Gamers across all walks of life have been waiting for a game like Ghost of Tsushima. The open-world story of Jin Sakai, on a revenge quest to rid his home of the invading Mongols, is both an original video game story, as well as a wonderful tip-of-the-straw-hat to Samurai films of old.
We all know the story of Genghis Khan, but Ghost of Tsushima introduces the world to the story of Khotun Kahn (based on the real-life Kublai Khan who launched the first Mongol invasion of Japan). While the characters are rooted in fiction, Ghost of Tsushima does an amazing game of rooting their stories in history. One can imagine that there certainly may have been a young Samurai hell-bent on cutting down the leader of the Mongol army. This guide will focus on how Jin can best equip himself to defeat Khotun Khan, the game's final boss, and rid the island of Tsushima of Mongol invaders once and for all.
How to Beat Khotun Khan in Ghost of Tsushima
Players should be familiar with the Khan as they squared off against him at the end of the game's prologue. Although it was a fight he could never win, the thought of failure has plagued Jin since the very beginning of his journey. The most important thing players can do is take full advantage of Jin's journey before they attempt to face Khotun Khan for real. Tsushima is full of armor sets, weapon upgrades and items to unlock that will make Jin's job all the easier. For example, a fully upgraded Gosaku Armor set will grant a massive increase to Jin's health as well as a considerable amount of stagger damage. Once players have amassed all the unlocks and upgrades they can, it's time to stock up and face the Mongol leader once and for all.
The Three Stages of the Khotun Khan Boss Fight in Ghost of Tsushima
The fight itself is broken up into three stages. Players will first square off against Khotun Khan in a traditional boss fight. Here is where the Wind stance will prove useful as Khan's use of a glaive makes him similar to a spear-wielding enemy. Of course, players may feel more comfortable with a different stance and should use whatever they've grown accustomed to using in boss fights. Once Jin has depleted Khotun Khan's health bar, the Mongol leader will retreat to his ship, not without throwing a poison bomb at Jin first. (Did we really expect him to fight fair?)
A swarm of enemies will begin engaging with Jin, but it is best to evade and chase the Khan rather than trying to kill all the Mongols. Perhaps dispatching of Mongol archers will make the pursuit easier as they are considerably weaker than their compatriots. Once on the ship, Khotun Khan will no longer act as a normal boss fight, and will instead be more like the leaders Jin would kill to unlock different stances. The most beneficial part of this mechanic is the fact that Khotun Khan is now susceptible to Jin's throwable weapons. However, Jin will also have to fend off swarms of brutes and shielded Mongols as he chips away at Khan's health.
Stage three of the fight remains on the boat and is signified by a very quick cut scene of Khotun Khan staggering backward. Players should continue to pelt him with staggering throwable weapons, inflicting little bits of damage whenever they can. It's important not to get tunnel vision and be sure to fend off his reinforcements as they attack. With enough damage, players will finally drive a sword through Khotun Khan's chest and pin him to the mast. In true Samurai fashion, Jin will decapitate his arch-rival and finally end the Mongol invasion.
Ghost of Tsushima's long-awaited arrival has, so far, proven to be worth it. There is certainly no shortage of engaging side-quests to occupy a few hours on Tsushima island. Even just galloping around the beautiful landscapes and writing haiku's is enough to keep once occupied.
Ghost of Tsushima is available on PlayStation 4.