Ghost of Tsushima Tips for Exploring and Finding Resources
07/17/2020 05:38 pm EDT
Ghost of Tsushima consists of two core gameplay elements: Exploring and fighting. There's a deep story with many side quests to follow that are just as important as the main story itself, but as far as what the player will actually be doing most of the time, the game comes down to those two activities. They go hand-in-hand as well since you'll be doing a lot of fighting while you're exploring and you'll need to explore to amass resources and upgrade Jin to be the hero Tsushima needs. To help with that, we've put together some helpful tips on how best to explore Tsushima.
Exploring an open-world setting is already a pretty simple concept, and the same is true in Ghost of Tsushima. Simply walk around once the game gives you the freedom to do so and you'll start uncovering parts of the map, points of interest that'll allow you to fast travel to more locations, and resources used to upgrade Jin's various tools at his disposal.
Players are perfectly capable of exploring the island that way, but if you want to make the most of your travels, there are a few things to keep in mind. Outfits and upgrades matter when you're on your patrols, so check out our guide below to see what you need to have in order before you set out.
Wear Traveler's Attire
Above all else, the most important thing you can do while you're exploring is wear the Traveler's Attire. It's essential when it comes to revealing more of the map and finding nearly everything you need to complete your "Collection" tab.
To get the Traveler's Attire, head to the Hiyashi Springs area of the map early on in the game. You'll find a merchant who gifts you the armor which you can then wear and upgrade as you see fit.
The Traveler's Attire offers no combat stats and is instead built solely around exploring. It lets you track different collectibles using the Guiding Wind mechanic, clears more fog from the map while exploring, and makes your controller vibrate when you're near an artifact.
Unlock Guiding Winds
The Guiding Wind mechanic mentioned previously will be your solution for finding everything of interest in Ghost of Tsushima. It's what leads Jin to his quest objectives, but if can also direct you towards other points of interest.
To fully unlock the potential of the Guiding Wind, invest in the abilities within Jin's upgrade screen that lets him track different points of interest like shrines that grant charms and bamboo cutting challenges that increase Resolve. While wearing the Traveler's Attire mentioned previously, you'll have more Guiding Winds to use for completionists to round out their collections.
Look for Birds and Foxes
As evidenced by the Guiding Wind mechanic, nature plays an important role in Ghost of Tsushima. The living parts of the world like the animals are equally important since they'll lead players to notable points of interest they may not have found otherwise.
When traveling through Tsushima, look for foxes, golden birds, and birds circling over a location. Foxes are always found near golden trees and lead players to fox shrines, golden birds will occasionally circle players and will lead them to unfound locations, quests, and cosmetics, and circling birds signal the location of a haiku spot.
Reclaim Mongol-Occupied Forts
The Mongols have taken over large swaths of Tsushima and have claimed forts and other strongholds as their own. NPCs you encounter will often direct you towards those locations once you help them and ask for your assistance in reclaiming those areas.
What the game doesn't tell you right away is that it employs a classic open-world system where taking back these locations shows more of the map. Once you clear the Mongols out of an occupied point of interest, head to the map and view the location. You'll see its red symbol converted while a burst of clarity emanates from it to reveal parts of the map around it. They'll be listed as question marks, so you'll still have to find out what they are on your own, but you'll at least know where to look.
Ghost of Tsushima is now available for the PlayStation 4.
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