Ghost of Tsushima: Walkthrough & Boss Guide

This is a condensed story overview of Ghost of Tsushima (PS4 2020; Director’s Cut on PS4/PS5 2021 and PC 2024), not a mission-by-mission walkthrough. The story is told across three regions that open in order: Izuhara, Toyotama and Kamiagata. Story points below follow the plot summary on Wikipedia; boss notes are limited to what we could verify. Spoilers follow.

In 1274 a Mongol fleet under Khotun Khan invades Tsushima. The island’s samurai clans are beaten at Komoda Beach, Lord Shimura is captured and Jin Sakai is left for dead. The scavenger Yuna revives him. Jin then tries to storm Castle Kaneda to free his uncle, but the Khan defeats him there and throws him from the bridge. This failure pushes Jin toward assassination and guerrilla tactics, and islanders begin calling him “The Ghost”.

Jin gathers allies and liberates villages. Taka builds a grappling hook, and Jin raids Castle Kaneda and retakes it for Shimura. Ryuzo, Jin’s childhood friend and leader of the Straw Hat ronin, betrays Jin for rewards promised by Khotun; Jin defeats him and frees Shimura, but Ryuzo escapes to Castle Shimura. Along the way Jin also meets Sensei Ishikawa, a master archer, and Norio, a warrior monk; the monks later become Jin’s allies in place of the Straw Hats.

Toyotama is the second region. The quest The Ghost of Yarikawa ends with a duel against General Temuge in the courtyard of Yarikawa Stronghold. Defeating and executing him unlocks the Ghost Stance (source: Gamepressure). Other events in this part of the story include Jin recovering his family’s armor with the help of his former nanny Yuriko, and Khotun capturing Jin and executing Taka. Jin later kills the last Straw Hats with Yuna’s help, and Shimura’s forces attack Castle Shimura; Jin poisons Ryuzo’s airag, but the Khan has already retreated north.

Jin criticizes Shimura’s honor code, and Shimura disowns him and orders his arrest. Jin learns the Mongols have stockpiled his poison for an attack on mainland Japan. Shimura joins the effort, and Jin infiltrates Port Izumi and kills Khotun Khan on his flagship, which collapses the invasion.

After the invasion, the shogunate sees Jin as a threat to the island’s order; Clan Sakai is disbanded and Jin becomes an outlaw. He duels Lord Shimura, and after winning the player chooses whether to kill Shimura, granting him a warrior’s death, or to spare him. In both cases Jin becomes an enemy of the shogunate but keeps protecting Tsushima.

Stances. Stone Stance is available from the start and is the right choice against swordsmen. Water (shield users), Wind (spearmen) and Moon (brutes) unlock in a fixed order as you observe and kill Mongol leaders; the game tracks the progress, and observing a leader before killing earns extra progress (Gamepressure). Guides disagree on exact leader counts, so check the in-game progress display. The Ghost Stance comes from the story, after the duel with Temuge (see above).

Mythic Tale rewards (Fextralife): The Legend of Tadayori gives Tadayori’s Armor (Izuhara); The Six Blades of Kojiro gives Kensei’s Armor (Toyotama); The Unbreakable Gosaku gives Gosaku’s Armor (Toyotama); The Undying Flame gives the Way of the Flame sword technique (Kamiagata).