You've probably spent dozens of hours slashing through Mongols, perfecting your parry timing, and following golden birds across the gorgeous vistas of Iki Island. But there’s a good chance you missed something. It’s not a giant boss fight or a shiny new set of armor. Honestly, it’s just a series of small, unprompted acts of kindness. Most players call it the Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy trophy, but the game itself doesn't give you a quest marker for it. It doesn't put a yellow dot on your map. It just waits for you to be a decent person.
Jin Sakai is a warrior, sure. But on Iki Island, he's also a man trying to heal a very broken legacy. The Common Courtesy tasks are essentially "unlisted" Tales of Iki. They are small, missable interactions that require you to actually pay attention to the world rather than just sprinting to the next question mark on the HUD. If you’re hunting for that Platinum trophy or just want the 100% completion rate on the Director’s Cut, you have to find these.
It’s weirdly poetic. In a game defined by "Honor," these tasks are the only ones that aren't rewarded with a grand cinematic or a legendary technique. You do them because they're the right thing to do.
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Finding the Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy Encounters
Most people stumble onto the first one by accident. You're wandering the coast, and you see something that looks... off. There’s no mission prompt. No NPC waving their arms frantically. You just have to look.
Take the Sakai Graveyard, for instance. If you head over there, you’ll find a guy named Kodama. He’s not going to give you a quest to go kill twenty bandits. Instead, he’s mourning. To progress this specific part of the Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy requirements, you have to interact with the environment in a way the game rarely forces you to. You listen. You show respect. Specifically, you need to survive a series of "stories" or visions that trigger. It’s a test of patience more than a test of your sword arm.
Then there’s the incident at the lake.
You’ll find a group of peasants near a lake who are trying to save their home from being overrun by the environment and the remnants of the Mongol invasion. You don't get a "Quest Started" notification. You just help them. You help them clear out the area and fix what’s broken. It feels manual. It feels grounded. It’s a far cry from the high-flying combat of the main story, and that’s exactly why it sticks with people.
The Boatman and the Beehive
One of the most frequent "Where do I go?" questions involves the boatman. You’ll find him near the Barrier Reef. He’s trying to get his boat back in the water, but he’s stuck. Again, no map marker. You have to literally help him push and clear the way.
There's also a woman near a hive of bees. If you've played the game, you know how much the developers love their nature motifs. You have to defend her, but it’s not a scripted "Defend the Target" mission with a health bar at the top of the screen. If you walk away, she might die. If you stay, you fulfill a hidden requirement.
Why Sucker Punch Kept These Hidden
Game designers usually want you to see everything they built. They put icons everywhere. They use "detective vision" to highlight clues. But for the Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy trophy, Sucker Punch took a gamble on subtlety. They wanted players to feel like they were part of a living community on Iki Island.
If Jin Sakai is supposed to be the "Ghost" who protects the people, he shouldn't need a quest log to tell him to help a guy fix a boat. By hiding these objectives, the developers rewarded players who were actually roleplaying as a protector. It forces you to stop galloping at full speed and actually look at the NPCs. Are they crying? Are they struggling with a heavy load? Can you bow to them?
The Steps You Actually Need to Take
If you're stuck and just want to know how to trigger the trophy, here is the breakdown of the five specific encounters you need to finish. Don't look for these in your journal; they won't be there until they are finished.
- The Beekeeper: Head to the western side of Iki. Look for a woman near some hives. Talk to her, fight off the Mongols that show up, and then talk to her again. It's quick, but easy to miss if you're just riding by.
- The Kodama/Sakai Graveyard: This one is emotional. Go to the graveyard, speak to the man, and follow his lead. You’ll have to "complete" the vision. It’s more of a cutscene-heavy interaction than a fight.
- The Drowning Man: Near the coast, you'll see a guy whose boat has capsized. You have to help him get to shore and deal with the immediate threats.
- The Lake Cleanup: This is near the center of the map. You’ll see a group of people struggling near the water. Clear the area of the Mongol presence that is polluting or blocking their way of life.
- The Archery Challenge NPC: This one is the "sneakiest." You need to find the guy at the Archery Challenge who talks about his daughter. If you complete the challenge and then talk to him again, you'll realize there's a small "narrative" beat you need to finish.
Wait. There’s a catch.
You usually have to have finished the main story of Iki Island for some of these to trigger correctly, or at least have progressed far enough that the island isn't in total lockdown. If you go to a location and nothing is happening, try advancing the main "Tales of Iki" first.
Common Misconceptions About the Trophy
I see people all the time on Reddit saying their trophy is glitched. Usually, it's not. It’s just that the game is very particular about the "completion" state. You can't just kill the Mongols and leave. You almost always have to wait for the NPC to finish their dialogue.
In the modern era of gaming, we're conditioned to skip dialogue the moment we see the "Quest Complete" pop-up. Don't do that here. If you leave too early, the game might not register that the Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy requirement was met. Stand there. Bow. Listen to the person thank you.
Another big one: the "Whack-a-Mole" effect. Some players think they need to do every single random encounter (the ones that pop up with a white "circle" icon) to get this. You don't. Those are procedurally generated. The Common Courtesy encounters are hand-placed, specific locations. They are "static" hidden quests.
How This Fits Into the Larger Narrative
Ghost of Tsushima is a game about the tension between being a "Samurai" (honor, directness, rigid rules) and being the "Ghost" (dishonorable but effective).
The Ghost of Tsushima Common Courtesy tasks are the middle ground. They are acts of "Samurai" kindness performed with "Ghost" subtlety. You aren't doing it for the glory of a clan. You aren't doing it for a reward from the Shogun. You're doing it because Jin, as a character, is finally starting to understand that his father's legacy on Iki Island was one of violence—and he wants to leave something better behind.
It’s actually some of the best writing in the DLC. The main plot with The Eagle is great, sure, but these tiny vignettes show the actual human cost of the war.
Actionable Steps for Completionists
If you want to knock this out in one go, follow this flow. Don't stress, it takes maybe 30 minutes total if you have the fast travel points unlocked.
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- Check your Map: Look for the Sakai Graveyard first. It’s the most "complex" one and usually the one people forget.
- Listen for Dialogue: If you're near a coast or a lake and hear someone shouting for help, stop. Don't assume it's just a random Mongol encounter.
- The Bow Gesture: Use the touchpad to bow after you help someone. While not strictly required for every single one, it often triggers the final line of dialogue that "closes" the hidden script.
- Verify the Trophy: Once you think you've done all five, check your trophy list. If it hasn't popped, go back to the boatman near the Barrier Reef. He’s the most common culprit for a "missed" completion.
Honestly, even if you aren't a trophy hunter, go do these. They ground the experience. They make Iki Island feel like a place worth saving, rather than just a checklist of outposts to liberate and collectibles to find. It’s a reminder that sometimes, the most important things in a game are the ones the developers didn't feel the need to highlight in neon lights.
Take your time. Walk through the tall grass. Help the guy with the boat. It’s what Jin would actually do.
Next Steps for Players:
Start by fast-traveling to the Sakai Graveyard on Iki Island. Locate the NPC Kodama and engage with his story—this is the longest encounter and will let you know immediately if your game is in the right state to trigger these hidden "Common Courtesy" events. After that, sweep the western coastline for the boatman and beekeeper to wrap up the most missable requirements.