Sucker Punch recently clarified that raid matchmaking won’t be available at launch. Instead, it will become available “in a couple of weeks.” Players are encouraged to join the game’s official Discord to meet with others.

On the one hand, it makes sense if the development team wants to encourage like-minded players to group up. The chances of finding those who communicate and are patient are significantly higher than random matchmaking. Then again, Ghost of Tsushima: Legends had matchmaking for its raids, and after the mechanics were figured out, it didn’t prove all that difficult for randoms to get on the same page.

Of course, it could also be a technical issue, and more time is required. Regardless, if you want what could be the best loot (and cosmetics) in the mode, it may be worth toughing out. Stay tuned for more updates on when matchmaking will become available, and check out our review of Legends in the meantime.

While the current story arcs, culminating in Incursions, involve battling other members of the Yōtei Six, the raid is about taking out their leader, Lord Saito. Interestingly, it refers to “The Dragon” and Saito as separate targets, showing two different enemies. Perhaps the former is a second phase that the latter will take? It would certainly be fitting for a multi-stage raid.

Sucker Punch hasn’t outlined what you’ll need to enter the raid. However, if it’s anything like “The Tale of Iyo from Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, then 100 Ki at minimum is recommended (although the higher, the better). The raid requires four players, but matchmaking should be available.

For more details on Ghost of Yōtei: Legends, check out our review. What’s next after the raid hasn’t really been disclosed, so stay tuned for further updates in the coming months.

“We try to make it a pretty positive thing at the studio,” he explained. “It’s hard – you make an idea and you’re like, ‘I don’t want to shed my idea, I really want to see it through’. But we try really hard to make cutting things from the game an incredibly positive thing, because it can be.”

To ensure that Ghost of Yōtei wouldn’t end up too bloated, Connell revealed that the studio started cutting things out of the game each week. To further maintain developer morale during this, people would be encouraged to proudly reveal what they had cut out from the game, to the applause of the other employees.

“We just started doing weekly cuts and celebrated them,” Connell said. “People would get up in front of the whole team and say ‘here’s what I cut today’, and people would clap. It turns out it actually works really well, people like to be clapped.”

“Cutting the game is sharpening. If you have four things you can work on, and you got rid of one of them, then suddenly your game is a lot better,” he continued, noting that it’s “really important to do this.”

“Frankly, there’s too many ideas. There’s all kinds of cool crap that we want to do in every single game, and there’s not enough time. And because we’re not growing our team beyond where we are, there’s not enough people either. So there’s no excess, other than trimming.”

During the same event, Connell, along with co-director Nate Fox, had also spoken about one of the ideas that ultimately got cut from Ghost of Yōtei: rock climbing inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. However, he noted that the mechanic didn’t really work well with the idea of the wandering ronin that Sucker Punch Productions was aiming for with protagonist Atsu.

“If something is not going well, we can be like ‘does that make you feel like a wandering ronin?’ And if the answer is no and it’s a sucky feature, then why are you working on it? Just move on.”

Fox noted that, after playing Breath of the Wild, he wanted just about every game to offer similar freedom to climb anything the player could want. However, this clashed against the open-world design of Ghost of Yōtei, which had invisible walls to stop players from heading into unintended areas. Ultimately, he said that, “if we gave you a tool that said you can climb anywhere, and you started using it and you found bupkiss, it pretty much trains you to stop climbing, because exploration wasn’t worth it.”

Ghost of Yōtei is available exclusively on PS5. For more details, check out our review. Also take a look at our review of its recently-added co-op multiplayer mode Ghost of Yōtei: Legends.

Well, Legends has returned, this time in Ghost of Yōtei. After hearing that it was in development for as long as the single-player story, with the majority of Sucker Punch then shifting over when the base game shipped, I have to lambast the entire live-service initiative again. Because once again, it’s a fun, content-rich mode that leverages the excellent combat of the base game, offers four varied classes with fun playstyles, implements a gear grind that’s straightforward with subtle depth, and includes oodles of unlocks. All that without any microtransactions whatsoever, though there is plenty to complain about as well.

The story this time around focuses on the Yōtei Six, but not the ones you’re thinking of. These are monstrous figures with mystical powers who serve Lord Saito. Each member has a separate story arc split into three chapters – which supports up to two players – and an Incursion – which up to four players can join. Think of the latter as a finale where you end up battling the Yotei Six member in question. And unlike the story, their enhanced forms allow for new attacks (as if dealing with their minions wasn’t enough).

"It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama."

Overall, I enjoyed running through the story, both solo and with another player, since each chapter offers unique mechanics. For instance, the Spider has Jubokko Trees, which manifest as exploding plants and dangerous ground that can quickly be your undoing. You’ll need to use the plants to destroy the tree, which can also be done by shooting its weak points when they manifest. However, there are also gates that can only really be destroyed with the plants, and managing enemy spawns in between all that can get chaotic. The layouts of each section are definitely more geared towards combat than stealth, though the classic “Plan B” smoke bomb remains, allowing you to assassinate the few fools caught in the haze.

