Guide
11 things I wish I’d known before playing Pikmin 4
by Domagoj Belancic
Ghost of Yōtei: 23 helpful beginner’s tips for this samurai adventure
2.10.2025
Translation: Patrik Stainbrook
Pictures: Domagoj Belancic
Ghost of Yōtei is an epic samurai tale. With its jam-packed open world and all those gameplay mechanics, it’s easy to lose track. These 23 tips from Domagoj-Sensei will help you get started.
Five years have passed since Jin Sakai liberated his home island from Mongol invaders in Ghost of Tsushima. Now developer Sucker Punch is once again inviting players to feudal Japan. In Ghost of Yōtei, you take on the role of vengeful swordswoman Atsu on the island of Hokkaido. There, you search for the Yōtei Six – a group of outlaws who slew your family.
To help you get started with Atsu’s vendetta, I’ve put together 23 useful tips for beginner samurai.
Before you play
Before setting off on your adventure, go through this checklist.
Change the graphics mode
Ghost of Yōtei offers three graphics modes: Quality, Performance and Ray Tracing.
The game starts in Quality mode by default, delivering high resolution, but only at 30 FPS. Ray Tracing mode also only runs at 30 FPS. The game is perfectly playable in these modes, yes, but I prefer Performance mode at 60 FPS for fast and dynamic battles. You can change this in the menu under Display > Graphics mode.
If you play the game on a PS5 Pro, you’ll have one more option: Raytracing – Pro. This gives you ray tracing effects – specifically, prettier lighting – in a smooth 60 FPS package.
Switch on Motion Aiming
I can’t emphasise this enough: motion or gyro aiming is so much better than aiming with joysticks. Atsu unlocks various ranged weapons during the course of the game. With motion controls, you can dole out headshots much more precisely and quickly.
The setting is deactivated on game start. To turn it on, go to Controls > Motion sensor function aim.
Adjust camera wobble
Studio Sucker Punch took the excessive camera shaking during running and riding sections a little too far. And I say that as someone who normally doesn’t mind such things. Fortunately, this wobbling can be mitigated in the settings, even deactivated completely. I recommend setting the intensity to 50 or lower instead of 100.
You can find the setting under Controls > Camera wobble intensity.
Early Game
These tips are intended for the start of your adventure.
Experiment with difficulty
Ghost of Yōtei offers a whopping five difficulty levels, and they change your gaming experience a lot.
It’s worth experimenting with difficulty, then. If required, you can also define a custom level of difficulty. You can find this option under Gameplay > Difficulty.
Get these two charms as soon as possible
As in Ghost of Tsushima, you can equip Atsu with charms that provide the swordswoman with various boons in battle. These two charms are particularly helpful in the early game:
Charm of Last Chance: this charm automatically triggers a heal when you take fatal damage in battle – provided you have enough Spirit (more on this below). This often saved my bacon, especially in the first few hours. It’s difficult to estimate how much damage enemy attacks will deal. You can get this charm from Taro the Scavenger, in Ohara Plains by Dead Man’s Tree.
Charm of Masakado: with this charm, you’ll be revived at full (instead of half) health when you die and use Onryo’s Will. The prerequisite for this charm is, of course, having unlocked Onryo’s Will in the skill tree. You can find the charm at the Amber Respite Shrine in Ohara Plains.
Look out for Bamboo Strike locations
Your Spirit bar is one of the most important resources in the early game. You can use Spirit to activate special effects from charms (such as those described above), use special abilities and heal Atsu in battle.
It’s worth growing your Spirit as quickly as possible early on. As in Ghost of Tsushima, you get more Spirit from the numerous bamboo stands where you have to prove your sword skills in a mini-game. If you spot any of them, you should definitely give it a go.
Learn the Song of Spirit
To find bamboo stands more efficiently, learn the Song of Spirit. Whenever Atsu plays this song on her shamisen, the wind will guide her to the nearest bamboo stand.
You can learn the song in Master Heijiro’s garden, right next to the foot of Mount Yōtei.
Concentrate on the Sensei quests to unlock all weapons quickly
The combat system in Ghost of Yōtei works according to a rock-paper-scissors system. Spears are effective against Kusarigama, while the latter are helpful when fighting shield enemies. Double mini swords, on the other hand, help against spears. You can slash apart huge enemies with the equally massive Odachi sword. Katanas have the best effect against enemies equipped with the same sword.
On your adventure, you’ll quickly encounter enemies you can’t beat with the right weapon yet. Given this, it’s worth tackling the available Sensei quests immediately to unlock all melee weapons.
The map-based quest system is a little confusing at first. Don’t get confused by the different quest and map types, just concentrate on the blue Sensei quests to expand your arsenal of weapons.
Fight
The following combat tips should hopefully help you conquer all those bloody katana duels.
Get Metsubushi
Metsubushi is a combat item you can unlock pretty soon. It’ll make some sword duels easier, especially in the early game. It’s a kind of powder you can blow in your enemy’s face to blind them.
You can find this nifty gadget at the Blue-Flowered Cemetery in Yōtei Grasslands. There, you’ll find a wanted criminal who’ll grant you the powder. You can get upgrades for Metsubushi from Taro the Scavenger (see above).
Get bombs from Ina
It’s worth stopping by Otaru Beach as soon as you arrive on Ishikari Plain. There, you can help a bomb maker out of a jam, who’ll then produce various bombs for you.
I LOVE my bombs. They can injure several enemies at the same time and set fire to the grass around them. Ultimate chaos, perfect for keeping a large group of opponents at bay.
