[Malankazooie]

Damn you speed runners! I think I'm quite a bit behind you guys. I'm obsessive about clearing out any grey on the map, consequently I've done a lot of those little ambient quests you get when you free a prisoner from a traveling Mongol party you may happen upon. In fact, I think I may have done all of those types of quests because now when I free a prisoner, they just offer me something (not sure what that 'something' is though because it doesn't really have any indicator for what I am gifted, as I recall). I've done a lot of haiku, found a lot of resting hot springs, found a lot of fox dens. Oh, there's a shrine that says I don't have a required item that prevents me from completing it, I'm guessing I need to acquire that rope swing thingy I've seen in game play demos before the game was released? On the main island that you start on, I think I have pretty much cleared out everything, so I can really push forward the main story and some of the other significant quests. Playing the way I have, I've upgraded the hell out of my gear and items, and I've applied a nice amount of skill points.

[Traveller]

Nah I'm right down the bottom of the first island doing side quests. I found that shrine, think you need the grapple for it, the one that presumably gets made in the forge for getting into Kaneda.

[Malankazooie]

Ah, ok, but now I am worried. I think my play through may be bugged, because I went to the forge, it even displays that "Mongol occupied" message, but it was a ghost town, there were absolutley no people there.. Maybe I need to trigger a specific quest that sends me there? At which point it will be a bustling Mongol stronghold?

[Traveller]

Yeah I think it leads on from the earlier one where you free the blacksmith. Once he's out, you all head to the forge and find it occupied. And once you get it working, the mongols invade it again and you get to defend.

I keep feeling sidetracked, as each mission requires several subplots to resolve it.

Feel like I'm missing out on points as I keep killing leaders without even seeing them beforehand to study them. I've even got one or two in a standoff.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 27 July 2020 - 05:39 PM

[Malankazooie]

Ok, yeah, I figure I needed to continue the quest line. Masako's icon quest indicators appear at two different locations on my play through. I was all like "how the hell is that possible?!", but I guess I need to initiate them into action to get what they are doing with that?

For the observing leader thing, what I do is first check the objectives for the encampment, one of the objectives is will be to observe the leader. Then I will maneuver around the the camp, making sure to head shot any archers high up on platforms with my bow so they don't spot me. As I sneak around the outside, I listen for the tell tell sign of a leader exerting himself as he works out practicing his fighting style. Then look for a gap or some other sneaky way to get in and ease up using cover and watch that crazy mo-fo go through his paces. Using the Photo Mode here can provide some ideas also, but some may think that cheats the experience. I also have found myself just saying "eff it!" and killing the leader (with other Mongols) without the observation point. I've fully upgraded my bow and I found the Taydori armor from that mythic quest for archery benefit. I can pretty much head shot a band of Mongols on the roads without drawing my katana. I love the fire arrows too. I'll shoot the horse beneath a Mongol and watch the horse become the hot coals to a Mongol barbecue.



I'm a terrible person.

[Traveller]

I've infiltrated camps the same way, hunted down the leader and observed them before offing them.

The ones I mean are when you approach a gate, get a standoff prompt, and then the guy you kill is a leader. Also during the invasion of the forge I just killed a big guy with a shield; he was leading the attack I guess so no chance to single him out before hand.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 27 July 2020 - 07:20 PM

[Traveller]

Wow, the duel in the thunderstorm was just beautiful.

Followed by recruiting the strawhat ronin - great moment where they're both ambushed and they stand back to back like Rey and Kylo... and then banter throughout the fight scene.

Just ambushed a travelling group, two on horses, the rest a combination of spear and swords. Absolutely took them apart. Its great to be the most dangerous thing on the island.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 27 July 2020 - 10:13 PM

[Malankazooie]

Love the Straw Hat Clan introduction. Still working on that quest line. It really pays homage and respect to samurai cinema with how it's introduced. So cool.

I really dig the duels also. Great connection in recognizing the cross-pollination of samurai cinema and westerns.

About your experience with some of the leaders, it was my understanding that not all of them had the observe to get stance point mechanic, so the ones where you meet via a stand off, and such, do not have that reward available. I could be wrong though.

BTW, the stand offs are fun, but they kind of get repetitive. I've fudged some just to see what happens. It does make the encounter more challenging. The Mongols are battle encourged, instead of on their heels by watching me strike down their best.

[Traveller]

Are you on hard mode? It definitely makes the stand off more interesting. I've got the double kill upgrade now which also livens things up.

