Tsushima

Neighbouring but separate locations

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Izuhara is the southern region and the setting for Act 1. It is the player’s introduction to the island, combining forested hills, coastal villages, rice fields, fishing settlements and heavily occupied Mongol territory. The region contains many of Jin’s earliest allies and establishes the central conflict between samurai tradition and the Ghost’s increasingly unconventional methods.

Izuhara is generally the most forgiving region for learning the game’s systems. Its routes are relatively open, its settlements are close together and its main story introduces stances, stealth tools, archery, charms and the first major ally questlines.

Komatsu and the northern border

Some names above describe broad map areas, while others identify a settlement, mission location, fortification or named point of interest. They should not be treated as interchangeable. For example, Komatsu Forge is both a settlement and a major story location, while the surrounding Komatsu Fields are a broader landscape area.

Komoda Beach

Komoda Beach is the opening battlefield and the site of the disastrous first confrontation between Tsushima’s samurai and Khotun Khan’s invading army. It functions as the game’s prologue location rather than as a normal free-roam area at the beginning.

The beach is important for narrative reasons, but it also establishes several recurring themes: the effectiveness of Mongol tactics, the limits of a conventional samurai charge and Jin’s transformation from Lord Shimura’s nephew into the Ghost.

Golden Temple

Golden Temple is one of Izuhara’s safest and most useful settlements. It becomes a central refuge for survivors and serves as an early hub for merchants, quest-givers and upgrades.

Golden Temple is especially useful in the early game because several ally tales and rescue objectives direct Jin there. It is also one of the first places where the player can see how restoring a settlement creates a stronger network of services.

Hiyoshi Springs

Hiyoshi Springs is a settlement built around hot springs. Its most distinctive feature is the hot spring activity, which increases Jin’s maximum health. It also contains villagers and a quest associated with the settlement.

The town is a useful early stop because it lies near several roads and exploration sites in southern Izuhara. The hot spring is a permanent upgrade rather than a temporary healing effect.

Komatsu Forge

Komatsu Forge is both a settlement and a story-critical location. It is associated with Taka, Yuna’s brother, and the early effort to produce equipment capable of challenging the Mongol occupation.

The settlement is initially threatened by Mongol forces. Clearing the surrounding occupation is part of the first act’s progression and makes the forge available as a safer base. It also illustrates the game’s repeated pattern of rescuing a community, restoring its services and unlocking a new fast-travel point.

Castle Kaneda

Castle Kaneda is the fortified gateway between Izuhara and Toyotama. The castle is first approached as a major Mongol stronghold and later becomes the route into Act 2.

Its liberation is tied to the end of Act 1. The transition is not an ordinary open-world border crossing, so players should complete any desired Izuhara exploration before committing to the mission that retakes the castle. After the story moves on, the wider region remains available, but some castle interiors and mission-only areas may not be revisitable in the same way.

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Toyotama is the central region and the setting for Act 2. It is larger in narrative importance than Izuhara because it contains several of the game’s major political and military conflicts: the liberation of Yarikawa, the rescue of Lord Shimura, the attack on Castle Shimura and the collapse of Jin’s relationship with his uncle.

The region’s landscape includes wide grasslands, rice fields, forest, coast, marshes and cultivated valleys. Toyotama also contains many of the game’s most important armour and mythic-tale locations.

Other named farms and settlements

The six farmsteads associated with The Unbreakable Gosaku are particularly important. They are Aoi Village, Iijima Farmstead, Kuta Farmstead, Koshimizu Farmstead, Ohama Fishing Village and Yagata Farmstead. Jin must obtain a key from each location before opening the armour’s hidden chamber in the Old Togo Rice Fields.

Umugi Cove

Umugi Cove is a lawless coastal settlement built into a cove. It is associated with smugglers, thieves, ronin and people who survive outside the authority of the samurai clans.

The cove becomes central to the rescue of Lord Shimura and the confrontation with the Straw Hat ronin. It is also home to important services and story characters, including Lady Sanjo. Its atmosphere is deliberately different from Golden Temple or Castle Shimura: Umugi survives through secrecy and negotiation rather than military order.

Yarikawa Stronghold

Yarikawa is the former stronghold of a clan that has a bitter history with Lord Shimura and the samurai establishment. During Act 2, Jin must persuade the people of Yarikawa to fight alongside him despite their distrust.

The area is the setting for the Siege of Yarikawa, one of the game’s largest defensive battles. After the siege, Yarikawa becomes an important allied settlement. Its story also unlocks the Ghost Stance, making the location central not only to the narrative but to Jin’s combat progression.

