Overview
A complete guide to ALL achievements in the base game
Introduction
Welcome to my Shenmue 3 achievement guide!
I have completed this game twice on Sony PlayStation 4, game version 1.02 and attained the Platinum trophy.
It is possible to 100% this game in a single playthrough – but it is very hard. I will endeavour to do my best and guide you though the experience in as efficient a way as possible.
That being said, I do recommend that you play the game through first without using this guide and just experience the story for yourself.
NOTE: Shenmue 3 has a New Game+ mode so everything other than story related sub quests and rose garden fights carry over.
SECTION 1: BAILU VILLAGE SUB-QUESTS
Ok, first things first. Bailu Village has 10 sub-quests. You want to make sure that you do all of these – make these your priority! Below you will find descriptions for each of the quests in the order in which I encountered them.
Make sure you don’t miss any because if you progress the main story too far you won’t be able to return and they do not carry over into New Game+
NOTE: At this point do not bother trying to collect the herbs. More on that later 😉
Also, I recommend not buying any tokens at this point other than those that are completely necessary to further the main story. Also, keep as much of your money as possible. More on that later.
1. CAPSULE OF LOVE
A little boy in the village centre called Bai Xinghao requires help finishing 2 collections. He’s practicing his moves with the other kids and is wearing a yellow and white stripped shirt. He requires the White Fishing Lure from Fishing Series (Machine in village centre) & Diamond P from Gem Series (Machine in Panda Mart area). To complete speak to him & his grandfather between Tao’s Shop and the Village.
2. THE BIGGEST CATCH
Start at Mr Huangs Fishing shop before noon. You need to catch the biggest fish possible within 3 in game hours. (12-3)To complete just finish fishing and talk to Mr Huang.
Note: If you do not complete this request before visiting the nun at the temple, you will not be able to access it later.
3. HEARTBREAK KUNGFU
Started by talking to Yang Wenliang in Joy Park, requires you to go speak to Wei Zhen in the sunflower grove. You then have to beat her in a fight. Go back and talk to Yang Wenliang and then back to Wei Zhen to complete.
NOTE: Do not sell the Blue Dragon Vase. More on that later.
4. FUTURE DREAM
Started by talking to Zhi Mao near the Panda Mart, he asks for you to help get him a soccer ball. You can get this by winning the pail toss in the village centre and getting a rock in the blue pail. Once you have this go talk to Zhi Mao again. Make sure to choose the fishing location as the prize as this is required for a later fishing achievement.
5. MEDICINE DELIVERY
Started by talking to Elder Yeh. She asks you to get 4 herbs for her, 3 of them you can find in most places and may have already which are Licorice, Peony and Trifoliate Orange. The last is Chai Hu Root which is quest unique. The only location I found this is on the path to Languishan, more specifically in the grass field where the cows are, it was a tiny yellow flower so hard to see. Once you have this hand them all back to her to complete.
6. MR SU’S TALL TALES
Speak to Mr Su (located at Sunset Hill) once a day for the 4 days after you initially speak to him about the Verdant Bridge and you complete this with ease.
7. CATFISH RALLY
Started at Mr Huangs Fishing shop after spending two days unconscious following your beating. Mr Huang asks you to catch specific fish. First was white catfish which was in the main lake, the next is a blue catfish which was the fishing spot just down from Joy Park ( i cast along the waterfall). The third was the Green catfish which is in the small lake just after Sunflower meadow. (Cast into dark shadowy areas) The last was the Red Catfish which is at the far end of the River downstream from the Verdant Bridge on the village side (this one took me 5 rentals to catch it so be patient).
8. MIRACLE MUSHROOM
This was started by Kong Wei at the panda mart after you have given Mr Sun the 50 year old booze. She asked me to fetch a mushroom. I found mine near one of the fishing points under a rock arch along the river to the left just after you cross over the Verdant Bridge. To complete the mushroom to her.
IMPORTANT: make sure to ask for the fishing location as a reward.
9. GHOST BUSTER REQUEST
This starts with Lihong & Meiling in the sunflower patch after you catch 10 chickens for Mr Sun.
You need to go to the abandoned temple after 7pm and speak to Mr Sun. He will ask you pick some mushrooms for him which are in the grass along the path (including down the stairs). I gathered 8, gave them to him and then spoke to the kids the next day to complete the quest.
