Exploring the rolling hills and harsh mountains of Izumi Settsu, you're likely to have stumbled upon Assassin's Creed Shadows' Makino Kurumazuka Kofun. If you've completed the other kofun in the region, then you'll know that legendary gear and knowledge await you. But you can't seem to get inside thanks to the pile of rocks blocking the entrance at the bottom of the stairs.
Well, don't spend a good ten minutes trying to figure out how to get inside only to find out that you couldn't like I did. Below I'll go over how you can enter and complete this kofun so you don't waste your time too. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, you can find Makino Kurumazuka Kofun in the Yawata Plains of Izumi Settsu, east of Tatatsuki.
How to enter Makino Kurumazuka Kofun in Assassin's Creed Shadows
You need to have unlocked Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows before you can enter the Makino Kurumazuka kofun. Why? Because only this hulking samurai is capable of carrying the explosive jars required to blow open the rock wall blocking your path. The kofun itself also requires you to play as Yasuke to complete it since there are lots more explosive jars and heavy wooden blocks to move around.
At the top of the short staircase leading down into the kofun, you'll find a few explosive barrels lying around. Now, if you're playing as Naoe like I was when I discovered this kofun, then you can't interact with these jars. In previous games, you could just pick them up and throw them wherever you wanted. This time around only Yasuke can perform this supposedly Herculean feat.
Pick up one of the explosive jars and carry it down the stairs. Then, use any attack to blow up the jar and break the rocks. Obviously, this is best done with one of Yasuke's ranged weapons, and you'll find arrows and teppo shots on the surface too. You can also use Naoe's kunai or even just whack the jars with your sword, shaking off the inevitable damage.
After you've blown your way in, you're free to explore and complete the kofun just like any other, earning the valuable knowledge points you'll need to get higher-level skills. You'll also earn the Blush of the Earth legendary bow for Yasuke. This bow extends the Clear Mind skill duration by five seconds, letting you slow time to line up shots even more easily.
How to complete Makino Kurumazuka Kofun in Assassin's Creed Shadows
Makino Kurumazuka Kofun is admittedly rather confusing. It's dark and full of tight corridors that are hard to navigate, especially since you have to complete it as the hulking Yasuke. So, here's a step-by-step guide to complete Makino Kurumazuka, including a video above:
- Enter the kofun and take the path to the right, moving the first wooden block to progress
- Continue down the tunnels until you find another wooden block in front of you that you'll have to pull out of the doorway
- Walk through the doorway and follow the path through the flooded tunnels until you reach a room with two explosive jars on your left
- Pick up one of the jars and place it next to the collapsed doorway before blowing it up, opening another door back into the prior room
- Pick up the other jar and carry it into the room and up the staircase to blow up a second collapsed doorway
- Head through this tunnel to the right (there is a bonus chest to the left though) until you reach a flooded cave
- Swim to the other side of this cave and follow the tunnel up the stairs
- Just after the staircase, the tunnel widens. Break the wooden boxes blocking a doorway to your right and pick up one of the explosive jars
- Carry this explosive jar, throw it across the gap at the end of the tunnel, and shoot it to blow up yet another collapsed doorway
- Jump across the gap and follow the tunnel to the left, crawling under the wall (there is a bonus chest down the opposite path)
- Continue down the tunnel and drop down into the room with the broken rope bridge
- Take the doorway to the right and pull the wooden block towards you all the way back into the room and place it against the ledge opposite where you dropped into the room (there is a bonus chest behind this block)
- Climb the block to find another staircase and tunnel which enters into a cramped room with two wooden blocks, a wooden ledge, and a staircase
- Move the block at the end of the path all the way back towards where you entered the room, and into the perfectly-shaped gap in the tracks
- Pull the other block out of the doorway and then slide it to the right to create a makeshift staircase using the two wooden blocks and the platform
- Head down the tunnel you just revealed until you find two more wooden barricades next to an explosive jar
- Move both barricades to the right to reveal a doorway
- Pick up the jar and carry it into the room ahead of you, climbing up the makeshift stairs you made earlier
- Throw the jar up to the ledge above you and shoot it to break the collapsed doorway and open another tunnel
- Jump the gap and continue through the tunnel until you can drop down into the treasure room
- Loot the treasure chest containing the Blush of the Earth Bow and leave the kofun by moving the wooden blocks to the right of the chest
It's pretty complicated, as you can see. If you enjoyed diving into this confusing kofun then you're in luck because most kofun are designed like this. They're cramped and very head to make sense of, often resulting in lots of doubling-back.
