Charms are special trinkets that grant Atsu small bonuses that can enhance certain playstyles. Here are our recommendations for the five charms that we recommend picking up early to get you through the first handful of hours of Ghost of Yotei.

Ghost of Yotei offers players a variety of charms that enhance combat and gameplay. This guide highlights five of the most beneficial charms to collect early in the game, providing details on their locations, effects, and upgrade requirements.

The featured charms include the Charm of Mount Yotei for damage reduction, Takezo's Charm of Renewed Determination for spirit restoration, the Mother's and Father's Charms for boosting arrow damage and health recovery, the Charm of Thoughtful Restoration for increased maximum health, and the Charm of Amenowaka Hiko for generating spirit with headshots. The guide also explains how to obtain and upgrade each charm, encouraging exploration and participation in various in-game activities.

Ghost of Yotei: The 5 best charms to get early

Ghost of Yotei is packed with items and techniques that make combat more fun and manageable. Hi, I'm Ariel Danden from the Guides team. I've been playing non-stop, clocking nearly 100 hours, and today I'm breaking down the top 5 charms you should grab early in your adventure. Charms are special items that give Atsu perks and enhance your techniques. You'll find them by honoring shrines, following foxes, taking part in challenges, and more. Charms require clever exploration or puzzles, so keep your spyglass handy and always check higher ground. Many shrines are just waiting in plain sight. The charm of Mount Yotei is one of the best early game pickups. It reduces all incoming damage by a small amount at first, and can be upgraded all the way to level 5. I recommend taking a day to thoroughly comb through the game to look for any reliquaries you may find, since this is how you upgrade your charm. A lot of them are hidden in plain sight, but if you're in doubt, always follow the yellow bird. To obtain the charm of Mount Yotei, head east from Jade Grove toward the Reliquary of Courage. On the way, a yellow bird will guide you the rest of the distance. Once there, you'll need to solve a reliquary puzzle. Turn all the statues to face Mount Yotei. Completing it rewards you with the charm, and upgrading it later will make it one of your strongest defensive tools. Unlike others, this charm doesn't require puzzle solving. Just a fight. Head for the Dueling Tree north of Mount Yotei Shrine, where you'll face a disciple of Takezo. Defeat him, and you'll earn Takezo's Charm of Renewed Determination, which restores a small amount of spirit whenever you take damage. After the fight, storyteller Ugetsu will appear and hint at more of Takezo's disciples scattered across the land. Hunt them down for additional challenges and rewards. You'll actually get the Mother and Father's Charm together just below the Dueling Tree where you fought the disciple. Follow the Torii Gates up the shrine path, and at the top, bow to receive both charms. The Mother's Charm boosts arrow damage. To upgrade it to level 3, you'll need to learn two new Shamisen songs. To learn Shamisen songs, you can go on a multitude of quests, like completing any four wolf dens, or completing Talk with the Shamisen Traveler at his campsite near one of the Ezo Roads. You can also follow yellow birds to spots where you can learn new songs as well. There are many scattered throughout the world. The Father's Charm restores a small amount of health on perfect parries. To strengthen it, complete five Sumi-e paintings, which can be found by looking for a rock with yellow flowers coating it. It's rare to pick up two strong charms so early, and both complement different playstyles, ranged or defensive. The Charm of Thoughtful Restoration is tied to hot springs, and you'll get it automatically at your very first one, no matter which hot spring you visit. For me, it was the Wild Clearing hot spring, though yellow birds can lead you to others as well as map fragments or by spotting the billowing steam while out in the world. The Charm grants, at first, a small boost to your maximum health and can be upgraded to level 3. Get to level 3 by simply visiting eight new hot springs. And by maxing out all three levels, Atsu gains a major increase to maximum health. Since hot springs are plentiful, this is one of the easiest and most reliable charms to enhance early on. For the final charm on this list, head to Blooming Ridge Shrine, located northeast of the Wild Clearing hot spring. Be ready for some tricky platforming and steep climbs along the way. The shrine rewards you with the Charm of Amenowaka Hiko, which gives your headshots a moderate chance to generate spirit. While this one doesn't have upgrades, it's an excellent offensive charm for bow users. It adds great utility in combat in combination with a ranged skill, Concentration. It slows time when using a ranged weapon. To use Concentration, press R3 while aiming. And those are five powerful charms I recommend grabbing early in Ghost of Yotei. More will become available as you progress, so keep exploring shrines, follow those foxes, and don't shy away from duels. For more tips and guides, check out our growing wiki over at IGN.com. And as always, for everything gaming, stick with IGN.

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