Take Your Time
The biggest tip we can give you for Shenmue 3 is to simply take your time. Shenmue 3 is a game that wants you to explore, poke around its world, play a few minigames, and generally just play around.
Yes you can just blaze through the main story, but you’re going to miss so much of the game. Interesting sidequests to undertake, learning more about the village and its inhabitants, tons of fun minigames; these are all things you could potentially miss out on.
Luckily, you don’t have to worry about missing anything in the main story, as Shenmue 3 liberally gives you time to complete your objectives and do a few things along the way.
If You’re Lost, Talk to People
Shenmue 3 isn’t a game that holds your hand, and you won’t have any quest markers or a map with detailed instructions. While there are hints, you’re pretty much on your own to figure out where to go, just like the original games.
If you find yourself lost the best thing to do is talk to NPCs. Ryo will always ask an NPC for directions to wherever he needs to go, whether that’s someone’s house or the Sunflower Grove. Oftentimes, you’ll even get detailed direction on how to get there.
Chop Wood to Make Money
Money can be hard to come by in Shenmue 3, and to make matters worse there’s a lot to buy. Early on in the game you’ll want to make sure you at least have enough to buy some food, in order to keep your health up.
The best way to do this is the head to Tao’s store, near the Verdant Bridge, and choose the option of chopping some wood. This has you play a quick minigame, with the reward usually being between 40-50 Yuan, depending on how much you chop.
The good news is there’s absolutely no limit to how much you can do this, so if you want you can just set aside thirty minutes and wrack up some Yuan.
Improve Your Martial Arts Skills
Shenmue 3 has multiple difficulty options, so if you’re having trouble you can turn things down at any point. However, no matter what difficulty you’re playing on, you’ll want to improve Ryo’s martial arts skills and level him up.
There are three aspects to level up Attack Power, Endurance, and Kung Fu.
Attack Power, of course, raises the damage you do, and can be leveled up by sparring with monks at the Martial Hall or other characters throughout Bailu.
Endurance raises your health and lowers the damage you take, and can be leveled up by doing Horse Stance and One-Inch Punch training at the Martial Hall.
Kung Fu gets leveled through all of these activities, and corresponds to your overall proficiency and mastery of moves.
It’s a good idea to take a little bit of time each day to train. Combat encounters are few and far between in Shenmue 3, but you need to be ready when they do happen.
Always Keep an Eye Out for Herbs
All throughout Bailu you can find herbs lying on the ground, that you can then pick up and add to your collection. You should always, always keep an eye out for herbs, as they have a couple of different uses.
For one, herb sets can be sold at Tao’s shop, and some of the bigger sets can reward you with up to 300 Yuan.
At the same time, you can also exchange certain sets at the Pawn Shop for valuable Skill Books, giving you new moves to use in combat.
Money is the main use you’ll get out of herbs, though, and its more than enough incentive to go hunting.
If you need any other help while playing through the game, make sure to check out our Shenmue 3 guide wiki. We have plenty of helpful guides like where to find the kids for hide and seek.
About the author