Akashima Village

Akashima Village is a settlement in southern Toyotama and a major starting point for the mythic tale The Unbreakable Gosaku. A musician in the village directs Jin towards the story of Gosaku and the six farmsteads holding the armour keys.

Akashima also represents one of the farming communities caught between Mongol occupation, bandit activity and the breakdown of local authority.

Cedar Temple

Cedar Temple is a Buddhist temple in northern Toyotama. It serves as a refuge for monks and displaced civilians and is associated with Norio’s tale series.

The temple is a useful landmark when travelling towards Mount Jogaku and the northern border. Its story content deals with faith, anger, duty and the difference between protecting people and pursuing vengeance.

Port Izumi

Port Izumi is a major harbour and one of the key locations in the endgame. It is used by the Mongols as a base for their invasion fleet and becomes the setting for The Fate of Tsushima, the final major assault of the campaign.

Its position on the northern coast makes it strategically important. It is not simply a decorative harbour: it represents the point from which the Mongol occupation can be extended beyond Tsushima.

Castle Shimura

Castle Shimura controls the route from Toyotama into Kamiagata. It is a major story location, a fortified samurai centre and the setting for the first attempt to retake the north.

Castle Shimura changes substantially through the story. It is first a strategic objective, then a base for the samurai counter-offensive, and later the setting for the final confrontation between Jin and Lord Shimura. Because of these progression changes, players should treat its major story sequences as potentially missable spaces for optional exploration.

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Kamiagata is the northern region and the setting for Act 3. It is visually distinct from the rest of Tsushima because much of it is covered by snow, ice and dark coniferous forest. The region conveys the late-game deterioration of the island and Jin’s increasingly isolated position.

Its playable area is more compact in story terms than Toyotama, but it contains important endgame missions, the final Mongol bases and the conclusion of several character arcs.

Jogaku Temple

Jogaku Temple is the principal safe settlement in northern Tsushima. It functions as the main hub for Act 3, offering merchants, allies, fast travel and access to several northern tales.

The temple is also a practical staging point for exploration. Players should use it to replenish supplies, improve equipment and clear nearby Mongol territories before travelling farther into the snowfields.

Kin Sanctuary and Kin Village

Kin is a remote northern settlement associated with the final act’s civilian population and the resistance against the Mongol occupation. It gives Act 3 a more isolated atmosphere than the populated valleys of Toyotama.

The area is connected with missions involving refugees, local resistance and the consequences of the Mongol retreat. Its surrounding roads can be difficult to read in snowstorms, so following the Guiding Wind or using landmarks is safer than trying to cross the region in a straight line.

Izumi Village

Izumi Village is a northern settlement and one of the occupied areas that may be liberated through the story. The campaign’s endgame uses several northern communities to show the difference between an area that has been reclaimed and one that is still controlled by Mongol forces.

Mount Jogaku

Mount Jogaku is one of the most recognisable landmarks in northern Tsushima. It is closely associated with the final act, the icy landscape and several late-game missions.

The mountain’s terrain is more hazardous than the lowlands. Snow, cliffs and narrow paths make it easy to miss nearby side content, particularly when travelling during a story mission rather than free roaming.

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Kamiagata route

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Samurai

The samurai are represented primarily by Clan Shimura and the allied houses that survived Komoda. Their forces rely on armour, mounted units, disciplined formations and formal authority.

Mongol Empire

The Mongol occupation controls forts, villages, farms, ports and roads throughout Tsushima. Mongol territories include camps, war camps, forts, shipyards and occupied settlements. Clearing them usually grants supplies, rescues civilians and removes local occupation.

Straw Hat ronin

The Straw Hats are former ronin led by Ryuzo. They are initially potential allies against the Mongols but become a major hostile faction after their relationship with Jin breaks down.

Bandits and outlaws

Bandits occupy villages, roads and farmsteads. Some are independent criminals, while others are connected to local disputes or specific tales. They are distinct from Mongol forces and often use different defensive layouts.

Buddhist monks and temple communities

Temples such as Golden Temple, Kushi Temple, Cedar Temple and Jogaku Temple contain monks, refugees and healers. Their role is not limited to religious background: temples often act as refuges, quest hubs and symbols of civilian survival.

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Tsushima has no conventional law-enforcement system. Security is represented by whoever controls a place.

Liberating a Mongol territory usually removes its fixed garrison, but random encounters and travelling patrols can continue to appear. The territory system should therefore be understood as a change to the local occupation state, not a guarantee that every road becomes permanently empty.

Military and strategic sites

Collectibles found inside mission-only areas deserve special care. Some records, supplies and banners can be collected during a story sequence but may be difficult or impossible to recover in the same form after that mission ends. The safest method is to search large fortresses before completing their final objective and to make a manual save before entering major story locations.

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Story safety

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