By William Parks
Updated
Players face a choice at the conclusion of Ghost of Tsushima's The Impact of Loss Side Tale, and this guide will help them make it.
The Impact of Loss is a Side Tale in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC, and it ends by forcing players to make a choice. More specifically, players must decide if they will save Hotoke’s husband, Togo, or Doshun the monk. Before a Ghost of Tsushima player makes this choice, though, they may want to know more about how it will affect their playthroughs moving forward, and this guide is here to shine some light on that matter.
Updated September 16, 2022, by Michael Llewellyn: Ghost of Tsushima is one of the PlayStation's best exclusives. It has visuals and set pieces that look set to be the bar for other games looking to use similar settings like the recently announced Assassin's Creed Project Red. The game has many quests that require the player to make difficult decisions where the results won't always be black and white. The Impact of Loss is one of those quests. Jin has to choose between saving one of two hostages. The choice isn't easy, but this guide will help players to understand the potential consequences, and, ultimately, decide which hostage to save in The Impact of Loss in Ghost of Tsushima.
Unlocking The Impact Of Loss
The Impact of Loss becomes available after finishing the Journey Into the Past quest. Players will need to follow the steps below to find the Impact of Loss quest:
- Travel to the remnants of a battlefield in South-East Kidafure. Then Jin should make his way to the Southernmost bank of Lake Nagata.
- Speak to the men at the shore to gain information about the monk named Doshin.
- Jin will agree to find Doshin.
- Follow the wind to find Hotoke. Jin will converse with a lady in yellow first.
- Next, Jin will get directed to meet Hotoke.
- Jin and Hotoke will investigate an abandoned village in Kidafure.
- Examine the bodies with Hotoke until they come across barrels of rice.
- Jin will need to follow the trail of rice.
- Jin encounters some Mongols initiating a fight.
- After the fight, Jin will investigate the beach area to discover that both Doshin and Hotoke's husband, Togo are being held captive by the Mongols. Unfortunately, Jin can only save one, and he has to choose which hostage to save in The Impact of Loss.
Which Hostage Should You Save in Ghost of Tsushima’s The Impact of Loss?
Generally, the decision between saving Togo or Doshun is not impactful, as it only really affects which cutscene is seen at the end of the quest. Indeed, players will receive identical rewards for completing this Side Tale regardless of who they rescue. The decision will not hold any significance again as players continue their exploration of Iki Island in Ghost of Tsushima.
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As such, players only need to consider which outcome they prefer from a narrative perspective when choosing the hostage that they will save. If a Ghost of Tsushima player would like to be in the good graces of Hotoke and her family, then they should opt to rescue Togo and let Doshun die. Conversely, if the player thinks that the monk should remain alive, then they should accept that they will be scorned by Hotoke and cut Doshun free. Unfortunately, saving both hostages in The Impact of Loss isn't possible. However, for those interested, here is the outcome of each choice in The Impact of Loss.
Choosing Togo
If Jin chooses to save Togo, Hotoke will reveal that she is pregnant, but is terrified of not having Doshin there to heal and support the camp. Upon returning, Jin finds that Togo and Hotoke have been abandoned by the rest of the camp members, leaving their fate in dire straits.
Choosing Doshin
If Jin chooses to save the monk Doshin, Hotoke will be angry with him. Again, Hotoke will reveal she's pregnant with Togo's child. However, the camp's residents remain, and Doshin feels that Hotoke will eventually forgive Jin. The monk thinks that Hotoke withheld her pregnancy from Jin, so it wouldn't affect his decision.
Ghost of Tsushima: The Impact of Loss Rewards
As previously noted, The Impact of Loss grants the same reward no matter who a player chooses to save. That reward is the Charm of Desperate Measures, which allows Jin to gain an arrow by blocking one if they have none in their possession. Additionally, players will make some Legend rank progress upon completion of the Tale, which is sure to be of interest to those who have their eyes on the Benefit of all Beings trophy in Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island DLC.
On the subject of trophies, there is one that requires players to complete all of the Side Tales in this Ghost of Tsushima expansion. That trophy is dubbed Friend to All Raiders, and indeed those that finish The Impact of Loss will be one step closer to earning it. That said, players must also tackle all of Iki Island’s Main Tales and Mythic Tales to claim this trophy, which is undoubtedly a bit of an undertaking.
Ghost of Tsushima is available on PS4 and PS5.
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