Ghost of Yotei isn’t officially out yet, but Sucker Punch and Sony have already dropped a big day-one patch, and it’s not the one you can ignore on your first download after game release. Sony has told players to make sure they are on Ghost of Yotei Version 1.006 which is the latest with patch applied, which includes important performance upgrades, crash fixes, gameplay tweaks, and a number of visual and animation touch-ups. In short, if you have a plan to buy a disc copy, make sure that the update is installed before you set foot in Japan’s Ezo.
Most of the changes hit where it matters like ray tracing and stability have been improved, combat cameras are less messy, stealth kills and duels have been balanced, and the game world is now smoother thanks to environmental and animation polish. Photo mode also received new toys like stamps and particle effects inspired by Hokkaido, which is a nice touch for anyone who spent hours snapping fox dens in Tsushima.
The patch also makes sure Atsu’s revenge tale plays without distraction, as bugs that broke mission flow or cut dialogue short have been ironed out, the in-game economy is more balanced, and NPC behavior has been tuned to be more believable. These updates sure make the difference between a great launch and a frustrating one.
Day-one patches are nothing new, but this one’s important. Digital players will have it baked in automatically, while disc owners will need to install it manually. Either way, you’ll want this run before October 2 if you want to get the best possible start to your journey north of Mount Yōtei in the most hyped PS5 exclusive.
- Related: Is Ghost of Yotei Open World?
Ghost of Yotei Day One Patch Notes for Version 1.006
Performance and Stability
- Multiple improvements to environmental rendering performance.
- Fixed issues affecting Ray Tracing Mode lighting consistency and performance.
- Changes to improve performance and stability while in photomode.
- Various improvements to performance in missions with high character counts.
- Resolved uncommon crashes when playing or idling for long periods of time.
- Fixed rare crashes related to loading certain saves.
Gameplay
- Audio fixes to allow impact sound effects to correctly match surface types.
- Fixes several bugs in mini games like bamboo chop and Zeni Hajiki.
- Fixed an occasional long delay when starting buddy grapple pull.
- Fixed pumpkins appearing transparent during the kunai training mission.
- Fixed interrogation camera transitions to avoid popping between angles.
- General camera improvements for world navigation and when using tools in combat.
- Improvements camera behavior while engaged in combat, especially in optional camera modes.
- Fixes various bugs and exploits during duels.
- Various balance adjustments to weapons and charms, especially related to late game content.
- Various balance adjustments and bug fixes related to Lethal difficulty.
- Fixed bugs related to picking and throwing dropped weapons.
- Balance adjustments and bug fixes to stealth kills with weapons other than the katana.
- Fixed bugs with mission dialogue being cut short due to player or NPC actions.
- Fixed several bugs in missions that players could perceive as blocking progress.
- Various mission area improvements to help with mission flow and easier navigation.
- Limit puzzle clues in some difficulty levels.
- Prevent the horse from interrupting certain missions objectives or cutscenes.
- Removed the ability to decapitate bounty capture targets.
- Fixes a bug causing Standoff to select far away enemies.
- Various adjustments and balance changes to wolf abilities, such as when fighting enemy leaders.
- Prevent systemic enemies from appearing when the player is following foxes.
- Added the ability for the player to open photomode (via R1) during certain stages when camping.
- Various economy and loot balance changes to common metals.
- Improved enemy responses to player actions in combat scenarios.
- Reduced the occurrence of tutorials when camping.
- Improved behavior of Saito’s men hunting for Atsu in the open world.
Animation
- Improved intro and exit transitions for some cinematics to present a better and more emotional experience.
- Fixed multiple instances of armor blocking camera shots during cutscenes.
- Fixes to prevent geometry fading or popping at incorrect times in cutscenes.
- Fixes for cutscene animation artifacts.
- Fixes multiple instances of weapons appearing incorrectly during cutscenes.
- Fixes characters improperly appearing in some cutscenes.
- Improvements to character expressions and emotions during some cutscenes.
- Updated various NPC animations and voice lines to make characters behave more naturally.
- Updated the intro and exit animations for katana attacks so they feel more natural.
- Updating foot matching across animations to better match characters’ feet to the ground.
- Added new into and exit animations to improve transitions smoothness in foot matching and posture.
- Improved animations for the coal throwing game used in weapon training.
- Fixed a bug that allowed dogs and other animals to play incorrect hunt animations.
- Fixed various NPC animations that would play incorrectly during missions.
- Improved the animation for the Brute enemy grabbing Atsu and throwing her down on the ground.
- Improving various weapon draw and stow animations to reduce clipping.
Environment
- Improved onsen environmental assets, layout, set dressing and world interaction to provide more unique experiences for each onsen.
- Improving appearance and performance of some flower types.
- Improved the look of erosion and details in mountain ranges seen across the world.
- Improved various textures in caves to bring up level of detail and eliminate seams and some artifacting.
- Updated lower levels of detail on various tree assets around the world to prevent visual popping when the player is navigating around locations.
- Updated deep snow blending to better conceal characters and also improve the look of snow on other assets.
- Improvements and optimization across many assets throughout the game to improve performance.
- Improved textures and assets within various caves and dens across the game for general quality polish.
- Tweaked assets across the entire game to fix issues with objects floating above the ground.
UI/UX
- Fixed photomode flashes and bright glow when rapidly changing the time of day.
- General improvements to the photomode menu UI and navigation.
- Fixed bugs in mini games related to alternative controller schemes.
- Fixed various bugs in spyglass.
- Fixed conflicting UI elements in various menus and the map.
- Fixed text overflowing in Large Text mode in various languages.
- Fixed text overlap with the Key Items list and objective cards with multiple rewards.
- Adjusted the position of certain UI elements, such as the Charm Level icon.
- Fixed or improved icons for multiple cosmetics and skills.
- Updated skill videos and allow colored glints for clearer instruction.
- Fixed UI elements to avoid overlapping in various cases like duels.
- Fixed a bug with items on the travelers map appearing incorrectly.
- Updated the UI marker shaders, animation and size to improve legibility.
- Fixed a bug where the loadout trainer inappropriately.
- Modified bloom in the spyglass to improve visibility in bright scenes.
- Reduced the number of pop-ups at the start of the game for a smoother experience for players with bonus content.
- Improved various UI elements at vendors.
- Fixed bugs related to loading and popping in menus.
- Updated trophy and activity art.
- Improved the appearance of some elements on the map.
- Fixed the naming of some inventory items.
- Added options to photomode.
