Rise of the Ronin: Infiltrating the Black Ship Quest Guide

Uncover secrets and defeat enemies by infiltrating the formidable Black Ship in Rise of the Ronin with this guide. 

Infiltrating the Black Ship is a key mission in Rise of the Ronin. As you infiltrate the Black ship, you’ll sneak into the enemy stronghold to steal a message and kill Commodore Perry. 

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the Infiltrating the Black Ship quest, providing step-by-step instructions to ensure a successful infiltration.

Infiltrating the Black Ship Quest Guide in Rise of the Ronin

Infiltrating the Black Ship is a level 1 Ronin Mission you’ll encounter after you pass the Veiled Edge Vilage quest. The choices made in this mission shape the future events of the story. It features stealth assassinations and boss battles that challenge combat skills and strategy.

Step 1: Infiltrate the Black Ship

The quest begins with the player in a small boat, facing the towering Black Ship. Infiltrate and assassinate lookouts by:

• Jump into the water and swim towards the dinghy occupied by two enemies. 
• Carefully approach the enemies and perform a critical hit assassination on one of the targets. 
• The player’s Blade Twin will simultaneously eliminate the second enemy, allowing for a safe boarding of the dinghy.

Once on the dinghy, look south to spot a grapple point and Walk towards it. When the diamond turns blue as you approach, press R2 to grapple upward. Use the grapple again to reach the second dinghy, then climb onto the Black Ship using X + L↑.

Step 2: Enemies Encounter

As the player climbs onto the Black Ship, they will be quickly noticed by two American sailors. One of them, which is the leader, poses a greater threat and does not respawn when the player interacts with a Veiled Edge Banner, unlike the other sailor.

• Decide whether to focus on taking out the Leader first or deal with the follower before facing the more powerful opponent. 
• Both strategies are valid, and the player’s Blade Twin can also hold their own in 1v1 scenarios. 

Note: Fighting as the Veiled Edge is the most effective, as it allows the player to draw an enemy’s aggression towards one character before swapping to the second Blade Twin to attack from behind.

Step 3: Eliminating Enemies

Use Martial Skills (R1+Square/Triangle) to break the opponents’ stances, and when the lock-on indicator turns red, approach the target and press Triangle to deliver a devastating Critical Hit. After defeating both enemies, loot the Leader’s corpse and interact with the nearby Veiled Edge Banner to replenish health and Medicinal Pills.

Step 4: Explore the Ship’s Interior

Next, use the ladder beside the Veiled Edge Banner to enter the ship, and walk south to activate a prompt teaching the basics of Assassinations. 

• Crouch, approaches the enemy standing to the south, then presses Triangle to assassinate them covertly.
• Repeat this process for the remaining enemies in the area, then climb up the ladder in the southeastern corner.
• At the top of the ladder, walk down the southwestern passage and encounter a rifle-wielding enemy.

Players can practice deflecting the projectile with a well-timed Counterspark, which sets the weapon ablaze and grants the ability to inflict a burning status effect. After taking down the enemy, loot the body to add the American Rifle to the inventory.

Follow the Blade Twin as they climb onto the boxes, and before dropping to the other side, climb onto the ledge to the left to discover a sack containing a Medicinal Pill.

From this vantage point, the player can see three enemies to the south, but they can be avoided by using the nearby ladder to climb down into the ship.

Step 5: Securing the Black Ship’s Hold Key

Upon entering the ship, interact with the Veiled Edge Banner to replenish health and Medicinal Pills, then march down the hallway leading north. At the end of the hall, the player will find two followers and a Leader standing between several explosive barrels.

• Use the grappling rope (R2) to grab an explosive barrel and aim it at the unsuspecting targets.
• Hitting enemies with explosive barrels can stagger them and inflict a burn status effect. 

Defeat the three American sailors, then search the Leader’s glowing object to obtain the Black Ship’s Hold Key.

Step 6: Find Treasure Chests

Use the Black Ship’s Hold Key to unlock the northern door, then walk north to the end of the newly unlocked hall.

