Shortly after taking out your first couple of targets inAssassin’s Creed Shadows, you may have a unique opportunity to chase after a group of thieves who target religious sites. This quest is closely tied to the early main quest, as well as your recruitment efforts inAC Shadows, so although it’s only technically a sidequest, it should not be missed.
Yaya’s personal questline, which begins and ends with “Stray Dogs,” isonly available if you made the right choicewithMitsumune and the surrendering soldiers, followingthe Wada Koretake assassination. Although you may already have an inkling of how the decision works - especially if you paid close attention to how that particular quest came to an end, the shrine raiders find themselves in a far more complicated situation that challenges Yaya’s personal philosophy. Here’s how the decision plays out.
What Happens If You Forgive The Shrine Raiders?
Pros & Cons Of Forgiveness
After assassinating Wada Koretake, your ally, Mitsumune, will capture a handful of surviving soldiers and threaten to execute them for their crimes. They’re clearly defeated and actively surrendering, and Yaya, a largely peaceful soul, objects to their killing, and would rather see them forgiven.Mitsumune will kill the soldiers either way, but you have to object to their execution(choosing “Killing them isn’t justice”) to unlock “Stray Dogs.”
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Yaya will then appear on your objectives screen, and you can go and meet her whenever you’re ready. The quest has the two of you - Yaya and Naoe - investigating a series of thefts at local shrines. You’ll have several opportunities to choose whether to forgive or punish various criminals, butnone of those decisions really matter until you reach the end of the trail.
Eventually,you discover that the guilty party was led by a monk. Yaya will chastise him for a while, then turn to Naoe and ask what she thinks they should do with him. You’ll have another dialogue choice here:
If you choose “We forgive him,” thenYaya will approve. Although respect for holy places is a priority for her, more important is respect for human life. She’d rather the monk have the opportunity to repent and make up for his misdeeds than die on the spot.
With that, Yaya announces that Naoe has passed her ultimate test, and that she’s now convinced it’s worth joining Naoe’s side.Yaya will henceforth become part of The League, Naoe’s collection of like-minded freedom fighters. Butunlike other recruitable characters, Yaya won’t just hang around at the Hideout. She’s actually summonable in battle, and pretty useful at that.
You can customize the controls for summoning your allies - as well as which allies are assigned to which character - at your Hideout.
Once Yaya is summoned, she’ll rampage around for a bit, drawing enemy fire and dealing a little damage herself. She can be helpful in taking out enemies - however,I found her much more useful as a distraction. When you’re playing as Naoe, if you find yourself surrounded by enemies and can’t seem to outrun them, simply summon Yaya, and she’ll usually keep them busy long enough that you can get far, far away.
Other than that,there are no special rewards for choosing to forgive the shrine raiders. I haven’t seen them pop up anywhere else in-game, so for all intents and purposes, it seems like they basically disappear off the face of the Earth after this confrontation. Yaya’s questline ends here regardless of what you choose, so don’t worry about missing out on additional story content either way.
What Happens If You Punish The Shrine Raiders?
Pros & Cons Of Punishment
If you instead choose “We punish them,” thenYaya will, of course, disapprove. She won’t attack them herself, or even let Naoe go after them; she’ll simply shake her head and explain that punishment is not her way. She’ll still let the shrine raiders go free with a warning, though. Naoe won’t kill them, so you won’t get any special rewards from them this way, either.
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The major difference here is that, if Naoe makes the wrong choice, Yaya will deem her and her movement too violent to continue collaborating with. As a result,you won’t be able to recruit Yaya to The League, which means that you won’t be able to summon her or spend time with her around the hideout. Yaya isn’t recruitable anywhere else in the game, so this effectively ends your interaction with her permanently. Her questline ends here either way, so you don’t miss out on any story content by choosing to punish.
You Should Forgive The Shrine Raiders
The Only Correct Option
Ultimately,you should forgive the shrine raidersduring “Stray Dogs.” There’s absolutely nothing good to come out of punishing them: Yaya will be upset, and you won’t even have the opportunity to punish them yourself. As a result, you miss out on recruiting her permanently, and then there’s also the personal dissatisfaction of the knowledge you’ve disappointed her. Trying to punish them is simply not worth it in any regard, and there’s absolutely nothing positive to be gained from doing so.
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It’s entirely possible to complete the game andachieve the canon endingwithout recruiting Yaya, butshe is a handy resource that you’ll miss out onif you mess up this decision. That’s why it’s important to listen to Yaya when she outright explains her philosophy of forgiveness, and apply it repeatedly whenever this sidequest gives you the opportunity, so you can ensure you make the right impression on your would-be ally and can call on her in your time of need.
Certain decisions inAC Shadowshave benefits either way, or don’t really matter in the long run. The decision over whether to forgive or punish the shrine raiders in “Stray Dogs,” however, isn’t one such choice. There’s a very clear right and wrong answer, and only choosing to forgive the shrine raiders will allow for the best possible outcome in yourAssassin’s Creed Shadowsplaythrough.
