Ghost of Tsushima Guide#

Ghost of Tsushima is an open-world action-adventure game developed by Sucker Punch Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, set on Japan’s Tsushima Island in 1274 during the Mongol invasion. You play Jin Sakai, the last samurai of the Sakai clan, caught between fighting honorably under the samurai’s name and becoming the Ghost who wins by any means — a theme that runs through the entire game.

The original released on July 17, 2020 for PS4; the Director’s Cut followed on August 20, 2021, adding the Iki Island expansion. The main story runs about 25-30 hours with 45-60 hours for full completion, and the free Legends mode adds 2-4 player PVE co-op.

Quick Facts#

Core Gameplay#

Core gameplay unfolds along three dimensions:

1. The Way of the Samurai: head-on combat is the game’s foundation. Stance switching, blocks and parries, and standoff instant-kills let you take on many enemies at once like a true warrior. The depth of the face-to-face combat system is among the most solid in its genre, encouraging you to study parry timing and stance counters.
2. The Way of the Ghost: when open battle turns against you, the game steers you toward “dishonorable” tools — assassinations, poison, bows, smoke bombs. The Ghost progression line runs through the whole game; stealth kills, poisoned blowgun darts, and chained executions form an experience completely unlike head-on fighting.
3. Exploration and collecting: Tsushima is picturesque, and the game guides you with the wind — it blows toward your destination, backed by smoke, birds, foxes, and other natural cues instead of traditional quest markers, making exploration deeply immersive. The island is dotted with shrines, bamboo strikes, haiku, hot springs, and other interactive spots, with clear collection goals.

The narrative is structured in three acts, each driven by a region-liberation progress bar: complete main quests, liberate outposts, and befriend allies to advance the plot. Freedom is high — you can explore at will between story missions, and the pacing is entirely in your hands.

FAQ#

Main Story Overview#

The three-act structure is clear, with each act covering a self-contained story arc and a new explorable region.

Act 1 — The Warrior’s Code#

The game opens with Jin following Lord Shimura into battle against the Mongol army at Komoda Beach. After a crushing defeat he washes ashore, and this stage’s goal is to find companions, rebuild strength, and retake southern Tsushima. The story runs along three ally lines — Lady Masako’s revenge, Sensei Ishikawa’s hunter trials, and Yuna’s story with her brother — while you gradually unlock core skills such as stealth, standoffs, and focus listening. The act closes with the first direct duel against Khotun Khan, the story’s first dramatic peak.

Act 2 — The Way of the Ghost#

In Act 2 Jin fully embraces the Ghost identity, unlocking the ghost weapons and assassination skill trees. The map opens up central Toyotama, difficulty rises noticeably, and new enemy types such as brutes and spear formations appear. The story focuses on liberating Toyotama while Lord Shimura’s distaste for the “Ghost” deepens the ideological conflict between Jin and his uncle, laying the groundwork for the ending.

Act 3 — The End and the Choice#

The plot moves to northern Kamiagata, where Khotun Khan sets the decisive battle at Tsushima Shrine. You will face the Mongol army’s most elite troops and finally duel Khotun Khan in the rain. The ending branches on your earlier choices between samurai honor and Ghost methods, and the story lands with real weight.

Beyond the main story there are many side quests, mythic tales, and Legends-related story content; the full run takes roughly 25 to 30 hours, and 45 to 60 hours if you chase full collection and trophies.

Combat Basics#

Ghost Weapons and Tools#

Ghost tools unlock progressively through Act 2’s “Way of the Ghost”, each with its own skill tree and upgrade path — they are the core combat resource of the Ghost playstyle:

Upgrading them costs skill points on the “Ghost weapons” skill page, with one column each for the advanced effects of the kunai, smoke bomb, blowgun, sticky bomb, and war banner — the kunai can gain a multi-throw, and the smoke bomb can carry extra bombs. Good tool combinations greatly lower the pressure in high-difficulty fights, especially during multiplayer outposts and the endgame’s consecutive battles; fluent use of ghost weapons is practically a required course.

Collectibles Guide#

Full collection is the most time-consuming and most rewarding part of the platinum road; the various collectibles carry both decorative value and direct ties to charm slots and skill growth:

Inari Shrines#

There are 16 Inari shrines on the island, each with 5 small fox statues scattered around it; making offerings unlocks shrine charms with a variety of effects. More importantly, each shrine you clear permanently adds one charm slot — after full collection you can wear a large number of charms at once, making this the core route to raising combat power. Foxes usually lead the way near shrines; follow them to find the statues.

Bamboo Strikes#

The island has 9 bamboo strike locations. Completing the mini-game (pressing the buttons in the correct rhythm) raises your maximum Resolve. Resolve is the key resource for using ghost weapons and healing, and bamboo strikes are one of the few reliable ways to raise the Resolve cap — finishing them early pays off enormously.