• Enter the room on the right, crouch through the passage in the northern wall
• To the left, find a Treasure Chest that holds a Medicinal Pill and a powerful Saber.
• Retrace your steps to the location where you found the explosive barrels, walk through the left passage, and continue south.
• Turn into the first room on the right and crawl through the hole in the northern wall to find another Treasure Chest containing a rifle.

After defeating the Sailor at the southern end of the hall:

• Take a left and crouch through the gap beside the racks of wooden barrels.
• Climb the ladder ahead, crouch to assassinate the enemy above, then enter the western room with a table dressed in a white tablecloth.
• Assassinate the enemy crouched down to inspect a small case, then open the case to collect 2x Healing Elixir and 1 Medicinal Pill.

Step 7: Reaching the Commodore’s Cabin

Head back into the main walkway and proceed south to find a Veiled Edge Banner. Raise the banner to save progress and replenish supplies, then push through the adjacent door.

On the table just ahead, the player will notice a glowing object. Pick up the object to collect the Captain’s Cabin Key and Perry’s Report, then use the newly acquired item to unlock the door on the right.

In the Captain’s Cabin, loot the massive chest beside the eastern bookcase to collect a Blackened Silver Saber and a Medicinal Pill, then take some time to access the Equipment menu and ensure the best weapons are equipped for the battle ahead.

Step 8: Fight Commodore Perry

Climb the ladder attached to the northern wall in the Captain’s Cabin to trigger a cutscene. As the Veiled Edge sneaks up behind Commodore Perry, he notices the threat and immediately strikes back, leading to the final boss battle.

Commodore Perry will utilize various Martial Skills, some of which can only be deflected by a pixel-perfect Counterspark. Some of Commodore Perry’s noteworthy attack patterns are:

• Martial Skill 1: Perry draws his weapon back before spinning and lunging into the air.
• Martial Skill 2: Perry extends his saber, then performs a spinning uppercut that can launch the player into the air for follow-up gunfire.
• Quadruple Strike: Perry performs up to four spinning slashes in a combo.
• Overhead Slash: Perry lifts his saber above his head before slashing down, which is easy to Counterspark.
• Gunfire: Perry lunges away, drops to one knee, and shoots a single bullet that can be dodged.

It’s important to dodge (Circle) these powerful attacks, or the player risks getting hit with a devastating combo. However, once the player gets the feel for these Martial Skill attacks, they can work on timing a Counterspark parry.

Defeating Commodore Perry

The keys to defeating Commodore Perry are:

• Fight as a unit, taking advantage of Perry’s tendency to fixate on the closest target. This allows the player to attack with one character to draw aggression, before quickly swapping to the second Blade Twin to continue chipping away at Perry’s stance.
• Use explosive barrels to deal massive damage to Perry’s Ki and interrupt his attacks.
• Focus on reducing Perry’s Ki to break his stance and land Critical Hits.
• Dodge or Counterspark Perry’s powerful Martial Skill attacks.
• Use ranged attacks like the American Rifle when Perry is focused on your Blade Twin.

Step 9: Defeat The Blue Demon

Once the player has reduced Perry’s HP to zero, he’ll fall to one knee, and the player can approach to finish him off. However, the player will be interrupted by an opponent of near otherworldly strength and speed, known as the Blue Demon.

Despite their best efforts, the Veiled Edge will be overpowered, triggering a cutscene. The Blue Demon will force the player to choose between the two protagonists, sacrificing one to allow the other to escape with the secret message. This decision will be final, so the player should choose carefully.

Completing the Infiltrating the Black Ship Mission

Once the player makes the final decision, the selected protagonist will narrowly escape the Blue Demon, while the other Blade Twin will seemingly sacrifice their life. 

The mission will end with the surviving protagonist mourning the loss of their partner, setting the stage for the next mission: The Setting Sun.

FAQs

• What is the importance of the Blade Twin in Infiltrating the Black Ship?
  • The Blade Twin is essential to draw an enemy’s aggression towards one character before swapping to the second Blade Twin to attack from behind, making for a more effective fight.
• What are the objectives of Infiltrating the Black Ship quest?
  • Infiltrate the Black Ship, assassinate enemies, defeat the final boss Perry, and get the secret message to continue to the next mission.