Where to find Heiji in Assassin's Creed Shadows

Assassin's Creed Shadows Heiji location Way of the Blacksmith - An upper-body shot of Heiji looking slightly to his right.
(Image credit: Ubisoft)

The Way of the Blacksmith is one of the first quests you're likely to do in Assassin's Creed Shadows since it becomes accessible right after you unlock your hideout. The allure of building the forge to upgrade weapons and armour is hard to resist, after all. You'll need to find Heiji's location to complete this quest.

Locating Heiji is easier said than done with Shadows' revamped quest clues system, which requires you to use scouts to narrow down objectives. Not only that, there's a good chance you won't actually have any scouts left if you've done some exploring before taking on this quest. If you're following the clues, all you'll know is that Heiji is east of the port of Sakai, a town in southwestern Izumi Settsu. That's…quite a big area to search, and it's not even like Heiji is the only blacksmith in town.

Assassin's Creed Shadows Heiji location

Heiji is in a small alley behind a building on the main road cutting through Sakai being harassed by guards when you find him. It's directly east of the map marker for the Port of Sakai, near the merchants.

You can reach this either by heading through the sliding doors or by climbing over the rooftops. I approached from above to assassinate one of the guards before starting the fight. It's a small, enclosed area and many of the enemies have spears, so it's best to take a stealthy approach.

There's also a Kakurega nearby in the Sakai Firearm District to the south. You'll have to pay 800 Mon to set it up, but it's a great place to restock on supplies. It's also one of the few ways to recover your scouts, which you'll want to do after finding Heiji and completing the Way of the Blacksmith quest.

Best AC Shadows weaponsBest AC Shadows armourAC Shadows knowledge rankAC Shadows scoutsAC Shadows rationsAC Shadows hideout

Best AC Shadows weapons: Superior firepower
Best AC Shadows armour: The best threads
AC Shadows knowledge rank: Get knowledge
AC Shadows scouts: Get more trusty recons
AC Shadows rations: Get more healing items
AC Shadows hideout: Best buildings to get first

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Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.

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