Shinobi Steel is a mid-game bottleneck in Ghost of Yotei. You need it to push weapon and armor upgrades, and the best concentration of it sits in the northern reaches of Ezo. If you’re chasing multiple Enhanced-tier upgrades, set your route around Teshio Ridge — and if your build is on version 1.008, there’s an active reload exploit that refills a specific pickup.

Shinobi Steel uses (and why you run out)

Shinobi Steel feeds upgrades across your kit:

  • Weapons: Deliver materials to the Father’s Forge at Atsu’s home to raise damage in tiered steps. Shinobi Steel comes into play at the mid tiers and, on some gear, again later.
  • Armor: Bring sets to Ginji the Armorer to push defense. Shinobi Steel appears on upgrade lines here too.

Upgrade tiers commonly progress from basic Metals to Metals plus Oni Raider Mask Pieces, into Shinobi Steel requirements, and finally top-tier costs that involve rarer components like Gun Parts and Rare Metals. The exact counts vary by item, but the pattern is consistent enough that a Steel shortfall will stall multiple lines at once — making targeted farming worth your time.

Fast sources of Shinobi Steel

Source Where Repeatability What to expect
Shinobi enemy drops Teshio Ridge (roaming squads, dens/hideouts) High (enemies respawn across the region) Look for white-clad shinobi wielding a kusarigama, tossing kunai and smoke bombs. Clear patrols and loot bodies.
Building loot Teshio Ridge towns and camps High (world cells reset over time) Open containers and search interiors; this region’s buildings are unusually rich in Shinobi Steel.
Side tale rewards Quest lines in Teshio Ridge One-time per quest Select side tales award Steel. Example: “That Which We Know” grants 4 Shinobi Steel on completion.
Camp and instance chests Activity hubs (e.g., Yotei Six camps) One-time per chest Steels can appear in larger chests alongside other materials; sweep camps you clear anyway.
Reload exploit (v1.008) Closed-off building south of Sentinel Forest Infinite (while active) Pick up a Steel inside, then reload or fast travel back — the pickup respawns while your inventory persists.
Note: Teshio Ridge sits in the far north. You’ll reach it by pushing through the Nayoro Wilds as the story opens that path. Once there, both enemy density and indoor loot make it the most efficient region for Steel.

How to spot the right enemies

Shinobi are easy to identify even in mixed groups: they wear head-to-toe white, swing a kusarigama (sickle on a chain), and supplement with kunai and smoke. They’re mobile and slippery, but they drop the material you’re here for; prioritize them so you don’t lose bodies in the chaos.

Version 1.008 infinite farm (reload glitch)

An active glitch in version 1.008 lets you respawn a Shinobi Steel pickup indefinitely at a specific closed-off building south of Sentinel Forest. The loop is simple and quick:

1) Travel to the closed-off building south of Sentinel Forest.
2) Loot the Shinobi Steel inside.
3) Reload the last checkpoint OR fast travel away and back to the same spot.
4) Re-enter and loot the Steel again. Repeat as needed.

If the item no longer respawns in your build, assume it’s been fixed and pivot to Teshio Ridge building sweeps and shinobi patrol routes instead.

Planning an efficient loop in Teshio Ridge

Once the northern region is open, build a repeatable circuit that blends indoor loot and guaranteed combat:

  • Start at a settlement, sweep every building quickly for containers and loose materials.
  • Exit town toward known patrol paths and clear shinobi squads you encounter, looting bodies immediately.
  • Branch to a nearby camp or activity hub for a chest sweep, then pivot to the next settlement.

This pattern keeps your Steel flow steady even if enemy drops run cold, and it naturally feeds other material needs for late-tier upgrades.

Where to upgrade, at a glance

Category Examples Upgrade station Notes on Shinobi Steel
Melee weapons Katana, Dual Katana, Odachi, Yari, Kusarigama Father’s Forge (Atsu’s home) Introduced at mid tiers; some lines ask for Steel again later.
Bows Hankyu, Yumi Bowyer shops Appears on higher-tier bow upgrades alongside Wood/coins and other materials.
Armor Body sets Ginji the Armorer Used on multiple stages to lift defenses.

When to farm (progress gating)

Don’t grind for Shinobi Steel before the north opens — the density just isn’t there. Push the story until Teshio Ridge is accessible, then anchor your upgrades to a Steel-first loop. You’ll naturally collect Metals, Oni Raider Mask Pieces, and other ingredients along the way, aligning with how weapon and armor trees escalate costs.

Set your expectations around Teshio Ridge: white-garbed shinobi for drops, building interiors for steady pickups, side tales for occasional bursts, and — if you’re on v1.008 — a short reload loop that can fill a stash fast. With that, Enhanced-tier upgrades stop dragging, and the rest of your materials catch up on their own.