Ghost of Tsushima can be unforgiving even for veteran players. Combat is fast-paced and intense, especially on higher difficulties. The Mongol force will test a player's ability to read and react effectively every time they come face-to-face. Thankfully, Jin Sakai has some samurai tricks up his sleeve that make things easier.
How To Parry
The most crucial combat skill for players to master is the parry. Parrying is simple enough, but being able to do it consistently is often the difference between life and death. To parry, players simply need to hit the block button (L1) the instant before an attack connects. While this may seem a bit dangerous, Ghost of Tsushima provides a lot of incentives to attempt this defensive technique.
Benefits of Parrying
Counters
Samurai armor is a necessity in Ghost of Tsushima, but it cannot stop everything. Parrying is a warrior's best friend, and it comes with a host of benefits. For starters, it makes enemies easier to defeat. Each enemy has a secondary meter under their health that indicates their posture. If this posture meter is filled, it will shatter and cause the enemy to be staggered. This leaves them wide open for a devasting blow. The best way to fill this meter is to parry the enemy's incoming attacks. On Tsushima, good defense leads to great offense.
Parrying can also provide much needed relief in the midst of combat. Ghost of Tsushima's Mongol hordes can be a challenge to take down, but with the right upgrades, Jin's best defensive maneuver becomes an equalizer. In the "Techniques" upgrade screen, there is an entire upgrade path dedicated to incentiving parries. The "Perfect Parry" upgrade rewards players that parry at the last possible moment with an opportunity for a single deadly counterattack.
Stopping Unblockable Attacks
If players continue to upgrade their parrying skill tree, they will be able to stop some normally unblockable attacks such as spear thrusts and heavy sword swings. This even extends to arrows eventually, though players should still take care to avoid the flaming variant.
Healing and Resolve Gain
Finally, parrying successfully can heal players and give them Resolve. When paired with the proper Ghost of Tsushima charms, players can get a substantial health boost that can be a lifesaver in tough situations. Jin can become insanely strong just by learning to parry, making it a truly invaluable skill.
Parrying is an essential skill that comes with whole host of benefits. If players want to liberate the island of Tshushima from Mongol clutches, they will have to master this technique that is the perfect blend of offense and defense.
Ghost of Tsushima is available now on PS4 and PS5.