Assassin’s Creed Shadows Guide
All Hidden Vault Puzzle Solutions In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Hidden vaults in Assassin’s Creed Shadows mainly appear as Kofun tomb dungeons and the massive Glyph Door mystery tied to the...
Quick Answer
Hidden vaults in Assassin’s Creed Shadows mainly appear as Kofun tomb dungeons and the massive Glyph Door mystery tied to the A Puzzlement quest.
Most vaults require either Yasuke’s strength to destroy debris and move objects or Naoe’s agility to crawl through tight passages. Several puzzles involve explosive jars, movable blocks, underwater paths, and hidden climbable ledges.
Completing these vaults rewards legendary gear, rare loot, and one of the game’s biggest secret discoveries.
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Full Guide
Hidden Vaults In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Hidden vault puzzles are some of the best side activities in Assassin’s Creed Shadows. Most of them are hidden inside ancient Kofun tombs filled with environmental puzzles, secret chests, and legendary rewards.
These vaults usually test:
- Exploration
- Character abilities
- Puzzle-solving
- Traversal mechanics
- Explosive interactions
Some vaults are exclusive to Naoe while others require Yasuke.
The Isu Glyph Door Puzzle
The biggest hidden vault in the game is the mysterious Glyph Door tied to the A Puzzlement quest.
You can find the vault southeast of Kajii Monzeki Temple near the marshlands connecting Wakasa and Omi.
To unlock the door you must:
- Start the A Puzzlement quest
- Find the required trinket
- Locate all 13 hidden glyphs scattered across Japan
This is essentially the game’s giant Easter egg puzzle and takes much longer than normal Kofuns.
Megalithic Vault Kofun Puzzle Solution
Located east of Takatsuki Castle in the Yamato region.
This vault requires Yasuke because several puzzles depend on brute strength and explosive destruction.
Opening The Entrance
Push the wooden block forward to create space.
Use a ranged weapon to shoot the explosive red jar inside the eastern room. This destroys the debris blocking progression.
Underwater Chest Puzzle
Dive underwater and swim through the flooded tunnel to reach the first chest.
After looting it, climb the nearby stairs and crawl south into the next chamber.
Wooden Block Puzzle
This is the main puzzle section.
- Pull the southwestern wooden block out completely
- Pull the second block to the right to reveal a hidden chest
- Push the first block against the back wall
- Climb onto the block and follow the ledges upward
This eventually leads to the sarcophagus and final reward chest.
Makino Kurumazuka Kofun Puzzle Solution
This vault is blocked by collapsed debris and can only be opened with Yasuke.
Carry an explosive barrel to the entrance.
Drop the barrel beside the rubble and shoot it with a ranged weapon to blast open the tunnel.
Once inside, follow the main pathways toward the treasure chamber.
Veiled Tumulus Kofun Puzzle Solution
Located southwest of the Sanjoga Take Overlook in Wakasa.
This Kofun is designed specifically for Naoe because the entrance is hidden behind a tight crevice only she can crawl through.
If you arrive as Yasuke, the entrance will basically feel like the game telling you politely to leave.
Shimosato Kofun Puzzle Solution
This vault combines explosive puzzles with climbing mechanics.
Clearing The Debris
Progress through the tunnels until you find blocked rubble.
Grab the nearby explosive pot and throw it at the debris.
Use a projectile weapon to detonate the pot and clear the path.
Crate Navigation Puzzle
After clearing the rubble, move the wooden crate across the room.
Position it beneath the ledge so you can climb into the next chamber.
Continue following the upper pathways toward the final chest.
Old Kofun Puzzle Solution
Located east of the Sakai Firearm District in Settsu Province.
This vault is another Naoe-exclusive tomb because it requires crawling through narrow spaces.
Enter through the southern crevice and belly crawl under the wall to reach the flooded chamber.
Dive into the water and grapple across the gap to discover a hidden opening containing the legendary chest.
This one hides its reward surprisingly well, so don’t leave after the first coffin room.
Video
Step-by-Step
- Locate the hidden Kofun or vault entrance
- Switch to the correct character if needed
- Clear blocked entrances using explosives
- Solve traversal and block-moving puzzles
- Search for hidden underwater paths and side chests
- Reach the final sarcophagus or legendary chest
Best Strategy
Always check which character the vault seems designed for before entering. Narrow crawlspaces usually mean Naoe, while explosive debris and heavy object puzzles almost always require Yasuke.
