Ghost of Tsushima: The Heavenly Strike Walkthrough

One of Ghost of Tsushima's most powerful attacks is the Heavenly Strike, a devastatingly fast swipe that cuts through any defense in a single motion. We'll show you how to unlock it in our Heavenly Strike Mythic Tale walkthrough below.

On this page:

• The Heavenly Strike Walkthrough in Ghost of Tsushima
• How to Find Yasuhira Koga
• How to Beat Yasuhira Koga
• The Heavenly Strike Mythic Tale Rewards
• How to Use the Heavenly Strike Attack

The Heavenly Strike Walkthrough in Ghost of Tsushima

The Heavenly Strike Mythic Tale begins by finding the musician Yamato at the location marked here. Once you find him, he'll explain the context of the quest: that a long time ago a legendary samurai named Shigenori developed a special technique so fast he used it to cut beasts made of lightning, referred to as the Heavenly Strike. The technique was passed down to his family, but now a criminal named Yasuhira Koga intends to force them to teach it to him, working with the Mongols to acquire it.

How to Find Yasuhira Koga

Below we've laid out a step-by-step guide on how to make it through the Heavenly Strike Mythic Tale, including how to find and defeat Yasuhira Koga.

1. After talking to Yamato, follow the markers to a nearby bridge. There'll be a weeping woman beneath it. Talk to her and she'll point you towards Yasuhira's tracks.
2. Follow the tracks to the Mongol camp.
3. Clear the camp of soldiers. It's easier to stealth this area, though combat shouldn't provide too much difficulty. The only troublesome aspect are the archers on the opposite side of the crater - either deal with them first, stealth kill them, or use the huts as cover while you fight the rest. The last thing you want is arrows in the back while you're fighting somebody.
4. Once you've cleared the camp, talk to one of the kidnapped villagers. They'll lead you to the watchtower.
5. Inspect the marked clues, then talk to the peasant woman outside to be directed to the white-leafed tree.
6. This is actually a little tricky - the area you have to search makes it seem like she's directing you to the huge white-leafed tree at the top of Shigenori's Peak, easily visible. In reality, you want to go around the Peak altogether to a grove of white-leafed trees on the opposite side.
7. You'll find a small farm in the grove where Mongols have captured Shigenori's descendant. Save the boy by killing the soldiers - this is one of those fights where combat and stealth are equally viable, especially if you've upgraded your Standoff powers.
8. The boy will tell you his grandfather was taken by Yasuhira to a nearby area called Shigenori's Rest. Head there, but be wary of Mongol checkpoints along the roads. These aren't mandatory, and you can sneak around them if you want.
9. At Shigenori's Rest, you want to head North-East to a small island connected to the mainland by a fallen tree acting as a bridge. Cross the bridge to the island, where there'll be a final crop of Mongol soldiers.
10. These are pretty tough soldiers but stealth isn't easy in a small, confined area like this, so we suggest assassinating as many of them as possible before you're spotted. The big threats are the enemies with huge shields, but they are vulnerable to Water Stance if you've unlocked it.
11. Once you've beaten them all, head to the highest point of the island marked by hundreds of swords sticking out of the ground. There'll be a clue to study in the centre of them all, but be warned - once you inspect it, it'll start a cutscene that automatically leads to the final boss fight, and it's not easy.

If you want all the guides you'd ever need on Ghost of Tsushima, why not check out our full Guides Hub here? Whether it's bosses, collectibles or getting the best armor and weapons, we've got everything you'll need to liberate Tsushima here.

How to Beat Yasuhira Koga

Turns out that Yasuhira has already mastered the Heavenly Strike, and that sets the terms for what to expect - he's an incredibly fast swordsman who can hit you in the blink of an eye. We've laid out some tips on how to beat him below.

• Defense is key in this fight, holding back and waiting for Yasuhira to drop his guard, or throwing him off with a well-timed parry. The latter can stun him briefly, but you'll need to be very quick, as the timing is tiny.
• If you see a red glint, he's about to use the Heavenly Strike, a rapid lunge that cuts straight ahead. It can't be blocked or parried, instead you'll have to dodge. Try using it to strafe around him, rather than leaping back. The range on the attack is significant, but it doesn't really have much width to it.
• The nature of the honorable duel means you can't use items, and you'll want to be in Stone Stance to match his sword fighting. Be patient and wait for your opportunity to attack. Yasuhira is hard to hit, but he doesn't have much health.
• Near the end of the battle when you've significantly weakened him, Jin will have seen the Heavenly Strike enough to be able to do it himself, and you'll get a prompt to hit Circle + Triangle. This is the input for the Strike itself, which will finish off Yasuhira for good and complete the quest.

The Heavenly Strike Mythic Tale Rewards

The big reward for this Mythic Tale is, of course, the Strike itself, which we'll lay out how to use below. You'll also get a Major Legend Increase towards levelling up, and the unique Heavenly Falcon Sword, which redesigns your Katana to have a white, feathery scabbard.

How to Use the Heavenly Strike Attack

The Heavenly Strike can be used at any point after this quest by pressing Circle + Triangle, though it will cost a full circle of resolve to use. It's a fast swipe forward that cuts through any defense, as far as we've discovered, and does massive damage to a single target. It also does bonus damage (a lot of it) to staggered enemies. It can end almost any one-on-one fight instantly, though its significant cost of resolve means you can't use it much in a fight with many people.

Our Ghost of Tsushima content is also pretty heavenly. Why not enjoyMike's review , or check out our interview with Daisuke Tsuji, the voice of Jin Sakai himself.