You’re freezing. Honestly, that’s the first thing most people remember about trying to unlock the Ghost of Tsushima Way of the Flame. You are stuck on the base of Mount Jogaku, staring up at a vertical climb that looks absolutely miserable, and your screen is slowly turning white with frost. If you don't find a campfire in the next thirty seconds, Jin Sakai is going to become a permanent samurai popsicle.
It’s one of the most atmospheric moments in the entire game. Sucker Punch Productions nailed the feeling of desperation here. But once you actually get the technique? That’s where the real fun—and the mechanical confusion—usually starts.
The Way of the Flame isn’t just a fancy fire button. It is a Mythic Tale reward that changes the entire flow of combat, specifically when you're dealing with those annoying shieldmen or the heavy brute types in Act 3. Most players treat it like a "super mode" they save for bosses, but that’s actually the least efficient way to use it.
Tracking Down the Mythic Tale: The Undying Flame
To even get your hands on this, you have to reach Act 3. You need access to the Kamiagata region, the snowy, brutal northern third of the map. Look for a musician named Yamato. He’s sitting by a fire at the base of Mount Jogaku, just north of the temple.
The quest is called "The Undying Flame."
It’s a platforming challenge. Unlike the other Mythic Tales that involve following blue flowers or tracking down specific duels, this one is a race against the elements. You have to climb the mountain by jumping between specific campfire locations. If you stay in the cold too long, you die. It’s that simple.
There's a trick to it, though. Don't just sprint. Look for the orange glow of the next fire before you leave the current one. Use your ears, too; the wind howling gets louder as your health starts to tick away. Once you reach the summit, you’ll find a dojo and a master who wants to see if you’re worthy. You aren't just given the flame; you have to take it.
The Duel at the Summit
The fight against Bettomaru is where you actually learn the mechanic. He’s going to use the Ghost of Tsushima Way of the Flame against you first. It’s intimidating. Your sword will bounce off his if you try to parry while he’s ignited. This is the core lesson of the technique: fire ignores defenses.
When he coats his blade in oil and strikes the flint, you need to dodge. Side-stepping is better than rolling because it keeps you close enough to counter once his blade loses its glow. After you win, you get the secret. You’ll need Incendiary Oil to use it, which you can buy from trappers or find scattered in Mongol camps.
Why the Way of the Flame is Mechanically Unique
Most people think of fire in this game as just "extra damage." That’s wrong.
In Ghost of Tsushima, fire serves as a hard stun. When an enemy is burning, they stop attacking. They flail. They scream. They are completely open to whatever you want to do to them. While the Heavenly Strike is great for a quick burst of unblockable damage, the Way of the Flame is about crowd control and pressure.
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If you’re surrounded by five Mongols, igniting your blade doesn’t just help you kill one; it panics the whole group.
The Incendiary Oil Economy
You can only carry a limited amount of oil. At first, it feels restrictive. You might have two or three charges. This is why players hoard it. They wait for a duel or a large boss, only to realize that some bosses have high resistance to the "panic" effect of fire.
The better way? Use it on the Brutes. You know the ones—the giants with the cannons or the massive maces. They have huge health pools and are hard to stagger with traditional stances. The Way of the Flame cuts through their guard like butter.
Building Jin Around the Fire
If you really want to break the game, you have to look at your charms. You can’t just slot in generic melee damage and expect the flame to do all the work.
The Charm of Fire Doctrine is a game-changer. It gives you a 15% chance to terrify nearby enemies whenever you burn someone. In a big fight, this creates a domino effect. You ignite your sword, hit a shieldman, he catches fire, and two of his buddies drop their spears and run away in terror. It’s incredibly satisfying.
Then there’s the Charm of Enduring Affliction. This makes the fire last longer and deal more damage.
Combine these with the Ghost Armor or the Sakai Clan Armor. The Ghost Armor, specifically, lowers the threshold for Terrify. By the time you’re halfway through a Mongol camp, you’ll have enemies tripping over themselves to get away from you because you’re a literal walking bonfire.
Misconceptions and Where Players Trip Up
One big mistake: trying to use the Ghost of Tsushima Way of the Flame while in the wrong stance.
Technically, you can use it in any stance. But because the flame ignores blocks, people stay in Stone Stance even when fighting shieldmen. Don't do that. You still want the speed and specific move sets of the correct stance. Water Stance's flurry of strikes (the holding Triangle/Y move) combined with fire is arguably the highest DPS combo in the game. It’s a literal wall of fire.
Another thing? The ignition animation takes a second.
You cannot hit the button in the middle of being swung at and expect to parry. You have to prep. Use it right as you're entering the detection range of a group, or immediately after a smoke bomb. If you try to light your sword while a spearman is lunging at you, you're going to get poked.
Is it better than the Ghost Stance?
Not necessarily. Ghost Stance is a guaranteed three kills. Way of the Flame is a situational buff. However, you can use Way of the Flame to build your Ghost Meter. Since burning enemies don't block, you can rack up "unbroken" kills much faster, leading to more frequent Ghost Stance activations. They feed into each other.
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The Visual Storytelling of the Flame
Sucker Punch did something subtle with the fire. If you look closely at the blade when it's active, the embers actually drift off and react to the wind direction. It’s not just a static texture.
This reflects the "Ghost" persona. As Jin moves further away from the honorable path of the Samurai, his tools become more elemental, more chaotic. The Way of the Flame is the peak of this transition. It’s a tool of terror. The Samurai of the era would have found it abhorrent—using a "trick" to burn men alive—but for Jin, it’s a necessity to save his people.
Advanced Tactics for Act 3 and Iki Island
If you have the Director's Cut and you're heading to Iki Island, the Way of the Flame becomes even more vital. The Shaman enemies on Iki buff their allies, making them almost impossible to stagger. They become hyper-aggressive.
Fire breaks that buff's effectiveness. Not the literal math of it, but the AI behavior. A buffed Mongol is still a burning Mongol. If they are screaming, they aren't swinging.
Also, keep an eye on the environment. If you’re standing in pampas grass (the tall white grass), using the Way of the Flame can actually start a brush fire. This is a double-edged sword. It looks cool, but you will take damage if you stand in the patches you just ignited. I’ve seen plenty of players accidentally kill themselves because they got too excited with the fire in a field.
Practical Steps to Mastery
To truly master the flame, you need to move beyond just "turning it on."
- Upgrade your oil capacity immediately. Go to a trapper. Trade your predator hides. Having 6 charges instead of 2 changes your entire playstyle from "saving it" to "using it every fight."
- Keybind awareness. If you're on a controller, get used to the R1 + Circle input. It needs to be muscle memory.
- The "Water Flurry" Combo. Switch to Water Stance, ignite the blade, and hold Triangle. This is your "delete button" for leaders and heavy units.
- Don't ignore the bows. While your sword is the star, fire arrows and explosive arrows count toward your fire-based charm procs. Use them to soften the crowd before you move in with the Way of the Flame.
The Ghost of Tsushima Way of the Flame is more than a flashy move; it’s the ultimate expression of Jin’s willingness to do whatever it takes. It turns the snowy, oppressive atmosphere of Act 3 into your personal playground. Stop saving your oil for a boss that might never come—light the blade, break the guard, and let the terror of the Ghost do the rest of the work.