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When Jin Sakai reaches the final mission inGhost of Tsushima’s second act, he is in an incredibly difficult position. His uncle, the man who has raised him, decided to adopt him without any form of discussion. On top of that, Jin feels painfully aware of Lord Shimura’s naïveté regarding what it will take to win the war against the Mongol invaders. When the player leaves Jin at the end of “The Fate of Tsushima,” he has clearly never felt more disconnected from his uncle. Heading into the final part of what is essentially a two-part mission, Jin must decide whether he will die honorably, or do whatever it takes to save his home, even if it means becoming a monster in the process.
“From the Darkness” holds a very important place inGhost of Tsushima. After openly questioning Lord Shimura in “The Fate of Tsushima,” things can never truly be the same between them. The entire samurai retinue saw Jin poison a group of Mongols, and then slaughter their leader. To them, he is a coward without honor. However, to the people of Tsushima, he is a hero. From this point on, Jinisthe Ghost.
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How to Start ‘From the Darkness’ in Ghost of Tsushima
Immediately upon completing “The Fate of Tsushima,” a cutscene will begin that bridges the space between both quests. Once Jin and Lord Shimura finish their brief conversation, Jin will exit onto the castle courtyard and “From the Darkness” will begin.
While the game doesn’t include it as an optional task, Jin can visit each of his allies before speaking with Yuna. There is also a full set of merchants stationed in the courtyard, so make sure to upgrade any piece of equipment that needs it. There are several caches of supplies and ammunition around the courtyard as well, take the time to search each hut and building.
How to get the Ghost Armor
When Jin is ready to move on,head over and speak to Yuna. She is waiting along the wall that lines the courtyard. Jin has decided to defy his uncle and sneak into the castle to poison the Mongols. Upon hearing this, Yuna tells him that Taka had created one final thing before he died: the Ghost armor.
Players are likely to have wondered when this armor would show up, as it is shown in nearly every promotional material forGhost of Tsushima.Though it takes over half the game for it to show up, Jin will automatically receive it during “From the Darkness.”
Jin will put on the armor himself when it is gifted to him, but he will not be able to upgrade at the Armorer until after the mission. Jin cannot come back through the crack in the wall once he has gone through. However, when Jin is able to complete the set, it is one ofGhost of Tsushima’s best armor sets.
Objectives:
Crossing Under the Bridge:
From the starting point, head to the end of the rock path and look towards the keep. Jin will see two grappling points he can swing from. After the second post, there will be a large, flat rock in the river for Jin to land on.
From here, cross the log and jump to the tree-stump grappling point on the cliff across the gap. This will be very hard to miss as there is nowhere else to go.
Reach the First Keep:
Jump over to the ledges to begin climbing the cliff that leads to the first keep. There is only one climbing path, so it is hard to make any mistakes while climbing. There will be one tree-branch grapple point that Jin will swing across before reaching the last section of the cliff. Be careful when pulling Jin up to the top as there is an open window with a patrolling Mongol.
How to Successfully Infiltrate Castle Shimura in “From the Darkness”
There are two ofGhost of Tsushima’s advanced Ghost techniquesthat will be incredibly useful in maintaining stealth. While Jin will already haveFocused Hearingunlocked, addingFar HearingandStealth Hearingwill allow Jin to see farther and move faster while in the focused hearing state.
Jin must make his way through the first keep before exiting to the courtyard. The most important thing to remember here is to remain patient. It is not incredibly difficult to maintain stealth, but it can become frustrating if Jin moves too quickly and gets caught. Use focused hearing to look up and plan the best route of attack. Jin must take out all the guards in the first keep to move on to the next task.
Jin will survey the area from the top floor of the first keep. After looking at his options, Jin decides to go through the garden path. There is a very easy route for making it through the first section. See the image directly below for details.
Jin can use the slack line to cross most of the garden. Before heading out, use the bow to take out the archer on the guard tower. When Jin reaches the end of the rope, look for the crack in the wall that Jin can head through. It’s ok if Jin is briefly spotted, as long as the awareness bar doesn’t turn red.
To reach the Mongols' drink sack, begin by sticking to the left side of the path, against the keep. Head up the little rock retaining wall and take out the lone Mongol (type can change). Climb over the rails to the stairs but do not kill the Mongol at the bottom. Take out the Mongol after crossing the stairs. Head around the hut and watch for a single patrolling Mongol. Wait until he begins to head away from Jin, follow closely behind, and assassinate him just before the opposite end of his route.
Jin will now be very close to the drink sacks, but there are multiple Mongols around it. Jin is going to want to look for the Mongol that goes to the sack, pauses, then heads back. Jin can follow this Mongol, then hide behind the crates just past the drink sack. Do not kill him, but what for him to turn back. When his back is turned, Jin can poison the drink. The second sack is nearby, and Jin can either wait until he is not being watched, or throw a bell to distract the final guard. Once the second sack is poisoned, there is nothing more Jin needs to do. Just wait for the cutscene.
With the Mongols poisoned, Jin can now stroll past the dead and dying enemy, directly into the heart of the keep.
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How to Defeat Ryuzo
When Jin enters the Keep, it is not the Khan he finds, butthe traitor ofGhost of Tsushima,Ryuzo. The duel that begins is one of the more difficult in the game, but with a few tips, it can be easily completed.
Ryuzo fights much like his Straw Hat Ronin, but with several more attacks up his sleeve. Many of these attacks are unblockable, making thePerfect Parrymuch less reliable. Jin’s best option for this fight is to master thePerfect Dodgetechnique, as that will allow for Jin to disrupt Ryuzo’s unblockable combos with a high-damage stab to Ryuzo’s gut.
Ryuzo’s deadliest attack is by far his version of drawing from the sheathed position. While all the Straw Hats do some version of this, Ryuzo’s can be much less predictable in its length. Sometimes he will keep his sword sheathed for what feels like an eternity, and other times, it’ll seem like a flash. The best option here is still the perfect dodge, but timing it right may take practice. If struggling with this technique,consider using theCharm of Mizu-no-Kami,which increases the timing window for perfect parries and dodges.
Another tricky thing about Ryuzo’s fight, is that he likes to close distance fast. He’ll run and bash Jin with an unblockable elbow attack, in an almost ‘dirty’ manner. Watch for these attacks, which also include various kicks. As mentioned above, Ryuzo will chain attacks together, often placing blockable attacks between two unblockable attacks. This is why mastering perfect dodge will be such a help, as relying on the parry will often lead to frustration. But like any difficult boss, do not be discouraged if it takes a few attempts.
Transition into ‘Honor and Ash’
Once Jin is done with Ryuzo,he and Lord Shimura will have a very public falling out. Shimura urges Jin to blame Yuna for turning him into the Ghost, going so far as to suggest they offer up Yuna’s head to the Shogun as punishment for acting without honor. Jin, of course, won’t hear of this. He, just as publicly, tells Shimura that he is not his son, he is the Ghost. It’s clear that the relationship is completely shattered at this point, and nothing can ever be the same between the two. Shimura burns the adoption decree, Jin urges Yuna to run as he is being arrested.
“From the Darkness” does not have a traditional ending title, it simply segues into “Honor and Ash,” which bridges the gap between Acts 2 and 3.
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cutis available now on PS5.Ghost of Tsushimais available on PS4 and PS5.
