Last updated: 3 July 2026
Ghost of Yōtei Best Charms Tier List and Locations
Charms in Ghost of Yōtei are passive ability items that provide ongoing bonuses across seven stat categories: Onryo, Melee, Ranged, Defense, Utility, Stealth, and others. Most charms are obtained by following foxes to Inari Shrines scattered across Ezo — a mechanic carried over from Ghost of Tsushima. Each charm can be upgraded multiple levels to increase its effect. This guide ranks the best charms by impact, explains where to find them, and covers how to prioritise your upgrade resources.
01How the Charm System Works
Charms are slotted into Atsu's loadout and remain active as long as they are equipped. Each charm occupies one slot, and you can save distinct charm combinations as part of named build presets — the game supports up to five saved builds, each pairing an armour set with a specific charm loadout.
- Categories: Charms fall into Onryo, Melee, Ranged, Defense, Utility, and Stealth categories. Stat bonuses within each category stack with similar effects from armour set bonuses, so matching your charm category to your armour type amplifies results.
- Finding charms (fox shrines): The majority of the best charms are obtained at Inari Shrines. A fox appears near certain map locations and leads Atsu to the shrine entrance. Completing the shrine's platforming or navigation puzzle awards a charm. Fox sightings are not marked on the map by default — they appear dynamically when Atsu is nearby.
- Upgrading: Every charm can be upgraded multiple levels by spending crafting resources (materials gathered through exploration, combat, and looting). Upgrades increase the magnitude of the charm's effect. Charms do not need to be at maximum level to be useful — even a first-level charm delivers its core benefit immediately.
- Equip early, upgrade passively: Equipping a good charm as early as possible lets its upgrade progress accumulate through normal gameplay. Resources collected while exploring Ezo convert directly into charm levels, so there is no benefit to waiting.
02Best Onryo Charms (Ghost Stance & Spirit)
- Charm of Eager Revenge — S Tier: Reduces the kill streak required to trigger Ghost Stance by one. Ghost Stance is one of the most powerful offensive tools in the game — anything that makes it activate more frequently is high value. Found by purchasing from a merchant (Taro the Scavenger) for approximately 1,000 coins.
- Charm of Masakado — A Tier: Triggers Onryo's Will (self-revival) at full health rather than a partial amount. This effectively upgrades the Onryo's Will technique from a low-health revival to a full-health reset — a major difference in fights where you had very little health before the kill. Found at the Amber Respite Shrine summit.
03Best Melee Charms (Combat & Parrying)
- Charm of Futsunushi — S Tier: Makes parries and perfect dodges easier to execute — widening the input window for both actions. Since Perfect Parry is already among the most impactful mechanics in combat, making it easier to land consistently is a force multiplier for any melee-focused build. Found at the Faithful Leap Shrine.
- Father's Charm — A Tier: Perfect Parries regain a minor amount of health on each success. In prolonged combat sequences, this converts consistent parrying into a health sustain loop that reduces the need to use healing items. Found at a Mount Yōtei Shrine.
04Best Ranged Charms
- Mother's Charm — A Tier: Increases arrow damage by a significant amount. For players using the bow regularly — especially in combination with the Dragonfly Armour (ranged build) and Concentration technique — this charm elevates the bow from a supplementary tool to a primary damage source. Found at a Mount Yōtei Shrine.
- Charm of Burning Blades — B Tier: Kunai deal fire damage on hit. When combined with a kunai-heavy quickfire build (Nine Tail Armour) and status-effect charms, this charm creates a sustained burning debuff that deals ongoing damage. Found by completing Hana's Farms side quest in Teshio Ridge.
05Best Defense Charms (Survivability)
- Charm of Mount Yōtei — S Tier: Reduces all incoming damage by a moderate amount. This is a universal defensive charm — it applies to every source of damage and benefits every playstyle. On Lethal difficulty it is especially powerful, where each hit from an unblocked attack can take a significant portion of Atsu's health. Found by solving the Mountain Reliquary Puzzles across Ezo.
- Charm of Thoughtful Restoration — A Tier: Increases Atsu's maximum health. Particularly valuable in the early game when maximum health is lower and individual hits represent a larger fraction of the health bar. Found at Hot Springs scattered across Ezo — soaking in a Hot Spring rewards this charm and provides a temporary health and stat bonus.
06Best Stealth Charms
- Charm of Lingering Shadows — S Tier: Reduces enemy detection speed by a major amount. For a stealth-focused run, this charm is effectively mandatory — it gives Atsu substantially more time between enemy sightings before the detection meter fills to combat alert. Found at the High Wall Fox Den.
