Sucker Punch's Japanese epic is a chunky game and there’s plenty Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t tell you as you explore its world. So we’ve got some crucial information to help you survive, honourably or otherwise, and a bunch of stuff you might not know about.
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00:00 You're going to be alright
00:02 Bless you, little Sakai. You're safe now
00:08 Sucker Punch's Japanese epic is a chunky game and there's plenty Ghost of Tsushima doesn't tell you as you explore its world
00:16 You'll have to master a range of combat tactics, stealth, gadgets and plenty more
00:20 So here's our Ghost of Tsushima tips to help you take the sting out of everything you have to learn
00:24 Hold block while you learn parry timings
00:29 Parrying is basically the entire point of Ghost of Tsushima
00:31 Tapping L1 lets you deflect incoming sword strikes, open up an enemy's defense and with perfect timing you can stun opponents for single hit kills
00:39 Getting the timings down can take a little practice as can learning the different rhythms of various enemies
00:45 Because of that hold L1 to block as you fight and then release it quickly to tap for a parry
00:50 That way if you don't get it right you should still be able to get a block and avoid taking damage
00:55 Do the first couple of story missions first or you'll miss out on crucial tools
00:59 It's tempting to rush off into Tsushima's open world as soon as you can
01:02 However, there are a couple of important things you need that are locked behind the first two story missions
01:07 Namely a bow and an enemy detecting listening sense. Without them you'll lack a ranged attack or the ability to locate enemies
01:14 Which makes everything a lot harder. So clear those first two missions before anything else
01:18 It's also worth working through Ishikawa the archer's missions when you first meet him as his fifth mission will unlock
01:24 flaming arrows
01:26 Take out the archers in a fight first so you don't have to worry about dodging arrows
01:33 Even basic battles in Tsushima involve balancing multiple threats from all angles and archers only make that harder by firing arrows from a distance
01:42 You can dodge them and later unlock the ability to block them entirely
01:45 But why not make life easier by killing all the bowmen first?
01:48 Some of the bigger fights can see you dealing with a lot of enemies and taking out the archers first
01:53 Simply levels the playing field in your favor
01:55 Master combat by always using stances and not hammering the dodge button. Using stances is key to combat in Tsushima
02:01 So be rigid about using them and switching between the options according to enemy type
02:05 You'll unlock four stances eventually one each for swordsmen, shieldsmen, spearmen and brutes
02:11 Using the correct one against an enemy will see your heavy attacks break their block in a couple of blows making fights much easier
02:17 Taking out enemies also requires staying close
02:20 But it's easy to double tap the dodge button on circle and roll away
02:23 It will get you out of danger, but often leave you too far away to attack back
02:27 So make sure you stick to tapping dodge once to sidestep instead to stay in sword range and only roll when you know you have to
02:34 Use your kunai throwing knives to regain control if a fight is overwhelming
02:38 You'll unlock kunai early on and these little throwable spikes are extremely useful in a fight if you have them equipped
02:47 Throwing them at enemies will stagger them and break their guard
02:50 That makes them incredibly useful to clear space when you're surrounded as well as open up opponents for an easy follow-up kill
02:56 Always remember to check the bodies for ammo and supplies and sell anything you don't need
03:01 As Tsushima progresses you'll end up with a wealth of consumables and ammo types to top up
03:05 Arrows, throwing knives, bombs and so on
03:07 Defeated enemies will often have things you can pick up
03:10 So remember to search the bodies after a fight
03:12 That said even if you collect everything in sight
03:15 You still probably won't have enough supplies which you need to buy upgrades
03:18 So sell anything you might not need like cloth and wood to the trappers you find at bases and camps to make sure you have enough
03:25 Standoffs look cool, but use stealth to charge the ghost meter instead to take out more enemies
03:30 Standoffs let you face opponents head-on in one-to-one quick draw sword battles
03:34 They look amazingly cool that blow all pretenses of stealth as the game progresses
03:38 You'll unlock a ghost meter you can charge up for one-hit kills that terrorize enemies into submission
03:43 It can only be charged by stacking kills without taking any damage though, which is almost impossible in open combat
03:49 So once you have it use stealth kills to charge the ghost power up and then unleash it for a big kill count that will
03:55 Make it easier to clear large groups of enemies. You can change armor whenever you want. So swap it as you need it
04:01 There's a lot of different armors in Tsushima all of which come with different benefits like boosting health, damage, stealth, archery and so on
04:08 You can actually pause a game and switch between them at any time. So use whatever you need whenever you need it
04:13 Sneaky armor to slip into a camp, fighty armor when it all kicks off and so on. Because each option has such specific
04:18 Benefits you'll get the best use by rigidly alternating as your needs change
04:22 So those are some of the most important things that Ghost of Tsushima doesn't tell you and are essential tips
04:27 For more on this and plenty of other games. Don't forget to subscribe to GamesRadar and make sure you never miss out
04:33 Let's get a closer look, see what we're up against
04:36 [outro]