16 Great Ghost Of Tsushima Builds To Help Handle The Mongol Hordes

Since Ghost of Tsushima has so many charms and armors, it can be tough to determine which are the best ones to use for your playstyle. You can try to focus on your ghost weapons or you can try to focus on stealth.

There are many different ways to play the game, which also means that there are many ways that players can build their character. With that in mind here are some of the best builds to help players take down the Mongols and take back their island.

Updated December 4, 2024, by Hamza Haq: While Ghost of Tsushima doesn’t offer its players as many options and build variety as a traditional open-world RPG, there are more than enough armor variations with different effects and charm combinations to cook up some interesting builds. Jin has access to three main avenues of violence: his trustworthy katana to slice and dice enemies, his reliable long and halfbows to deal damage from afar, and his ghost weapons to take down the Mongols from the shadows, forsaking the samurai code for sheer lethality.

16 Ghost Fear

Kensei Armor + Charm of Versatile Skills

Wearing the Kensei Armor will buff the player’s Ghost Weapon damage by 30% and inflict enemies with two debuffs when struck, causing them to deal half damage and take 50% more damage themselves. The Charm of Versatile Skills does the effects of Minor Charms, which will be paired with the Charm of Fire Doctrine which increases the chance to Terrify nearby enemies when an enemy is burnt.

The Charm of Dual Destruction buffs the chance to deal double damage by 10%, and the Charm of Fleet Foraging grants a 15% chance of Quickfire ammo recovery whenever the player completes a melee kill. Last, the use of both Charms of Fortune increases the percentage buffs from other charms. Together, the elements of this build allow the player to deal extensive damage, terrify enemies, and keep the pressure up with fast ammo recovery, allowing the player to dispense with enemies with ease and breeze through difficult missions.

15 Blood Stagger

Gosaku’s Armor + Charm of Resolve

Using Gosaku’s Armor grants the player a massive health buff, huge increase to Stagger Damage, and restores 20% of the player’s health whenever they kill a Staggered enemy. The Charms used with this are the Charm of Terrifying Aim, Versatile Skills, Charm of Resolve II, Charm of Silence, Charm of Broken Barriers, and Charm of Inari’s Might.

This build provides huge Resolve gains, reduces enemy detection, provides further Resolve when an enemy’s defense is broken, and improves the character’s health and Melee damage. Thanks to the Charm of Terrifying Aim, the player also has a 60% total chance of Terrifying a nearby enemy whenever the player kills an enemy with a headshot. To play this build properly, the goal is to tackle enemies while in the Wind Stance, Super Kick them, Stagger them, and then finish them off before they have the chance to react. When facing multiple opponents, the player can mix in headshots for their Terrifying effect.

14 Smoke And Fire

Ghost Armor + Charm of Versatile Skills

For this build, the player will need to don Ghost Armor, reducing enemy detection speed, reducing the Ghost Stance kill prerequisite, and improving the odds of Terrifying. The charms used are the Charms of Versatile Skills, Fire Doctrine, Inari’s Might, Fleet Foraging, and both Fortune Charms.

Using this build the player can spam Smoke Bombs and then assassinate enemies, since assignation counts as a melee kill and will therefore refill the player’s Smoke Bomb supply, allowing them to chain the process together repeatedly. When the player gets bored of killing in the smoke they can simply attack the enemy directly, since their fire attacks also have a use chance of Terrifying enemies with this build.

13 Offensive Mastery

Gosaku’s Armor + Charm of Dual Destruction

One of the biggest aspects of Ghost of Tsushima is the combat. While some players may be tempted to beef up their defense, others have taken the offensive route. The offensive power of this build comes from the combination of the Charms of Dual Destruction and Charms of Fortune.

These charms work perfectly together to give the player a huge chance to deal double damage. The build is tied together using Gosaku’s Armor. This gives the player health back for killing a staggered enemy, and also increases stagger damage. In the right hands, this build can even one-shot enemies at times.

