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![[GUIDE] Ghost of Yōtei – Essential Things to Do First](https://cdn.gamerbraves.com/2025/10/Ghost-of-Yotei-Essential-Things_Guide_FI.jpg)
Ghost of Yotei throws you into its open world pretty quickly after the opening sequence. With so much freedom from the start, it can be tough to know where to begin. Here are the most important early-game priorities to help you get off to a strong start.
Climb Mount Yotei
Your first major goal should be reaching Mount Yotei itself. The climb is long and involves several parkour sections, but you’ll get two powerful Charms at the top. The most valuable one is the Charm of Mount Yotei, which reduces incoming damage. This Charm is unique because it has five upgrade levels—more than any other Charm in the game. It works well with any playstyle, whether you prefer stealth, ranged combat, or melee fighting.
You can access Mount Yotei right from the first region. Once the game opens up for exploration, check your map for the marked location and start climbing.
Grab These Useful Charms Early
Charm of Kanayago doubles the amount of Common and Rare Metals you collect. Since these materials are needed to upgrade your Armor and Melee Weapons, getting this Charm early makes upgrading much easier. Find it at the Fall’s Rest Shrine in the southeastern part of Yotei Grasslands, just northeast of Shirahige Falls.
Charm of Bountiful Harvest doubles your collection of wood, flowers, and plants. These resources are used for upgrading bows, crafting arrows at campsites, and unlocking new Outfit Dyes. You’ll find this Charm in the northeastern corner of the lake in Shikotsu Woods, also in Yotei Grasslands.
Focus on Weapon and Armor Quests
While you can technically progress through the game without picking up new weapons, it’s not a good idea. Each region’s weapons offer specific advantages for the enemies you’ll face there. For example, in Teshio Ridge, you’ll encounter many shield-wielding enemies and ninjas. The Kusarigama works great here since it’s effective against shields and allows long-range assassinations to counter ambushes.
Make weapon and armor quests a priority—they’ll give you the tools you need to handle different combat situations.
Get the Armor of the Undying
This is one of the best armor sets available early in the game. To start the quest, find Ugetsu the Storyteller near a bear attack site at Storyteller Rest, near Masked Man Quarry in the Ishikari Plain region.
He’ll tell you about the Undying Samurai and send you to collect four sacred chimes. The wind will guide you to their locations. Once you have all four, head to the Undying Samurai’s Lair on the western coast of the Rumoi River and place the chimes to summon him.
Defeat him in a duel to claim his armor. The Armor of the Undying gives you extended windows for Perfect Parry and Dodge, restores health when you stagger enemies, and increases stagger damage during Focus Attacks when your weapon is properly aligned. It makes both attacking and defending significantly easier.
Visit the Cartographer Regularly
Isaburo the Cartographer appears in every safe town across the regions. He sells maps that reveal the locations of Altars of Reflection (where you unlock new Techniques) and Hot Springs (which increase your max health). He doesn’t have all maps available immediately, so check back with him as you explore new areas.
Unlock Perfect Parry Early
Perfect Parry is located under Onryo > Attacks in the Technique menu. While it requires precise timing, a successful Perfect Parry lets you immediately counterattack and heavily stagger enemies. This makes it extremely useful in the early game, especially against tough enemies like Spearmen or sickle users, even before you have the ideal weapon to counter them.
Talk to NPCs
NPCs in Ghost of Yotei often share useful information about side quests, hidden Hot Springs, or Altar locations. These conversations are worth having, so take the time to chat with NPCs you encounter. You might discover something valuable.
Complete Bounties for Coins
Bounties are one of the best ways to earn Coins in Ghost of Yōtei. These missions put you against stronger enemies than normal, and each successful bounty gives you between 750 and 2,500 Coins—a substantial amount, especially early on.
Complete enough bounties and you’ll unlock a special quest to defeat a Special Target. This rewards you with the Bounty Master Armor, which is extremely powerful. It removes Standard Parries, leaving only Perfect Parries (with easier timing), greatly increases Spirit Gains, and lets you perform up to three counterattacks after a parry. It’s one of the strongest armor sets in the entire game.
