Character Progression
Mastering Jin Sakai's journey from a samurai to the Ghost requires strategic character progression. This guide details how to effectively upgrade your abilities, gear, and combat styles to overcome the Mongol invasion.
Technique Points & Skill Trees
Technique Points are your primary currency for unlocking new abilities. You earn these by completing quests (Tales of Tsushima, Mythic Tales), liberating Mongol territories, and increasing your Legend Rank. There are several distinct skill trees to invest in:
- Samurai Techniques: Focuses on direct combat and defensive maneuvers.
- Deflection: Essential for parrying. Prioritize unlocking Perfect Parry early to stagger enemies and open them to critical strikes. Later, aim for Unyielding Sword Parry and Unyielding Spear Parry to counter unblockable attacks.
- Evasion: Improves dodging. Roll is crucial for escaping area-of-effect attacks and creating distance.
- Mythic Techniques: Unlocked by completing Mythic Tales. These grant powerful, unique abilities like the Heavenly Strike (from "The Heavenly Strike" Mythic Tale, found in Izuhara) or the Dance of Wrath (from "The Spirit of Yarikawa's Vengeance" Mythic Tale, found in Toyotama).
- Ghost Techniques: Enhances stealth, ranged combat, and terror tactics.
- Stealth: Invest in abilities like Chain Assassination and Assassination Streak to clear groups of enemies silently. Focused Hearing upgrades are vital for spotting enemies through walls.
- Standoff: Improves your ability to initiate combat with a powerful, multi-kill move. Unlock Standoff Streak and Standoff Streak II to take down more enemies at the start of an encounter.
- Tools: Upgrades for your various Ghost Weapons. Prioritize Kunai and Smoke Bomb upgrades for crowd control and escape.
- Exploration Techniques: Quality-of-life improvements for traversing Tsushima.
- Wind of Concentration and Wind of Health are excellent early investments to help locate points of interest and healing flowers.
- Stances: Unlock and upgrade combat stances to effectively counter different enemy types.
- Stone Stance: Effective against Swordsmen. Unlocked early in the story.
- Water Stance: Effective against Shieldmen. Unlocked by observing or defeating Mongol leaders.
- Wind Stance: Effective against Spearmen. Unlocked by observing or defeating Mongol leaders.
- Moon Stance: Effective against Brutes. Unlocked by observing or defeating Mongol leaders.
- Ghost Stance: A powerful, temporary state entered after defeating a certain number of enemies without taking damage. Unlocked during the main story quest "From the Darkness."
Gear & Armor Upgrades
Your armor and weapons are crucial for survival. Each piece of armor offers unique perks that can significantly alter your playstyle. Upgrading them at armorers and sword smiths requires various resources.
Armor Sets:
- Samurai Clan Armor: A good all-around defensive set, providing increased health and damage reduction. Found early in the story. Upgrade with Supplies, Iron, and Linen.
- Ronin Attire: Excellent for stealth and melee damage. Found during the main story quest "Blood on the Grass." Upgrade with Supplies, Iron, and Linen.
- Tadayori's Armor: Boosts concentration and archery damage. Acquired by completing the Mythic Tale "The Legend of Tadayori," located in the Rustling Bend area of Izuhara. Upgrade with Supplies, Iron, and Linen.
- Ghost Armor: The ultimate stealth and terror set, increasing Ghost Weapon damage and reducing enemy detection. Acquired during the main story quest "From the Darkness." Upgrade with Supplies, Iron, and Linen.
- Sakai Clan Armor: Enhances melee damage, health, and standoff capabilities. Acquired during the main story quest "Ghosts from the Past." Upgrade with Supplies, Steel, and Silk.
Weapons:
- Katana: Your primary weapon. Upgrade its damage at a sword smith using Supplies, Iron, Steel, and Gold. Upgrading also unlocks new cosmetic appearances.
- Half Bow & Longbow: Ranged weapons. Upgrade their damage and draw speed at a bowyer using Supplies, Yew Wood, and Bamboo.
Charms:
Charms are equippable items that grant passive bonuses. You earn these by completing Shinto Shrines, liberating Mongol territories, and completing certain Tales.
- Major Charms: Provide significant bonuses. Examples include the Charm of Amaterasu (recovers a moderate amount of health after defeating an enemy, found at Plum Blossom Shrine) or the Charm of Mizu-no-Kami (increases the parry and dodge window, found at Spring Falls Shrine).
- Minor Charms: Offer smaller, more specific buffs. Collect as many as possible to tailor your build.
Legend Rank & Resolve
Your Legend Rank increases as you complete quests and activities, granting you Technique Points and increasing your maximum Resolve. Resolve is critical for healing and performing special attacks. Maximize your Resolve by:
- Completing main story quests.
- Liberating Mongol camps and outposts.
- Discovering and completing Bamboo Strikes (increases Resolve by one segment).
- Visiting Hot Springs (increases maximum health).
Early Game Progression Strategy (Act 1: Izuhara)
- Prioritize Main Quests: Follow the main story to unlock essential tools and abilities, such as the Grapple Hook and your first Ghost Weapons.
- Liberate Mongol Camps: Each liberated camp grants Technique Points and reveals more of the map. Focus on stealth takedowns to earn bonus Technique Points.
- Seek Out Shinto Shrines: These often lead to valuable Major Charms. The Plum Blossom Shrine for the Charm of Amaterasu is a great early pick-up for sustain.
- Complete Bamboo Strikes: These are quick and easy ways to increase your Resolve.
- Unlock Stances: Actively seek out and observe Mongol leaders in camps to unlock Water, Wind, and Moon Stances as quickly as possible.
- Upgrade Katana & Armor: Keep your Katana upgraded at sword smiths, and choose an armor set (Ronin Attire for stealth/damage or Samurai Clan Armor for defense) to focus on upgrading with collected resources.
By following these steps, you'll ensure Jin is well-equipped and capable of facing the challenges ahead as you progress through Tsushima.