10. FABLED FABRIC FINDER
Started with the pawn shop vendor after defeating the head Thug. He will ask you to get some silk for him, the silk you need is from the weavers at Rainbow Basin. They will give you some as a reward for saving Yanzin. Take this back to the vendor to complete the quest.
___________________________________________________________
NOTE: Once you have completed this final Sub-quest I recommend that you continue on with the main story until the point where you and Shenhua are asked to climb the tower.
DO NOT DO THIS!
This is a non-returnable part of the game and marks the end of the Bailu village section and chapter 5 of the 17 part Shenmue saga.
SECTION 2: BAILU VILLAGE MISCELLANEOUS
Now it’s time to relax a bit and focus on earning some Yuan 🙂
I recommend going to either of the two wood-chopping locations and getting the achievement for:
CHOPPING MASTER
—————————
Split 1,000 logs of wood.
Nothing special about this one, just lots of wood splitting 🙂
Not as lucrative as fishing but you can put the money toward buying the very expensive skill books and completing capsule sets to unlock those achievements as well. More on those later.
Next it’s time to go fishing.
By completing all of the sub-quests you have already unlocked all of the fishing locations. Visit them all and catch some fish to unlock:
RUMOURED RODMAN
___________________
Fished in all spots in Bailu.
You can keep fishing for as long as you want because you need the money and there is an achievement for catching 1000 fish. Yes, you heard that right: ONE THOUSAND FISH! 🙂
Personally, I wouldn’t try to do that in Bailu because you are required to fish later in the game. Instead, just go for the achievement:
FAT CAT
________
Owned over 1,000 Yuan.
Next up, I recommend visiting the Panda Market and buying the red radio from Kong Mei Goods.
Now hop over to the prize exchange and purchase the Magnifying Glass. You’ll need a few tokens for this.
At this point you should have 3 unique items in your inventory:
1. Blue Dragon Vase
2. Red Radio
3. Magnifying Glass
Keep these safe, never sell them. You’ll need them later 😉
From here you should go over to the Bailu Village Arcade and get the high score on the two Wacky Mole machines and the QTE Title 2 machine, and the Excite QTE machine.
Have fun 🙂
One thing remains for you to do in Bailu village. You need to get the achievement called:
WILD WILD PLANT HORDER
__________________________
Collected all herbs in Bailu.
This one is HARD. The herbs will actually re-grow in time after you have picked them. It’s why I wrote previously that you should wait until later in the game to start. Well friends, now is that time…
Top tips: cover areas in straight methodical lines, walk the areas in first person mode for instant lock-on, and try searching in the evening during low light when the plants glow brighter.
Remember not to sell your herbs so that you can keep a tally.
Bailu village contains the following herbs post MEDICINE DELIVERY sub-quest:
75 Licorice
31 Ginger
25 Jujube
17 Peony
10 Bellflower
9 Cinnamon
8 Poria Cocos
8 Trifoliate Orange
5 Crow Dipper
At this point you have now completed Bailu village 100% and it’s time to move on to chapter 6 of the Shenmue saga; Niaowu.
Return to the tower and continue on with the main story until you reach Niaowu.
SECTION 3: NIAOWU SUB-QUESTS
Niaowu has 15 sub-quests. You want to make sure that you do all of these – make these your priority! Below you will find descriptions for each of the quests in the order in which I encountered them.
Make sure you don’t miss any because if you progress the main story too far you won’t be able to return and they do not carry over into New Game+
NOTE: At this point do not bother trying to collect the herbs. More on that later 😉
Also, I recommend not buying any tokens at this point other than those that are completely necessary to further the main story. Also, keep as much of your money as possible. More on that later.
1. WAGON BUS
Speak to Wang Shangui at the the Funny Masks stand to begin the quest. He will request a Wagon Bus capsule toy from the Car Series. The Car Series set of capsules is located on the outside wall of the arcade close to Hotel Niaowu. Once you have the Wagon Bus toy, return to Wang Shangui to complete the quest.
2. A WISE PURCHSE
To begin the quest, go to the area in the port where you disembarked from the boat and you should see a woman in blue named Xing. She will request 4 items and ask that you collect them for as cheap a price as posssible. Below are the 4 items and a cheap place to purchase them from:
Blue fan – Traveler’s Goods
Xiaolongbao – Crazy Dim Sum
Monk Fruit – The Fruit Basket
Niaowu Walker – Dusty Pages
Return with all 4 items to Xing to complete the quest.
