Storytelling has been a crucial component to humanity as a whole, whether these stories be sung by bards or brought to life by actors.
In the case ofGhost of Tsushima, the musicianYamatobrings stories through the existence ofMythic Tales.
There are countless different Tales throughout the game, whether it beJin Sakai’spersonal journey or through the needs of Tsushima’s inhabitants.
Mythic Tales, in particular, are adventures born from legends, almost always resulting in an incredible reward (after an equally incredible experience).
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Yamato’s stories are excellent, perfectly capturing the legends in all of their glory to where Jin, intrigued, investigates each one.
There are a total of nine Mythic Tales, marked distinctly blue on the map, with seven on the main island of Tsushima and two on theIki Island DLC.
While each Mythic Tale is immensely memorable, with traditional sumi-e paintings illustrating each story and wonderful exploration. However, some of these Tales are just too good to go unmentioned.
11The Legacy of Kazumasa Sakai
A Tale of Cycles and Honor
Prerequisite
Journey into the Past
The Legacy of Kazumasa Sakaiis one of the twoIki IslandMythic Tales, and it has a unique detail that none of the others incorporated: Jin cannot be wearing theSakai Clan Armorin order to begin. Given Iki Island’s history with the Sakai Clan, it makes sense.
The hostility towards Jin is emphasized in this Tale since, unlike in Tsushima, the hatred here is personal, from the hands of Kazumasa Sakai, Jin’s father. In fact, it’s through the inhabitants of Iki Island that Jin’s father is killed in the first place as an icy cold dish of revenge.
This Tale, unfortunately, focuses more on Kazumasa’s horse rather than him directly. Specifically, this horse’s impenetrable armor. However, the themes of legacy and breaking the cycle of senseless violence are still strong.
The steps to getting theSakai Horse Armoritself are a bit frustrating, especially since it requires eavesdropping on alert and hostile inhabitants.That said, the horse armor allows Jin to charge right into crowds with a charge attack, staggering enemies and outright killing others.
While it’s cool and fun to play with, the game isn’t built around horse combat, so it ends up not getting much use other than initiating a fight in the first place.
9The Undying Flame
Spice Up Jin’s Katana … Literally
Honor and Ash
The Undying Flameis typically the last Mythic Tale that players complete, as it’s the only new one that opens up inAct III(Kamiagata Region). Even more specifically, it’s on the frigid Mount Jogaku in the Jogaku prefecture.
Jin stumbles upon Yamato at the base of the mountain, freezing until Jin lights the campfire. After he warms up, he shares the legend of the Way of the Flame ability, and how all that remains of it is in Bettomaru’s dojo on the top of Mount Jogaku. There’s only one problem: it’s so cold that it’s deadly.
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Just like mountaineering in the real world, trekking up the mountain is a nearly lethal endeavor, with the cold seeping into the skin and cutting through the lungs. Unfortunately, also like real mountaineering, it’s incredibly easy to get lost and die, especially if Jin doesn’t warm up by a fire in time.
The Way of the Flame ability (which allows Jin to light his katana on fire) itself is worth the hike, sure, but it’s introduced far too late in the game that it really only finds usage in the final Tales and inNew Game+.
That said, it’s wicked fun to fight fire with fire. All Jin needs is incendiary oil, and suddenly, fire spreads along the pampas grass to everyone standing within it.
8The Unbreakable Gosaku
Introducing the Farmsteads
A New Horizon
Upon beginning Act II (Toyotama Region), the Izuhara Region is suddenly under harsher attack by the Mongols. Specifically, they’re targeting farmsteads, breweries, and fishing villages — and with that, the Mythic TaleThe Unbreakable Gosakuis unlocked.
Yamato tells the story about a farmer named Gosaku who bravely fought off a deadly group of bandits in a set of stolen samurai armor.
Impressed by his courage, the spirit of the samurai guided him, and he was able to come out victorious. Years later, after he died, the farming families locked away the armor, with each farmstead holding a key for the right time.
From there, Jin has to collect six keys from six farmsteads: Aoi Village, Iijima Farmstead, Yuta Farmstead, Koshimizu Farmstead, Omaha Fishing Village, and Yagata Farmstead. Liberating each territory will result in the family giving Jin a key; and, after collecting all six, he’s able to hunt down and claim the armor.
Jin is then able to claimGosaku’s Armor, which is an incredible armor set for the game that focuses on Staggering enemies and tackling them head-on. It’s a fun Tale with an equally fun reward, it just takes players a decent amount of time to finish.
