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TaleminorTale of TsushimaAct I — Rescue Lord Shimura

A Healer’s Touch

A standalone Tale of Tsushima in the Izuhara region, told by the people living under the occupation rather than by anyone commanding it.

RoleSide tale
Importanceminor
  • TypeSide Tale
  • Act1
  • RegionIzuhara
  • Quest giverA monk in River Child’s Wetlands, Tsutsu
  • PrerequisiteDiscover the location in the open world
  • RewardsMinor Legend Increase, Minor Utility Charm, +10 Linen
  • Steps16

Overview

A standalone Tale of Tsushima in the Izuhara region, told by the people living under the occupation rather than by anyone commanding it.

A Healer’s Touch is a standalone Tale of Tsushima in Izuhara — not attached to an ally questline, and told from inside the occupation rather than above it.

The side tales are where the game shows what the invasion costs people who were never going to be defended by eighty samurai on a beach. They are short, and collectively they are most of the game’s texture.

In the game’s own framing: A healer named Hanaoka needs help working out what is making villagers ill.

What to bring

The stances are a counter-table, not a preference: each one is the answer to a specific enemy, and this tale fields the ones below.

  • RecommendedStone StanceStone breaks swordsmen, who make up most of every Mongol group.
  • RecommendedWater StanceWater is the only efficient answer to a raised shield.

Objectives

  1. Ride with Hanaoka
  2. Fight the bandits
  3. Speak with the peasant
  4. Ride on
  5. Meet Homyo
  6. Examine her son
  7. Investigate three things
  8. Speak with Hanaoka
  9. Travel to the river
  10. Collect river moss
  11. Return with the moss
  12. Ride with Hanaoka
  13. Defeat the Mongols
  14. Regroup by the lakeshore
  15. Ride to the survivor camp
  16. Speak with the man there

Full walkthroughSpoilers

  1. 01
    Ride with Hanaoka

    Mount up and follow.

  2. 02
    Fight the bandits

    They are threatening peasants on the way. Standoff or straight in. Open with the standoff. Hold until the enemy actually commits rather than pressing early, and each won standoff kills outright — against unarmoured ronin it can gut a group before the fight starts.

  3. 03
    Speak with the peasant

    Once they are down.

  4. 04
    Ride on

    With Hanaoka.

  5. 05
    Meet Homyo

    Speak with her.

  6. 06
    Examine her son

    In the building behind her.

  7. 07
    Investigate three things

    The basket by the fireplace, the pot near the son, and the mushrooms on a fallen log outside.

  8. 08
    Speak with Hanaoka

    Back indoors, with what you found.

  9. 09
    Travel to the river

    Marked on the map.

  10. 10
    Collect river moss

    At the location.

  11. 11
    Return with the moss

    He treats the boy.

  12. 12
    Ride with Hanaoka

    Until you reach a lakeside encounter.

  13. 13
    Defeat the Mongols

    Swordsmen and shield-bearers — alternate Stone and Water. Shield-bearers need Water Stance, and specifically its heavy attacks — light attacks chip uselessly at a raised shield. Stone Stance handles the swordsmen; its heavy attacks do extra stagger damage and break their guard.

    TipStone breaks swordsmen, who make up most of every Mongol group.

  14. 14
    Regroup by the lakeshore

    With Hanaoka.

  15. 15
    Ride to the survivor camp

    The last stop.

  16. 16
    Speak with the man there

    To finish.

    Checkpoint

Enemies in this tale, and how to fight them

Strengths

  • Shield-bearers — Water Stance, and specifically its heavy attacks — that is what breaks a raised shield. Trying to chip through the front of a shield with light attacks wastes the fight. Stagger them first so the guard comes up and breaks, then go through the opening quickly before it closes.
  • Swordsmen — Stone Stance, whose heavy attacks do extra stagger damage to sword-wielders and break their guard. Swordsmen are the backbone of nearly every Mongol group, so Stone is the stance you will spend the most time in. Parry timing matters more here than anywhere else: blue attacks can be parried, red ones cannot and have to be dodged.
  • Straw Hats / ronin — Japanese swordsmen rather than Mongols, and they fight like it — faster and more technical than the invaders, with less armour. Stone Stance still applies. Standoffs work well against them, and against unarmoured ronin a won standoff often kills outright.

Rewards

  • Minor Legend Increase
    A smaller step toward the next Legend rank — the size a side tale, a liberated settlement or a cleared encounter gives.
  • Minor Utility Charm
    A silver charm. Minor charms are weaker than major ones and go in the minor slots — you start with two major slots and unlock up to four minor ones by honouring Inari Shrines, for six equipped at once.
  • +10 Linen
    Upgrade material. Silk, linen and leather are what armourers and swordsmiths charge to improve your gear.

Sources