Ghost of Yotei asks you to swap steel as the situation changes. The core melee set counters specific enemy weapons, while bows, firearms, and quickfire tools let you solve problems from range or in a pinch. You can acquire the full kit while following the main threads, but most of it can be targeted early if you know where to go.

All weapons at a glance (how to unlock and what they’re for)

Weapon Type Best against / role How to get Where / when
Wolf Blade (Katana) Melee Sword users; reliable all-rounder Automatic Equipped at the start
Dual Katana Melee Polearms (yari, naginata) Finish “The Way of Dual Katana” Yotei Grasslands (Mount Yotei / Hanbei’s House)
Odachi Melee Brutes / heavy targets Complete “The Way of the Odachi” during “The Saito Brothers” Tokachi Range — Horosaru Falls (Master Yoshida’s Dojo)
Yari Melee Sickles and kusarigama users; space control Complete “The Way of the Yari” (sensei quest) Ishikari Plain (unlocks along the Oni path)
Kusarigama Melee Shielded enemies; crowd control Complete “The Way of the Kusarigama” (sensei quest) Teshio Ridge (Kitsune path)
Hankyu Ranged — bow Mid‑range, fast draw; general combat Buy from Ran the Bowyer (300 Coin) After “The Old Inn” at Yotei’s Shadow Inn
Yumi Ranged — bow Long‑range, high damage; helmet pierce Buy from Ran the Bowyer (2,000 Coin) After “The Old Inn” at Yotei’s Shadow Inn
Tanegashima Matchlock Ranged — rifle Armor‑piercing, severe damage; long reload Story progression (objective unlock) During “The Saito Brothers” (unlocks on “The Storm Breaks”)
Tanzutsu Quickfire — pistol Armor‑piercing shot; high stagger Finish “Guns and Consequences” Within “The Saito Brothers” line
Kunai Quickfire Fast interrupt; major stagger Mission reward Teshio Ridge — “The Winter Farms”
Metsubushi Quickfire Blind and open guards for pressure Defeat Crow Genzo (bounty) Blue‑Flowered Cemetery, Jade Grove (Yotei Grasslands)
Smoke Bomb Quickfire Escape or reposition under cover Complete “The Tale of the Kitsune” Reward from Oyuki during the Kitsune thread
Oni’s Flame Quickfire Ignites melee; strikes become unblockable while lit Story reward Granted by Mad Goro on the Oni path
Scorch Bomb Quickfire Explosive fire damage; group control Progress “The Bomb Maker” Unlocked via Ina the Bomb Maker
Blind Bomb Quickfire Area blind; crowd disable Finish “Fight Fire With Fire” Follow‑up in the Bomb Maker questline
Tip: You can pursue the sensei quests in any order, but regions often throw enemy types that push you toward their intended counter. If you arrive without that counter, expect a tougher climb until you unlock it.

Melee weapons: the counter system that runs the fight

The five blades define the game’s “rock‑paper‑scissors” layer. The Wolf Blade (katana) starts you off and handles most encounters, but each unlock makes specific matchups safer and faster:

  • Dual Katana shred polearms with speed. If a fight is mostly single‑blade enemies, swap back to the Wolf Blade for parity.
  • Odachi hits hardest and keeps swinging through light pressure. Use its Bulwark shove to stun and interrupt big wind‑ups.
  • Yari extends your control bubble; its reach punishes sickle chains and lets you create breathing room.
  • Kusarigama breaks shields and manipulates space with the chain. It doubles as a stealth utility when you need to isolate targets.

All five are obtained via main or sensei quests listed in the table. Nothing is missable, and you can circle back after major missions to collect what you skipped.

Ranged weapons: two bows and a rifle

Ran the Bowyer becomes available once you clear “The Old Inn” and reclaim Yotei’s Shadow Inn. The Hankyu is the sensible first purchase at 300 Coin: quick draw, cheap arrows, and enough punch to trigger traps or cut lines under pressure. The Yumi is purpose‑built for stealthy openers; its shots hit harder and pierce helmets, but ammo is limited and the draw is slow.

The Tanegashima matchlock rifle arrives later during “The Saito Brothers” thread and is the blunt instrument in this category — loud, slow to reload, but able to cut through armor and end problems at distance. Treat it like a scalpel for priority targets, not a default primary.

Quickfire tools: crowd control, burst damage, and tempo

Quickfire weapons exist to break stalemates or escape bad positions without entering an aiming stance:

  • Kunai reward timing; throw to interrupt attacks or finish staggered foes. Unlocked in “The Winter Farms.”
  • Metsubushi is a single‑target blind that immediately softens a defender. Claim it by hunting down Crow Genzo at the Blue‑Flowered Cemetery in Jade Grove.
  • Smoke Bomb conceals movement for either an exit or an aggressive re‑engage. It arrives with Oyuki’s “The Tale of the Kitsune.”
  • Oni’s Flame coats your blade, turning blocks into liabilities while it burns. You receive it along the Oni path from Mad Goro.
  • Scorch Bomb and Blind Bomb are the AoE options from the Bomb Maker line — first by progressing “The Bomb Maker,” then via “Fight Fire With Fire.”
  • Tanzutsu is a matchlock pistol counted under quickfire. It delivers an armor‑piercing burst and heavy stagger once you complete “Guns and Consequences.”

Where to upgrade each weapon type

Upgrades live with the specialists who taught or sold you the tool in the first place, with one exception:

  • Melee: use your Father’s Forge at home to increase damage.
  • Bows: return to Ran the Bowyer to improve stats and unlock special arrows.
  • Bombs: visit Ina the Bomb Maker to expand capacity and potency.
  • Guns: work with Matchlock Murata to push the pistol and rifle further.

For melee specifically, the shared path is simple: Altered (20 Metals), Reinforced (20 Metals + 20 Oni Raider Mask Pieces), Enhanced (30 Metals + 20 Shinobi Steel), and Perfected (60 Metals + 15 Gun Parts + 15 Rare Metals). As a heavy, the Odachi skips an Altered stage and leans on Shinobi Steel for its mid‑tier breakthrough. Plan your materials with that in mind.

The quickest way to stabilize early combat is to grab Dual Katana in the Grasslands, unlock Ran for the Hankyu, and push to Odachi during “The Saito Brothers.” After that, the sensei quests round out the counters, and the Bomb Maker and firearm objectives give you reliable outs when the field gets crowded. Swap to the right counter, and the game starts to flow.