3. CATCH THE SKIPPER
Ma Jialing at the front desk of Hotel Niaowu will ask you to collect the hotel fee of a client that skipped out on the bill. You can find the client right behind the forklift warehouse. He will fight you when you encounter him. Simply defeat him and return the bill to Ma Jialing to complete the quest.
4. REN TO THE RESCUE
Ren will roam around the area near Hotel Niaowu once you first encounter him in the story. Speak to him to begin the quest. He will ask you to find an Almond Mushroom. Go to Tough Guy Herbs where you will find an Almond Mushroom on sale for 50 yuan. Purchase the mushroom and return to Ren in the area near Hotel Niaowu. He will later appear outside the Peace of Pawn shop. Speak to him again to complete the quest.
5. RIVER FISHING FESTIVAL
Speak to Tang Yingqiu at the Get River Fish stall to begin the quest. Starting at noon, you will need to catch the most fish by 3 PM to win a competition. I recommend renting the most expensive equipment and going to the fishing spot to the left of the Liu Jiao shrine entrance (small and very rocky fishing area). While fishing, reel in immediately after you cast out to both lure the fish towards you and minimize the amount of line you need to reel in (this technique is fast and will also work for Angler Extraordinaire). I needed to catch 17 fish but this number might vary. Speak to Yang Yingiu again after 3 PM while carrying the most fish to complete the quest.
6. VEGETABLE VIGILANCE
Speak to Shi Zirou at the Villiage Vegetable stand to begin the quest. You will be asked to find a termite mushroom. One can be found to the right of the Peking Duck House. Return to Shi Zirou with the mushroom to complete the quest.
7. RYO PLAYS CUPID
Speak to Zou Leyong from Beats of Rage to begin the quest. He will ask you to find out the interests of Hua Shengling at the Cake Shop next door. Speak to her to find out that she likes flowers. Speak to Zou Leyong again, then proceed to Nihao Flowers and speak to Fan Xiaoru to learn about the Dreaming Maiden Flower. One of the flowers is located next to the fishing spot right across from the Get River Fish shop. Return to Zou Leyong with the flower to complete the quest.
8. PINK PANDA OF HAPPINESS
Speak to Lang Baodong at the Lion Smart Ball to begin the quest. She will ask you to find a pink panda. The pink panda can be won at the Lucky Hit stand near Hotel Niaowu. Give the pink panda to Lang Baodong to complete the quest.
9. GUILIN ROLL CREATION!
Speak to Jiang Youqun from Sushi Heaven to begin the quest. They will ask you to find 3 ingredients ideas for sushi.
Ingredient 1: Speak to Zhu Qinmeng at the Peking Duck House for “Peking Duck.”
Ingredient 2: Speak to Ooyang Ming at the Fruit Basket for “monk fruit.”
Ingredient 3: Speak to Fan Xiaoru at Nihao Flowers for “sweet olives.”
You may be able to skip ingredients 1 and 2 by repeatedly speaking to Jiang Youqun for quest details until she tells you about flowers. Regardless, report to Jiang Youqun once you have “sweet olives” and make sweet olive sushi to complete the quest.
10. NIAOWU TOUR
Speak to the tour guide Wu Xiuming at the Ferry Terminal to begin the quest. He will ask you to find 6 flags.
Flag 1: Found on the pier where you disembarked from the boat.
Flag 2: Found in Vendor Avenue across from Buddha Heaven.
Flag 3: Found on the path to Hua Xiao Temple.
Flag 4: Found to the right of the Liu Jiao shrine entrance.
Flag 5: Found behind the second section of Liu Jiao shrine.
Flag 6: Found to the right of the Golden Goose.
Speak to Wu Xiuming after finding all 6 flags to complete the quest.
11. HIDDEN TREASURE
Speak to Bai Zizi from the Exotic Books stand to begin the quest. She will ask that you retrieve her doll from Wei Demin. Find Demin to the left of the Blue Skies Gallery on Vendor Avenue and speak with him. Next, proceed to the empty lot near the entrance of Vendor Avenue where you will find a Yellow Panda on top of a crate. Return the panda to Bai Zizi to complete the quest.
12. MAKEOVER GIRL
Speak to Shi Weimin from Stonehead Haircuts to begin the quest. He will ask you to find a woman willing to model a new haircut. Speak to Myao just outside of the Golden Goose. A cutscene will play of Myao receiving a haircut and the quest will be completed.
