Sucker Punch Productions’ Ghost of Tsushima is one of the biggest video games the company has ever made. Going through the story takes anywhere between 15 and 20 hours while completing all the bonus activities and obtaining the platinum trophy can make the game a solid 50 hours.
Some gamers do not feel like exploring everything there is to see, instead preferring to cherry-pick the best of the side content. To help these players sort through it all, here are the finest side quests every Ghost of Tsushima player should complete. Most of these are Tales of Tsushima, while a couple are open-world activities.
Updated On August 16th, 2021, by Jason Wojnar: Despite coming out over a year ago, Ghost of Tsushima has consistently kept its name in the headlines due to constant updates. A multiplayer feature, Legends, was added for free, and it already runs at a higher frame rate on PS5. Now, it is receiving a director’s cut for both PS4 and PS5, which is adding a plethora of features, including a new story expansion. To celebrate the re-release, we decided to revisit this list and offer more side quests you should do before moving on to different games or the Iki Island expansion.
13 Fit For The Khan
Started at the Jogaku Temple, Fit for the Kahn sees Jin Sakai recollect pieces of armor for a Blacksmith’s apprentice. The apprentice asks you to collect pieces of armor his dead master made.
The gameplay basically involves going to several Mongol territories and liberating them, but the reward is the real reason for doing this side quest. The Mongol Commander’s Armor not only looks cool, but it also makes it harder for Mongol guards to see you when sneaking and offers significant damage reduction.
12 A Mother’s Peace
This one is a real tearjerker. A part of Lady Masako’s tale, this quest involves you helping the old woman search for her sons’ dead bodies and give them a proper burial. Of course, nothing is ever so simple.
You have to tear your way through Mongol soldiers alongside her in order to recover the bodies and lay them to rest by a lighthouse. Seeing such death and destruction is nothing foreign in Ghost of Tsushima, but seeing Masako react to the whole situation makes this quest stand out.
11 Heavenly Strike
This Mythic Tale is introduced early in the game. You’ll want to do it as soon as possible because it is an extremely helpful ability. The Heavenly Strike basically gives you one free, super-powerful attack. It takes out most normal enemies immediately and does major damage to bigger foes.
The actual quest starts out dark, with Jin coming across a musician surrounded by dead bodies. The rest of the quest has you tracking down the murderer, who is in search of the coveted ability. After the duel ending the quest, Jin now has Heavenly Strike in his arsenal of abilities.
10 Mongol Territories
At the beginning of the game, certain spots are marked with red on the map. These are occupied by the invading Mongolian army and will not be safe until they are cleared up.
Players who enjoy the combat will find plenty of satisfaction liberating these zones, whether they go in loud or stealthily take out all the enemies. As much as we enjoy narrative quests, liberating outposts is a joy when the gameplay feels so smooth.
9 Nattou And Sake Seller
Kenji is one of the game’s more ridiculous characters. He is a businessman who has a bad reputation for ripping off his clients. He is not necessarily a bad man, but he only knows one way to survive.
Most of his quests are comedic in nature, while also progressively breaking down some of his amorality. By the end of his optional arc, he is fully dedicated to the cause and leaves his old ways behind. He still knows how to find the best sake, however.
8 A Debt Repaid
Jin comes across a bandit on the road and is close to ending his life before the stranger pleads his case. Bandits forced him into the lifestyle after ruining his family and his entire existence.
Feeling sorry for him, Jin goes back to the bandit camp and ends all their lives, saving the poor enslaved soul. It reminds Jin that not everyone is an enemy by choice.
7 Spirit Of Yarikawa’s Vengeance
This Mythic Tale nets Jin an extremely useful ability, but it is also an interesting story. The character investigates an alleged ghost wreaking vengeance upon certain people. Those who pray to the spirit often find their pleading answered in brutal fashion.
While looking for the culprit, Jin comes across several interesting stories, including one man accused of murder whose alibi included a tryst with another man, something he could not reveal to the public to clear his name.
6 Cutting Bamboo
Cutting bamboo is more fun than it has any right to be in Ghost of Tsushima. It is a simple button-pressing mini-game, but nailing the combination is so satisfying.
It starts off with just three buttons, and each subsequent stage of the challenge adds two buttons, for a total of seven by the final level. Doing these increases Resolve, which helps with health regeneration and the use of certain techniques.
5 The Undying Flame
This one changes the focus from combat to traversing. A mountain in the north part of the map is too cold for most to climb.
While Jin can withstand the freezing temperatures for a bit, he eventually has to find warmth by the campfires scattered about the formation. Upon reaching the top, Jin duels with a samurai shortly before he is taught the Undying Flame technique.
4 The Guardian Of Tsushima
All this time Norio thought his brother was dead. While attacking a temple held by the Mongolians, he and Jin happen upon his sibling, who has been badly tortured almost beyond recognition.
His limbs are missing and he has suffered intense burns. Norio is a monk sworn never to swing his weapon in hatred, but this pushes him over the edge in one of the most emotionally charged side quests.
3 Friends In Passing
Jin and Ishikawa are hunting Tomoe, a former student of the latter who betrayed him. While in the snowy mountains, Jin finds a woman who befriends him. He correctly deduces this to be Tomoe, who lacks the aggression he would have expected from her.
After chasing her for so long, it is incredibly satisfying to have a face-to-face confrontation and learn the truth behind her apparent betrayal.
2 The Other Side Of Honor
This early side quest sees Jin finding a samurai who claims to have survived the game’s opening battle. While investigating, he discovers the man to be a fraud and chases after him.
The impostor at first wants to duel, but ultimately chickens out and runs away. Upon informing the woman of the village, they reveal that they knew of his charade the whole time but enjoyed having him around.
1 The Six Blades Of Kojiro
The Six Blades Of Kojiro is extremely fun. It entails finding six Straw Hat Ronin and dueling them to the death. Their locations are marked on the map, so they are easy to find; the real challenge is defeating them.
Duels are some of the most entertaining moments in Ghost of Tsushima, and anybody with an affinity for them must do this side quest before calling it quits on the title.
