Aki Kier

Quick newbie tip: Weather's baked into core loops. Thunderstorms amp your katana's "storm stance" for lightning chain attacks, but lightning strikes can backfire on you in open fields. Dense forests hide bear traps that environment clues warn about, and pollen seasons debuff health unless you forage antidotes. It's tactical—scout weather patterns via in-game almanacs tied to Ainu calendars. Changes every playthrough, keeps it fresh. Pro move: Use eagle vision during clear skies for max enemy spotting. Epic stuff!

Just to add to the great breakdown above, one thing a lot of people don't think about is storage. The game itself is a behemoth – the initial download is about 85 GB, and with the day-one patch and subsequent updates, you're looking at over 100 GB of space needed on your PS5's SSD. So if your console is crammed with other games, you might need to do a little cleanup first. Also, the game really benefits from the PS5's 3D Audio, so a good headset is highly recommended to hear those arrows whizzing past your head!