Took a bunch of pictures tonight, there are just so many moments that need recording as they are just.. sublime.

This post has been edited by Traveller: 27 July 2020 - 10:44 PM

[Malankazooie]

It's not a typical difficulty arrangement Sucker Punch went with > Easy - Normal - Hard

Ghost of Tsushima has three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. Easy is described as being for players who just want to experience the story "with minimal challenge." Normal is the mode for players who are looking for "a well-rounded gameplay experience" while still receiving a "moderate challenge" in combat. Hard, the third and final difficulty setting, is described as the mode "for players unafraid of death who are brave enough to face the ultimate challenge."

I have been playing on Normal this whole time, but I rarely have come up against anything that has pushed me, challenge wise (even duels). It's an odd setup only having three. I'm more used to Easy - Normal/Medium - Hard - Nightmare/Survivor. Every game I've ever played, I always go with "Hard" in this more typical format, because I want a challenge, but not nightmare or survior level, as I think that is for a second play through when you've mastered all the game nuances. I think I might switch to Hard and give it a go.

[Aptorian]

I think I might want to try out hard mode.

I'm currently running around with maxed out weapons and armor and 99% og the upgrades. I'm destroying whole garrisons now. Even with the new harder enemy types in Act 2 it has become very easy.

I love the power fantasy though.

By the way have any of you guys let the game idle on the start menu, with the sword in the grass? The music is great.

[Malankazooie]

With the update released yesterday, a new difficulty level was introduced - Lethal.

I upped my difficulty to Hard. It's not overbearing at all. I noticed during standoffs sometimes the enemy will feint. I got caught by one or two at first, but now it's pretty much a no brainer like it was on Normal mode. The enemies are faster in pursuit in Hard mode. I found myself being poked by spearmen when I was trying give my attention to archers. In Normal mode, I could create some space and it would take longer for the spears and pole axes, et. al to reach out and touch me.

There's a YouTube video, I think on the ACG Gaming channel, of hours on the start menu. It's pretty cool.

I did that shrine that is out on the island (upper right on map), forget the name of it, it was probably the coolest puzzle to reach of any of the ones I've completed so far, really cool. I learned a new flute song (crickets!). I've unlocked all the charm slots (fox dens, right?). Ready to push forward now in main story.

[Traveller]

Camping near the beach with the kids tonight so I'll miss my evening runaround.

[Aptorian]

Oh no! I just came upon a fox altar that had been desecrated and the fox killed!

Death is too merciful a sentence for these criminals. The hunt has begun!

[Traveller]

Aptorian, on 29 July 2020 - 03:27 PM, said:

Oh no! I just came upon a fox altar that had been desecrated and the fox killed!

Death is too merciful a sentence for these criminals. The hunt has begun!

What?! This is awful! Heads should roll for this outrage.

[Malankazooie]

I've shot the Mongol Eagles before they've taking flight from their Mongol masters, so this fox murder must be their response to that atrocity. If I find evidence of golden bird massacre, than all bets are off under the Geneva Convention for war time engagement. It will be absolute Mongol bloody extinction, perpetrated by me.

[Traveller]

Unless it's that one at the forge; its lead me repeatedly to a gap under the forge where I found a load of supplies - also there's a flower if you walk up the water troughs. Nothing else there, ive collected it! But every time I pass by the bird is back saying look! Look!

This post has been edited by Traveller: 29 July 2020 - 06:43 PM

[Aptorian]

I believe that there is a flag or a ribbon hidden on the rafters under the roof. You have to jump through a hole in the roof if I remember the location correctly.

[Aptorian]

Just finished Act 2. It's not the best writing or storytelling I've seen but it sure delivers a sucker punch or two (ha, get it!?). That's a dark, grim middle chapter that sets up the final confrontation well.

[Malankazooie]

BTW, Protip: crawling under the houses and places is a great way to get resources. If you find a specific resource type, linen for example, just outside a house, and there is a spot to crawl under, take it, you will find more of that same resource type underneath.

Finally, this is something weird that happened to me. So, I bow a lot. I bow at the dead lying around the country side, I bow at the survivor camps, I bow at shrines, the game has really immersed me into that cultural thing, and I do it all the time. I saved a prisoner, and released him, he thanked me and gave me a reward (the reward btw is just a small increase in experience...figured that one out finally), but this time when I swiped down to iniatiate the bow gesture, instead of bowing I reached in my flowing traveler armor and I briefly held up and dropped a violet flower, which dissipates into nothing. Have you guys experienced this?