Bring plenty of ammo for ranged weapons because many vault puzzles depend on detonating explosive jars from a distance.
Warnings
Some vaults are character-exclusive and cannot be fully completed with the wrong protagonist. If progression feels impossible, try switching between Naoe and Yasuke before assuming you missed something.
Missables
None of the hidden vault puzzles are missable. All vaults remain accessible during post-game free roam.
Rewards
- Legendary gear
- Hidden treasure chests
- Rare resources
- XP rewards
- Progress toward exploration completion
- Secret lore tied to the Isu
Tips
Vault puzzles usually reward exploration more than speed. If a room looks suspiciously empty, there is probably a hidden crawlspace, underwater tunnel, or climbable ledge nearby.
Also, if you see a red explosive jar in a Ubisoft game, assume it will solve approximately 90 percent of your problems.
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Puzzles & Codes
How To Unlock Secret Castle Rooms In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
To unlock secret castle rooms in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you need to use environmental tools like explosive jars, hidden crawlspaces, grappling points, keys, and mechanical puzzle systems.
Most hidden rooms are tied to either Naoe’s stealth traversal abilities or Yasuke’s brute strength. Look for suspicious wall layouts, ceiling hatches, drainage systems, and locked upper keeps inside major castles.
Many legendary treasure rooms also remain locked until every Samurai Daisho in the castle has been eliminated.
Puzzles & Codes
Beginner Tips And Tricks For Assassin’s Creed Shadows
The best beginner tips for Assassin’s Creed Shadows are to use Naoe for stealth, use Yasuke for open combat once he unlocks, upgrade your Hideout early, and avoid spending too many resources upgrading low-level gear before around level 20.
Turn on helpful settings like Auto-Loot and adjust stealth or combat difficulty if needed. Focus early on synchronization points, scouts, knowledge points, and Naoe’s Ascension Boost skill to make exploration much smoother.
Most of all, play to each character’s strengths. Naoe is built for rooftops, tools, and silent kills. Yasuke is built for walking through problems like the door was never there.
Locations & Collectibles
How To Open Every Kuji-Kiri Meditation Location In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
There are 22 Kuji-Kiri meditation locations in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, and they can only be completed while playing as Naoe. Each meditation spot appears as an orange meditation icon after discovering nearby white question marks on the map.
To complete a Kuji-Kiri, sit on the meditation mat and finish the rhythm-based QTE sequence. If the button prompts become too difficult to memorize, you can enable Auto Quick Time Events in the gameplay settings to automatically complete every meditation challenge.
Finishing all 22 Kuji-Kiri locations unlocks the Zen Master trophy and rewards knowledge points used for upgrading your skill tree.
Locations & Collectibles
All Legendary Armor Locations In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Most Legendary Armor pieces in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are found inside Legendary Treasure Chests hidden within heavily guarded castles, forts, caves, and vaults across Japan.
Each armor set includes a head piece and body piece with unique gameplay perks designed specifically for either Naoe or Yasuke. To unlock castle treasure rooms, you usually need to eliminate every Samurai Daisho inside the area first.
Legendary armor automatically scales to your current level when found, making these some of the strongest gear rewards in the game.
Locations & Collectibles
All Legendary Weapon Locations In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Legendary Weapons in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are found in treasure chests, forts, caves, shrines, Kofuns, and as rewards for defeating specific targets or completing quests.
Naoe can use Legendary Katana, Kusarigama, and Tanto weapons, while Yasuke can use Legendary Long Katana, Naginata, Kanabo, Bow, and Teppo weapons.
Most Legendary Weapons scale to your current level when collected, but you will need to upgrade them later at the forge if you want them to stay useful deep into the game.
Systems & Mechanics
Where To Find Every Shinobi Tool Upgrade In Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Shinobi Tool upgrades in Assassin’s Creed Shadows are unlocked through Naoe’s Tool Mastery Path using Mastery Points. This includes upgrades for Kunai, Smoke Bombs, Shuriken, and the Shinobi Bell.
The Grappling Hook is different because its main upgrade, Ascension Boost, is found in the Shinobi Tree at Knowledge Rank 2.
To improve tool capacity and overall gear strength, upgrade the Forge at your Hideout after completing Way of the Blacksmith.
