[Editor’s Note: Some minorspoilersahead for the upcoming video gameGhost of Tsushima, though we’ll keep this guide for beginners asspoiler-freeas possible.Be sure to check out our review here!]
Right now, gamers around the world are getting their first chance to playGhost of Tsushima, the new Sucker Punch Productions title that lets players embark on their own samurai journey on the PS4. We know not everyone can get in on the fun at the same time, and we also know that we’re darn lucky Sony gave us an advance copy to check the game out ahead of time, so we wanted to put together a helpful set of tips and tricks for beginners. The game does a great job of doling out tips during the short loading screens, but ours are a bit more fine-tuned from personal experience. We hope that you’ll be able to learn from our very silly mistakes and use them to make yourself the best samurai warrior you can be! Just be aware that some minorspoilersmay follow.
SinceGhost of Tsushimafeatures a lot of objectives – clearing areas, recruiting allies, fighting off invaders, exploring a hostile world, and gathering crafting supplies and collectibles – as well as a lot of variety in how you get the job done – honorably by fighting out in the open, non-traditionally by striking from the shadows, or on horseback riding across the land in search of every last scrap of loot – it can be a little overwhelming. So we’ll first feature some general, overall tips for every gamer out there in order to make your job a little easier. Then, we’ll add some playstyle-specific tips for those of you who want to walk the path of a samurai, a shinobi, or an explorer. So let’s get started!
General Tips:
With all of that in mind, here are some tips for more specific playstyle approaches:
My chosen method is as follows: Travel around the world in Traveler’s Attire until I find a site worth exploring or a base worth clearing out. Don the Ronin Attire to sneak around and do some wet work; I rarely swap to the Tadayori Armor for bow-work, though I’m learning to remember to do that. Then, if things get really hairy, switch to the Samurai Clan Armor for the full-on melee battles. You’ll 100% want to keep this armor set on for the one-on-one cinematic duels, unless you’re a true Ronin badass. Then, when you’re free to explore the cleared-out base, it’s time to put the Traveler’s Attire on once again to search for all that loot! (One note: I hope Sucker Punch adds a quick change option for outfit load-outs because changing outfits and charms is a bit of a pain, even though you can do it in the midst of a battle. This would be a great quality of life update.)
Some miscellany for you, too: I don’t really know what purpose the various songs serve besides changing the weather to suit your fancy or occasionally adding to the narrative, but the flute and singing crickets are nice touches. Also, your touch pad doesn’t just summon the wind or play a tune, it also lets you bow or draw your sword. I’ve only found one place where bowing actually activates something interesting in the game, so if you find more, let us know!
We hope this helps you in your journey! If you have more tips you discover along the way, feel free to share them with us, and we might even add them here!
Dave Trumboreis Collider’s Senior Editor overseeing Games, Animation, and all those weird Saturday-morning cartoons no one else remembers. Test his trivia IQ on Twitter@DrClawMD
