In this Shadow of the Tomb Raider Side Missions Guide, we will guide you on how to you can find and complete the various side missions present in Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Shadow of the Tomb Raider features tons of extra content for you to explore and complete. One of such extra activities in the game are these side missions which are great fun to play as they show you different new areas of levels and some will even unlock some cool stuff for you.

We have curated this Shadow of the Tomb Raider Side Missions Guide in which we have detailed all the side missions along with their starting locations and what rewards they will unlock for you. We have also provided step by step guide so that you can easily complete them all.

Side Missions Guide – Shadow of the Tomb Raider

We have detailed all side missions, their starting locations and how you can complete them below in our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Side Missions Guide.

Side Mission # 1 – Deal with the Pillagers

You can start this side mission in Kuwaq Yaku by talking with the male NPC who has been pushed down some stairs. To make the side mission appear on the map, you must speak with a NPC at the bar in Kuwaq Yaku. You will easily spot this mission while heading to a main mission objective.

When you see the person being pushed down the stairs, approach him and interact with him to start the side mission. When the side mission starts, head up, speak with Omar, and then follow him to the bar to speak with Marco. Once you get to know the details of the mission, head towards the edge of the town where the worksite is located. When you meet Pablo, talk with him and then head on to the marked objective.

Once you reach the worksite, you will be required to defeat all pillagers in the area. Clear the first area and then head to the second area. Defeat all enemies here as well and you will be done here. Head back to the bar and complete the side mission. You will be rewarded with the weapon ‘River Hawk’ for completing this mission and trophy/achievement ‘Unwelcomed Guest’ will unlock.

Side Mission # 2 – Find Takiy’s Dice

Note: The game for some reason counts this side mission as two missions. The part of the mission where you must find the five outcasts is treated as a second side mission.

This side mission is located in ‘The Hidden City’ Paititi. Find the boy sitting at the base of a hill and speak with him. He will inform you of the situation that some old man stole his dice. Now you will be required to find the dead man and retrieve the boy’s dice.

Follow the objective marker on your map and head there. When you get there, find the man praying and speak with him. This guy is called Pisco. He is the guy you are looking for. After the cutscene ends, you will be required to find five other outcasts. The map will show four outcasts while you need to find the fifth one yourself.

Once you reach the location marked on the map, simply use your Survival Instinct skill to scan the area and highlight the outcasts. Go and interact will all four and leave the fifth and hidden on for the last. Once you have met and interacted all four outcasts, it is time to look for the fifth unmarked outcast.

For the fifth one, you can check out the image below.

The fifth outcast is a vendor who also happens to sell the Lockpick and Ascender gear. Interacting with her will not only unlock her as vendor but will also unlock the Lockpick and Ascender for you to purchase. Lockpicks will help you unlock the treasure chests while Ascender will allow you to climb up ropes and tight lines quickly.

Once you have met all outcasts, head back to Pisco and speak with him. Get the dice and head back to Takiy to complete the side quest.

Side Mission # 3 – Retrieve the King’s Horn

You can start his mission in Paititi by speaking with Ushu. Before you can start this side mission, you must speak to an old woman once the runaway sequence of the main story is complete. As you return to the free roam after the mission, you will find an old woman near you. Speak with her and you will get some directions to an argument. A marker will now appear on your map.

Head to the marker and enter the cave. Inside the cave, you will find Jonah who is held here while Ushu is the guard around him. Speak with Ushu to get your next objective. You need to convince Kabil to give you the King’s Horn now. Head to his home to find his wife seriously ill. Kabil will then ask you to go look for his son who was sent to market to get some herbs for the wife.

Now you must head to the market where you will find that Kabil’s son was caught stealing and is now in guard’s custody. Find the cell in which Kabil’s son Cualli is being held and talk with the guard. After the cutscene, speak with Yamil who wants you to get his father’s knife back. The knife is right next to Yamil on a small ledge.

Now allow Yamil to distract the guard while you go and free Cualli from his cell. Now head back to Kabil, grab the King’s Horn and return to Ushu. When you get back, you will find out that the remaining items were never delivered. This is covered in the next side mission.

Side Mission # 4 – Retrieve the Savior’s Amulet

This side mission is a continuation of the previous side mission. Now you must find out what happened to the Savior’s Amulet. Quenti was assigned the task by Ushu but he never returned. You need to investigate now. Start by heading to the cistern located on the cliff next to the white tree. Climb the tree and follow the path there to reach the entrance to the cave.

Enter the cave and follow the path while avoiding some traps here and there. Use your instincts here. You will also find some collectibles here so make sure that you collect them. When you reach the bridge, it will fall down and you will land in some water. Keep following the path while swimming. As you swim around, you will find different levers in different rooms, keep turning them on so that the water level keeps rising. Finally, when you reach the wooden barricade, break it using your rope and use the lever.

The main door will close blocking your path so now you will need to get out from the ceiling. As the water level increases, you will be able to reach the Manko’s remains. Collect the Savior’s Amulet and make your way back to Ushu. Give him the amulet to complete the mission.

Side Mission # 5 – Free the Rebels

You can star this mission in Paititi by interacting with Poma. You can only start this side quest after you have unlocked the Serpent Guardian outfit. This side mission will be given to you right after you receive the Serpent Guardian outfit after returning from Cenote. Once you get the outfit, speak with Poma who is also located in the same cave.

