Ghost of Tsushima: How to Upgrade Your Katana
To make your sword do more damage, you'll need to find a swordsmith or blacksmith to enhance it.
Ghost of Tsushima always gives you a sword at your side, but it won't be long before you need upgrade the damage dealt by your trusty blade. We'll show you how to upgrade your katana and where to find the special swordsmiths who can make it better.
On this page:
- How to Upgrade Your Katana in Ghost of Tsushima
- Swordsmith Locations
- How to Upgrade the Tanto Knife
- Where to Get Steel and Gold
How to Upgrade Your Katana in Ghost of Tsushima
To upgrade your katana in Ghost of Tsushima you'll need to find a swordsmith and provide them with the supplies and gold needed to pay for the next enhancement. The only thing that can be improved about your sword is its damage, though obviously this can make a huge difference as you progress throughout the game and enemies gain more health.
There's a total of six purchasable upgrades for the katana, each one of which increases its damage and costs more than before. The earliest upgrades only require a small amount of supplies and some iron, but later on you'll need much more of both, as well as some steel and gold.
Swordsmith Locations
There are swordsmiths at most of the major villages and towns in Tsushima, though not all of them. The earliest ones you'll come across will be in the Izuhara region, and though more will appear as you free towns from Mongol control later on, there's one who can be found immediately at Golden Temple, in the Northern Ariake province. It'll be marked on your map from the start, so just head there to begin upgrading your sword. There'll be more swordsmiths in further regions as you unlock them.
How to Upgrade the Tanto Knife
You can also upgrade the Sakai Tanto knife at the swordsmith. Though the knife is used only for one-hit-kill assassinations, upgrades speed up your assassinations and make them quieter, lessening the chance you'll be heard or seen. There's only two upgrades for the Tanto, requiring similar costs and payments to the regular sword upgrades.
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.
Where to Get Steel and Gold
To find the rare steel and gold materials for your sword, go to the map and check Mongol camps and occupied cities marked on it, as well as any Tales. By hovering the cursor over them, you'll see the rewards associated with freeing them. In many cases, this will be steel or gold, which can be put towards weapon upgrades.
There's nothing more sharp than USG's Ghost of Tsushima content. Mike's review of the game can be found here, or check out our interview with Daisuke Tsuji, voice of Jin Sakai, to hear about the challenges around Asian-American representation in games and how things could be improved.