Ghost of Yotei Legends Raid Guide: Dragon and Lord Saito

The Ghost of Yotei Legends raid is a four-player endgame mission against the last two members of the Yotei Six, the Dragon and Lord Saito, and it went live on April 10, 2026. You have to clear the Dragon before the Saito raid opens, matchmaking has worked for raid missions since update 1.601 on April 17, 2026, and that same patch added a tougher Hell Mode for the bosses plus an option to skip straight to each boss fight. This guide covers how to start it, the full Dragon route, both boss fights and what the rewards are.

We checked this against Sucker Punch's patch notes for versions 1.600 and 1.601, the PlayStation Blog's May 2026 interview with Legends lead designer Darren Bridges, Push Square's coverage of the raid announcement, Game Rant's Dragon raid walkthrough and PowerPyx's Legends trophy roadmap in November 2026.

When the Raid Launched and What Changed Since

Sucker Punch announced the date on X at the start of April 2026: the raid would launch on April 10 at 10AM Pacific, and the studio described it as high-end content that requires four players to complete. Update 1.600 arrived on April 6 with the raid data included, and the official patch notes confirmed that the content would unlock on Friday, April 10, 2026 at 10am PT.

The first week was rough for solo players because the raid shipped without matchmaking, so you had to assemble three other people yourself. Update 1.601 on April 17 fixed that and added three more things: a "Hell Mode" boss battle difficulty, new class cosmetics for defeating Hell Mode bosses, and "Skip straight to the Raid Boss" options for both the Dragon and Saito. Guides written in the first days after launch still describe the old, matchmaking-free version, so check the date on anything you read.

The raid is also the end of the road for new Legends content. In a PlayStation Blog interview published May 15, 2026, Darren Bridges said the raid was the last major planned update for the mode and that it finishes the story of the Yotei Six there. Legends itself remains part of the game on PS5, so what you play now is the finished version of its endgame.

How to Start the Raid and What to Bring

PowerPyx's Legends roadmap explains the access point: interact with the central Torii stele in the Haven of the Ghosts hub and choose Raids. There are two raid missions, the Dragon and Lord Saito, and completing the Dragon is required before Saito opens. You need four players, and because Legends is online only, every player needs a PlayStation Plus subscription for the multiplayer to work.

Gear matters more here than anywhere else in the mode. PowerPyx warns that a build lower than A tier on all gear properties will not stand a chance against the raid bosses, and that good communication is just as important as numbers. Bridges described the design as "an escape room where people are trying to kill you", with team puzzles between the fights, so a group that talks through each plate and portal will move far faster than four silent players.

Plan for a long session the first time. Game Rant's walkthrough estimates one hour to one and a half hours for the Dragon raid alone. Sucker Punch did try to make the format friendlier than Ghost of Tsushima's raid: missions are paced more evenly, and after a team clears the puzzle sections it can replay just the boss, so a group can regroup if someone has to leave.

The Dragon Raid Route, Step by Step

Game Rant's walkthrough breaks the Dragon raid into a run of puzzle rooms and enemy waves that teach the mechanics you will need for the boss. Most of the puzzles use pressure plates and split the team in two, so decide your pairs before you load in.

1. Sulphur Canyons: one player holds a pressure plate to raise a stone platform, a second climbs the left wall to a plate that lights a lantern, and the other two jump across and grapple to the far side, where two more plates let them build a path for the rest.
2. The door area: a path on the right leads to a plate that raises platforms to a second plate on the left. Two players cross, clear the Jubokko trees and stand on an isolated plate, then all four stand on the door plates to open it.
3. First enemy wave: the Dragon's soldiers fire from above and can knock you down fast, so take cover behind the rocks on either side and kill the Bo-Hiya first. A second wave follows before you regroup at the Gathering Point.
4. Collapsed Approach: after more waves, equip Kami's Blessing to gain the Teleport ability for the rest of the raid, then split into pairs and teleport through the left and right portals to clear both areas.
5. Falling projectiles: large arrow-like missiles leave red circles that explode after a short delay. They have high health, so dodging them is usually better than shooting them.
6. Jubokko Garden: clear the trees, hold the side plates with three players so the fourth can teleport onto a stone platform, then work through the right and left plate puzzles to bring everyone across.
7. The Cursed Gate: all four players stand on the plates behind the gate to activate it, then destroy it quickly while it spawns enemies. An Archer is efficient here, and throwable bombs spawn nearby.
8. Pre-boss setup: a Modify Class stone to the left of the arena lets you change gear, upgrade weapons or switch class. Activate the Gathering Point and watch the cutscene to start the fight.