12 Great Defense

Samurai Clan Armor + Charm of Resistance

Nothing is better than marching into a Mongol camp and having them need to use their full force just to take the player down. Builds around defense typically use the Samurai Clan Armor, which is unlocked from Lady Masako’s questline, and charms that benefit defense while offering some attack bonuses.

The armor reduces all damage by a major amount. Additionally, charms like the resistance charms give major and moderate reductions to damage. Mix these with some health charms like the charm of vitality, and players can be a walking fortress.

11 Tireless Artillery

Tadayori + Charm of Izanagi

One of the most overpowered builds in Ghost of Tsushima is combining the Tadayori Armor with the fully upgraded Charm of Concentration from the Iki Island DLC Archery challenges. In combat, this means that as long as players manage to consistently land headshots within 2 seconds while in Concentration, their Concentration timer will never run out.

In practice, this means that an entire mob of enemies can be dispatched by a skilled archer without them having to move an inch from their position. It is possible to sneak into a Mongol Camp, start shooting while standing amongst literally dozens of enemies, and come out on top. The Charm of Izanagi makes it so that any headshot has a 40% chance to return the arrow, which, in conjunction with two Charms of Fortune, means that players are practically guaranteed infinite arrows. Even armored foes are not safe from the Tireless Artillery because all of these buffs apply to the Longbow as well, which can punch through helmets with ease.

10 Terror Build

Ghost Armor + Charm of Ikazuchi-No-Kami

Terror builds are great for when players want to instill fear in the Mongol hordes and have them running away like they just saw a ghost. For a build like this, players will need the Ghost Armor.

This armor is great because it gives a thirty percent chance to terrify enemies that witness the player kill someone. Stack the charm of Ikazuchi-No-Kami on this, and players will get a fifty-five percent chance of enemies running away from you. Use moves like Heavenly Strike to help further increase the fear factor. Terror builds are simple, yet fun to try out and can lead to some hilarious moments.

9 Last Man Stand

Mongol Commander’s Armor + Charm of Kagu-Tsuchi

The Last Man Stand build in Ghost of Tsushima revolves around using charms and abilities that only activate when Jin is at low health, forcing players to always be at low health for maximum damage. The goal of this build is to always be living on the knife’s edge, refusing to make mistakes and striking enemies down with one swing of the blade instead of in a protracted battle; the core ideals of a samurai.

Kagu-Tsuchi Major Charm makes it so Jin deals a lot more damage when at 50% or less health. It’s best paired with the Charm of Izanami, which allows Jin to recover to 50% health whenever he dies and is revived via Iron Will. The Charm of Fortitude gives a 20% chance to survive lethal damage and comes in handy in many situations. The Charms of Unyielding reduce the amount of damage Jin takes while at 50% or less health. They can be substituted with Resistance Charms, which also reduce incoming damage. The Mongol Commander’s Armor works best with this build thanks to its high health and excellent defenses.

8 The Fire Lord

Ghost Armor + Charms of Fire Doctrine

The Fire Lord build uses charms and the Ghost Armor to terrify enemies more effectively than any other build. This is done by combining the effects of the Charm of Ikazuchi-No-Kami, 2 Charms of Fire Doctrine, and Charms of Fortune I & II.

These charms work together to increase the chance of inflicting Terrify on enemies. When the math is worked out, the chance to Terrify enemies falls around 70%. This effect occurs whenever the player catches an enemy on fire or kills an enemy.

7 Ghost Weapon Mayhem

Kensei Armor + Charm of Hidden Blades

Ghost weapons are something to help players throughout the game and give them an edge, but they can also be useful at taking down enemies without the need for a sword. For this build, players will need the Kensei Armor. This piece can increase ghost weapon damage by up to thirty percent, and decrease enemy damage by up to fifty percent when struck with a ghost weapon.

Mix this with the charms of Hidden Blades, Advantage, and Inari’s might, and players will be doing absurd damage without even needing to draw their sword. The Charm of Advantage increases ghost weapon damage by twenty percent. Put two of these on, and that is an additional seventy percent damage when the armor’s bonus is factored in.

6 Gatherer Build

Traveler’s Attire + Charm of Inari

Since this game has many secrets to discover, fans have taken the time to craft a build for those who want to find every record and Mongol artifact in the game. First, players will need to get the Traveler’s Attire, which is most likely the first armor set they will discover. Then, focus on the charms.

