Ghost of Tsushima receives a few game-changing options in a new update today. The 1.05 patch will include a new difficulty level, a new combat accessibility setting, and some additional options for the game’s text.
The new difficulty level is called Lethal, and it sounds exactly like that: Enemies are both more aggressive and more astute. They’ll spot you faster and attack you more frequently than in the lower three difficulties. They’ll also deal more damage—but, to balance things out, you will too. The windows for parrying and dodging will also be tighter than they are on the other settings. Best make sure your loadouts are in tip-top shape.
The second new addition, Lower Intensity Combat, will be found in the accessibility menu. It changes enemy behavior: For instance, when you use resolve to heal, enemies won’t attack you. They’ll also take longer to detect you, mimicking one of the benefits of wearing Ronin Armor so you won’t constantly have to switch to it for stealth missions. Some unblockable attacks (those with a red glint) will be blockable, though not all. You can even use heavy attacks to interrupt those annoying combos that Brutes love to use.
Presumably, you’ll be able to increase the difficulty and then turn on Lower Intensity Combat for a makeshift custom mode that’s tougher than what you’re used to, but not quite as tough as full-blown Hard or Lethal. It will also be helpful for players who struggle with timing-based combat.
Finally, Ghost of Tsushima’s text is getting an overhaul. There are four new text colors options to choose from (blue, green, red, and yellow). You’ll also be able to remove the speaker’s name. But the biggest change addresses one of the more pervasive problems in modern gaming: tiny text. Enabling the large text option will size up the typeface across the game—in subtitles, mission objectives, and interaction prompts—by 150 percent.
Patch 1.05 comes out later today.