Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima

Horse & Travel

Master horse travel in Ghost of Tsushima with your steed, improving your journey speed and offering escape routes. Choose your horse early in the game.

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Horse & Travel

Your trusty steed is an indispensable companion on your journey across Tsushima, offering speed, convenience, and a vital escape route from overwhelming odds. Mastering horse travel and understanding its nuances will significantly enhance your experience and efficiency.

Choosing Your Horse

Early in the game, during the main quest "The Warrior's Code," you'll be prompted to choose your first horse. This is a permanent decision for that playthrough, so choose wisely based on aesthetics, as their stats are identical:

  • Black Horse: A sleek, dark steed.
  • Dapple Gray Horse: A distinctive horse with a mottled coat.
  • White Horse: A classic, pure white companion.

Later in the game, particularly during Act 2, you'll have the opportunity to acquire a new horse if your original one is lost during a pivotal story moment. This new horse will also have the same performance capabilities as your first.

Basic Horse Controls & Mechanics

  • Summoning Your Horse: Press the D-Pad Left to whistle for your horse. They will gallop to your location, provided they are within a reasonable distance and not obstructed.
  • Mounting/Dismounting: Press R2 to mount or dismount your horse.
  • Galloping: Hold R2 to maintain a gallop. Tapping R2 repeatedly will provide a burst of speed, useful for quick escapes or covering ground rapidly.
  • Steering: Use the Left Analog Stick to steer.
  • Horse Stamina: Your horse has a stamina bar. Galloping depletes it, and when empty, your horse will slow to a trot. Allow it to regenerate by slowing down or stopping.
  • Combat on Horseback: While mounted, you can use your Katana for sweeping attacks (Square/Triangle) or your Bow for ranged combat (L2 to aim, R2 to fire). Horseback combat is excellent for thinning out groups of enemies or quickly dispatching fleeing foes.
  • Environmental Interaction: Your horse can jump over small obstacles and navigate various terrains, though steep cliffs and deep water are impassable.

Fast Travel

Fast travel is a crucial mechanic for traversing the vast island of Tsushima. It becomes available after you've discovered a location.

  • Unlocking Fast Travel Points:
    • Liberated Mongol Camps/Outposts: Once you clear a Mongol-controlled area, it becomes a fast travel point. For example, liberating the Azamo Bay outpost in Izuhara will unlock it for fast travel.
    • Shinto Shrines: Discovering and honoring Shinto Shrines (e.g., Golden Summit Shrine) unlocks them.
    • Hot Springs: Relaxing in Hot Springs (e.g., Golden Leaf Hot Spring) makes them fast travel points.
    • Pillars of Honor: Finding these cosmetic upgrade locations (e.g., Pillar of Honor near Old Clan's Hill) also unlocks them for fast travel.
    • Friendship Temples/Villages: Key story locations like Komoda Town or Golden Temple are automatically unlocked as you progress.
  • How to Fast Travel: Open your map (Touchpad), hover over an unlocked fast travel icon, and press X. Fast travel is instantaneous, but it will advance the in-game time.
  • Restrictions: You cannot fast travel while in combat or during certain story missions where the game restricts it for narrative purposes.

Guiding Wind & Exploration

The Guiding Wind is your primary tool for navigation and discovery. It's an ethereal wind that blows in the direction of your selected objective.

  • Activating Guiding Wind: Swipe up on the Touchpad to summon the Guiding Wind.
  • Setting Objectives:
    • Main/Side Quests: Select a quest from your Journal and track it. The wind will guide you to its objective.
    • Map Markers: Open your map, place a custom marker, and the wind will guide you there.
    • Points of Interest: You can set the wind to guide you to specific types of collectibles or locations (e.g., Hot Springs, Fox Dens, Shinto Shrines) from the map legend.
  • Following the Wind: Once activated, observe the direction the wind blows and follow it. On horseback, this is particularly efficient as you can maintain speed while navigating.
  • Fox Dens: Keep an eye out for golden birds or foxes. Following a fox will lead you to an Inari Shrine, which grants Charm slots. For example, following the fox near Komoda Town will lead you to an early shrine.
  • Golden Birds: These birds will often lead you to various points of interest, including undiscovered locations, Hot Springs, or even hidden collectibles.

Horse Upgrades & Customization

While your horse's core stats remain constant, you can customize its appearance and enhance your bond.

  • Saddles: Acquire new saddles as rewards for completing quests or by purchasing them from merchants. These are purely cosmetic.
  • Horse Armor: Later in the game, you can unlock special horse armor. This is also cosmetic but can be quite elaborate.
  • Bonding: Simply riding your horse and interacting with it (e.g., petting it by swiping down on the Touchpad) strengthens your bond. A stronger bond doesn't affect stats but is a nice touch for immersion.