Ghost of Yōtei Patch 1.601: Hell Mode, Raid Matchmaking & Full Patch Notes

⚡ Quick Read

• Hell Mode raid difficulty is now live with exclusive class cosmetics as rewards
• Raid matchmaking added — no more needing to manually assemble a squad
• Players can now skip straight to Dragon or Saito boss fights in the Raid
• New Gear Retirement prestige system lets you retire perfected gear, visible to other players and drawing fireflies on bow
• Weapon balance changes reduce Tanegashima and Lightning Tanegashima damage against bosses
• Multiple bug fixes cover crashes, leaderboards, daily bounties, and mission flow
• Spirit animals can now be petted in Survival mode — priorities sorted

Sucker Punch has dropped Patch 1.601 for Ghost of Yōtei, and it’s a meaty one. Released April 17, the update brings the long-awaited Hell Mode raid difficulty to Legends, finally opens matchmaking for Raid missions, and introduces a Gear Retirement prestige system — all while tidying up a solid list of bugs and balance issues that have been nagging the community.

Ghost of Yōtei launched on PS5 on October 2, 2025, selling over 3.3 million copies within its first two months and going on to win Adventure Game of the Year at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game’s co-op Legends mode — a free update that arrived on March 10, 2026 as part of Patch 1.5 — brought supernatural, demonic versions of the Yōtei Six into a 2–4 player co-op format spanning Story missions, Incursions, Survival waves, and the Raid. The Raid itself — pitting four coordinated players against the Dragon and Lord Saito — dropped earlier in April with Patch 1.600. Now, just a week later, 1.601 is layering in the toughest challenge the mode has to offer.

Hell Mode Is Here — And So Are Its Rewards

Hell Mode cranks the Raid difficulty beyond anything currently in Legends, designed for players who’ve already mastered the existing content and want a genuine test of coordination and build optimization. Beating Hell Mode bosses doesn’t just give you bragging rights — it unlocks new class-specific cosmetics that are exclusive to this difficulty tier. Think of it as Sucker Punch’s way of putting a badge on the players willing to push themselves the hardest.

Alongside Hell Mode, the update adds a “Skip straight to the Raid Boss” option for both Dragon and Saito fights. For teams that have already cleared the earlier sections and just want to grind the boss, this is a welcome quality-of-life addition that removes the need to sit through content you’ve already conquered.

Raid Matchmaking: Finally

One of the most requested features since the Raid launched is now here. Previously, accessing the Raid meant manually coordinating a full four-player team — a significant friction point for solo players or those without a dedicated group. Matchmaking now removes that barrier entirely, letting players queue and get filled into a squad automatically. A similar “Matchmake to fill empty slots” option has also been added to weekly Nightmare missions, making those more accessible too.

Gear Retirement — The New Prestige Flex

Patch 1.601 introduces the Gear Retirement system, a prestige-style feature for players who’ve fully perfected their gear. Spending in-game currency to retire a piece of gear doesn’t give you any gameplay advantage — your stats don’t go up, you don’t get a power boost. What you do get is a visible retirement count shown to other players, plus a small cosmetic touch: fireflies appear around you when you bow. It’s a subtle flex for dedicated players, and a nice nod to the game’s Japanese aesthetic.

Balance Changes Worth Knowing About

Two weapon nerfs are worth flagging if you’ve been leaning on the Tanegashima. The standard Tanegashima sees reduced damage against bosses, while Lightning Tanegashima headshot damage has also been toned down. Neither change guts the weapon, but if your build relied heavily on boss-melting potential from ranged fire, you’ll want to account for the adjustment.

On the fix side, a bug that could cause enemies to occasionally deal extra damage on certain attacks has been resolved — a subtle but meaningful change in high-difficulty content where every hit counts.

Samurai and Shinobi Ultimate Fix

A frustrating issue where Samurai and Shinobi characters had their Ultimates canceled while being attacked mid-animation has been patched out. This is particularly relevant in Hell Mode, where aggressive boss mechanics and enemy pressure make Ultimate timing critical. Players can also no longer be disarmed during Ultimate attacks, addressing another edge case that was breaking momentum at the worst possible times.

Full Patch 1.601 Notes

Raid Updates

• Hell Mode boss battle difficulty for the Raid is now live
• New class cosmetics added for defeating Hell Mode bosses
• Matchmaking enabled for Raid missions
• “Skip straight to the Raid Boss” options added for Dragon and Saito

Gear Retirement

• New Gear Retirement prestige feature added
• Players can spend in-game currency to retire perfected gear items
• No gameplay advantage, but retirement count is visible to other players and attracts fireflies when bowing

Performance and Stability

• Various rare crash fixes

Gameplay

• Fixed issue where certain enemies could occasionally deal extra damage on some attacks
• Added “Matchmake to fill empty slots” in weekly Nightmare missions
• Players can no longer be disarmed during Ultimate attacks
• Reduced Tanegashima damage vs bosses
• Reduced Lightning Tanegashima headshot damage
• Fixed issue where Samurai and Shinobi could have their Ultimates canceled when being attacked
• Spirit animals can now be petted in Survival
• Emotes now enabled while waiting at gathering points
• Fixed issue where the Bo-Hiya Rain card could cause players to die after completing an Incursion mission
• Giant Bo-Hiya can no longer drop inside defend areas in Story missions
• Uncompleted daily bounties now refresh daily
• Shadow Snake can no longer Attune himself
• Added checkmarks on completed Story and Incursion missions in the Campaign menu
• Weapon trails enabled in Lobby Bamboo Strike
• Fixed leaderboards UI issue where the list would not scroll past the first page

Sucker Punch has been impressively consistent with post-launch support since Ghost of Yōtei shipped last October. The studio added New Game Plus, harder difficulty modes, new armor and cosmetics, and expanded accessibility options before rolling out the full Legends mode — all for free. Patch 1.601 is the latest proof that the team isn’t treating Legends as a side project. With Hell Mode live and matchmaking finally in place, this is arguably the best the game’s co-op offering has ever looked.

If you’re into other recent action games worth your time, ARC Raiders’ Expedition 3 shake-up with skill points and damage changes is also worth keeping an eye on — and if you’re in the market for something lighter, our breakdown on the best LEGO sets of 2026 including Pokémon Smart Play has you covered.

Ghost of Yōtei is a PS5 exclusive and serves as Sucker Punch’s follow-up to Ghost of Tsushima, set 329 years later in 1603 Ezo — what is today’s Hokkaido — following Atsu, a mercenary hunting down the Yōtei Six who slaughtered her family. The official patch notes for 1.601 are available on Sucker Punch’s support page.