Haiku#

There are 19 haiku spots on the island. You choose three verses to match the mood and complete a poem, earning face paints, headbands, and other cosmetics. Haiku grants no stat benefits — it is purely an atmospheric experience — but the scenery at every haiku spot is carefully designed and worth a detour.

Hot Springs#

There are 18 hot springs across the island. Soaking triggers different effects based on the story dialogue, most commonly raising maximum health. Beyond the very real stat gains, springs come with character lines and inner monologues — an important window into Jin’s psychological changes.

Other Collectibles#

• Lighthouses and occupied areas: lighting lighthouses and liberating outposts clears fog from the map for later exploration.
• Bells: ring them to trigger a spirit crane effect — pure atmosphere.
• Records and paintings: diaries and scrolls scattered around the island flesh out the world’s background.
• Honor pillars: pay respects at the honor pillars near shrines to obtain weapon appearances.

Detailed collectible locations and route planning are covered in the collectibles sub-guide on the Chinese site — see Full Guides below.

Armor Sets#

Legends Mode#

Legends is the game’s built-in free multiplayer PVE mode: pick one of four classes and team up with 1 to 3 other players to take on powerful enemies. It shares the single-player campaign’s controls but introduces class skills, gear rolls, and a difficulty cycle, giving it a depth that stands entirely on its own:

• Four classes: the Samurai (frontline melee, draws aggro), the Hunter (ranged bow, headshot specialist), the Ronin (healing and buffs, summons a dog companion), and the Assassin (stealth kills, invisible damage). Each class has three skill branches, later customized further through techniques and gear rolls.
• Modes: Story (two-player story missions), Survival (wave-based defense of strongholds), a timed parkour Race mode, plus high-difficulty boss battles and the Dream Abyss.
• Gear and progression: gear earned from missions carries legendary rolls and rarity tiers, and repeat runs strengthen those rolls. The late-game goal is a complete endgame set for your class to take on Gold and Nightmare difficulty.
• Standalone story: Legends tells its own story set under the “legend of the Ghost”, separate from the single-player campaign, and you can switch between them anytime.

Legends is completely free and included in the base game — no extra purchase needed. Modes and loadout thinking are covered in the Legends sub-guide on the Chinese site; see Full Guides below.

Postgame Content#

After the credits, Tsushima still offers plenty of endgame content that can support dozens of additional hours:

1. Clear the remaining regions: outposts and collectibles you have not liberated remain on the map after the ending, and the Traveler’s Attire makes the cleanup efficient.
2. New Game+: a second playthrough carries over most equipment, skills, and collection progress while enemies are strengthened across the board; it also adds new armor looks, new charms, and new ghost weapons, giving high-difficulty runs fresh goals.
3. Iki Island: the Director’s Cut exclusive, set after the main game (early entry is also possible). It includes new side quests, the new “Iki samurai” enemy type, and its own armor and skills; the story focuses on Jin’s past and trauma, with content on the scale of a small expansion.
4. Legends endgame: the mode’s highest difficulties and season missions keep paying out, and they are the main destination for players chasing endgame gear.
5. The platinum trophy: full collection, every quest, and every Legends trophy add up to a huge list — one of the most-attempted platinum goals among Tsushima players.

Postgame builds and challenge routes are covered in the endgame and secrets sub-guides on the Chinese site — see Full Guides below.

Tips#

Update History#

Final Thoughts#

Ghost of Tsushima reaches a high standard in the density of its open-world detail, the solid feel of its combat, and the emotional weight of its storytelling. Whether you meet the Mongols head-on as a samurai or slip in as the Ghost, every inch of the island deserves to be measured slowly. We hope this guide helps you go farther on this picturesque island.

Related Games#

• Sekiro — one-against-many sword combat built on parry timing, in a mythic Japan
• God of War Ragnarök — Sony’s cinematic action-adventure with a comparable emotional story
• Black Myth: Wukong — stance-driven, boss-heavy action with a strong mythological setting
• The Witcher 3 — a story-rich open world where the side content is as good as the main quest
• Red Dead Redemption 2 — a slow, immersive open world where the journey itself is the point

Related Rankings#

Best Open World Games · Best Co-Op Games · Hardest Bosses

Full Guides#

In-depth sub-guides — armor upgrades, bosses, charms, collectibles, controls, endgame content, exploration, the gallery, Legends multiplayer, mythic tales, quests, hidden secrets, and practical tips — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Ghost of Tsushima section.

If you read Chinese, the collectibles sub-guide there carries the detailed locations and route planning behind the overview above.