Simple Tips for New Samurai in Ghost of Tsushima on PS5

 

Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut is one of the easiest recommendations I can make to a new PS5 owner. The native PS5 build adds DualSense haptics, Tempest 3D Audio and near-instant loading, all for a game that already looked and felt like interactive samurai cinema. Players on PlayStation forums still single out the adaptive triggers and spatial sound as the upgrade’s real “wow” factors well after launch. Buy Ghost of Tsushima on PlayStation 5 for the cheapest prices

I returned this spring to chase a platinum trophy and quickly realized that first-time visitors still stumble over the same early hurdles. The notes below are my attempt to smooth that learning curve so you can enjoy the island, not fight the controls.

Getting Started & Smart Settings

Before the first Mongol patrol spots you, pause and tweak a few options.

• Difficulty can be changed at any time. If the parry window feels unforgiving, the Lower Intensity toggle in Accessibility slows enemy detection and lets you block more moves.
• Choose your presentation. I finished in Japanese with English subtitles, but you can swap to Kurosawa Mode for high-contrast black-and-white visuals and era-specific audio whenever you like.
• Use the Guiding Wind instead of the mini-map. Swipe up on the touchpad, and the wind lines up with your current objective.
• Lock-on assists. In the controller menu, I flip on Target Lock and Swap on Defeat so the camera doesn’t spin wildly in crowded camps. It’s a small quality-of-life change that keeps swordplay readable.

Those steps take two minutes and pay off for the rest of the journey.

Combat Fundamentals – Win Your First Duels

Ghost rewards timing and observation more than button-mashing. Here is the crash course I give friends:

Block, Parry, Counter. Hold L1 to block anything that doesn’t glow red. Tap L1 just before impact to parry, which staggers the attacker and opens a heavy counter. PlayStation’s own beginner guide recommends practicing on lone bandits until the rhythm clicks.

Learn the four sword stances.

• Stone beats swords
• Water breaks shields
• Wind disarms spears
• Moon crushes brutes

You unlock stances by observing or defeating camp leaders; each observation counts, so spy-glass them before the fight when possible.

Listen for archers. They shout a warning half a second before firing, roll, or quick-shot an arrow back.

Early technique picks. Perfect Healing Parry, Deflect Arrows, and Iron Will are forgiving upgrades that let beginners recover from mistakes.

Standoffs build confidence. Hold △ until the enemy commits, then release. Upgrade once, and you can chain two more kills. It never stops feeling like a movie showdown.

Spend the first act mastering those basics, and even story duels become thrilling instead of punishing.

Stealth & Ghost Tactics

Eventually, the honor of open duels gives way to outnumbered odds. When camps grow dense, I slip on the hood and play like the Ghost.

Survey and tag first. Hold R2 for Focused Hearing; silhouettes light up through walls so you can mark high-value targets.

Wind chimes are your best lure. A single toss draws a guard under a ledge for an easy drop assassination. Upgrade later to chain kills after that first stab.

Smoke bombs are your panic button. If you mistime a takedown, pop smoke, back-stab one foe, then vanish into the grass before the alarm finishes ringing.

Use Standoff outside, stealth inside. Calling out a roaming patrol thins numbers without alerting the whole fort; once inside, arrows and silent blades prevent reinforcements from swarming.

Ghost Stance turns fear against them. A full streak lets you trigger a short massacre animation; survivors may flee, gifting you a clean win.

Stealth does not replace swordplay—it complements it. The sooner you mix both styles, the more tools you’ll have when the game starts throwing elite units at you.

Gear, Upgrades & Resources

I rotate three sets:

Traveler’s Attire pings nearby artifacts—perfect for early exploration.

Tadayori’s Armor slows time while aiming, which is great for stealth archery.

Samurai Clan Armor adds damage resistance for boss duels.

Charms matter, too. I slot Healing Parry to regain health on perfect timing and Inari Charm for extra resources.

Resolve is your lifeline—spend it on heels before flashy special attacks until you’re comfortable.

Ghost weapons like kunai and sticky bombs feel overpowered late-game, but that’s the point: they give you a controllable difficulty slider. Use them without guilt.

PS5-Exclusive Enhancements

The Director’s Cut makes the samurai fantasy more tactile.

• Adaptive triggers mimic bow tension; you physically feel the draw weight before losing the arrow.
• Haptic feedback rumbles differently for steel-on-steel clashes, galloping hooves, or a thunderstorm rolling overhead.
• Tempest 3D Audio lets you track an unseen archer by sound alone.

Set the game to Frame-Rate Mode in the graphics menu for a rock-solid 60 fps at dynamic 4K; the trade-off is negligible on a living-room screen.

Conclusion – Your Samurai Journey Awaits

Master a clean parry, respect each stance, and lean on stealth when crowds swell: those three habits turn an intimidating open world into a playground. DualSense haptics and 3D Audio make every clash feel physical; the PS5 hardware erases downtime, so exploration becomes a relaxing loop of discovery and quick duels. Once the credits roll, try the free Legends co-op mode—four-player raids that remix combat into tight, arcade-style arenas. However, when you choose to fight for Tsushima, remember that the game celebrates adaptation. Embrace both samurai honor and ghostly cunning, and the island will reward you with stories worth retelling.