7The Legend of Tadayori
An Archer’s Ideal Tale
One of the first Mythic Tales available after starting the main story (and the stories of a few different characters), The Legend of Tadayori is an awesome experience for archers. It revolves around the search for Tadayori’s Armor, which is an ideal set for archery challenges.
This tale involves finding Tadayori’s Rest, which isone of the most beautiful areas in the entire game. Tracking violet flowers across a stunning mountainside, players finally encounter his grave site, along with other prominent members of the Nagao Clan. Afterward, Jin has to duel the last living descendant,Kaede, before she reveals where Tadayori’s Armor could be found.
While archery isn’t the central focus of the game, it can be used extensively, and it’s incredibly handy for stealth kills from a distance. Plus, as Jin’s skills continue to evolve, the possibilities with archery continue to expand from there.
It’s simple and fun, a great starting Tale for those getting the hang of the game (and of their bow).
6The Spirit of Yarikawa’s Vengeance
The Ghost vs The Spirit
Sometimes, Mythic Tales don’t always reward with armor sets and weapon enhancements. Sometimes, they allow Jin’s skill with the blade to evolve, to where he’s practically a yokai in combat.
In the case of The Spirit of Yarikawa’s Vengeance, it grants the Dance of Wrath ability, which is a devastatingly lethal blow to any poor soul caught in the crossfire. Plus, this Tale is introduced around the same time as Jin’s Journey in Yarikawa, so everything feels fresh.
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This tale involves following the alleged Spirit of Yarikawa and its various targets. Indicated by white smoke at an altar, Jin eventually becomes a target himself and must face off against the Spirit in a Duel. With all the citizens of Yarikawa watching, eagerly anticipating the winner, it’s no surprise that Jin comes out on top.
This Tale is unique and fits wonderfully with Jin’s narrative in Yarikawa. Plus, doing this Tale before beginning Jin’s Journey in Yarikawa offers some unique dialogue, so it shouldn’t be missed.
5The Heavenly Strike
The First Mythic Tale
The first ever Mythic Tale that became available to players is the Tale of the Heavenly Strike, which is still one of the most useful abilities in the entire game. The Tale revolves around searching for a former samurai-now-murderer, Yasuhira Koga, and learning his deadly Heavenly Strike ability.
Since it’s the first Mythic Tale, it’s not too difficult, but it does provide a decent challenge with searching for the white flowers to hunt him down. Thankfully, it’s all relatively close, easy for players to understand how these Tales tend to go.
Upon facing off and dueling with Koga, Jin is able to learn the ability in the middle of combat, allowing him to adapt and show off his new sword tricks. Of course, this means Koga won’t be killing anybody anymore, and the Mongols' progress is pushed back some more.
This Mythic Tale is just iconic, and the Heavenly Strike is a fantastic ability that only uses a single Resolve. It’s definitely something players should obtain as soon as they can.
4The Curse of Uchitsune
Implementing Yokai is Intriguing
The last remaining Mythic Tale in the Izuhara region is also one of the most visually unique and stunning: The Curse of Uchitsune. To put it bluntly, this Tale is just outright cool, especially with the reoccurring Tengu yokai motifs.
This Tale involves searching for Uchitsune’s Longbow, which is said to be cursed. A man in a Tengu mask (referred to as a demon in the game) continuously tries to sabotage Jin’s attempt at finding it, but it doesn’t work, resulting in a Duel.
This Duel is hands down one of the coolest in the whole game, with hundreds of birds flying around them both, entrapping them in a circle tinted blood-red. Apart from Legends, this is the closest we get in the game to fighting any yokai, which makes it all the more memorable.
Plus, the Longbow is incredibly powerful for those who utilize archery. With exploding arrows and heavy arrows that pierce through armor, it’s no wonder that by the end of the game, Jin is considered a yokai himself.
2The Legend of Black Hand Riku
Pure Monkey Business
The Legend of Black Hand Riku is the best Mythic Tale for theIki Island DLC. It’s available after finding Fune’s Refuge, when Jin is able to overhear Kashira telling one of his legendary stories.
With heavy themes of piracy, the Legend of Black Hand Riku is full of action and fun, rewarding the incredible Sarugami Armor, which isone of the best armor sets in the game. This armor set increases the Perfect Parry and Perfect Dodge windows, preventing Jin from ever tanking a hit again.
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Exploring a deep, dark cave is also an exciting experience, sifting through the winding walls and echoing water droplets. It feels like treasure hunting in that regard, with actual treasure at the end of your efforts.
Of course, claiming the armor doesn’t end the quest, it invites Kashira and his henchmen to try and steal it for themselves, and it’s the perfect opportunity to test out these neat new abilities. Just saying, they never saw the katana coming.
