Upgrading armor early steadies Atsu for tougher fights and unlocks room for more specialized builds later. Here’s how to unlock the armorer, use the upgrade menu correctly, and quickly gather the coin and materials those upgrades require.
Unlock armor upgrades at Yotei’s Shadow Inn
Open the map and set a marker on the Golden Ginkgo Leaf northwest of Atsu’s home. Use the wind navigation by swiping up on the touchpad to ride toward Yotei’s Shadow Inn.
At the inn’s gate, interact with the front door using
R2 to start the “The Old Inn” mission. Clear the tutorial encounters, then finish the defense of the inn.After the mission, find the forge on the outer rim of the inn’s grounds. Look for the sign with a hammer-and-tongs icon and speak to Ginji the Armorer to unlock armor services.
Choose Gear Upgrades from Ginji’s menu. Select a specific armor and review the listed requirements; early tiers usually cost coin, while later tiers add material costs such as Silk Fibers.
Hold X to buy the upgrade when you have enough coin and materials. Reopen the menu to verify the stat or perk improvements listed beneath the armor name.
Optional: Open Armor Dyes at Ginji to trade Flowers for cosmetic dyes. You can only preview dyes for armor you already own.
Gather the coin and materials you’ll need
Pick up world materials while traveling. Watch for the brief flash on gatherables like Young Bamboo, flowers, and minerals, then press
R2 to collect them as you pass.Stock Silk Fibers early. Ran the Bowyer inside the inn sells Silk Fibers for coin, which are used in armor upgrades and some crafting.
Fund upgrades with bounties. Interact with the Bounty Board near Kojiro outside the inn to accept targets; payouts are deposited when you return, providing reliable coin for upgrades.
Grab the easy starter cash. Before you first leave Atsu’s homestead, interact with the memory near the outhouse, then dig up Jubei’s stash nearby to collect 200 mon for early purchases.
| Resource | Early source | Why it matters |
| Coin (Mon). | Bounties at the inn; Jubei’s 200 mon stash at home. | Pays the first armor tiers and vendor materials. |
| Silk Fibers. | Ran the Bowyer vendor at the inn. | Required for later armor tiers and some ammo crafting. |
| Flowers. | Found while exploring, highlighted by a flash. | Used to buy Armor Dyes from Ginji. |
Use the armorer again in later regions
Return to Yotei’s Shadow Inn any time to access Ginji’s forge. The inn remains a dependable hub for upgrades between missions.
Look for armorers in settlements as you progress to new regions. Their shop signs and active forges are visible from a short distance and offer the same upgrade workflow.
Keep Flowers for cosmetics if you care about visuals. Hold the dye purchase input to buy, or hold the equip input to apply a dye immediately after purchase.
Once the inn is secured and Ginji is onboard, upgrading becomes a straightforward loop: gather coin and Silk, visit the forge, and pick the next tier that fits your build.
