Ghost of Yotei's hidden activity turns you into a master archer. Nothing in the game says how important it is

Ghost of Yotei is packed with secrets and optional activities you can stumble upon while exploring the game world. Not all of these activities are marked on the map – you'll have to find a lot of them on your own by exploring the open world carefully. In the first region of the game, the Yotei Grasslands, you may encounter an optional mini-game, and completing it will reward you with a talisman essential for doing the most powerful archer build. This mini-game is ku-e-shinok, an archery challenge located in the Ainu hunting grounds.

1. Ghost of Yotei – game guide.

How to unlock the ku-e-shinok archery challenge?

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The Ainu hunting grounds are located in the Yotei Grasslands region, on the Golden Foothills, just south of the entrance to the Ishikari Plain. Neither the wind nor the golden bird will guide you there, so you must find this place on your own. When you get there, chat with the kid hanging out near the tent, then hold down the touch panel to experience Atsu's flashback.

The flashback consists of playing ku-e-shinok, during which you must shoot arrows through hoops. There are six of them, and you have six arrows. There are three hoops hanging from the trees that you can shoot at whenever you want, and the other three are tossed by kids – you'll need to wait for a kid to throw them. Treat this flashback as a ku-e-shinok tutorial. Young Atsu doesn't have concentration, making victory more difficult than normal, but winning in the flashback isn't necessary.

How to complete the ku-e-shinok archery challenge?

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Once you're done with the flashback, you can chat with aykor to participate in the ku-e-shinok challenge, for real this time. The rules are the same – you only need to hit three hoops to get some prizes, but if you manage to hit six, you'll score an upgraded prize that's totally worth the effort. You can try the ku-e-shinok mini-games as many times as you want without any cost, so go ahead and keep trying until you succeed.

Hitting the three hanging rings shouldn't pose any problem. The hoops that are thrown are trickier, so save your concentration for those. Keep an ear out for the kids who'll give you a heads-up right before they toss the hoop – look around to spot which kid is going to throw it. The children on the left and right throw hoops that roll on the water. Shoot when the hoop approaches the left edge of the log lying in front of you. The child in the middle throws a hoop into the air—this is definitely the most difficult target in this challenge. Use concentration and aim at the right edge of the hoop when it is already in the air.

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For hitting three hoops, you will get a new bow color and the Charm of Iron Focus, which slightly extends the duration of concentration. If you hit six hoops, the Charm of Iron Focus will be upgraded, further extending the duration of concentration. This is one of the best talismans for character builds based on archery. With a lot of concentration, you can take out almost all enemies with headshots before the open combat even starts.

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Ghost of Yotei

October 2, 2025

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