As you explore the Island of Tsushima, you will come across lots of resources. Things like bamboo, Iron and other similar materials. The game is pretty awesome in that it doesn’t make you go through slow animations to pick things up. After a few hours, you will finally find some uses for all of the resources you have been collecting.
Upgrading your gear is the primary use for all of the materials you find. Generally, each of the upgrade merchants will focus on a specific type of material. They all share the same requirement for generic supplies, however. This means you need to keep a lookout for those orange sacks which I initially thought were pumpkins.
What is the best armour to upgrade?
There are quite a few armour sets in this game. You will notice after you have a few that armour in this game does not function as it does in regular games. Rather than them granting you a set number of defence points, each piece will give you some bonuses like faster draw speed with a bow. There are some which will give you a bonus to defence, however, but it isn’t a standard across them all.
I am sure I did not find every single piece of armour in the game, but I did find a lot. Some of these were legendary pieces that required long quests to obtain. There wasn’t a piece of armour that was a real standout for everyone to use.
Each piece of armour works for different ways in which people could play the game. If you prefer stealth, it makes sense to use a piece of armour that benefits this. If you like using bows, use a piece of armour that benefits this. The best suit of armour in the game is the one that works with your play style. There is no blanket answer for this.
When it comes to deciding which one to upgrade, you are best off waiting for a while until you have a few sets of armour. Pick the one that is a stand out best for your play style. Once you have one that benefits you best, start upgrading it. The resources for upgrading armour are not the most common, so it is best not to spend your resources upgrading whichever one you have equipped. Focus on the one you like the best.
Upgrading your Katana
The Katana is going to be your primary killing weapon. When you go to a weaponsmith, you will be able to purchase upgrades for your Katana and dagger. You should try to upgrade these whenever possible. There is no need to save resources. You will not be finding new swords in this game. The katana you have at the start of the game is the one that will last you for the entire game.
The early upgrades for the Katana and dagger will both require resources like Iron which are fairly common. Later on, you will start to see steel and further on gold as a resource. Steel is found in Mongol camps but gold is far rarer.
Where to find Gold for Katana Upgrades?
The advanced upgrades for your Katana will require you to have some gold. Depending on how you have been playing, you may have found no gold at all by now. Gold is not a resource you will find lying around the place as you do with steel and Iron. Gold is rare!
The best way to get gold in this game is to check the game’s map. Look for Mongol camps and events on the map. When you hover over them, you will see what you get for completing them. Quite often, a random Mongol camp on the map will give you a reward of gold for liberating it.
When you need some gold, just complete one or two of these camp liberations and you will get a piece of gold, simply for completing the quest. Gold is rare, but since the katana is the only sword you need to worry about upgrading, you can spend it all as soon as you get it.
Upgrading Bag Capacity
Unless you are saving supplies for the next big Katana upgrade, you should try to get as many of these as you can. Regular arrows are something you will use a lot. They are very helpful for stealth and they get a one-shot kill if you hit the enemy in the head.
Upgrading your bags will increase the capacity of arrows, bombs, Kuni and various other items that you have in your inventory. You will need to use supplies and predator hides in order to purchase these upgrades.
Where do you get predator hides?
It is weird that you can only use hides from predators and not just any animal hides to purchase bag upgrades. To get these hides, you will need to go out and hunt aggressive animals. Hogs, dogs and bears are the primary animals you need to kill to get pelts in this game.
If you are running on the horse and see a paw print icon come up on the screen, it means a predator is nearby. Sometimes you might even come across a bear fighting some Mongol soldiers. Kill the bear to get some predator hides.
The pigs/hogs are common too but they run away from you when you find them. They are usually in groups of three and split up when you spook them. If you slow downtime with the bow, you can often kill all three if you spot them before they split up.
Dogs are common in Mongol camps. They tend not to drop many hides, sometimes they drop none at all. You should pick up a few as you make your way through the story without going out hunting at all.
What are Flowers For?
This is a question I still have. I have found 98 flowers and completed the game. I havn’t found anything to spend them on yet. They must be important as they have their own part in the games menu. If anyone knows what these are used for, please share in the comments below.
