Special characters called Allies can be unlocked in Rise of the Ronin to help you during various missions throughout your adventure. As you complete different quests, you can earn the trust of strong NPCs willing to aid you in future endeavors with their unique skills. Those who manage to take every available Ally on at least one mission can obtain an exclusive trophy as a reward for their efforts.
You can check how many Allies you have by going to the “Pause” menu. By choosing the “Bond” prompt that appears, you can press R2, then click the D-Pad Right for the “Allies” option. As you continue to explore Rise of the Ronin‘s large regions, this series of steps will let you check on which Allies you have and which ones you have already taken on a mission.
There are 32 available Allies you can recruit throughout the game during various missions you embark upon. Some of these quests might be specific Bond quests related to the character you want to recruit, while others could be tied to the main story of Rise of the Ronin. The choices you make could impact which characters become available to recruit as an Ally, so be careful when making important decisions during a mission.
According to an article by Powerpyx, the requirements for unlocking every available Ally in the game are:
The most commonly missed Ally in Rise of the Ronin‘s immersive open world is Deishu Takahashi, who you can only find if you explore off the beaten path. No matter if you follow the path of the Ronin, Anti-Shogunate, or Pro-Shogunate, these Allies will always appear in the same places. If you somehow miss a character you could’ve recruited, you still have the option to replay missions you’ve already completed.
Once you reach Chapter 2 of the story, you can replay missions through the “Testament of the Soul” object, which lets you redo a segment’s events. This allows you to make new choices, free roam to find new locations, or perform other tasks that may be needed to gain an Ally. The Testament of the Soul can be found in your Longhouse as you return to the large open-world exploration in between various missions.
Some missions have alternate story paths that allow you to unlock characters that normally would not be possible recruits. Investigate every detail of Rise of the Ronin‘s world to see if you missed areas in missions where an Ally could have been as you replay them. You can check to see what choices haven’t been made in a mission by pressing R3 while investigating the timelines of replayable missions.
According to YouTube creator MagGamerInc, you can replay missions on higher difficulties as you try to recruit Allies, letting you get stronger as you retread old ground. Finding better gear or simply leveling up makes going through an entire mission again worth the effort. Anyone who unlocks every Ally in Rise of the Ronin and plays at least one mission with each will be given the rare Social Climber Trophy as their reward.
Source: ObsiEez/Powerpyx, MagGamerInc/YouTube