This article is part of a directory: Ghost of Tsushima: Complete Guide and Walkthrough
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As one of the best games in terms of gameplay and graphics of all time, Ghost of Tsushima is bringing players that fully explored the island back with a huge, new, FREE update. Sucker Punch has added a substantial multiplayer aspect to their original product with the Legends mode. They've also doubled down on their initial installment, adding a New Game Plus mode that will entice the same audience that first fell in love with the game to give it a second whirl.

But what is this New Game Plus mode? The description states that the story will start over but upgrades, unlocks, and gear will stay. That's not entirely true, the story begins after the first siege of Tsushima and a few unlocks sneakily do revert back to zero. Also, some magnificent new facets weren't advertised at all. Here is a deep dive into Ghost of Tsushima's New Game Plus that will help players understand exactly what to look forward to (and what to dread) when giving this new mode a shot.

Updated on November 17th, 2021 by Hodey Johns: Ghost of Tsushima is one of those games that can be played again and the world, story, and gameplay do not dim. Thankfully, the New Game Plus option allows players to experience the game all over again without starting completely from scratch. Still, completionists should be warned about what progress does start over again because some parts of the game do start from scratch. Those elements have been added to this article and the existing entries have been reworded so that readers who are scanning the article can find the information they want more clearly.

How To Unlock New Game Plus & What It Is

Ghost Of Tsushima Small Fishing Encampment

Those who haven't yet beaten Ghost of Tsushima need not worry about New Game Plus yet. The mode can only be unlocked after defeating the entire campaign. Not all of the side missions need to be completed and not every collectible needs to be grabbed, but the entirety of the main quest does need to be knocked out as well as the brief battle in the epilogue.

This mode will give players the opportunity to play through the entire game again with the plot completely reset. The rest of this article will get into the exact details as far as what resets and what stays the same, but all gamers should be aware, at the very least, that the missions will start all over, starting right after the events of the initial invasion.

10 Ammo & Currency Are Gone

Ghost Of Tsushima Inventory Screenshot

The awesome tools and techniques in Jin Sakai's arsenal stick around in New Game Plus, so there is nothing to worry about there. The stances and the grappling hook that are normally unlocked through missions are thankfully present right out of the gate. Players can grab their favorite sword and get right into winning all of the game's duels.

What has gone missing, however, is everything in the satchel: No wood, no cloth, no metal, and no goods. No supplies at all. Arrows are also missing, though the bows stick around. The lesson here is to spend everything on gear upgrades before starting a New Game Plus, since the gear stays but the components do not.

9 Map Is Hidden

Ghost Of Tsushima In Game Map With Fog

It's hard to criticize a game at the top of its...uh.. game, but even Ghost of Tsushima has a few very annoying issues that even die-hard fans will admit. One such annoyance is the task of clearing the fog of war.

In New Game Plus, the fog is back in all of its fury. To make matters worse, this includes the fast travel points, so don't think there's any way to zip around quickly and clear it back up. The journey of gathering every weapon in the game will have to be completed either on foot or horseback.

8 Exploration Collection Is Gone

Ghost Of Tsushima Exploration Collection Screen

Although there's a lot of good news in store, it's time to get the bad news out of the way. Vanity Gear, as stated in the description, does indeed stay in the player's inventory, but the progress tracker is back to 0 out of 59. Hopefully some classic memes about the game can help players laugh off some of this understandable anger.

Everything else in Exploration Collection has also been totally cleared. While all of those awesome sword kit skins and other cosmetics can still be equipped right off the bat (Ghost Flowers are the new reward for finding their original locations), getting back to 100% needs to start from scratch.

7 Artifact Collection Is Intact

Ghost Of Tsushima Artifacts Tab Screenshot

Having gotten rid of everything in the other two tabs, things were not looking good for the artifacts. This was the cause of a great deal of dread because some of these trophies are ridiculously hard to find, so recapturing them was not well anticipated. It's much easier to locate all of the archery challenges than to find these rare pieces of history.

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Thankfully, this tab did not suffer as the other two did. The Artifact Collection has been left alone, including the Sashimono Banners and their corresponding saddles. Don't feel the need to scour every battlefield and graveyard, as Sucker Punch decided doing that once is enough.

6 Charms Are Still There

Ghost Of Tsushima Charm Screen

After booting up the game, a few players took to the forums in a rage. Looking at their weapons, they found that all of their Charm slots were empty. The anger of finding out that some of the best charms in the game were removed is understandable.

However, it would have done them some good to take a deep breath and make one more click. While the Charms have been unequipped, they are all still in the inventory along with any other Charm that was collected prior to starting a New Game Plus. This includes the Charm of Inari, so clearing progress on the shrines did not, happily, clear the Charms that they give. All of the animal sanctuary locations are still open for business in this mode, so visiting animal pals will still bring smiles to the faces of visitors.

5 Extra Upgrades

Ghost Of Tsushima Sword Upgrade Screen

Everyone has a favorite armor for Jin Sakai and the debates about which ones are the best and where to find them are fiery. Ghost of Tsushima does a good job of making sure that players of all styles and preferences have armor that fits just right.

Get ready to feel even more snuggly in that favorite armor set, an extra upgrade that doubles most of the previous values is available for most fan favorites. And it's not just armor; katanas, bows, and half-bows also get a bonus upgrade spot!

4 New Horse & Saddle

Ghost Of Tsushima New Game Plus Jin On Horse

Look carefully at the new promotional art for Ghost of Tsushima's New Game Plus mode. This game is already the most photogenic game around thanks to the incredible photo mode. It's easy to be drawn in by Jin Sakai's flamboyant new cape and armor, but don't overlook the fact that players have never seen this horse before

The black horse with a bright red mane and tail is granted at the beginning of New Game Plus, as is that very fresh red saddle. Better yet, Jin Sakai doesn't have to stumble through the fog to find a stable or the saddle vendor; the very first scene depicts the horse and the saddle with Jin riding triumphantly on top.

3 New Charms

Ghost Of Tsushima Jin Sakai Meeting Baku The Voiceless For The First Time

Available for purchase from the new vendor (more on Baku the Voiceless in a bit) are some new and unique Charms. A useful one gives a chance to have lightning strike an enemy after using Heavenly Strike. A different one is purely cosmetic and increases the amount of gore in combat.

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Don't think that all of these new Charms will help out with builds that best tackle the Mongol hordes, though, a few of them actually make it harder. One makes any damage instant death, another eliminates all drops from bodies, and a third doubles resolve costs. Yikes.

2 New Dyes & Gear

Ghost Of Tsushima Gosaku Armor Skin

Ghost of Tsushima is already incredibly historically accurate, and much of this history will meet the modern era with a contemporary color scheme. Baku the Voiceless offers players new gear like hats and face coverings as well as new dyes for that gear (and some new patterns for the old gear too).

Does the game get a little too dark at times? Nothing will brighten up the tragic plotlines, but sneaking around in the shadows might feel a bit more tropical after slapping on some of Baku's brilliant new designs.

1 Ghost Flower Rewards

Ghost Of Tsushima Finding A Ghost Flower In A Field

The community collectively let out a loud groan when they got wind of these new items that required a new kind of flower. Farming flowers once was bad enough, not too many were eager to do it again.

Getting used to the other changes on this list might take a bit of work, but getting Ghost Flowers will be a breeze; they have replaced almost every previously earned reward. Liberate a city? Have some Ghost Flowers. Save someone's son? Ghost Flowers. So look forward to earning them quickly on New Game Plus.

Ghost of Tsushima was released on July 17, 2020, and is available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

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