- Charm of Assassin's Resolve — A Tier: Generates Spirit from each assassination. Spirit feeds back into techniques like Heavenly Slash, standoff abilities, and Ghost Stance, making a stealth-to-combat hybrid approach self-sustaining. Found by following the fox from the Flowing Water Fox Den to its Inari Shrine.
- Charm of Masaka — A Tier: Smoke bombs restore a major amount of health when deployed. Transforms smoke bombs from an escape-only tool into a recovery mechanism, letting Atsu take calculated risks knowing a smoke bomb deployment will also heal her. Found at the Enduring Hold Shrine.
07Best Utility Charms
- Charm of Kanayago — B Tier: Increases metal and powder collection from the environment. Metal and powder are the most commonly required resources for upgrading weapons and ranged ammunition. Equipping this charm during exploration phases significantly reduces resource grinding time. Found at Fall's Rest Shrine.
- Charm of Hachiman — A Tier: Extends the maximum kill streak by one during a Standoff. Combined with Standoff technique upgrades from the Revenge skill tree, this lets Atsu eliminate two or three enemies before combat begins rather than one. A strong opener charm regardless of build. Found by completing a major story side mission.
08Charm Upgrade Priority
Upgrading every charm to maximum level is a long-term goal that requires significant resource investment. To upgrade efficiently, follow this priority order:
- Equip your primary defensive charm (Charm of Mount Yōtei or Charm of Thoughtful Restoration) immediately and leave it slotted to accumulate upgrade progress while exploring.
- Upgrade your core build charm (Charm of Lingering Shadows for stealth, Charm of Futsunushi for melee, Mother's Charm for ranged) to at least upgrade level 2 before investing in secondary charms.
- Upgrade the Charm of Eager Revenge after your core and defensive charms are levelled — Ghost Stance rewards compound with each fight, making this a strong late-upgrade for players who have established their primary build.
- Leave utility charms (Charm of Kanayago) at lower levels — their collection-rate bonuses scale less dramatically with upgrades than combat or defensive charms.
FAQ
How do you find charms in Ghost of Yōtei?
Most charms are found at Inari Shrines by following foxes. A fox will appear near certain areas of the Ezo map and run toward its shrine — follow it and complete the shrine's navigation puzzle to receive a charm. Some charms are obtained from merchants, Hot Spring locations, or as quest rewards. Foxes are not permanently marked on the map and appear dynamically when Atsu is in the right area.
What is the best charm in Ghost of Yōtei?
For most playstyles, the Charm of Mount Yōtei (universal damage reduction) and Charm of Futsunushi (easier parries and perfect dodges) are the most broadly impactful charms. For a stealth build, the Charm of Lingering Shadows (reduced detection speed) is essential. The Charm of Eager Revenge (reduced Ghost Stance kill streak) is the top offensive charm for late-game builds. The 'best' charm depends on your armour set and playstyle.
How do you upgrade charms in Ghost of Yōtei?
Select a charm in the equipment menu and spend the required crafting resources to increase its level. Resources include metal, powder, silk, and other materials gathered by exploring Ezo, defeating enemies, and completing side missions. There is no cap on upgrading — each level increases the charm's effect. Equip charms as early as possible so upgrade resources collected through normal play go toward levelling them.
How many charms can you equip at once in Ghost of Yōtei?
The game allows you to equip multiple charms simultaneously, with the exact slot count depending on your armour set and progression. Save up to five distinct build presets that each combine an armour set with a specific charm loadout — this allows you to switch between, for example, a stealth build and a melee-focused build without manually re-equipping every time.
What charms are best for a Ghost Stance build?
The Charm of Eager Revenge (reduces Ghost Stance kill streak by 1) is the anchor of any Ghost Stance-focused build. Pair it with the Charm of Assassin's Resolve (Spirit generation from assassinations) to maintain the resource needed for techniques between Stance activations, and the Charm of Masakado (full-health Onryo's Will revival) to recover fully after using Ghost Stance in a difficult encounter.
Where is the Charm of Lingering Shadows in Ghost of Yōtei?
The Charm of Lingering Shadows is found at the High Wall Fox Den. A fox at that location leads Atsu to an Inari Shrine — completing the shrine puzzle rewards the charm. The charm reduces enemy detection speed by a major amount, making it the highest-value stealth charm in the game for extended assassination runs.
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