Learn how to complete The Way of Dual Katana in Ghost of Yotei. This quest will allow you to unlock Dual Katanas, granting a counter to spear wielding opponents.
How to start The Way of Dual Katana
This mission becomes available very early on in the game after Atsu visits her home, starting Chapter 1: The Lone Wolf. When you open your map, it’ll be the yellow quest marker to the west.
Search Mount Yotei for the Dual Katana Master
Following the marker will lead you to a field of red flowers. When you see the men near the rocky outcrop, you’re at the right location. Defeat them then squeeze through some rocks to reach a hidden path.
As you walk along the path, you’ll fall into a pitfall trap. To escape it, jump and press △ to grapple onto the wood bars above. This will allow you to climb out from the trap. When you’re free, squeeze into the rocks ahead to continue up the mountain.
As you climb up the mountain, you’ll reach a dead end near a tree next to a gravel slope. To proceed, jump down to the rocky outcrop below.
Search for signs of the Dual Katana Master
From there you can continue climbing the mountain on the other side until you find Hanbei’s House. Investigate the area by interacting with the crops, bamboo pile, and toolbox as pointed out below:
Walk around the house to find the entrance and investigate the katana on display. This will start a cutscene where Atsu meets Hanbei.
Training with Hanbei
Follow Hanbei for training as he throws hot coals at you. Press R1 to strike the coals, but you’ll find Atsu’s reaction time needs improvement. Now it’s time for the tricky part, cutting the bamboo with your left hand.
If you’ve played Ghost of Tsushima, this mechanic isn’t new to you. For those of you who haven’t played Tsushima (which you should), you slice the bamboo by quickly pressing the sequence of buttons from left to right.
As you progress through the bamboo, the sequence of buttons get harder and feels rather unnatural when you attempt to cut through 7 bamboo.
If you want to follow the spirit of the quest, try only using your left hand to input the sequences. It’ll feel rough, difficult, and unnatural. This is by design to simulate the difficulty Atsu has with using her non-dominant hand.
In the second day of training, the sequence of buttons will be more smooth and more easily pressed. As Atsu trains, the task becomes easier for you as well.
Picking Mushrooms
Atsu and Hanbei will talk, with Atsu expressing guilt as she blames herself for her family’s fate. This section is fairly straightforward, just control child Atsu and pick mushrooms with her brother.
Eventually you’ll meet a friendly stranger that helps Atsu and her brother find mushrooms. Take the stranger home and you’ll have more cutscenes involving the plot.
Final Day of Training
For your final day of training, the sequence of buttons will just be pressing your D-Pad buttons in a circular motion. After intense training, your ability to cut all 7 bamboo stalks is made incredibly easy.
Upon slicing the bamboo, your maximum Spirit is increased by 1. This will be incredibly useful for fights down the line as you can restore more health. Follow Hanbei to retry the hot coal trial, only this time you’ll be able to strike down all the coals when wielding Dual Katanas.
You’ll now have Dual Katanas unlocked as a combat style. Follow Hanbei to his home and fight off the bounty hunters. Dual Katana heavy attacks can break a spear-wielder’s guard far more quickly than other weapons.
This section introduces the need for you to quickly swap weapons in a fight against multiple opponents. Hold △ and press R1 to use Dual Katanas, or hold △ and press L2 to use a single Katana.
Use this fight as an opportunity to practice swapping weapons mid-combat. It does feel awkward at first, but in time you’ll get used to it and become a deadly force when you can swap weapons swiftly to deal with specific enemies.
Defeat the Ronin by following the prompts that involve using multiple heavy attacks in succession. Hanbei will investigate the bodies with Atsu and provide a lead as to where she should go next, ending The Way of the Dual Katana.
