Ghost of Tsushima is indeed one of the greatest open-world games of the generation. The game gives you a platform that spans an entire island with a vast number of things to do and inviting locations. This Ghost of Tsushima Beginner’s guide covers all the basic things that you need to know as a beginner along with tips for better progression through the game.
Ghost of Tsushima Beginner’s Guide
In the very beginning, the game is pretty easy and straightforward. You will have no abilities, ranged weapons, or skills yet but don’t worry though!
You will eventually learn amazing skills and acquire better weapons and abilities. This is just the calm before the storm that leads to Jin embracing the ways of the ghost and much more.
Earning Weapons & Armor
If you don’t have any cool weapons in the beginning, don’t worry; Start completing the side quests and the gear will come as they are perhaps the best ways to earn weapons and armor at the initial stages of the game.
The ‘Tales of Tsushima’ side quest is a very important one. You will learn the ways of the ghost i.e. sneaking and backstabbing during this quest and also receive armor, weapons and outfits at the completion.
Complete Mythic Tales as your Utmost Priority
Besides that, ‘Mythic Tales’ side quests are also highly recommended. Not only they reward you with abilities, but also rewards you with items straight out of Tsushima legends!
Mythic Tales could be your go to if you want to try out something different and learn more about the real-world Japanese legends.
In simpler terms, these are just side missions given to you by the musician Yamato and they play a huge role in improving your skills and making you stronger. They are also you gateway to unlocking legendary items.
Yamato could be a little difficult to find. Don’t overlook the opinions of random peasants you meet on your journey. They’ll give you hints about where his highness is.
Since you are going through a beginner’s guide, you might still be progressing through the first act. In that case make sure you attempt “The Heavenly Strike”, as it will grant you, as the name suggests, Heavenly Strike attack.
Improve your Deflection Skill Tree
Battles are inevitable in Ghost of Tsushima, and if you are avoiding them you are missing out on a lot.
Unlocking more and more skills on the deflect tree will make your battles easier and more interesting. Nothing is more satisfying in fighting off enemies with all kinds of abilities.
Upgrade Stand-off Ability
This could be of immense help in the pre-battle cinematic slash fest. If it is upgraded enough you’ll be capable of taking down the entire army before the battle even begins.
Look out for Archers
They should be the biggest of your worries during an encounter. They’ll inflict damage at you from a distance where you can’t take them out.
Once in a battle, wipe out all the archers you can lay your eyes on, or get used to dying.
Use Ghost Abilities during Encounters
Well, we understand Lord Shimura considers is unethical to sneak up on an enemy from behind, but when a battle begins, all that you should care about it making it out alive.
If you want to respect Japanese culture, be my guest. However, using ghosting abilities to improve your stealth and stabbing an enemy from behind won’t have any effect on the gameplay, story line, or even the Japanese culture.
Certain Ghost weapons can make your job easier for you. Nothing is more fulfilling than laying a Mongol to rest with a fully upgraded kunai or dropping a smoke bomb to carry out multi-target assassinations.
Switch Stance when Required
Jin will unlock Stone, Wind, Water, and Moon Stances as he progresses through the game. whereas, Swordfighting Stance remains a default Stance that you begin the game with.
You are capable of switching Stance mid-fight and it can help you a lot in turning the odds in your favor. Even better, time slows down while you’re making the transition.
Stone helps against swordsmen, Water against shields, Wind against spearmen, and finally, Moon throws Brutes out of whack.
Decide Between Stand-offs and Stealth
Its same as sneaking up from the back door or knocking at the main gate. In the latter scenario you’ll have to challenge one of the Mongols in a one on one battled with the bigger battles beginning later on (well, if you survive).
However, if you decide to stick with stealth you can wipe out the entire enemy groups without creating a havoc. It will also help you charge your Ghost meter as it is the only way to take down an enemy without taking any damage.
Make use of Parry
When in trouble you can either use Dodge skill or Parry skill. Parry will replenish your Resolve as well as your health.
Look out for the blue glow from an enemy attack before using Parry. If you spot an orange glow use Dodge. Remember, timing is everything while using Parry.
Keep block on hold while going for Parry so that in case you mess it up you can still avoid getting harmed.
Know Your Playstyle
This becomes particularly important when you start upgrading. You’ll have plenty of options to upgrade your armor and weapons. However, it is suggested that you don’t spend all of your supplies for upgrading in the very beginning.
Hold on to some of the supplies and figure out your needs and then spend accordingly.
If you are relying on vendors to supply you with upgrade supplies, you better prepare for bankruptcy.
Use Kunai Frequently
You will unlock this weapon earlier on in the game and it can be used to turn the battle’s tide in your favor.
It won’t kill an enemy, but it will definitely stagger them giving you enough time to get back on your feet.
