Best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners

With the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners, taking on Mongol hordes should be a fairly easy affair. Although Jin Sakai is an extremely skilled swordsman, the relentless waves of enemies sometimes require more than just wildly swinging your katana at them. Stances and skilled maneuvers go a long way in your liberation mission.

This guide offers some of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners, from mastering the stances to utilizing elements of stealth.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinions.

Top 5 Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners

Here are some of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips that every beginner should look out for. While these will not make you overpowered, following these will grant you significant advantage in this title.

1) Max out Standoff and Assassination skills

Maxing out Standoff is one of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Access on YouTube)

You should max out your Standoff and Assassination skills as early as you can in Ghost of Tsushima. Invest your technique points in these skills early on to gain a significant advantage over enemies.

Initially, you will be able to take down only one enemy with the Standoff skill. However, gradually upgrading it will allow you to chain up to three enemies in a standoff right at the beginning of the fight. This will also quickly fill up your resolve meter (more on this later in the article).

Additionaly, the Assassination skill will let you chain up to three kills if you prefer the stealthy approach, similar to the stealth assassinations in Assassin's Creed titles.

Read more: All Shinto Shrines in Ghost of Tsushima

2) Keep an eye out on your Resolve

Keep an eye out on your Resolve (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Access on YouTube)

One of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners is to keep an eye out on the Resolve. Represented by yellow discs above the health bar, Resolve is used for special abilities, like the life-saving healing technique and even some special moves (like the Heavenly Strike).

Defeating and parrying enemies in Ghost of Tsushima, as well as performing assassinations and standoff executions are all great ways to build Resolve. Upgrading your skills early can also boost your Resolve gain.

A full Resolve meter can turn the tide of battle and can even be used to eliminate Mongol leaders in a flash.

3) Master stances

Utilizing stances properly is one of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Access on YouTube)

Stances are a useful mechanic that gives you a significant advantage over enemies in this title. There are four stances, and each one is effective against a specific enemy:

Stone Stance - This is the default stance and works well against swordsmen.
Water Stance - Useful against enemies with shields.
Wind Stance - Makes short work of spear-wielding enemies.
Moon Stance - Extremely effective against brute enemies.

Not all stances are available by default, and you will need to unlock them by defeating enemies gradually. It is not necessary to use stances against enemies, but they do provide advantages and can open up unique combat mechanics, making it one of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners.

4) Take out ranged enemies first

Take out ranged enemies first (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Access on YouTube)

This one's a given, but one of the best Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners is to take out ranged enemies first. These ranged archers can be annoying and chip away at your health while you are busy fighting the Mongol hordes.

You can either use your own ranged weapons like the bow and arrow to take down these squishy enemies, or you can opt for an aggressive, head-on charge and slash them, ensuring some stray arrow doesn't take you out amid a crucial battle.

Also read: Ghost of Tsushima: Top 5 tips to make you overpowered early in the game

5) The high-ground advantage

High ground advantage lets you scan the area (Image via Sony Interactive Entertainment || PlayStation Access on YouTube)

Utilizing the element of stealth is one of the most important Ghost of Tsushima combat tips for beginners. While slashing away with a katana might seem like an exciting way to take on enemies, taking the stealthy route in certain scenarios is often the better choice. Most buildings in the game are scalable, and it is advised you climb atop these and scan the area to plan your stealthy attack.

Scanning the area from a high ground is especially useful in missions where you need to save prisoners, as it lets you gauge the area effectively, for both enemies and assassination opportunities. Another reason to stay on high grounds is, well, aerial assassinations, straight from the books of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed, where you jump down like Ezio to impale a Mongol with a katana.

Final thoughts

Ghost of Tsushima offers a an interesting combat system that rewards mastering different mechanics. While directly confronting enemies is an option, don't forget the power of stealth and strategy. By following these tips, you'll be well on your way to becoming a formidable Samurai.

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