Even though Ghost of Tsushima is not as hard as games like Nioh and Sekiro, you may need some help in order to get a feel for the combat.
This is just a helpful tips guide for any beginners that may have found themselves playing Ghost of Tsushima which has just come out. Below are just a few things that will help you with combat.
Parrying And Blocking
One of the most important things to do in this game is blocking and parrying. In order to block, all you need to do is press the L1 button on the DualShock 4 controller.
You can hold the button to block, or you can parry. Parrying requires you to press L1 at the right time in order to open an opportunity for you to strike.
If you see a blue light on an enemy, this means you should press L1 and parry their attack. If you get the timing right, you can do this all the time and it feels great!
Dodging
Aside from blocking and parrying, another thing you need to know is avoiding attacks by pressing the circle button. If you press the circle button twice, you can make Jin Sakai do a dodge roll like in the Dark Souls games.
You will need to dodge unblockable attacks from time-to-time. Unblockable attacks are indicated by a red light so this will give you time dodge. Much like parrying, dodging at the right time is important in combat.
Stances
At the start of the game, Jin Sakai only has access to the Stone Stance. To do this, hold R2 and press X. The Stone Stance is helpful to combat enemies using swords only.
When you level up, three more stances become available to Jin Sakai. The next step is the Water Stance. Use this by holding R2 and pressing Circle. The Water Stance is helpful against enemies with shields. Just spam the Triangle button and shield guys will stumble.
Enemies with Spears are hard to combat at the beginning of the game, but they become much easier once you unlock the Wind Stance. Once unlocked, hold R2 and press the Triangle button. Using this stance, pressing triangle enables Jin Sakai to use an overhead attack and this always gets them!
Lastly, the final stance is called the Moon Stance. The Moon Stance is best used when you encounter Brutes (any big dude). Hold R2 and press Square to do this stance. In this stance, I usually like to super kick Brutes using Triangle. If you use this many times, this will give you an opening to finish them off!
Arrow Bad Guys
Bow and arrow bad guys are usually the easiest to kill because they usually cannot block your attacks. But if they get you with arrows, you should upgrade for a technique early that allows you to block arrows by pressing the L1 button.
Anyway, we hope this is a helpful guide for you to continue your journey in Ghost of Tsushima. Good luck to you all!
