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Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut: How to unlock Iki Island

Jin plays his flute as Iki Island looms in the background.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Ghost of Tsushima fans are eager to get to Iki Island, the all-new story expansion in Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut. Sucker Punch delivered on its promise to improve upon a game that most fans agreed was already perfect. With brand new features, updated graphics, and a new area to explore, Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut has new and returning players asking one question: How do I get to Iki Island?

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Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

2 hours

What You Need

  • Sakai Clan Armor

  • Complete Act I

When does Iki Island unlock?

If you’re starting from scratch, Iki Island unlocks at the beginning of Act II, once you’ve unlocked the Toyotama region of Tsushima. By then, you’ve unlocked the grappling hook and, ideally, all four combat stances. Once you’ve made it to Act II:

Step 1: Select the Journal tab from the Pause menu.

Step 2: You’ll be notified that Tales of Iki is now available.

Step 3: Select Tales of Iki and then track the tale Journey Into the Past.

Step 4: Follow the guiding wind to begin the journey to Iki Island.

ghost of tsushima ten things to do first on iki island jin
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Transferring PS4 saved data

If you’ve transferred your PlayStation 4 saved data to Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, you’ll be notified that Iki Island is available by a pop-up on your screen as soon as you load your save file. Of course, you’ll have had to make it to the beginning of Act II on that save. You’ll still get the same notification as if starting from scratch.

Jin follows the guiding wind to Drowned Man’s Shore, where villagers appear to have lost their minds. He’ll be introduced to Shamans, a new type of enemy, and will have to fend off the approaching Mongols as he tries to figure out what’s going on.

Iki itself is an island off the southeast coast of Tsushima. Players cannot get there unless they complete this introductory mission and hop on a boat across the sea. This boat trip brings Jin on a character-building quest, returning to a place where the Sakai name is no longer welcome. The residents of Iki don’t care much for the Ghost of Tsushima, and Jin learns early on that the Khan was only the beginning.

How difficult is Iki Island

Iki Island is not easy. Players who’ve just reached Act II will have difficulty surviving on Iki Island and will be stuck there until they progress far enough in the Iki story. While they only have to make it through a few missions in Tales of Iki to fast-travel back to Tsushima, under-equipped players may not enjoy it to its full potential. Furthermore, treating Iki Island as an epilogue makes for a better experience.

Returning players can jump right into Iki Island with everything they’ve learned and earned through the base game. Those eager to see what’s in store can load their PS4 saved game, but it’s imperative they do not enter New Game+.

Other Iki Island unlocks

There are several new mechanics that Iki Island adds to the game. One is the horse charge maneuver, which lets your horse stampede through roaming groups of Mongols. The horse charge is a great way to build up your Ghost Stance (if you’ve already unlocked it) and makes defeating those traveling bands of enemies much easier.

You’ll also unlock horse armor, which makes your mount as deadly as your katana. Taking both these mechanics back to Tsushima on your quest to slay Khotun Khan will make Jin’s life easier.

Mike Colucci
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Michael Colucci is a lifelong video game fan based out of the greater Boston area. He's the one insistent on searching every…
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