with the guard and probably his downstairs neighbor. The chest contains the Ship Captain's Mask for Yasuke, a nifty piece of gear that lets him parry ranged attacks and send them right back at enemies. Watching an archer taste their own arrow is exactly as satisfying as it sounds.

Near the second-floor samurai, a Kano Painting waits patiently. Since players are likely to fight almost everyone in the tower anyway, they can grab the painting and the legendary chest in one sweaty trip after the last angry roommate has been dealt with. There is also a chest with data fragments on an upper floor. That one is not quite as heavily guarded, though a couple of enemies still loiter around like they are waiting for a bus that never comes.

Pro Tips for Not Dying Horribly

• Bring Yasuke for the tower fight. The tight rooms and late-arriving enemies favor a tankier approach.

• Use Naoe for the northeast scaffolding. She can slip in quietly and pick off a few guards before the chaos begins.

• Clear the lower floors first. This prevents the third-floor fight from turning into a surprise reunion of every samurai in the building.

• Grab the Kano Painting on the second floor while collecting the legendary chest. No need to make two trips through a very grumpy tower.