Ghost of Tsushima, the PlayStation 4 exclusive about a lone samurai trying to liberate his island from a Mongol invasion, has tons of content for the player to consume. They can follow the main story, the side stories, the mythic quests, or track down the collectibles.
All of this content does not get repetitive because it is integrated into the world, hiding the checklist nature of it. The collectibles are fun to collect because they include small gameplay mechanics and character progression. Some of them are more useful than others so the following may be a helpful way to prioritize the side content.
11 Honorable Mention: Altars
The altars are a hidden collectible in the game that has besides looking cool. They are not marked on the map and finding one can be happenstance. Altars are designated by small signs with a bowing figure on them. Jin has to bow in front of the sign and the world will be affected in some way. Lightning will strike and swarms of insects will appear among other things.
10 Mongol Records And Artifacts
These two collectibles fall short compared to other side content in the game. The records and artifacts can be found in the villages and Mongol Territories scattered throughout the map. Simply, put on the traveler's gear when exploring buildings and the controller will rumble when one of these are nearby. These are ultimately useless unless you're a trophy hunter since they do not give you any in-game rewards.
9 Lighthouses and Crickets
Just like the last two collectibles, these do not have any in-game awards associated with them. Both are easy to find. The lighthouses are easy to spot and the crickets are located in the cemeteries scattered across the island. These are just an excuse to explore the beautiful game and take in the views. It says something about your game when it's so pretty that even the meaningless collectibles are fun.
8 Duels
Sometimes you'll be walking around the world of Tsushima and some enemy wants to duel you. These are considered collectibles because there are a certain number of them and they are not full-on quests. Duels don't give the gamer anything besides practice and experience. It may be exactly what you need to acquire that next technique point.
7 Haiku
The haiku is one of the best collectibles in the game. Jin sits down, inspired by nature, and reflects on life. The player constructs their own haiku while serene music plays in the background.
After being one with nature, the player gets a headband reflecting the experience. The headband does nothing but add to Jin's outfit and player customization.
6 Banners
Banners are a common collectible in open-world games but they usually don't have any purpose. In Ghost of Tsushima, banners can be turned in for different horse saddles. They are purely cosmetic but they drastically change the appearance of Jin's horse. It's satisfying to have Jin's armor match the horse's saddle as he comes trotting into town.
5 Pillars of Honor
People love to leave valuable swords on these pillars for some reason. Hopefully, no one plans on coming back for them because Jin grabs every one he sees. Sadly, they do not have any effect on gameplay. They each have cool contrasting colors so Jin can be the most stylish samurai. As a bonus, some of these pillars also have fancy hats for free.
4 Shinto Shrines
The shrines require a brief, Uncharted-like parkour segment. It's a great way to diversify the gameplay and it was always a welcome detour on Jin's journey. They give the player valuable charms, which have different gameplay buffs. These include things like slower enemy detection and health regeneration. The amount of charms outnumbers the available charm slots. Completing these shrines will lead to some serious decision making.
3 Fox Dens
The best part about these collectibles is following the cute foxes around the island. The fox will take Jin to a shrine, which gives him more charm slots.
These are valuable because they provide powerful upgrades to your character. Slots plus charms equal unstoppable samurai. Even better then charm slots though is getting to pet a fox and watch it jump in joy.
2 Bamboo Strikes
Hopefully, no one is watching Jin as he miserably attemps to cut bamboo several times. That's if the player is bad at button pressing. Cutting these bamboo will increase Jin's resolve, one of the best things to upgrade early on. Resolve is Ghost of Tsushima's healing mechanism. If Jin has an abundance of resolve then he can stay in the fight longer.
1 Hot Springs
Jin needs a nice, relaxing bath in between all his killing. The player gets to reflect on different happenings in Jin's life as he takes a little break from his violent journey. The bath is so rejuvenating that it increases Jin's health. These can be found by locating steam in the distance or following a yellow bird to the sweet spot of serenity.