A common question gamers have when playing Ghost of Tsushima is whether it’s possible to lock on or target certain enemies. With other RPGs, targeting enemies can help you focus tougher opponents and get them out of the way. It can also help you manage fights with multiple foes. Ghost of Tsushima is a little different, though.
Can you lock on or target enemies in Ghost of Tsushima?
© Sucker Punch
The quick answer to the question of whether you can lock on or target enemies in Ghost of Tsushima is no, you can’t. Sucker Punch didn’t include a traditional “lock on” mechanic, though there are some helpful features that can improve your experience nevertheless. During active combat, it can be a pain to work through enemies without the ability to target them.
The camera can also get into some wonky positions where you have a hard time seeing enemies due to your view being obstructed by things like buildings. It’s easy to fix this by moving around, but it can be panic-inducing when you have five enemies all trying to strike you at the same time and no ability to lock on to any of them.
We recommend dodging and pulling back during close-quarters combat, coaxing enemies out into a more open area where you can see them and better strategize who and when to attack. To get an early edge in combat, you can challenge foes to a Standoff by pressing up on your d-pad. You’ll need to hold the Triangle button, then release when your enemy starts to attack.
If you do this successfully, you’ll eliminate that enemy and get a nice boost to your Resolve. You won’t need to worry about accuracy or targeting that enemy because the Standoff mechanic does that for you. If you’re stealthy enough, you can observe and challenge the leader of a Mongol camp and save yourself a bit of time as well. Not sure how to do this? Check out our guide!
Circling back on the stealth element, you can use your focused hearing to sense how many enemies are in an area, and you can assassinate them from behind. When you get close enough to assassinate someone, you’ll “lock on” to that enemy in a way. All you need to do is press Square when prompted and you’ll perform the assassination without having to worry about aiming your strike.
Improving that skill, you’ll eventually be able to perform a quick assassination of two enemies at once. You can also improve the efficacy of your focused hearing. The more you play, the more you’ll be able to deal with enemies without targeting them. In short, there’s no way to “lock on” or target enemies in Ghost of Tsushima.
You’re free to circumnavigate this however you wish whether you want to creep through camps assassinating foes with deadly precision, or charge in, sword at the ready.
Now that you know whether Ghost of Tsushima lets you lock on or target enemies, we have a few other guides that we recommend reading:
- Where is Sogen in Ghost of Tsushima?
- How to dye your clothes in Ghost of Tsushima
- Where to find Gold in Ghost of Tsushima