Beating the Dragon

The Dragon's signature move is a mark. A flaming skull appears over one player, and explosives fall on that player's position, leaving small blast zones that detonate a moment later. Game Rant's advice is to keep running rather than rolling repeatedly, to move along the arena edges while teammates stay clear, and to run in opposite directions if two players are marked. A Smoke Bomb removes the mark instantly. Bridges explained why spacing matters: players cannot damage each other in Legends, but every marked player becomes a moving danger zone that the rest of the team must avoid.

After the Dragon loses a portion of its health, it drops four massive explosive arrows that cover the arena. Their health pools are too big for one player, so either all four players attack the same arrow to open a gap, or, as PowerPyx suggests, the team pulls back to the arena entrance where the arrows cannot reach. Some of the Dragon's strikes cannot be blocked, so dodge them, and always kill the elite Bo-Hiya first, since their explosives cover a wide area and can take a player from full health to zero.

There is also a team trick that Sucker Punch did not plan. According to Bridges, a Shinobi's vanish stops the bombs from tracking that player, and if the whole team vanishes together, the bomb-drop sequence is skipped entirely. Testers found the interaction and the studio left it in, which is a big reason Shinobi players are welcome in raid groups.

Beating Lord Saito

PowerPyx describes the Saito fight as a combination of every Yotei Six mechanic at once. He spawns elites throughout, including Bo-Hiya, Lords, Berserkers, Summoners and Yuki-Onna, plus Jubokko root zones, and going all-in on him while those elites roam usually ends in a wipe. A Spirit gauge under his health bar fills over time, and when it is full he casts one of his special attacks, usually in this order:

• Four shadow ronin that target each player at high speed. A perfect parry makes one vanish instantly.
• Two shadow Kitsune that cast ice orbs while frost drains your health.
• A summoned Snake and Dragon that fill the arena with purple corruption and bombs for 20 to 30 seconds. Keep running and stay out of teammates' blast zones.
• A planted odachi that creates a yellow glint followed by a red wave. Dash through it with tight timing or tank it with Spirit healing, then attack, because he is most vulnerable right after.
• A shadow Oni and shadow Kitsune that chase players until they despawn, and two Oni that ring the arena with Onibi.

If the fight drags on, the red wave attack comes back with more waves each time (PowerPyx describes three in a row), and eventually he triggers endless waves, so damage output decides the outcome. PowerPyx adds that Saito is extremely vulnerable to stagger damage, which is why a Samurai with stagger-focused gear is the standard recommendation. Bridges confirmed that his giant sword attack is mostly undodgeable, though using your ultimate lets you avoid it, and that calling out his Shadow Saito summons as they appear lets the team react in time.

The fight starts at a Gear Station, and team wipes respawn you there, so adjust after every failed attempt. Useful swaps include perfect parry buffs against the shadow warriors, extra healing and explosion damage reduction. For perspective, the world's first team beat Saito in about two minutes after roughly an hour of preparation by headshotting him, while other teams took two to three hours.

Hell Mode, Rewards and the Kaibyaku Trophy

Hell Mode is the raid's extra difficulty tier for the boss battles, added in update 1.601, and beating its bosses unlocks new class cosmetics. Standard clears also pay out in style: Game Rant notes that each of the two raids rewards a different cosmetic outfit for each class. If you want weapons rather than outfits, your farm is still Gold, Platinum and Nightmare missions, which our legendary items guide covers.

For trophy hunters, finishing the raid missions unlocks Kaibyaku, the gold trophy in the Legends list, and PowerPyx rates that list 8 out of 10 for difficulty mainly because of the raids. Some players in PowerPyx's comment section report that beating Saito through the boss-only option still awarded the trophy, but treat that as anecdotal. The rest of the Legends list is in our trophy guide, the best class picks are in our Legends classes guide, and time estimates for the whole game are in our how long to beat breakdown.

Walking Into the Raid Already Built

A save cannot replace your three teammates, but it can remove the long gear farm that usually comes before a first attempt. The store's Ghost of Yotei Legends save lists all four classes at rank 998, all perks at max level S+, seven golden weapons equippable at once, every hat, helmet and upper-body outfit, both sword grip sets, and all emotes, abilities and techniques.

It is a PS5 save, PlayStation Plus is required on the same account being modded, and you need to own the game already. The raid itself still needs a full group of four, and the page notes that Legends will match you with other players online. Browse the rest of the options on the Ghost of Yotei hub.

Frequently Asked Questions