“The Tournament” is a fairly late-game quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows with some very obtuse unlock conditions. It pits a character of your choice against a series of enemies in pitched battle, after which you can claim rare rewards – including some of AC Shadows‘ legendary weapons. Although it’s presumably been part of the game since launch, it came to many players’ attention in late March/early April, when it was listed as part of a weekly Anomaly quest in the Animus Hub. Its sudden rise to prominence caused many players to realize they had no idea that it even existed.

While completing “The Tournament” is fairly easy, unlocking it is anything but. It first requires you to satisfy some unclear conditions that seem to vary from player to player, then to travel to a highly specific location and speak to a particular NPC. From there, it’s as simple as scouting your map and going into battle. Here’s everything we know about triggering “The Tournament,” as well as a quick rundown of all the enemies and rewards.

Kill At Least 7 Shinbakufu

Your Mileage May Vary

The first condition you’ll need to satisfy before you take on “The Tournament” involves killing at least seven of the Shinbakufu (or Onryo), your main quest assassination targets. These guys are spread out all over the map, and killing them can take quite a lot of time. If you’re having trouble finding any particular one, check out our guide to all the Shinbakufu locations in AC Shadows.

Player reports on how many Shinbakufu you need to kill before triggering “The Tournament” are varied, but the consensus seems to state that the number is at least seven. If you’ve tried all the other steps and still can’t start the quest, consider killing a couple more Shinbakufu and trying again.

Return To Your Hideout

Home At Last

Next, fast travel back to your Hideout, then follow the path back out to the main area of the map. Gyoji should be waiting for you right there; approach him and talk to him to start the quest. You may also see “The Tournament” appear on your Objectives screen at this point.

It appears that you must kill at least seven Shinbakufu, then reload the hideout to get this quest to appear. There may be some additional considerations that are causing the quest not to trigger for certain players – level, Mastery Points, gear, et cetera – but in most cases, returning to the Hideout seems to be the deciding factor, and unlocks it more often than not.

How To Complete “The Tournament” In AC Shadows

Finding & Winning The Tournament

Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Gyoji will give you the details of a fighting tournament located in Yamato. Send your scouts to the area he describes, southeast of Yoshino, to unlock the quest marker. Head over there by foot or by fast travel, and talk to Gyoji again to join the fight. I recommend playing as Yasuke for this quest, as the head-on combat involved can be a lot for Naoe to handle.

The following table includes every enemy you’ll fight during “The Tournament,” as well as your rewards for defeating them. Once you beat one, ring the bell to begin the next battle; there are five overall. Note that each weapon is randomized, but comes from the same weapon category as the one the opponent uses against you.

Opponent
Reward

Lady Masago
Random epic Naginata

Lord Suguru
Random epic Long Katana, random rare bow

Lord Hokuto
Random epic Kanabo

Lady O-Sen
Random epic Katana

Lord Unkai
Random legendary Naginata

After completing all five fights, talk to Gyoji again to receive 5,000 XP, and an achievement called Test Your Might. With the “Arena Oscillation” Anomaly active, you can ring the bell again to enter into a series of even more difficult tournament battles. Those have the chance to earn you weekly rewards in Assassin’s Creed Shadows.