13. STOLEN SUTRA
Speak to Lin Shiling at Liu Jiao shrine to begin the quest. Go to the Golden Goose and speak with Ren. Next, proceed to the Cash First pawn shop and speak with Peng Junjie. He will charge you 200 Yuan for the stolen goods. Pay for the stolen goods and return them to Lin Shiling to complete the quest.
14. TROUBLED DRUG STORE
Speak with Pan Zhiyao from the Healthy Drug pharmacy. He will request 3 herbs: huang qin root, coptis root, and da huang root stalk. The da huang root stalk is exclusive to this quest and is found in the gated area next to Hotel Niaowu behind a boulder. The huang qin root and coptis roots can be found in Duck Heaven and elsewhere throughout Niaowu if you do not already have one of each. Once you have the complete set, return to Pan Zhiyao to complete the quest.
15. THE GREATEST FORTUNE
Speak with Shi Jiesheng at the Lucky Number Fortunes shop. After receiving your fortune, go to the Snowman Ice Cream shop in New Paradise and you will encounter two thugs. Beat them up and return to the fortune teller to complete the quest.
Note: Keep the DRAGON CARVING in your inventory for later!
With those sub-quests complete you should now unlock the achievement called:
GOOD KARMA
______________
Completed all sub-quests.
Continue along with the main story if you want, but be careful not to go beyond the point where the story warns you that if you board the boat you won’t be able to return.
SECTION 4: NIAOWU MISCELLANEOUS
At this point I think it best to go for the achievements:
RUMOURED FISHERMAN
_________________________
Fished in all spots in Niaowu.
And…
ADEPT ANGLER
______________
Fished in all available spots.
And…
ANGLER EXTRAORDINAIRE
—————————————-
Caught 1,000 fish.
This will require a LOT of grinding.
Along the way you will automatically unlock the achievements:
VILLAGE TYCOON
________________
Owned over 5,000 Yuan
And…
CITY MAGNATE
_______________
Owned over 10,000 Yuan
Next up I would like to introduce you dear readers to a little trick I discovered that will make you very, very rich 😉
Visit the WESTERN BOOKSTORE and purchase the THREE KINGDOMS book. Buy as many copies as you can afford but divide you cash into four parts and do not spend more than a quarter of your funds.
Now travel over to small bookseller with a red stall and purchase HISTORICAL RECORDS, LATER HAN DYNASTY, and HISTORY OF JIN BOOKS. As many as you can afford.
Now turn around and visit the CASH FIRST PAWN SHOP over in the corner. Exchange all those copies you just bought for the REVERSE HEEL skill book; as many as you can.
Exit chat and re-enter this time to sell those skill books. Congratulations – you should now be a very wealthy player!
You should also have unlocked the following 3 achievements:
REGULAR SHOPPER
___________________
Bought 10 items at a store
And…
SUPER SHOPPER
________________
Bought 100 Items at a store
And…
SHOPKEEPER
_____________
Bought 1,000 items at a store
With your new found wealth I recommend you head over to a token exchange, make a manual save, and purchase 500,000 tokens.
This should get you the following 3 achievements:
NOVICE GAMBLER
__________________
Owned over 20,000 tokens
And…
EXPERIENCED GAMBLER
________________________
Owned over 50,000 tokens
And…
KING OF GAMBLERS
___________________
Owned over 500,000 tokens
Reload your previous save and recoup your wealth.
Next up: Mini-games!
Visit the Niaowu Arcade near Hotel Niaowu and get the high score on three Wacky Mole machines, Two QTE Title 2 machines, and two Excite QTE machines.
The head over to the Niaowu Arcade near the Golden Goose and get the high score on all five of the Wacky Mole machines, two QTE Title 2 machines, and two Excite QTE machines to unlock the achievement:
HIGH-SCORE MASTER
_____________________
Got the high score at mini-games
Note: Other mini-games in the arcades like “Highway Star,” “Miracle Shooter,” “Chobu-Chan Fighter,” and “Mini-golf” are not required for the trophy since you cannot obtain a high score in these games.
Time for some more grinding…
Visit all of the various capsule stands around Niaowu and purchase at least one of EVERY TOY.
This will take a long time and cost a lot of Yuan, but lucky for you, you have the cash to spend 🙂
This will get you the following 3 achievements:
CAPSULE FAN
_____________
Collect 5 series of capsule toys
And…
CAPSULE STAR
______________
Collected 15 series of capsule toys
And…
CAPSULE HERO
_______________
Collected all series of capsule toys
Now it’s time to become a badass! 🙂
These are the 43 skill books you need to purchase at the 4 martial arts shops in Niaowu.