Don’t Forget to Recover your Ammo After Killing an Enemy
You can either stock up from the camps or other bases, but why not gather ammo and other important supplies from the corpse of your enemies. Gives you a sense of accomplishment? Right?
It’s Better to Dodge than to Roll
There is a fine line between a tap and a double tap. You need to be aware of that. It will only take a little extra adrenaline rush to double tap the dodge button twice, sending you miles away from the enemy.
Even though you are safe now, there’s nothing much you can do to land your enemy an instant blow after the unexpected dodge.
Try not to hit that button more than once.
Unblock-able Attacks – Hear them Coming
Even though you can see the red glow from the enemy’s attack knowing that death is inevitable and dodging your way out is the only way, you can even hear those attacks.
The sound that comes with the red glow plays slightly before the attack, giving you a bigger window to dodge the attack.
You can Change Armor anytime
There is no specific base where you have to be to change your armor. It can be changed from anywhere in the game when you pause it. They all have their own specialties, so switch between them as per need.
Trade in for more Supplies
You can find supplies for upgrading weapons and armors while on missions or simply while exploring the map. If you feel like you don’t have sufficient resources at hand, you can trade in unwanted or abundant resources for supplies.
Exploring the Map
Ghost of Tsushima spans an entire island, why not explore it? The beautiful island is packed with highly inviting things and you should take time to explore it as much as you can because the more you explore, more abilities you will discover!
There will be a lot of ‘Question marks’ signs on the map. Better start from exploring those marked locations. As you will explore, you will see Hot Springs, Fox Dens, Bamboo Strikes and Shrines.
What makes this exploration difficult is that the entire map will be covered y a blanket of fog that will only dissipate once you defeat Mongols and start taking controls of the villages one by one.
Almost all these locations will improve your character one way or another. Hot springs increase your health while shrines increase your charm that add buffs to your abilities. Similarly, Fox Dens increase the number of charm slots.
You will also have to face some roadside ambushes while exploring the island. Don’t evade these ambushes as they are opportunities to increase your Legend. Increasing your Legend will then earn you Techniques or Skill Points.
Every Battle Counts
In case you run into a random group of Mongols while carrying on with your explorations, don’t turn around and try making an escape. Instead, its better to face them.
Who know you might end up rescuing a peasant, or unlocking a valuable piece of information? And of course, the XP. You really don’t expect finishing a battle without harvesting some XP out of it?
You might as well step on some unexplored Mongol-occupied territory with the information provided to you by the freed local peasant.
Liberate as much as you can
Up till now we have established that Mongols are everywhere, literally everywhere. And liberating the villages from their atrocities could be nice side hobby you can pursue in the game.
Other than that, if the fog surrounding the map has started getting on to your nerves, liberating villages will clear out the map. The more villages you free, easier will it be for you to look out for other points of interest scattered through the map.
You can’t expect to drive out the Mongols from a village without getting into a battle with a Mongolian General. With every Mongolian General you defeat you will unlock a new combat stance. Making the future battles easier for you.
Diversifying Jin’s skill set will bring you nothing but good later in the game.
Use Exploration Powers
Ghost of Tsushima is not all about battles, but a hefty part of it is dedicated to explorations.
If you are out looking for a hot spring, or willing to pay homage to a Shinto Shrine you might wanna bring you explorations powers into action.
First Two Missions are Important
Exploring the vast ancient world of Ghost of Tsushima might be tempting, but before you that make sure you have completed the first two missions.
They will reward you with a bow and enemy-detecting listening sense. Both of them are crucial for survival in the vast open world.
Look out for Potential Conversations
When you approach someone, a speech bubble appears over their head. This means they have something to say.
Having a conversation with them could unlock new missions. A single ‘hi’ could go a long way!
Don’t Miss out on Ishikawa the Archer’s Missions
Who doesn’t like flaming arrows? You can get your hands on one and light up your enemies into a bonfire after successfully completing the fifth mission given to you by Ishikawa.
Choosing the Outfits Wisely
During Act 1, you will collect various outfits and armors. You must realize the true potential of every outfit and use it accordingly.
For example, you will have Travel Attire which you should wear while exploring the map to find more collectibles and unlock secret locations. Traveler’s attire will be available once you are able to buy goods.
It might seem absurd, but Traveler’s Attire actually makes your exploration a lot easier. It will help you explore 10% more map and have the controller in your hand go nuts if there is a valuable collectible nearby.
You can even upgrade Traveler’s Attire to explore 30% more map.
Moreover, even though you may fall victim to favoritism and start sticking to a favorite outfit, you should consider making situational swaps to your selected outfit to something more suitable.
Since changing the outfit is pretty quick, you can change an outfit before a fight or mid-fight to get an edge over your opponents.
