Stuck on Ghost of Tsushima's Stone Dragon Shrine? Unlock this tool first
Grapple at your own peril.
In Ghost of Tsushima, you play as samurai Jin Sakai in the open-world island of Tsushima as he tries to repel an invading force of Mongolians that have taken his land in the 13th-century. For any players who like exploring the beautiful scenery and collecting everything they can, there are valuable upgrades and resources to be found at different locations spread across the island called ShintoShrines.
But there are two in particular — Winding Mountain and Stone Dragon Shrines — where you might get hit with a notification claiming, "You lack the proper equipment to continue." If that happens, how do you get the proper equipment to progress? Well, it's simple. You just need one new tool: the grappling hook.
Where are the Winding Mountain and Stone Dragon Shrines?
If you attempt to wander Tsushima without the grappling hook, you'll encounter gorges near the edge of the island that Jin can't cross. This will bar you from completing these two shrines. You'll be unable to reach the Winding Mountain and Stone Dragon shrines (pictured on the map below) because both include wide chasms that not even the tallest person could jump.
You'll need to locate the grappling hook first to pass through and honor each shrine. There are also a few traversal elements in other parts of the island that will be inaccessible without the tool. Each place that the grappling hook can interact with will be marked by a broken tree trunk with colorful wrappings.
Both Grappling Hook required shrines
How do you obtain the grappling hook?
If you're looking to obtain the grappling hook to either progress in your exploration or live out your Batman Ninja-themed dreams, don't worry. If you spend a lot of time exploring initially and encounter one of these shrines, it might seem like you've missed something — especially when there's no grappling hook tool on any of the technique skill trees.
The answer is simple: All you need to do is progress through the story. After completing the story mission titled "Hammer and Forge," a new ally will craft the grappling hook for you. They'll also ask you to explore or go do something else for a while, like a side quest that you may have been neglecting.
Your new grappling hook will be waiting for you when you return, but you'll have to complete the story mission called "The Iron Hook" before it's yours permanently. This is the 8th story mission in the game, so it happens fairly early. You can check your progress towards this point by opening your menu and going to the "Journal" tab. You'll see all completed story missions under "Jin's Journey."
Once you've finished "The Iron Hook," the grappling hook will remain in your arsenal for the entire story. You can return to either shrine to complete them with ease now that you've got your hook.
Chasm shasm you've got a hook.
Ghost of Tsushima is currently available for PlayStation 4.
