You’re riding through the Omi Lichen, the wind is howling, and a group of Mongols is blocking the road. Your first instinct is probably to swap into the Sakai Clan Armor because, hey, more health and damage, right? Well, maybe. But if you’re playing on Lethal+ or even just trying to master the flow of Sucker Punch’s masterpiece, you’ve probably realized that Ghost of Tsushima armors are way more than just stat sticks. They change how the game feels. They change how you interact with the world.
Honestly, the gear system in this game is a bit of a trick. It lures you in with "Major" increases to damage, but the real magic is in the hidden perks and how they interact with Charms. If you aren't building your outfit around a specific playstyle, you're basically leaving half of Jin Sakai’s potential on the table.
The Myth of the "Best" Armor
Stop looking for the one suit to rule them all. It doesn’t exist.
If you ask a casual player, they’ll tell you the Sarugami Armor from the Iki Island expansion is the undisputed king. And yeah, it’s broken. It turns your perfect parries into a three-hit counter-attack that shreds everything in a five-mile radius. But here’s the kicker: it disables your regular parry. If your timing is off, you’re dead. It’s a high-risk, high-reward suit that demands you actually be good at the game.
Then you have the Kensei Armor. On paper, it looks like a "Ghost Weapon" suit. Boring, right? Wrong. When you realize that Kensei Armor makes your Kunai and Black Powder Bombs debuff enemies to deal 50% less damage and take 50% more damage, the game breaks in a different way. You aren't just a samurai; you're a debuffing god.
Most people ignore the Traveler’s Attire once they get their first set of samurai plates. Big mistake. While it provides zero combat buffs, the vibration when near an Artifact and the way it clears the Fog of War makes it the most "useful" suit for 80% of your playtime. You should be switching to this every time the swords are sheathed.
Breaking Down the Heavy Hitters
Let’s talk about the Sakai Clan Armor. It’s the poster child for the game. It looks incredible, especially with the black dye. The Standoff streak increase is its main selling point. In the late game, being able to take out five enemies before a fight even starts is a massive time-saver. But once that standoff ends? You're just wearing a decent tank suit.
Compare that to the Gosaku Armor.
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Gosaku is the "Stagger" king. In Ghost of Tsushima, the stagger bar is often more important than the health bar, especially against those annoying shieldmen or Brutes. If you stack Gosaku’s armor with the Charm of Bludgeoning, you can break a guard in two hits. It’s brutal. It’s loud. It’s effective.
The Stealth Paradox
Ghost Armor vs. Mongol Commander's Armor. It’s a classic debate.
The Ghost Armor, given to you by Taka, is the thematic heart of the game. It reduces the number of kills needed to enter the Ghost Stance and has a massive chance to Terrify enemies. Seeing a Mongol drop his spear and run away just because you decapitated his friend is incredibly satisfying.
But have you tried the Mongol Commander's Armor? You get it from a side quest in Act 3. It doesn't have the stealth perks of the Ghost suit, but it has a "Disguise" mechanic. You can literally walk through a Mongol camp and they won't recognize you for several seconds. It’s a different kind of stealth—hiding in plain sight rather than in the pampas grass.
The Iki Island Power Creep
When Sucker Punch dropped the Director’s Cut, they didn't just add a new map; they fundamentally changed the meta for Ghost of Tsushima armors.
The Sarugami Armor is the obvious standout, as mentioned. It looks like a golden monkey and turns Jin into a parrying whirlwind. But don't sleep on the reworked charms you find on Iki. When you pair the Sarugami suit with the Charm of Mizu-no-Kami, the window for perfect parries becomes massive. You almost have to try to fail.
Then there’s the DLC's approach to cosmetics. The "Easter Egg" armors—the ones inspired by God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, and Bloodborne—are technically just skins for existing sets, but they prove how much the community cares about the "Fashion-of-Tsushima" aspect.
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Beyond the Stats: The Charms That Matter
You cannot talk about armor without talking about Charms. They are the "software" to the armor's "hardware."
If you’re running the Tadayori Armor (the archer set), and you aren't using the Charm of Azumi-no-Isora (arrows make no noise on impact), you’re doing it wrong. Tadayori’s armor is arguably the most powerful in the game if you have good aim. With the Concentration refill on headshots, you can clear an entire fort without moving an inch. It feels like a different genre of game.
