Ghost of Tsushima Combat Guide For Beginners: What You Need To Know

So you have finally unleashed your savings to savor the honor and samurai code in Ghost of Tsushima. The excitement would be biting you from inside….. Well, I can relate to this with you, mate, as when I bought Ghost of Tsushima, the dopamine rush was just out of this world! However, delving deeper into the game, the combat system became a real hassle to understand. As a lifelong Tsushima supporter, I can assure you that you would not want a brutal Death with a dark screen in every Mongol encounter. 

Though you will eventually become habitual to the world of samurai fighting hordes of Mongols, I have brought a beginner’s combat guide to ease out the pain that you will feel during the fight on Komoda Beach! So, without further ado, let’s dive into the world where dying with honor is considered a staple.  

Ghost of Tsushima Beginner Combat Guide

Welcome to the Ghost of Tsushima Starter package. In here, you will receive some of the most goated lectures on how to overrule the Mongols, as being Jin Sakai is no less than Rocket Science. 

Note (Pre-Lecture) : Before moving forward into the guide, choosing difficulty and picture mode depends on personal opinions. For me, I wanted to test my Katana on a hard difficulty in the Kurosawa mode (a mode where the game holds onto Akira Kurosawa’s iconic direction). 

Lecture 1 : Early Accessible Gears

It’s really important to check early gears that are available, as each attire and weapon consists of a unique trait that will help you throughout the journey. 

Jumping right at the Traveller’s Attire, it’s more of a utility set that will help you to track artifacts with the guiding Wind. For those who don’t know, the game does not include a missions indicator on a map; you’ll need to find rare items and pathways with the help of guiding wind (a gameplay mechanic that helps a player to explore the entire map). 

Revisiting the gear section, Traveller’s Attire's second upgrade clears 30% more fog of war on the map. Whereas the third upgrade states that the controller will vibrate whenever you are within 30m of an artifact. As the game is filled with amazing armor sets that boost HP and attack power, I’ll recommend you to upgrade Traveller’s attire till level 3. Why is equipping Traveller’s Attire necessary in the early game?..... You ask, well, the map consists of open-world activities like hot springs and bamboo strikes that increase the health bar and resolve bar, respectively. So yeah, think and invest wisely as if it’s your last day at the Wolf Street!

Fun Fact : Each armor set has 4 levels of upgrades, and after every upgrade, the visuals of an armor set will change! 

What’s More in the Early Game Armor Section?

Besides utility armor, the game includes a Ronin Attire, Tadayori Armor, and Samurai Clan Armor. Each is known for its practical usage. If you like to obliterate Mongol camps while beheading streaks of generals, the Samurai Clan Armor will be pure bliss, as it’s a tank-oriented armor set that reduces all damage by a major amount while giving a moderate buff in health and granting 15% resolve on taking damage. 

Ronin Attire, on the other hand, is considered good if you are planning to move like “Ezio Auditore” as this attire reduces enemy detection speed by 10%, gives 15% increase to melee damage. 

Speaking of Tadayori Armor, invest only if you are a skilled archer, as it heavily focuses on increasing the bow abilities.

Shifting towards the charms section, this one is intense as you need to excavate the entire island to find perfect charms that will work like the “Madrid Trio.” 

Serving as the passive bonuses besides armor sets, a player can equip 2 major charms and up to 4 minor charms by completing fox dens (Inari Shrines) that increase the charm slot. Minor charms totally depend on your playstyle. If you love to move around with a stack of HP, then Charm of Vitality is your go-to. However, major charms have a significant impact on the gameplay. According to my roadmap, Charm of Mizu-no-kami and Charm of Inari are some of the best major charms that one can find in Tsushima. 

Frankly speaking, if you are not a master of parrying mechanics, then go for Mizu-no-kami, a defensive charm that provides perfect parries and dodges. Charm of Inari, on the contrary, is a utility charm that increases supplies, predator hides, bamboo, and yew woods that are important to upgrade weapons and armor sets. 

Fun Fact : You can also go for Charm of Okuninushi, a defensive charm that slowly recovers health whenever you are living an easy life amidst the war. 

Lecture 2 : How to Hold a Katana?

Bringing Katana to life is no easy task, and being a samurai, it’s complicated. Don’t get me wrong, but in here, your Katana has more massive screen time than you. Wielding a Katana in Ghost of Tsushima comes with 4 different stances and a skill tree that tolls a heavy weight on the combat gameplay. 

Speaking of the stances, we have Stone (Swords), Water (Shields), Wind (Spears), and Moon (Brute and heavily armored enemies). Each of them delivers an amazing result if used perfectly. However, Stone Stance and Water Stance are best as they inflict great damage if upgraded to the end. Moon Stance can be used to deliver AOE damage. The combat gameplay will bloom like a flower if paired with ghost weapons. 

“Everything doesn’t rely on stances…. Well, that’s a great statement, and you’ll need to learn parry to evade brutal strikes. Use Charm of Mizu-no-Kami if you are not sure about the perfect timings parry mechanics require. 

Moving ahead in the guide, Techniques are a must to be learned. Investing technique points on deflection and evasion totally depend on your perception and ego that you’ll carry by parrying an enemy for the first time. However, the Evasion skill tree seems great to put effort into, as some attacks will overrule parry mechanics. Techniques like Delayed Strike, Perfect Dodge, and Double Roll will definitely help you to stay away from Khotun Khan’s endless army. Now, how to earn technique points? Kill enemies, complete major and minor missions located on the map, and increase your legend meter to earn technique points to upgrade stance, unlock techniques, and different ghost abilities like smoke bombs and throwable weapons like Kunai. 

What’s more in Sakai’s Inventory

Besides a plethora of Ghost weapons, indulge yourself in completing mythic tales, as that will help you to learn abilities like Heavenly Strikes and Dance of Wrath. To be honest, these abilities work like a GTA cheat, earn resolve, and use them in such absurd abilities to scare off your enemy's soul and kill them without mercy. Why are these abilities important? Save a lot of time fighting against a war camp of Mongolians. So, completing Mythic tales is a must for a beginner. Furthermore, go on side missions like Masako Adachi’s to join hands with allies who will help you in the endgame. Each mission comes with great risk but godly rewards. Completing missions and liberating castles and villages will surely help you to increase resolve, through which you can increase health and use these abilities.