How to Defeat Lord Shimura in Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima is one of the most popular action-adventure franchises on PlayStation. Since it was released in 2020, the game has maintained a huge fanbase and after 4 years they are expanding it with the PC port. So, it’s time for the PC players to dive into the game and experience 1274 Japan during the Mongol invasion. To make the experience more thrilling, the game has multiple challenging bosses to deal with and Lord Shimura is one of the hardest among them.

Once you start your Ghost of Tsushima journey, eventually you will find that powerful bosses are blocking your path from the beginning of the game. However, Lord Shimura is the final boss of the fight, who is also the uncle of Jin Sakai, whom the protagonist has been trying to save. Becoming the final fight, this one will be the toughest one to win and it is completely natural if you are having a hard time fighting the boss. Don’t worry, the boss is not unbeatable. Instead, the fight ends with a little twist. In this guide, we will discuss everything in detail. 

Location of Lord Shimura in Ghost of Tsushima – Some Required Information

The confrontation with Lord Shimura is the final activity of the game and the decision you take will determine the fate of the boss and ending of the game. As you reach the ending part of the game, players will eventually start the final main story mission of the game- The Tale of Lord Shimura. However, the fight is not to be fought at the beginning of the mission; instead, it will come much later.

At one point, during the quest, Shimura takes Jin to their family cemetery, and after paying respect to the ancestors, Shimura informs Jin that Shogun has ordered him to kill Jin. For his actions against the Mongols, Jin has been declared a traitor; therefore, the only punishment he deserves is death. At this point, the fight begins. 

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This fight is going to be something troublesome as the boss attacks fast, but the problem is his attacks are unpredictable. So, to win this fight, players must be flexible and have great reflexes. Otherwise, the elimination is inevitable. Keeping these in mind, let’s check out the tips and strategies to fight Lord Shimura.

How to Defeat Lord Shimura in Ghost of Tsushima?

The fight starts with an argument between Jin and his uncle. However, before the fight begins, Jin will switch to Ronin Attire. Therefore, there’s no way we can suggest any armor as no armor will fit after wearing the Ronin Attire. Lord Shimura is indeed an agile enemy with a range of attacks. It is hard to compete with his speed. In that case, dodge and parry will be your best companion throughout the fight. Players need to wait for perfect opportunities to land hits on the boss. 

We have already mentioned that Shimura attacks first, and over time, he changes the attack pattern. Each time, he loses health, his combos start becoming longer. At the end of the fight, you will no longer find him launching single slashes or stabs. Instead, he will switch to four-hit combos which mostly include non-blockable attacks. 

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Unblockable attacks give you a red-glowing sign before the boss launches the attack. Players should try to dodge them and parrying these attacks sometimes seems to be more problematic. Mostly, the boss raises his blade over his head before launching a combo. Players can easily use The Heavenly Strike ability to counter his attacks, especially combo attacks. 

The deadliest attack of Shimura is when the boss holds his sword above his hand in an arc with his other hand holding the end of the blade. The first attack is not the problem, but it is followed by an incredibly fast unblockable downward swing, which gives almost no time to dodge. Therefore, always try to keep a safe distance from the boss. 

The biggest problem about Lord Shimura is his high resistance to Staggering attacks. So, you can’t stop the enemy using Stagger Attacks. However, this doesn’t mean that he is an unbeatable one. Instead, players can easily beat him if a few boss attacks can be parried. This will make the boss vulnerable and open to damage. However, players must use fast attacks against the boss to deal the most damage.

The fight will take time and patience to be completed. However, once the enemy reaches almost the edge of his health, a cutscene will play to give players a vital decision of killing Lord Shimura or sparing him.

Lord Shimura Choice Guide – Should You Kill Him Or Spare Him?

When Lord Shimura reaches the verge of death, he will request Jin to give him an honorable death. Next, the game provides players with two choices: they can honor the wish of the boss, or spare him. Both these choices will have their consequences, but without knowing the results, players may get confused. 

If you decide to kill the boss, Jin will tell his uncle that he will always be remembered as a great warrior, a wise leader, and a father. Shimura will thank his nephew and finally, Jin will stab his uncle to death, breaking into tears. This scene will be followed by Jin’s official announcement of his campaign against the remaining Mongol forces.

On the contrary, if players decide to spare Lord Shimura, the cutscene will show that Jin admits that he has no honor, but he can’t kill his own uncle. When Shimura forces him, he bows to his uncle, puts on the mask of Ghost,  and leaves the place, leaving behind his uncle with his shame of losing the fight. 

This choice is based on the player’s personal feelings about the characters. The way you want to see Jin, choose your option accordingly. This choice won’t really impact the post-credit scene a lot. If you spare the Lord, Jin will be found writing during the post-credit scene, and if you have killed Lord Shimura, Jin will be found sitting on the floor.  So, players can decide whatever they want to choose, without any fear of missing out on something important.