- Survival Build: Samurai Clan Armor + Charm of Resistance + Charm of Vitality. You become a sponge.
- Terror Build: Ghost Armor + Charm of Ikazuchi-no-Kami. Enemies will flee constantly.
- Glass Cannon: Ronin Attire + Charm of Dual Destruction. You’ll die in one hit, but you’ll kill in one, too.
The Cultural Impact of Jin's Wardrobe
There is a reason the armor looks the way it does. The developers spent months in Japan, studying museum pieces from the Kamakura period. While the "Ghost" look is a bit more fantastical, the Samurai Clan Armor and the Gosaku set are grounded in real history. The lacing, the kabuto helmets, the menpo masks—it’s all a love letter to Japanese craftsmanship.
But the game also uses armor to tell a story. Jin starts in the broken, traditional armor of his father. As the story progresses, his gear becomes darker, more practical, and more "dishonorable." By the time you reach the end of Act 3, your wardrobe reflects Jin’s internal conflict. Choosing to wear the traditional Sakai armor in the final mission is a powerful narrative statement that has nothing to do with the +Health stats.
Advanced Tactics: When to Swap
Efficiency in Ghost of Tsushima comes down to the D-pad. You should be swapping mid-mission.
- Approach: Traveler’s Attire to find the camp.
- Opening: Tadayori’s Armor to thin the herd from the ridge.
- Infiltration: Ghost Armor to chain assassinations and build the Ghost meter.
- The Duel: Sakai Clan or Sarugami Armor once the boss fight starts.
It sounds like a lot of menu-diving, but the game is designed for this. Each armor set can save its own unique charms now (a feature added in a patch), so you don't have to manually re-equip your build every time you change clothes.
Misconceptions About Upgrading
Don't waste your Silk.
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Silk is the rarest resource in the game, and you get it primarily from side tales involving your allies (Masako, Ishikawa). You cannot buy it in unlimited quantities. Many players dump all their Silk into the first armor they get, only to realize they prefer the Ronin Attire or the Kensei Armor later.
Focus on upgrading your Katana and Tanto first. Armor upgrades provide incremental boosts to stats, but a level-4 Tanto allows for much faster assassination animations, which is a literal game-changer for stealth. Armor should be your secondary priority for resources until you find the set that clicks with your brain.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Session
If you want to truly master the gear system, start by ignoring the "Level" of the armor and look at the secondary perks.
- Go Find the Longbow Immediately: The Tadayori Armor is found via a Mythic Tale in Act 1. It’s the easiest way to handle the early-game difficulty spikes.
- Prioritize Inari Shrines: You need those minor charm slots. An un-charmed Gosaku Armor is worse than a fully-charmed Samurai Clan Armor.
- Use the "Loadouts" Feature: Enable this in the settings. It allows you to bind specific Charms and Vanity items to specific sets of armor. This is the single best quality-of-life tip for the game.
- Don't Fear the Ronin Attire: It’s easy to think "no armor = no defense," but the 30% increase to melee damage is massive. In Ghost of Tsushima, the best defense is making sure the enemy doesn't get a second swing.
The beauty of the gear in this game is that it rewards player expression. Whether you want to be a tank, a ninja, or a legendary archer, the tools are there. Just make sure you aren't just wearing what looks "cool"—unless that's your goal, in which case, the Fundoshi (the loincloth you get for visiting all hot springs) is the only real choice.
Spend time in the "Collection" menu. Read the descriptions. Every piece of gear has a history. When you understand the "why" behind the armor, the "how" of the combat becomes much more natural. You'll find yourself not just playing a game, but stepping into the role of a desperate man trying to save his home. And that's exactly what Sucker Punch intended.
To maximize your efficiency, focus on clearing the Mythic Tales first, as these provide the most transformative armor sets. Once you have a solid rotation of the Ghost, Tadayori, and Sarugami sets, you can tackle any challenge the Mongol invasion—or the Iki Island raiders—throws your way. Keep your blade sharp and your armor suited to the task at hand.