However, the Ghost of Yōtei combat loop is still retained and feels as good as ever. Perfect Parries into massively damaging slices; swapping out weapons to overwhelm a foe; tossing weapons and instantly annihilating threats – it all feels great. The downside is that your move set will depend on the equipped weapon. So while the starting Yari had Thundering Wave, it lacked Typhoon Sweep and Typhoon Kick – both of which became available on later, higher Ki variants alongside passives such as automatically parrying Scythe attacks with heavy strikes.

It also doesn’t help that you’re at the mercy of progression when it comes to being able to equip other weapon types. The Archer, for example, can use a katana and sword. What does it do to deal with shielded enemies at close range? Well, nothing – at least not until you’re Rank 5 and unlock the Kusarigama. The only class that can wield all weapon types is the Samurai, and even that has to wait until Rank 20 to add the Kusarigama to their arsenal. And just like the base game, the right weapon alignment is often key. Without it, you’re kind of just doing your best.

At least you’re amply rewarded in each gear category, making it relatively easy to kit out an entire character and slowly build your Ki level (which is the de facto “Power” level). Each class can also equip various passives with more options unlocking per slot as you go along. These can modify their skill and Ultimate in unique ways, while conferring other benefits (like using Spirit to refill your ammo as an Archer). It’s a nice selection, although the lack of a support class is kind of baffling. Maybe the Ronin’s Breath of Izanami from the original was judged as too powerful? At least the Mercenary can add Weakening Blast to their Ultimate, which confers some of the benefits of Weakening Burst (and some poison to boot).

"Even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?"

Once you gather more gear, the ability to upgrade each piece becomes available. Each has a Ki limit, so eventually, you’ll need to tackle tougher content to obtain higher rarities. Then you’ll have the ability to reroll gear passives and properties to your liking, further min-maxing a piece of gear in a desired direction. It’s simple but still addictive, and encourages experimenting with different versions of the same gear.

You won’t be repeating the story to grind all of that out, though, as the main appeal of Legends is Survival. Four stages, three waves each. Protect three separate points on the map from encroaching enemies, who will sabotage them if they’re left alone for long enough. Initially, there’s a lot of running back and forth, until you realize the most optimal strategy is each player hanging around a different area, with a fourth player potentially acting as a floater to reinforce where necessary. Of course, you could always go two in each area and rotate accordingly. Things can get dicier on tougher difficulties, especially when Challenge Cards enter the mix (especially when some offer increased rewards in return for enemies dealing increased damage).

The new survival maps offer a range of places to grapple and platform across, and the avenues for crossfire (aside from the Kitsune’s stronghold) feel significantly lower. It can take some getting used to, especially when navigating them for the first time, and that’s before their gimmicks (like fox fire that requires rolling away to dispel). Of course, you can even the odds by spending currency earned in the middle of waves to unlock things like health regeneration for the team, increased health or even a Spirit Bear who seemingly represents the collective vengeance of all the slain bears from the base game. And it’s awesome.

Unfortunately, there are issues with the balancing. I remember starting on Lethal with the base game, and even when dialling the difficulty down to Normal, it was surprising just how squishy Atsu felt in the early hours. Stat and armor upgrades, alongside more Ghost tools, fixed this, but that’s kind of how you feel all the time in Legends, even when meeting the Ki requirement. Heck, even on Bronze, it felt like a single hit from a Yuki-Onna was enough to down me, and that’s not accounting for the bombardier, who can blanket entire areas in explosives within an instant. Even if I had unlocked those 30 percent increased health passives, how much longer would I have really stayed alive?

"As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety."

It also felt like some enemies just had oodles of health, and even when two players attacked head-on, they would block without breaking a sweat (until spamming heavy strikes with the right weapon, of course). Combine all this with later waves, especially on higher difficulties, having more health for each enemy, and it feels like the odds are tilted a little too heavily against the Ghosts.

Of course, it’s early days yet – if such issues persist, even when min-maxed builds are finally discovered, then I could see Sucker Punch rolling out balance adjustments. It’s definitely a significant step up from Tsushima: Legends at present, and not always in the best ways. I’m still unsure about bringing over the campaign’s mechanics, like frozen health, but we’ll see how these are smoothed out over time (and I say this knowing that there’s already a Nightmare Solo Mercenary Run available).

As it stands, I wouldn’t say that Ghost of Yōtei: Legends is necessarily superior to Tsushima – at least, outside of the combat – but balancing issues aside, it’s about as addictive and still enjoyable. Getting the rhythm down and slaying hordes of foes feels satisfying, and the campaign offers a strong amount of variety. If Sucker Punch builds on it, much like it did with the original – a raid is due next month – then it could very well eclipse it. In the meantime, its legend is just beginning, and I look forward to the future.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

For instance, the active Challenge Cards will now display on a leaderboard, and you’ll now know how much time is left to put your score up. Quickplay is available by default for Survival Missions, which should improve matchmaking significantly for those interested in the mode’s main attraction.

As for player abilities, Spirit Kunai will stack with other related weapon perks. The drop rate for Caltrops, Ultimate Charge, ammo and Spirit have also been adjusted, and Shadow Flaming Arrow will now correctly ignite enemies. You’ll even receive more currency from gear dismantling, which means more for upgrades and rerolls.

