Shenmue 3 Cheats and Tips

Shenmue 3 is an action-adventure detective game that continues immediately where Shenmue left off. Set it 1980's China you play as Ryo Hazuki, an 18-year-old Japanese martial artist whose father has been killed by Lan Di, the boss of the underground organization, Chi You Men. When Ryo learns of the existence of a mysterious pair of mirrors that if united, might cause the end of the world he makes his way to Hong Kong to unravel the mystery and avenge his fathers death. Check out our Shenmue 3 cheats and tips to find out how you can survive longer in this violent world.

Cheats, Tips and Strategy

Below is a collection of hints and tips that will help you to progress in the game. These include where to get free food and how to learn new moves for combat. As well as these hints and tips we also have a mini-guide here which goes into more details on some of the tips we have below:

Talk to Everyone

The key to progressing in Shenmue 3 is talking to people. If you find yourself stuck and are not sure what you should do next you simply have to find the nearest NPC and talk to them. Even if they don't have the answer, they'll usually point you in the right diretion. One NPC that is particularly helpful is the old man named Jiang Ming who sits on a bench in the Village Square of Bailu village.

Check your Notebook

Another thing you can do if you are stuck for story progression is to check your notebook. To open the notebook you press 'Square' on your controller and upon doing so you will be able to access notes on your story progress that will instructions on what you need to do next. The notebook will also contain a map that will help you if you are lost and useful information such as the locations of side missions, gambling activities, and fishin spots that you have previously visited.

Keep Some Food on You

If you allow your health to drop down to the last three circles it will drain very fast, when your health is this low you will only be able to run in short bursts. Having a few food items on your person for emergencies will come in very useful if you are faced with this predicament. It will be especially useful after battles when you need to heal yourself. Make sure when deciding what food to carry you look at its price and compare it to the health boost it offers.

Free Food

You will be able to pick up some free food in both Shenhua's home at Bailu village and the Niaowu Hotel in Niaowu harbor. In Shenhua's home there is an appple and banana on the cabinet in the kitchen and in the Niaowu Hotel there are four apples on a table near the door. You will discover that these food items respawn every day so make sure you grab them before heading out in the morning.

Increase your Skills

As you advance through Shenmue 3 you will find the fights you find yourself in becoming increasingly tougher. When you find yourself struggling in these combat encounters you may need to consider visiting the dojo to increase your Attack, Endurance, and Kung Fu Skills.

Get More Endurance

You can increase your Endurance in Shenmue 3 by playing the One-Inch Punch and Horse Stance mini-game training exercises. These are simple to complete and will quickly level up your Endurance, which increases your maximum health which will enable you to sustain more punishment during a fight.

Learn New Moves

Once you have leveled up all your moves through sparring at the dojo you will not be able to advance your Attack stat any higher until you acquire a new skill book. Skill books teach you new moves and can be purchased from shops and obtained through side quests and story progression.

Avoid Pachinko Machines

Avoid the Pachinko machines, they are entirely based on luck and your offs of winning are terrible and your return on investment if you do win is meager. Stick to the mini games where you can use the fortune teller to give you a lucky colour/number. Check out our Money Farming Guide to see how you can gamble money on mini-games and be guaranteed to win each time.

Collect Herbs for Easy Cash

Scattered throughout both Bailu Village and Niaowu are special herbs which you can collect into sets and then sell for money. The quality of the collection will determine the amount of money you will get for them. As there is only a limited number of herbs to collect it is more beneficial to save the them and try to build up a valuable set to sell. You can also trade herb sets directly for skill books at certain vendors. One such vendor can be found a the Panda Market in Bailu. Check out our Key Items Guide to find out what the special items are that Ryo needs to search for or get given by NPCs in order to advance in the main story or unlock certain quests.

We hope these tips help you out in the game, but for further help, try our beginners guide, we also have some FAQs for Shenmue 3, you can also submit your own questions there for other players to answer.

Latest updates to our guide:

Shenmue 3 Walkthrough and Guide

Money Farming Guide

Key Items Guide

Capsule Collectibles Guide

Walkthrough / Guide