The armor increases the amount of Fog of War that is cleared from the map, while also allowing players to track artifacts using guiding winds. Charms like the Charm of Inari increase the number of resources players pick up. If players want to ignore combat for a while, they can also equip charms that will make it harder for enemies to detect them.

5 Stealth & Assassination

Ronin Attire + Charm of Silence

Many fans of the game want to focus on stealthily kill every enemy they see. They lurk in the shadows and strike when the time comes. This build will help these players become the assassin they have always wanted to be. For this build, players will need the Ronin Attire because of its abilities that reduce enemy detection speed and keep players hidden when leaving pampas grass. The best charm to use with this build is the Charm of Silence, because of its decrease to enemy detection speed.

Players can also equip the Charm of Toxic Demise to make wind chimes release toxic vapors. Furthermore, the charm of Tsukuyomi will make assassinated enemies drop more supplies.

4 Camp Clearer

Sakai Clan Armor + Ikazuchi-No-Kami

Like terror builds, this build focuses on using terror to help clear camps faster, though it isn’t its main focus. It uses a lot of swordplays and focuses on increasing standoff streaks. Get the Sakai Clan Armor from act two and upgrade it so the player’s standoff streak is at its max (5 people). Equip the Charm of Ikazuchi-No-Kami for that terror bonus.

The benefit from terror will help clear out some enemies, but then players must deal with the stragglers. For this, players will want the charms Amaterasu, Well-Being, and Resolve. These will give health back for each kill, increase the player’s resolve gains, and give more health when healed.

3 Stagger Master

Gosaku Armor + Charm of Amaterasu

This is by far one of the best builds to use against bosses. It increases the player’s stagger to amazing levels, so they can easily wipe the floor with many enemies. For this build, players will want to use Gosaku’s Armor because of its increases to stagger damage and health. It also gives players the benefit of gaining health each time they kill a staggered enemy.

Mix in the Charm of Amaterasu and players will gain loads of health from all the stagger kills. Equip the Charm of Bludgeoning to further increase stagger damage. Players will also want the Charm of Shinatsuhiko to further increase stagger potential. It allows for uninterrupted melee attacks for six seconds when staggering an enemy. Top it off with the Charm of Susanoo, to give staggered enemies a thirty percent chance to fall down.

2 Perfect Parry Build

Sarugami Armor + Mizu-no-Kami

Parrying in Ghost of Tsushima is always a double-edged sword. Attempting to do so always puts Jin in a high-risk, high-reward situation. This is because if players get the timing right and the parry succeeds, Jin not only negates the incoming attack but counterattacks with a devastating sword strike in the same motion, but if it fails, it’s a guaranteed hit that can easily be fatal. Perfect parrying is even more difficult to achieve as it requires pixel-perfect timing, requiring the button to be pressed at just the right moment.

Found on Iki Island, the Sarugami set leans into this mechanic, imposing a debuff on Jin that disables regular parries and only allows perfect parries. As a reward, if a perfect parry is performed while wearing the armor set, Jin automatically releases a flurry of blows striking three enemies in one move. Even on Lethal difficulty, this basically means that Jin can clear an entire Mongol camp with three or four perfect parries while the Mongols are grouped around him. The Mizu-no-Kami Charm is a huge help in this build as it widens the window for parries, perfect parries, and perfect dodges.

1 True Warrior

Ronin Attire + Inari’s Might

This is a build for anyone who wants to maximize their damage potential and run headfirst into combat. Gamers will need the Ronin Attire for its thirty percent increase to melee damage.

Add on a few charms like the Charms of Inari’s Might, Ferocity, Nigihayahi-no-Mikoto, and Kagu-Tsuchi to get additional increases the melee damage no matter the player’s level of health. Gamers can round this build-out with a few charms to increase your healing or resolve, but the main focus is melee damage and quick deaths to the Mongol hordes. Equipping the Charm of Takemikazuchi will allow the player to get increased melee damage as well with each kill.