Ghost of Tsushima PC guide: How to sheath your sword

Ghost of Tsushima has several hidden gameplay mechanics that might not have any impact on combat but do affect the game's quality of immersion. One such mechanic is sheathing the sword. This, while not necessary, does help enhance the samurai fantasy, a major part of Sucker Punch and Nixxes Software's latest PC title.

Although sheathing your sword is a fairly simple process on a PlayStation controller — DualShock 4 or DualSense — it isn't as intuitive on an Xbox controller. The same is the case when you're using a keyboard and mouse. Additionally, since it's an optional feature, the game never really explains the inputs that you need to use to sheath your sword.

Here's a comprehensive guide on how to do that in Ghost of Tsushima PC.

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How to sheath your sword in Ghost of Tsushima PC?

On the keyboard, sheathing the sword is quite straightforward. When you're out of combat, simply press 5 to do it. This triggers a unique animation where Jin wipes the blood off his blade. Do note that there are no invincibility frames in Ghost of Tsushima.

Now if you're using a PlayStation controller on a PC, you can sheath the sword by simply swiping right on the touchpad. This goes for both the DualShock 4 as well as DualSense. However, if you're using an Xbox controller, it's a bit more complex process, requiring multiple inputs.

You'll need to press and hold D-pad right on the Xbox and then move the right stick to the right. The same input is also used for other actions like bowing, activating Guiding Wind, and playing the flute. However, every other action is bound to a different direction on the right stick, identifiable by pressing and holding D-pad right.

There are other ways of sheathing your sword, if you don't want to skip this action's lengthy animation. Doing things like climbing a ladder, grabbing a ledge, mounting your horse, and aiming your bow or blowdart, all immediately sheath the sword, without the dedicated animation.

Additionally, Jin will automatically put his weapon away after a while of not using it, without any external input. While going through the same animation multiple times can get tiresome, it adds a lot to the game's immersion factor, especially if you master the timing of the action. This can make Jin feel a lot like Vergil from the Devil May Cry series.

There are more such hidden mechanics in Ghost of Tsushima (like slide crouching, mounting the horse while sprinting, etc.) that the game doesn't explicitly mention in its tutorial. Fortunately, these can be figured out simply by playing the game.