Improvise with any weapons lying around
In Ghost of Yōtei, enemies will often lose their weapons. As the game progresses, you’ll learn techniques you can use to make enemies drop their swords, spears or kusarigami too.
Make sure to use them! Improvise. If an enemy drops their weapon, run to it and grab it with R2. You can then throw them at an opponent by clicking on the square button without aiming. This will kill most enemy ronin in a single blow. All those weapons lying around bring a whole new dynamic to the already fast and hectic skirmishes.
Use the loadout
You’ll unlock quite a range of armour and charms during the course of the game. Thankfully, Ghost of Yōtei offers a useful loadout feature, so you don’t have to re-equip everything anytime you change outfits.
Use them, it’s worth it. I’ve put together a loadout for melee combat, one for my special Onryo abilities and a loadout for stealth. Depending on the mission, you can switch back and forth between combos in just a few clicks.
Stealth
Prefer sneaking over fighting? Don’t worry, I’ve got tips for you too.
Go to Teshio Ridge and unlock the most important stealth ability
Don’t be a fool like me. I’m a stealth fan, yet I still played Ghost of Yōtei for 30 hours without the game’s most important sneaking tool: seeing enemies through the walls. I was constantly wondering when I’d be able to unlock this feature. Did I miss it? Did they even include it in the game? What was I doing wrong?!
If you’re looking to unlock this essential skill as early as possible, make the right choice at a point in the story. At one point in the story, the game makes you choose: do you go to Ishikari Plain to kill the Oni, or will you travel to Teshio Ridge and kill the Kitsune?
Please, pick the latter option and follow its main storyline. You’ll meet a woman with shamisen who can teach you to see through walls. This skill makes stealth missions and clearing enemy camps much easier and more fun.
Get the Yumi
The normal bow has a limited range and isn’t enough to kill enemies unnoticed from a distance. So, get the Yumi at Yōtei’s Shadow Inn as quickly as possible. With the Yumi (as well as the appropriate equipment and charms), you’ll become a sniper who can headshot even distant enemies.
Prioritise your ranged combat abilities in the skill trees too – and don’t forget to activate the much more precise movement controls (see above).
Kusarigama – the ultimate stealth weapon
The Kusarigama is another essential stealth weapon, again unlocked on Teshio Ridge. Use this deadly blade to draw enemies towards you and kill them. It gives you more flexibility when hiding. You don’t have to sneak up just behind an unsuspecting victim, but can strike from further away.
Improvise, part 2
Weapons lying around are also extremely helpful when using stealth. Look out for free swords or spears, usually marked with a blue glow. One throw of a weapon is enough to kill even distant enemies unnoticed.
Exploring the world and other tips
Domagoj-Sensei shall grant you some more general tips too.
Use your spyglass to discover new places
I used Atsu’s spyglass far too rarely at the start of my adventure. My advice: get it out at every opportunity. Not just at elevated vantage points, even when you’re just out and about on horseback and see something exciting on the horizon. Take. It. Out.
You can use the tool to discover and mark places on your map. You’ll even save money this way – the more places you discover yourself, the less you’ll have to pay greedy cartographer Isaburo for information.
Fight as often as possible and talk to everyone
See enemy soldiers on the horizon? Ride up to them and have a good old scrap. Meet a travelling merchant? Talk to them, even if you’re not looking to buy.
It’s worth talking to as many NPCs as possible. Both the inhabitants of Ezo and defeated enemies will often give you exciting clues that’ll guide you to quests and open-world tasks such as bamboo stands, wolves or hot springs. This means you’ll have to buy even fewer overpriced maps from Isaburo.
Take a bow – you never know what might happen
At some points in the game, you’ll spot small wooden plaques. Look closely. There’s a person bowing on it. Make sure to do the same. You never know what might happen.
Don’t be like Phil – read notes carefully
Phil never reads through tutorials and in-game notes, before promptly complaining that he doesn’t get the game. Don’t be like Phil. Take your time. Ghost of Yōtei is a game full of small, lovingly crafted secrets. Read notes, follow them and be surprised.
Regularly set up camp
One feature that quickly gets lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday samurai life is camping. Atsu can conjure up a small camp with a fire and sleeping bag at any time. This is useful on several levels.
You can craft ammunition and consumables in camps, and you’ll gain temporary advantages in battle by cooking. Your spirit bar will also fill up.
You’ll also receive regular visits from strangers at the camp. They can give you valuable tips about exciting locations or even new quests. If Atsu’s asleep, you’ll occasionally even get short cutscenes you’d otherwise miss. So: camp, camp, camp! It’s free!
Play Zeni Hajiki and get rich
There’s a lot of gambling in the world of Ghost of Yōtei. Zeni Hajiki, a popular game of chance, is chief among this. It’s a simple game, really: flick coins onto a table so that two of them touch each other.
You’ll find Zeni Hajiki in villages and inns, usually in dark back rooms. The stakes get pretty high for some gamblers – you can easily earn 1,000 mon or more in one game.
Bonus tip: activate the Power Display feature in the Accessibility settings. This’ll display how far you’re about to throw, making the whole affair a lot more predictable.
Take some time for in-game photography
Photo mode in Ghost of Yōtei is amazing. Even if you’re not usually into virtual photography, take a look at least. At every corner of the game world, I found beautiful scenery for screenshots I’d love to print out and hang up.
Here are some of my favourites:
You can find Simon’s review of Ghost of Yōtei here:
Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
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