Poma will want you to visit four locations and free 4 rebels tied there. The side mission is easy as there is no resistance or enemy presence on the way. You just have to get to the location and untie all four prisoners who will then let you know of another fifth prisoner. Return to Poma after saving all four to get to the next part of this side mission. You will be rewarded with the Ch’amaka’s greaves.

Side Mission # 6 – Save Colqui

This is the follow up side mission to the previous one. Speak with Poma and head to the objective marker. You will arrive at a temple so enter it through a cave. Once you are inside the cave, you will find out that Colqui is alive and you were betrayed by Poma.

You will be ambushed by a large number enemies at this point. You will be required to kill them all using only a bow. Kill all enemies to complete the side mission.

Side Mission # 7 – Rescue Haken

This side mission will be given to you while playing the main story of the game. When you reach the part where you must rescue the queen, Etzli will also ask you to rescue Hakan. Head to the location marked on your map and speak with Kayara. After the cutscene, you will be required to speak with some people.

Speak will people who will then distract the guards enough so that you can open the door with the help of some rebels and trigger the next cutscene. Once the cutscene is over, you will find yourself trapped inside. Look for the wall on the left side that can be pried open. Pry open the wall and escape with Hakan to get a shiny new Finely-Crafted Knife as a prize.

Side Mission # 8 – Retrieve the Champion’s Bow

You will get this side quest from Uchu in Paititi. Before you get this side quest, you will need to progress the main story to the point before the final mission is started. Head to the skull cave and speak with Uchu to begin this side quest.

You will be tasked with finding the third item for the coronation of Etzli. Make your way to the jungle outside the town. Enter the tunnel to reach the jungle. Find the opening in the rock and you will arrive in an open area with a cave ahead.

Enter the cave and you will find the bow in plain sight. As soon as you see the bow, you will be attacked by a big masked jaguar. Defeat the jaguar and then approach it to trigger a cutscene. Once it is done, you will get the bow. Head back to Uchu to complete the side quest. Watch the ending cutscenes.

Side Mission # 9 – Explore the Local Mysteries

After you have reached Mission of San Juan, you will get this side quest after talking with Abby’s friend. You will find Guillermo standing next to Abby’s friend. Speak with him to begin this side quest.

He will ask you to find his friend Isabela who went missing. He will inform you of her last known location and ask you to look for her. Head to the cemetery and speak with the old woman there. She will give you some details about what happened to her.

Speak with the children who will ask you find their treasure. Listen to the riddle and find the treasure sitting behind the cemetery’s well. Give the treasure to the children who will leave and let you repair the cross in peace.

When the cross is fixed, you will get to know the location of the hidden crypt where Isabela was planning to go. Make your way to the hidden crypt by following the crosses along the path and you will end up near San Juan’s crypt. Interact with the last cross to open up a path. Enter the crypt using the newly opened path.

Keep following the path where you will eventually stumble upon Isabella who appears to be injured. Lara will need to head back again and find Guillermo to get him and help Isabela. Guillermo will direct you towards Manu so your next stop is Manu.

He is present in the main market in San Juan so find him there who appears to have gone blind.  He will ask Lara to explain to him about what she saw so he can experience it himself. He will inform Lara about the challenge tomb which she will need to complete. Check out our guide on finding and completing the challenge tomb ‘Thirsty Gods’ here.

Complete the tomb and return to Manu. Tell your heroic tale to him and the mission will finally complete.

Side Mission # 10 – Investigate Sumaq’s Murder

You will get this mission in Paititi after you wear the Serpent Guard Outfit. Head to the upper part of Paititi after wearing the outfit and find the NPC who is giving this side mission. He will tell you about Sumaq’s murder and the prime suspect in the case. Talk with Toruca who will say that he is innocent and did not kill Sumaq.

Your next stop is Sumaq’s wife. Speak with her and the suspect. Speak with the guards present at the location as well. Next, investigate the bloody drag marks on the ground. Speak with the female housemaid behind the bars as well.

To speak with her directly, get out of the house and go around to the back to speak with her. You can get back by climbing the wall on the left side of the entrance of the house. You can use the wooden beams to climb. She will give you information about the murder which is very useful. Check the garden behind the house the grab the murder weapon, a bloody knife.

Once you have the information and the evidence, head back to the Toruca’s guard and tell him the complete story. The side mission will be complete.

Side Mission # 11 – Stop the Ritual

Find Mayu in Paititi after completing the ‘Decipher the Murals’ side mission. You can start this mission from the same person after completing the required side mission. When you return to complete the previous side mission, you will find Mayu in place of Awil. Mayu will inform you about what happened to Awil.

Make haste to the location marked on the map to find Awil’s father along with some other cultists. Free Awil and as soon as you free her, the cultists will attack you. Defeat all the cultists and head back to Awil and Mayu to complete the side quest.

Side Mission # 12 Decipher the Murals

This is a very simple side mission. All you need to do is go to the locations marked on the map, decipher the murals and return to the woman who is unable to do so. All locations are marked on the map so you can easily find them all.

To begin the side quest, find the girl named Awil in Paititi. You can find her after the runaway sequence is complete. The girl is on a small island in the lake. Speak with her, decipher all three marked murals, return back to her to find Mayu in place of Awil. Speak with her to complete the side quest and begin the next one.

For more Shadow of the Tomb Raider Guides check out our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Outfits Guide or Gear Guide.

This concludes our Shadow of the Tomb Raider Side Missions Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.