How to get Kensei Armor from Ghost of Tsushima's Six Blades of Kojiro quest

Resolve is one of the most important resources in Ghost of Tsushima, allowing samurai Jin Sakai to heal himself or perform combat maneuvers in the heat of battle. And one of the best ways to improve your Resolve in the game's second act is to duel a series of Straw Hat-wearing warriors as part of a Mythic Tale called the Six Blades of Kojiro. The reward is the Kensei Armor, which vastly increases the amount of Resolve you gain from defeating enemies, and that's not the only perk.

Here's where to find the Six Blades of Kojiro quest and how to complete it.

What are Mythic Tales and how do you start one?

Mythic Tales are special stories that grapple with Japanese mythology that involve certain objects or abilities. When you complete a Mythic Tale, the focal object or ability will then be incorporated into Jin's arsenal.

The musician Yamato serves as the quest-giver for every Mythic Tale. He'll tell you a story when you see him at different points in Tsushima, and over time he'll introduce all seven. If you hear a peasant mention Yamato's storytelling, that's usually a sign that he has a new tale available, but it's always a good idea to check if you encounter him randomly. Either way, never pass up any tale you encounter, because the rewards are some of the best in the game.

The earliest Mythic Tale you can get, the Heavenly Strike, is a fantastic technique. And the Kensei Armor is just as good.

Step 1: Finding Yamato

Even if you've found a duel here and there around Toyotama, you'll need to speak with Yamato to begin the quest after you've reached Act 2 of the game. For Six Blades of Kojiro, you can find Yamato in Umugi Cove, south of Lady Sanjo's Landing (Check out our map if you're having trouble).

His tale will provide a more distinctive overview of where to find the remaining swordsmen.

Step 2: Fighting the five swordsmen

The core task in this quest is to find and defeat all five Straw Hat swordsmen around Toyotama. Once you do, you can challenge Kojiro himself directly.

Each Straw Hat has a distinctive personality, but they all fight similarly, though few might give you some trouble. Stick to some basic guidelines to make sure that you get out of these fights relatively unscathed.

1. Enter every duel with maxed-out Resolve. This means filling up every little yellow circle below your health before entering a duel. You can do this by fighting a few random Mongols or Straw Hats on the way to your destination or by liberating a location while barely touching your Resolve.
2. Equip some good dueling armor that increases health or melee damage. The Sakai Armor you obtain from story mode before this point would be useful here.
3. When you see a blue light during an attack, make sure to parry it. This will make the Straw Hats ripe for a counter-attack.
4. Even if you keep dying, don't stop trying. The game will give you more Resolve if you fail, making it significantly easier to win. You can also try beating Bamboo Strikes to increase your maximum Resolve.

To find the first five swordsmen, check out the below map(s). Each duel will be denoted in the game by four tattered banners next to the dueling site, making it easy to spot, even from a distance.

• 5. Duel in the Drowning Marsh — The Duel in the Drowning Marsh will be slightly south of the Old Kanazawa Marsh.
• 4. Duel Among the Spider Lilies — The Duel Among the Spider Lilies is north of the Field of the Equinox Flower.
• 3. Duel of the Crashing Waves — The Duel of the Crashing Waves is north of Urashima’s Village.
• 2. Duel Under Autumn Leaves — The Duel Under Autumn Leaves is east of Kubara Falls and Yamabushi's Peak in the map's upper east corner.
• 1. Duel Under Falling Water — The Duel Under Falling Water is north of Musashi Coast and south of Lucky Genzo's Inn.

Once you've beaten all five swordsmen, return to Yamato in Umugi Cove. He'll exclaim that you just missed Kojiro, but will tell you can find him at Omi Monastery, southeast of Mount Omi. You'll get a pinpoint location to head for. You can walk or opt for fast-travel. This place is directly next to the location where you picked up Jin's armor for a story mission.

Step 3: Finding and defeating Kojiro

Once you arrive at the Omi Monastery, the Guiding Wind will lead you to an opening in the mountain where you can find and challenge Kojiro.

Watch out, Kojiro is one of the game's toughest fights, so this might get hectic. Try upgrading your dueling armor a bit before proceeding. Follow the same guidelines we outline before and stay patient. Saving your Resolve for healing is. safe bet. If you want to deal the finishing blow, you can opt for the Heavenly Strike. This unblockable attack costs one Resolve, and it might just fast track your victory in the final stretch.

Once you've defeated Kojiro, the Kensei armor is yours. At a base level, it provides a 15 percent boost in Resolve gains and increases the capabilities of Ghost weapons. Your Ghost weapons will now deal increased damage and debuffs. Not a bad deal at all, making it perfect for infiltration.

If you found yourself struggling against Kojiro, try checking out our Bamboo Strike guide to permanently increase your Resolve.

Ghost of Tsushima is now available for PlayStation 4.