Ankle Sweep
Backfist
Back Roundhouse Kick
Back Twist Fist
Breakout
Burrowing Full Moon
Chained Pit Slash
Charging Fist
Charging Knee
Dancing Fist
Dancing Swallow
Demolishing Fists
Engulfing Strike
Feilian Thigh
Flying Spear
Four-Sided Kick
Grievous Strike
Ground Kick
Heaven Flip
Heel Kick
Hidden Sandstorm
Interior Dorsel Kick
Interior Knee
Iron Palm (different than the Iron Palm you start with)
Knee Kick
Lawnmower
Lotus Cutter
Mountain Crusher
Rending Palm
Reverse Heel
Roundhouse Kick
Scorpion Tail
Searing Flame
Shinbone Smash
Shower of Spears
Spinning Backfist
Spiral Leg
Stinging Elbow
Sudden Shear
Tiger Thigh
Turbulent Thrust
Twin Lotus
Twin Palm Flurry
Go get a job you bum! Go to work for Dejing at the Niaowu warehouse at the port driving a forklift truck!!!
After your first day of work there he will tell you to meet him at the pier at 5pm. Go there to learn Brawling Uppercut 2
The following 5 moves can only be acquired by exchanging items in a pawn shop. You can find them in shops, arcades, and prize exchanges.
Breaking Wave – Expedition Set
One of the required items in the set exchange is the Magnifying Glass which you obtained in Bailu Village at the prize exchange.
Eclipse Kick – Racer Set
Maelstrom Strike – Woodcutter’s Set
One of the required items in the set exchange is the Red Radio which you previously obtained in Bailu Village at Kong Mei Goods.
Spiral Cut – Roadway Prize Set
One of the items required to exchange is the Blue Dragon Vase which you obtained in the “Heartbreak Kungfu” sidequest.
Tiger Combo – Antique Toy Set
Want to pick a fight?
Head over to the Rose Garden to unlock the achievement:
BATTLE MASTER
________________
Won against 36 people in the arena
You will have to battle your way through 12 rounds with single fighters, 6 rounds with two at once, and 4 rounds with three at once.
You will be rewarded with the skill book Tiger’s Fury
With that you should finally attain the achievement:
TECHNIQUE MASTER
——————————
Collected all skill books
Now it’s time to search for those herbs…
This one is HARD. The herbs will actually re-grow in time after you have picked them. It’s why I wrote previously that you should wait until later in the game to start. Well friends, now is that time again…
Top tips: cover areas in straight methodical lines, walk the areas in first person mode for instant lock-on, and try searching in the evening during low light when the plants glow brighter.
Remember not to sell your herbs so that you can keep a tally.
Niaowu contains the following herbs:
101 Licorice
52 Ginger
37 Jujube
20 Peony
13 Bellflower
18 Cinnamon
18 Poria Cocos
18 Trifoliate Orange
15 Crow Dipper
6 Dried Citrus Peel
12 Can’t Zhu Root Stalk
21 Ginseng Root
At this point you should have unlocked the following two achievements:
WILD WILD PLANT MASTER
__________________________
Collected all herbs in Niaowu
EXPERT HERBALIST
__________________
Collected all available herbs
Continue on with the main story now proceeding to chapter 7 of the Shenmue saga THE CASTLE.
At the end of the game you will get the much sought after achievement:
SHENMUE HERO
_______________
Acquired all the achievements
SECTION 5: UNMISSABLE STORY RELATED ACHIEVEMENTS
****SPOILER WARNING****
BABYSITTER
___________
Completed a game of hide-and-seek
SCENIC POINT
_____________
Climbed the bell tower
GON
____
Trained under Sun and learned the Body Check
JIE
___
Trained under Bei and learned the Reverse Body Check
DAN
____
Saved the fortune teller from a drunk in the Promenade
YI
__
Got back the bag that was snatched
INSEPARABLE
____________
Reunited with Ren Wuying!
VERDANT BRIDGE’S SECRET
_________________________
Heard an old story about Verdant Bridge
VIP
___
Acquired a VIP Card for the Golden Goose
OLD CASTLE
___________
Cross to the other shore in Niaowu to reach the old castle
CONCLUSION
I hope my guide has been helpful and I hope you love the game and the series as much as I do.
Please point out any errors I may have made and help me make this guide more useful.
BRING ON SHENMUE IV!