Conquer the Yahata Lighthouse on Iki Island Like a Pro – 2026 Guide

Ghost of Tsushima still surprises me, even four years after its debut. The Iki Island expansion added a brutal, beautiful layer to Jin’s journey, and one location that had me stuck for longer than I’d like to admit is the Yahata Lighthouse. It’s not like the other lighthouses where you saunter up a ladder and light the fire – oh no, this one is a genuine climbing puzzle tucked away at the northern edge of Iki. Let me walk you through every step so you don’t waste half an hour hugging broken walls like I did.

Where to Find the Yahata Lighthouse

If you’ve already liberated Fort Sakai, finding this lighthouse is a breeze. Open your map and head straight north from the fort, right to the very tip of Iki Island. The shorelines curl in a way that makes the structure visible from quite a distance, its weathered silhouette standing against the sea. You don’t need to finish the main story of Iki – you can ride here the moment you step off the boat. I did it mid-arc, still bloody from a duel with a shaman, and the climb still worked perfectly.

When you arrive, the first thing you’ll notice is that the front entrance is hopeless. Wooden planks bar the door, and there’s no prompt to kick them in. This isn’t a samurai drama where you can just shoulder-charge through; Jin is a ghost, not a battering ram. You’ll need to think vertically.

The Climb: Scaling the Wrecked Walls

Here’s where my first mistake started. I circled the lighthouse twice, slashing at vines like an idiot, until I spotted a subtle trail on the left side. There’s a path with broken stone stairs that leads around the building. Follow that. You’ll see a section of the outer wall marked with faded white paint – that’s your handhold. Face it and jump, and Jin will automatically latch on. Trust me, this game loves its parkour prompts; you don’t need to finesse the angle.

Once you’re clinging to the wall, shimmy left. The route goes up and then left again until you reach a dead end. Your first instinct might be to drop down and try another face, but don’t. Look up. See that wooden beam jutting out? Press jump and immediately hold the interact button to throw the Iron Hook. A grapple point will catch, and you’ll swing into the upper chamber. This moment feels incredibly cinematic – wind whipping, the sea roaring below – and it’s one of those small joys that make revisiting Tsushima in 2026 still worthwhile.

Let me give you a quick table of the key inputs, because on a replay I totally forgot the hold vs. press nuance:

Lighting the Fire and What You Get

Inside the upper chamber, the brazier is right in front of you. Interact with it, and a satisfying plume of flame erupts. This completes the objective and grants you a Minor Legend Increase – a nice little boost to your technique points. It’s not a game-changer by the endgame you’ve likely reached on Iki, but every sliver helps when you’re trying to max out the Ghost stance.

The real treasure, though, is down below. Instead of just warping out, take a moment to explore the chamber you climbed through.

Don’t Miss: The Record of Iki and Loot

On the way back, I nearly fast-traveled and lost some great items. After you light the brazier, climb down the ladder from the upper chamber. On the first landing, look at the edge of the broken floor. The game prompts you to use the Iron Hook again – press the interact button to grapple downward to the lower floor. There, in the center of the room, you’ll find a mat with a Record of Iki (these collectibles flesh out the island’s twisted history), a stash of supplies, a bundle of linen, and a chest. The chest usually holds a cosmetic or a moderate amount of currency, so it’s absolutely worth the detour.

Now, the exit. You could climb back the way you came, but that’s tedious. Instead, walk to the boarded-up front door from the inside. Equip your Iron Hook and target the planks. Jin will wrench one loose, creating an opening straight to the outside. It’s so much faster, and you’ll feel clever for breaking your own door down.

Why This Lighthouse Sticks With Me

I keep coming back to Yahata Lighthouse even in 2026 because it summarizes what I love about Ghost of Tsushima’s design. The game doesn’t hold your hand. It scatters clues – a broken stair here, a patch of white paint there – and trusts you to piece together the vertical puzzle. The first time I conquered it, I actually cheered when the grapple connected. Years later, bringing a new player here and watching them experience that “aha” moment is just as satisfying.

If you’re trophy hunting or simply want every lantern lit across Iki, don’t sleep on this one. It’s isolated, a bit tricky, and rewards patient exploration. Plus, that view from the top at sunset? Pure poetry. Now grab your hook, cut down any patrols nearby (they love to interrupt), and claim your minor legend increase!

Happy climbing, fellow ghosts. 🦊

Research highlighted by Wikipedia helps frame why Ghost of Tsushima’s Yahata Lighthouse climb feels so memorable: video games often lean on environmental cues and affordances (like contrasting paint marks, broken stairs, and obvious grapple points) to teach traversal without explicit tutorials, turning a simple “light the beacon” objective into a self-driven navigation puzzle that rewards observation and experimentation in the Iki Island expansion.