Beginner’s Guide#

The Prologue#

Key prologue beats

Beat	What you learn
Komoda Beach	Opening battle — basic attacks and blocking
Golden Temple	Healing and the Focus system
Weathered Temple	Your first armor set (the Sakai clan armor)
Archery range	The bow system

Prologue Advice#

The prologue cannot be skipped, but it systematically walks you through every core mechanic
Read every on-screen tutorial prompt carefully
You can retry failures at any time — don’t worry about mistakes
Once the prologue ends, the open world of Tsushima opens up

Stance System Basics#

Stances are the heart of this game’s combat. You unlock new stances by defeating Mongol leaders.

Stance	Counters	How to unlock
Stone Stance	Swordsmen	Available from the start
Water Stance	Shieldmen	Defeat the leader in the Hidden Willow region
Wind Stance	Spearmen	Defeat the leader in the Toyotama region
Moon Stance	Brutes	Defeat the leader in the Kamiagata region

Switching tips:

Switching tips

Hold R1 + a direction button to switch stances mid-combat
Each stance has unique attack strings
Upgrading stances unlocks powerful techniques
Switch constantly against mixed enemy groups

Exploration Tips#

Tip	What it does
Swipe up on the touchpad	Summon the Guiding Wind to point toward your goal
Yellow birds	Follow golden birds to hidden locations
Fox dens	Follow foxes to Inari Shrines
Rising air currents	Mark climbable locations
Wind chimes	Point to haiku spots

Resource Gathering#

Resource	Used for	How to get it
Supplies	Upgrading weapons and armor	Defeating enemies, looting chests
Iron	Upgrading your katana	Mining spots, chests, merchants
Leather	Upgrading armor	Hunting animals
Silk	Upgrading armor	Liberating Mongol outposts
Yew wood	Crafting charms	Collectibles, quest rewards

Tip: don’t skip roadside resource points. Grabbing resources while chasing your main objective saves you from grinding for them later

Pro tip: collect resources along the way to avoid grinding later. Roadsides and Mongol camps are full of them.

Difficulty Recommendation#

Difficulty	Best for	Traits

Worth trying on a second playthrough

Recommendation: pick Normal for your first clear. If you’re a seasoned action player who wants more challenge, choose Hard.

Lethal Difficulty Traits#

Jin and enemies both take far more damage (close to one-hit kills)
Enemies are more alert and flank more aggressively
Perfect parry and dodge windows are reduced
Worth trying on a second playthrough

Recommended order

Perfect parry and dodge windows are reduced

Mythic Tales#

Mythic Tales are among the best quest lines in the game and reward powerful legendary gear and techniques.

Tale	Reward	Region
The Undying Flame	Legendary armor “the Undying Flame armor”	Hidden Willow region
The Heavenly Strike	Legendary technique “Heavenly Strike”	Toyotama region
The Curse of the Raging Sea	Legendary weapon “Curse of the Raging Sea”	Kamiagata region
The Curse of Uchitsune	Legendary weapon “the Uchitsune bow”	Toyotama region

Recommended order: 3. Then complete The Curse of the Raging Sea (strong area attack)

Finally The Curse of Uchitsune (legendary bow)

Combat Basics#

Basic Controls#

Action	Button	Notes
Attack	Square	Chain attacks into combos
Heavy attack	Triangle	Breaks guards, finishing blows
Block	L1	Defends against normal attacks
Dodge	Circle	Roll to evade
Jump	Cross	Avoids ground attacks
Bow	R2	Use your ranged weapon

Parries and Perfect Parries#

Perfect block (parry): press L1 the instant an attack lands to stagger the enemy.
Perfect dodge: dodging at the last moment triggers a slow-motion moment.

Efficient Opening Route#

Step	Goal	Gain	Time
1	Finish the prologue and get the Sakai clan armor	Basic gear	30min
2	Unlock the Guiding Wind + fox tracking	Exploration abilities	10min
3	Find 3 Inari Shrines near the Golden Temple	+3 charm slots	20min
4	Complete the “Unbending Bow” mythic tale	Legendary longbow	40min
5	Find 2 hot springs + 2 bamboo strikes	+HP and +max Resolve	20min
6	Liberate 3 Mongol outposts in southern Izuhara	EXP + resources	30min

Resource Reference Table#

Resource	How to get it	Main use	Early scarcity
Supplies	Chests + defeating enemies	Weapon/armor upgrades	Common
Iron	Mining spots + chests	Katana upgrades	Medium
Leather	Hunting animals	Armor upgrades	Medium
Silk	Liberating Mongol outposts	Advanced armor upgrades	Rare
Yew wood	Collectibles + quests	Charm crafting	Rare
Steel	Legendary animals + late chests	Final upgrades	Very rare

Common New Player Mistakes#

Mistake	Do this instead
Only doing the main quest	Side quests grant key skills and gear — mythic tales in particular are mandatory
Ignoring assassinations	Tsushima’s assassination system is extremely strong — head-on fights get you surrounded
Skipping armor upgrades	Mid-game enemy damage spikes hard — without upgrades you die in two or three hits
Wasting Resolve	Resolve fuels both healing and special techniques — don’t burn it casually
Using one stance for everything	Switch stances to match enemy types — stance pressure breaks guards much faster
Not gathering materials	Wood + iron + leather are core upgrade needs — grab them as you pass by

Recommended Opening Route#

Order	Goal	Expected gain
1	Complete the prologue tutorial	Basic combat + assassination
2	Liberate northern Izuhara	3 key skill points
3	Do the first mythic tale	Water Stance — essential for breaking shields
4	Find 5 bamboo strikes	Bigger Resolve bar
5	Find 5 hot springs	More max HP

Skill Tree Priority#

Early skill points are scarce, and a sensible unlock order dramatically eases the early game. The recommendations below follow a “survive first, damage later” principle — ideal for first-time players.

Priority	Skill	Tree	Why
1	Perfect Parry	Samurai	Massively improves survivability and damage against single enemies
2	Kunai Throw	Ghost	Interrupts enemy attacks and opens assassination windows
3	Standoff upgrades	Samurai	More standoff kills, less pressure at the start of fights
4	Focus upgrades	Ranged	Slow time to read enemy types and switch stances quickly
5	Resolve upgrades	Samurai	More heals per fight, higher error tolerance

Skill Strategy Notes#

Max out Perfect Parry first: a well-timed parry triggers a devastating counter — the best early payoff
Upgrade standoff skills as soon as the standoff system unlocks; it saves tons of brute-forcing in 3+ enemy fights
Save Chain Assassination in the Ghost tree for mid game — early outposts are small, single assassinations are enough
Only one rank of Focus upgrades is needed early — enough focus time is enough, don’t chase max ranks

Early Resource Route#

Resources are scarce early on. This route balances upgrades with progress so you never have to backtrack and grind.

Stage	Collection goal	Where	Used for
After prologue	Iron and supplies	Mongol camps around Komoda	First katana upgrade
Early Izuhara	Leather	Deer and bears near the Golden Temple	Upgrading the Sakai clan armor
Mid Izuhara	Silk	Liberating southern Izuhara outposts	Advanced armor upgrades
Early Toyotama	Yew wood	Roadside collectibles and side quest rewards	Your first charms

Clear the barracks chests every time you pass a Mongol outpost — iron and supplies pile up fast
Bow hunting is more efficient than melee and won’t alert nearby enemies
Save rare materials from legendary animals for late-game charm slot upgrades