Assassin's Creed Shadows dog quest: How to complete Thrown to the Dogs pre-order bonus mission

Petting dogs is just one of the many great things you can get up to in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as we found in our review. Stopping to do so at every opportunity will, no doubt, make Assassin’s Creed Shadows even longer, as well.

But as we’ve already hinted at, this quest requires you to have the right edition of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, so make sure you’re good to go before searching for a dog who will never appear.

Be sure to also check out the Twitch Drops for extra free gear!

How to unlock the dog quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows

To unlock the Thown to the Dogs quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you need to have pre-ordered the game to get the exclusive bonus DLC and have played the prologue and the period when Naoe is recovering from her injuries.

If you haven't pre-ordered Assassin's Creed Shadows, you can also unlock the quest by purchasing the Digital Deluxe Edition or the Collector's Edition.

Failing that, we're not sure of any other way to get the quest, unless developers Ubisoft decide to make it free to all sometime in the future.

How to complete the dog quest in Assassin's Creed Shadows

To complete Thrown to the Dogs in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you need to head to Tennoji Temple, which is found just east of Osaka.

At the temple, head to the top a small mound in the northwestern corner. There’s a blooming cherry blossom tree at the top, so it’s hard to miss. There, the dog will be whimpering next to its master's grave.

The exact location of the quest is marked on your map, so it’s easy enough to find.

Once you’re at the top, pet the dog and a cutscene will play. Naoe will figure out that the dog used to belong to Ichiro and that the poor pup looks to have been in a scrap.

To find the perpetrators, you need to follow the dog down the road. They’ll lead you to three men by a cart on the road. One of these is a Samurai Duelist, who has been searching for Ichiro’s dog and a key. Dispatch them, and follow the dog once more.

The dog will take you to a small holding and stop and growl at a woman, Takako, Ichiro’s sister-in-law.

She reveals that before dying, Ichiro hid his inheritance and gave his dog the key to open the chest that holds it.

Here, you can decide to fight or spare Takako.

Next, to find the key, head to the rear of the building that is on your right after the cutscene with Takako plays and chop down any bamboo in your way. This will reveal a secret crawlspace under the building where the key can be found.

After this, the dog has vanished, but Naoe reckons they’ve gone back to their master's grave.

Return to the grave at the temple and open the box and you’ll then be able to give the dog – Tsuki-maru – a new home.

Where is the key in the Assassin’s Creed Shadows dog quest?

To find the key in the Thrown to the Dogs quest in Assassin’s Creed Shadows, you need to go to the back of the building that is on your right-hand side when the dialogue with Takako concludes. It’s the building that has an open-walled structure next to it.

Behind this building is a thicket of bamboo and you need to slice it all down, revealing a small secret passageway will be revealed.

You need to get prone and crawl into the space under the building and you will quickly find the key.

After this, you can continue with the rest of the quest.

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