You’re riding through the Iki Island expansion, probably distracted by the gorgeous purple flowers or a stray cat, when you stumble upon a guy who just needs some wood. It seems simple. Most quests in Sucker Punch’s masterpiece are. But Ghost of Tsushima A Helping Hand is notoriously one of the most frustrating "unmarked" tales in the game. It doesn’t give you a golden bird to follow. It doesn’t put a waypoint on your map. It basically tells you to get lost and hope for the best.
Honestly, if you’re pulling your hair out trying to find this NPC for the third time, you aren't alone. It's a scavenger hunt across a coastline that all looks the same after a while.
The quest follows a man named Maki. He’s a woodcutter—or a builder, depending on how you view his structural integrity—trying to build a house in memory of his lost family. To help him, Jin Sakai has to provide specific crafting materials: Yew wood, Predator Hides, and Iron. The catch? You have to find him at three different locations, and he moves every single time you give him what he wants.
Why Everyone Struggles with A Helping Hand
Most players trigger the first encounter by accident. You find Maki in the lower woods, he asks for Yew wood, you hand it over, and he vanishes. There is no quest log entry. There is no "0/3 locations discovered" tracker. If you forget where he said he was going, or if you didn't catch the dialogue, you're stuck wandering Iki Island like a lost tourist.
It's a bold design choice. In a world of "Ubisoft-style" maps where every inch is covered in icons, Sucker Punch decided to make this one feel like a real rumor. It forces you to actually look at the environment. But when you’ve already cleared the Mongol camps and just want that Platinum trophy or the "Common Good" trophy (which requires completing all Iki tales), "searching the coastline" feels like a chore.
First Contact: The Yew Wood Request
The journey usually starts in the southern part of Iki Island. Specifically, you’ll find Maki near the Tatsu’s Staircase region. He’s standing by a partially constructed hut. He needs three pieces of Yew wood. If you’ve played more than twenty minutes of the game, you probably have 500 of these in your satchel already. Give it to him.
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He talks about his family. It’s a somber moment that fits the tone of Iki Island perfectly. The island is a place of grief for Jin, and here is a man literally trying to build something out of his own sorrow. Once the wood is exchanged, he mentions needing animal skins. Then he disappears into the fog.
Tracking Him Down: The Predator Hides
This is where the frustration peaks. Maki moves to the northern part of the island, specifically near the Kidafure’s Battleground area. If you’re looking at your map, look for the river that runs through the center of the northern plains. He’s usually tucked away in a clearing near the edge of the woods, west of the main battlefield.
He needs six Predator Hides.
Iki Island is crawling with those massive Mongol dogs and leopards, so getting the hides isn't the problem. Finding the man is. He’s not near a major landmark. He’s just... there. It’s worth noting that if you arrive at these locations and he isn't there, you might need to progress further in the main Iki storyline. Some players report he won't spawn for the second or third encounter until the "The Blessing of Death" main quest is completed, though this seems to vary based on patch versions.
The Final Stretch: Iron and the Finished Home
The third and final location is in the western part of the island, near Yahata Lighthouse. He’s south of the lighthouse, tucked into a wooded area near the coast. This time, the request is ten pieces of Iron.
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Again, by this point in the game, Jin is usually carrying enough metal to outfit a small army, so the cost is negligible. What matters is the conclusion of his story. Once you hand over the iron, the quest finally populates in your journal. It’s a "hidden" quest that only reveals itself as a completed Tale of Tsushima once the final objective is met.
The Secret Reward Most People Miss
Completing Ghost of Tsushima A Helping Hand isn't just about clearing the map. There is a narrative payoff that a lot of people skip over because they fast-travel away the second the "Tale Completed" banner pops up.
If you wait or return to his final location after some time has passed, you can actually see the finished house. It’s a small, tangible change to the world. In a game where you spend most of your time burning things down or cutting people in half, helping a guy build a porch is weirdly cathartic.
Why This Quest Matters for 100% Completionists
You cannot get the Common Good trophy without this. This is the "hidden" requirement that leaves thousands of players stuck at 99% completion on Iki Island. Because it doesn't show up on the map, the game doesn't "tell" you that you're missing it. You'll look at your journal, see all the main tales and side tales checked off, and wonder why the trophy hasn't popped.
It’s always Maki. It’s always the guy with the wood.
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Practical Tips for Finding Maki Fast
If you’re struggling to find him, stop looking for a person and start looking for smoke. Like many small encounters in Ghost of Tsushima, Maki’s locations often have a small cooking fire or thin trail of smoke rising above the trees.
- Location 1: South of Tatsu's Staircase. (3 Yew Wood)
- Location 2: West of Kidafure's Battleground. (6 Predator Hides)
- Location 3: South of Yahata Lighthouse. (10 Iron)
Don't bother looking for him at night. The lighting on Iki Island is moody and beautiful, but it makes spotting a lone NPC in the brush nearly impossible. Advance time to morning at a campfire or just wait for daybreak. Also, make sure your "Wind of Vanity" or other guiding wind settings aren't distracting you; remember, the wind will not guide you to him because the quest isn't technically active in your log until the very end.
The Reality of Iki Island's Design
Sucker Punch took a lot of risks with the Iki Island DLC. They leaned harder into the "exploration" aspect of the game. They wanted players to stop relying on the UI. While A Helping Hand is a bit of a pain, it’s also a reminder of what made the game special in the first place—the idea that the world exists independently of the player. Maki is just a guy trying to survive. He doesn't care about your quest markers.
The quest serves as a microcosm of Jin's journey on Iki. It’s about building something new on top of a foundation of trauma. Whether you're doing it for the trophy or the lore, it's one of the few moments where Jin's legend is built through manual labor rather than a katana.
Actionable Next Steps
To finish this quest efficiently and move on to your next duel, follow these steps immediately:
- Check your inventory before heading out. Ensure you have 10 Iron, 6 Predator Hides, and 3 Yew Wood so you don't have to leave and come back.
- Clear the fog of war in the three regions mentioned (Tatsu's Staircase, Kidafure's Battleground, and Yahata Lighthouse). If the map is still grey, finding him is a needle in a haystack.
- Complete the main Iki storyline first. It prevents any weird scripting bugs where Maki might not appear at his second or third locations.
- Visit the final house once the quest is marked complete in your journal. It’s located near the Yahata Lighthouse. Look for the completed structure to see the fruits of your labor and hear his final dialogue.