Unfortunately, those leaning on the Archer for the admittedly strong True Aim Yumi will have one last crutch to rely on, as Ultimate Gain has been “significantly nerfed.”

Of course, this is likely the first of many such patches, so expect further adjustments (and nerfs) down the line. Much like its predecessor, Legends will receive a raid next month, so stay tuned for more details when it goes live. You can also check out our review of the base game here, or learn how Sucker Punch made Ezo feel bigger than Tsushima.

Patch – 1.511

General

• Introduced more information to the Leaderboards screen
  – Added the active Challenge Cards for the selected leaderboard
  – Added a timer indicating how long is remaining to enter a score on the leaderboard
• Fixed an issue where Shinobi mask was overlaid with other cosmetic items
• Players can now re-equip various default cosmetics or emotes, after unequipping them
• Quickplay for Survival Missions is now unlocked by default
• Various other bug fixes and stability improvements
• Fixed a bug where Background music would cut off under certain gameplay conditions
• Fixed an animation bug when killed by Onibi
• Increased the visibility of Armory defense location in Frozen Valley survival mission
• Audio and Haptic adjustments for Player & Enemy behavior

Gameplay

• Adjustments to Player weapons and abilities
  – Spirit Kunai now stacks with other Kunai weapon perks
  – Caltrops, Spirit, Ultimate Charge and Ammo drop rate adjustments
  – Increased the currency rewards for dismantling gear
  – Improved gameplay responsiveness for Fujin’s Wind
  – Significantly nerfed Ultimate Gain for True Aim Yumi
  – Adjusted the melee targeting on Jufu
  – Fixed a bug with Shadow Flame Arrow sometimes not lighting targets on fire
  – Improved revive targeting for downed teammates
  – Fixed an issue where sometimes players lost control functionality after interacting with a Teru Teru Bozu
• Audio and Haptic adjustments for Player & Enemy behavior

To start with, there’s Story Mode. Featuring 12 missions for up to two players, they’re divided into sets comprising three main missions each. Upon completion, each set provides access to Incursion, where four players will assault a stronghold and take down the Spider, the Oni, the Kitsune or the Snake.

There’s also Survival Mode, where up to four players tackle waves of foes across four maps. While controlling territory is once again the name of the game, doing so activates a Blessing that can aid the whole team. Losing it results in a Curse, so there’s an incentive to hang around an objective or, at the very least, efficiently cycle between them.

And yes, the Raid is returning with the first out in April, focusing on defeating Lord Saito (the Dragon). As in Ghost of Tsushima Legends, you can choose one of four classes, but with some differences. While they can each utilize a katana and a ranged weapon, each also specializes in the newer weapon types.

For example, the Samurai has the odachi and can use the largest number of weapon types. The Shinobi leverages the kusarigama and specializes in stealth. The Archer has the yari and possesses another ranged weapon. Finally, the Mercenary, who wields the dual katana and “a variety of utility-focused abilities.”

Legendary weapons and gear become available when tackling more difficult missions, and Photo Mode is usable for dramatic shots with the team. But there’s also a new Legends Lobby, where you can play Zeni Hajiki against friends, compete in Bamboo Strike and measure high scores, or practice your skills.

Your targets are The Spider, The Oni, The Snake, and The Kitsune, but they’re far from their campaign counterparts. The Spider actually has multiple appendages and crawls on ceilings; The Oni has a decapitated head that it carries around on its spear; The Snake has actual snakes crawling through its body; and the Kitsune has a sickle in its mouth and chains on its body.

Each of these threats is far larger than the average yokai, but fortunately, you won’t battle alone. Up to four players can team up in online co-op with four different classes to choose from. Each has unique weapons, including spears, dual katanas and longbows. If it’s anything like Ghost of Tsushima: Legends, expect them to have unique perks and set bonuses as well.

Stay tuned for more details en route to launch and check out our review for the base game here.

In a new PlayStation Blog article, Sucker Punch confirmed that there will be story missions for two players and survival matches supporting up to four, with one of four classes to choose from. The biggest difference is that there will be new enemies, which you can check out in the concept art below. Also, players can look forward to fighting “demonic, giant versions of members of the Yōtei Six.”

Further details will be revealed closer to its release in 2026, but like Ghost of Tsushima Legends, Ghost of Yōtei Legends is completely free for those who own the base game. Whether it will launch as a standalone title at a cheaper price later on remains to be seen.

In the meantime, Ghost of Yōtei launches on October 2nd for PS5. Check out the latest weapon trailers here and here.

Alongside supernatural threats, players will embark on survival missions. Similar to its predecessor, Yōtei Legends is free for base game owners. Of course, how it will differentiate itself in terms of progression, loot, and mission variety remains to be seen. But judging by the key, it seems that the four classes from Tsushima Legends will return.

Ghost of Yōtei, meanwhile, launches on October 2nd for PS5. Sucker Punch recently released gameplay showcasing the yari, whose powerful kicks can knock enemies off bridges. You can also check out the kusarigama, which can be ignited for dealing damage over time, here. Stay tuned for even more weapon trailers before launch.