Image: Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStationNo screenshot of A Message in Fire yet. This one shows Jin Sakai (Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStation).
A Message in Fire
A Message in Fire is the Act 2 tale where you recruit the pirate Goro to slip a plea for reinforcements past the Mongol fleet. It ends with you on a captured hwacha, shelling ships so Goro's boat can get away.
- Type
- Story
- Region
- Toyotama
- Province
- Umugi
Storylines
Part 12 of 26 in Jin's Journey
Found in
- ToyotamaToyotama is the central region of Tsushima, between Izuhara and Kamiagata. Act 2 plays out here: you rally allies, liberate Yarikawa and march on Castle Shimura, while side tales for Norio, Yuna and Yuriko open up.
- Umugi CoveUmugi Cove is a pirate town in Umugi run by Lady Sanjo and her ronin. Fighting is banned inside, so Jin cannot draw any weapon while in town.
Good to know
- Act 2: Retake Castle Shimura. It unlocks after A New Horizon.
- It starts at the smuggler's den of Umugi Cove, in Toyotama.
- Goro is a pirate contact of Lord Shimura's. The message goes to the shogun on the mainland.
- You meet Lady Sanjo, who runs Umugi Cove, before finding Goro.
- The hwacha is a Goryeo siege cart that fires 100 to 200 flaming projectiles.
- The Mongol fleet Goro has to slip past numbers at least a dozen ships.
- If a single enemy ship reaches Goro's boat during the hwacha section, you restart from the checkpoint.
Finding Umugi Cove
The cove is hidden. Look for a path with a round gateway and red flowers, then follow a guard to Lady Sanjo. Talk to her, head downstairs to Goro, and take the map from his house. A Straw Hat at the door has words for you on the way out.
Fort Mitodake
Meet Lord Shimura at his old hunting camp, then go see Goro's boat. Ride with Shimura to Fort Mitodake, wait for him to start the ambush on a patrol, then storm the fort. Open its gates and fight your way to the hwacha tower.
Defending Goro's boat
Aim the hwacha with the right stick and fire with R2. Sink the first six ships fast, then shell the archers and yurts on the shore who are firing at Goro. Finish with the three big ships and any small ones left.
Tips
At the fort, burn enemy archers with fire arrows before closing in, and roll if you catch fire. Hwacha shots land on white circles on the ground, so dodge out of them because they hit very hard.
Jin SakaiJin Sakai is the samurai you play in Ghost of Tsushima and the Iki Island expansion. He is Lord Shimura's nephew and the last lord of Clan Sakai. After the Mongol landing he trades the samurai code for stealth and fear, and the people start calling him the Ghost.- Lady SanjoLady Sanjo runs Umugi Cove, a haven where bandits, ronin and anyone else may live if they follow her rules. She gives Jin work in the side tale The Generosity of Lady Sanjo.
Lord ShimuraLord Shimura is the jito of Tsushima, the shogun's appointed ruler of the island, and Jin's uncle. He raised Jin as a samurai after Jin's father died. He leads the defence at Komoda Beach and is the man you spend Act 1 trying to rescue. He also has his own Tale of Lord Shimura in the main story.
Related missions
- Side
The Generosity of Lady Sanjo
The Generosity of Lady Sanjo is an Act 2 tale in Umugi Cove where the crime boss Lady Sanjo hires you to recover a stolen map of food stores. It ties into Kenji's tales and pays a Charm of Shadows.
- Image: Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStationStory
A New Horizon
A New Horizon is the bridge between Act 1 and Act 2, where Jin and Lord Shimura ride out from Castle Kaneda and plan the push into Toyotama. It hands you three goals for Act 2 and opens the northern region.
- Image: Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStationStory
A Reckoning in Blood
A Reckoning in Blood is the Act 2 tale where Jin raids Fort Koyasan to settle things with Ryuzo before the attack on Castle Shimura. It is one of the darkest tales in the story, so finish any prep you want first.
- Image: Sucker Punch Productions / PlayStationStory
From the Darkness
From the Darkness is the last tale of Act 2, where Jin goes against his uncle's orders and sneaks into Castle Shimura to poison the Mongols. It gives you the Ghost Armor and ends with the story moving north to Kamiagata.