Ghost Of Tsushima Iki Island Crimson Dye Guide – How To Find The Red Dye Merchant

Ghost of Tsushima’s Iki Island expansion introduces exclusive crimson armor dyes that require completing specific story content before becoming available. Unlike standard merchants found through exploration, this vendor remains locked behind progression gates that demand strategic completion.

Throughout your journey in Ghost of Tsushima, various specialized merchants offer armor customization options. The Iki Island expansion features a unique dye merchant specializing in vibrant red armor variations unavailable elsewhere. However, simply wandering the island won’t reveal this vendor—you must systematically complete prerequisite missions to gain access.

This comprehensive guide details the exact steps needed to locate and unlock the Crimson Dye Merchant. For additional expansion content assistance, consult our Complete Guide to maximize your Iki Island experience.

Successfully defeating all tournament opponents is mandatory for merchant access.

Begin by advancing through the Iki Island narrative arcs that activate upon arriving. Progress continuously until encountering Tenzo, who guides you to Fune’s Refuge settlement. Once this location becomes accessible, navigate to the rear section where the Hidden Cove Tournament occurs. The Crimson Dye Merchant participates as one of the four duelists you must overcome.

Victory against every combatant in the Hidden Cove Tournament is essential for unlocking the Crimson Dye Merchant’s services.

To engage the Crimson Dye Merchant, you must first triumph in the complete dueling tournament sequence. Four skilled opponents await, each requiring five successful strikes while preventing them from landing five hits on you. These encounters present significant challenge, with adversaries employing specialized techniques to bypass your defenses and demanding reactive combat approaches.

The fundamental strategy involves utilizing Perfect Parries and evasive maneuvers to create attack opportunities when enemies are unbalanced. Dedicate practice time to learning each duelist’s attack patterns—every combatant demonstrates distinct fighting methodologies with limited but deadly move sets.

Advanced players should focus on stance switching between opponents to maximize damage output. The Stone Stance proves particularly effective against swordsmen, while Water Stance breaks through brutes with heavier attacks. Avoid the common mistake of overly aggressive play—patient defense and counter-attacking yield better results against these skilled duelists.

Each tournament match typically requires 2-4 minutes for experienced players, though newcomers might need 5-7 minutes per duel. Preparation should include ensuring your armor and charms are optimized for dueling scenarios, with recommendations including the Sarugami Armor for enhanced parry opportunities or Sakai Clan Armor for increased resolve generation.

After conquering the initial three combatants, the Crimson Dye Merchant emerges as your final challenger. His combat approach incorporates significantly more underhanded tactics than previous opponents. His signature technique involves scraping his katana along the ground to fling sand into your vision, frequently followed by a rapid strike that’s generally blockable.

Employ dodging maneuvers to avoid the sand-based attacks—the merchant often becomes exposed after attempting this dirty trick, which can be circumvented with well-timed sidestepping. Following evasion, parry his subsequent assault to create openings for your own strikes.

Critical insight: The merchant’s sand attack has a distinctive audio cue—listen for the blade scraping sound as your dodge indicator. Many players fail to recognize that his most vulnerable period occurs during his 2-second recovery animation after missed sand throws. For weapon loadout strategies against similar challenging opponents, explore our Weapons Unlock guide for complementary tactics.

Optimization tip: Activate the Heavenly Strike technique during his recovery windows for guaranteed damage. Advanced players can chain this with the Moon Kick to create extended combo opportunities. Remember that his health pool is approximately 20% larger than previous duelists, requiring more sustained offensive pressure.

The Crimson Dye Merchant’s establishment becomes marked on your map following tournament completion at Fune’s Refuge.

Upon securing final duel victory, the merchant’s shop location automatically appears on your world map. Utilize fast-travel to reach this destination, positioned east of Fort Sakai and directly north of Tatsu’s Ladder. Journey to this spot and the vendor will present one complimentary armor dye selection. After choosing your free customization, additional armor variations become available for purchase using flowers as standard currency.

The shop’s map marker activates automatically after tournament success.

Strategic consideration: Your initial free dye selection should align with your primary armor set and playstyle. The crimson variations provide visual distinction but no statistical advantages. For comprehensive character build optimization incorporating these customizations, reference our Class Guide for synergistic equipment combinations.

Post-unlock, the merchant offers between 8-12 unique crimson dyes depending on your story progression. Flower costs typically range from 15-30 blossoms per additional customization. Efficient flower farming locations include the Zasho River area and Sago Mill, yielding approximately 20-25 flowers per 10 minutes of collection.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Ghost Of Tsushima Iki Island Crimson Dye Guide – How To Find The Red Dye Merchant Master the Hidden Cove Tournament to unlock exclusive crimson armor dyes in Ghost of Tsushima's Iki Island expansion