Platinum Trophy roadmap: 5 steps over 2 playthroughs (~60-70 hours). Step 1: Complete game on Action difficulty. Step 2: Clean up all collectibles. Step 3: Beat final boss. Step 4: NG+ on Carnage. Step 5: Boss Rematch all bosses on all difficulties.
1. Roadmap Overview
This roadmap front-loads learning on Action difficulty and then converts that mastery into a clean Carnage NG+ run. Total time is approximately 60-70 hours for the platinum, distributed across two full playthroughs plus a short post-game Boss Rematch sweep.
| Step | Activity | Estimated Time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Main story on Action difficulty — up to "The Clash At Rendaino" | ~20 hours | Action |
| 2 | Collectible cleanup + upgrades (manual save management) | ~15 hours | Action |
| 3 | Final mission + beat the game | ~3 hours | Action |
| 4 | Carnage difficulty in NG+ (skills carry over) | ~15 hours | Carnage |
| 5 | Boss Rematch sweep (all bosses, all difficulties) | ~7 hours | Story → Carnage |
| TOTAL | ~60-70 hours | 2 play-throughs | |
2. Difficulty Selection
You have three difficulties available for the first playthrough. The roadmap assumes Action as the recommended first run, but here is the full comparison so you can pick.
Story Difficulty
Best for first-time players who want to experience the story without combat friction. No combat trophies are blocked on lower difficulty, but the Carnage trophy is harder later because you won't have learned the combat system.
Action Difficulty (Recommended)
The right balance for the platinum. Enemy aggression and damage are high enough that you must learn Issen and parry timing — but not so punishing that you lose progress to one-shot combos. Most of the gameplay trophies unlock naturally on this difficulty.
Carnage Difficulty
Unlocked only after you complete the game once. The gold trophy True Onimusha requires a full clear on Carnage. Don't try this on your first playthrough — the difficulty is gated behind a beatable build you only get after maxing out skills.
Starting on Action forces you to learn the parry/Issen loop early. By the time you reach Carnage in NG+, the muscle memory is already there — making True Onimusha feel like a difficulty spike instead of a learning cliff.
3. Step-by-Step Roadmap
1 Step 1 — Complete the main story up to "The Clash At Rendaino"
Play through Chapters 1 through the end of the Rendaino arc on Action difficulty. Focus on learning combat — Issen timing, parry windows, Oni Armament triggers, and soul absorption priority.
During this phase:
- Save every citizen. Citizen Savior (30 rescues) and the merchant rescue (Selfish Selflessness) both pop here.
- Explore thoroughly. Many chests and Lion Dogs are only available in specific chapters. If you skip them now, you must replay.
- Stack combat counters. Burning Blade, Stop Motion, Brutalist, Flow State, Pinch Hitter, and Helm Splitter all increment through normal play — don't worry about farming them yet, just stay aggressive.
- Take a manual save before each major boss. Boss-specific trophies are not missable, but the save protects you from any glitched state.
Expected trophies: most bronze boss + combat + citizen trophies; first silver (Demystified if you finish a Mystery of Kyoto).
2 Step 2 — Collectible cleanup & upgrades
Once you have a maxed-out build from Step 1's natural progression, sweep every chapter for missed collectibles and upgrades. Use this phase to:
- Complete every Mystery of Kyoto for Demystified.
- Complete every Chance Encounter for No Job Too Small.
- Rescue every Lion Dog for For the Love of Dog.
- Acquire every Oni Armament for Oni Armory + Wielder of Oni Armaments (100 enemy kills).
- Collect every Genma note for Genma-ologist.
- Max every Hozuki Pouch for Medical Marvel.
- Max every Charm for Charmed Life.
- Max every piece of equipment for Dressed to to Kill.
Manual save discipline: the 20-slot save system lets you carry multiple points in time. Save before each side mission so you can re-attempt without losing progress.
3 Step 3 — Beat the game
Push through to the final mission and beat the boss. The full game-end sequence includes the "Truly, Thank You" trophy for defeating Minamoto no Yoshitsune and most remaining story-completion trophies.
Make a dedicated manual save at the title screen before starting NG+. This is the safety net — if any post-game state appears glitched, you can reload and try again.
4 Step 4 — Carnage difficulty in NG+
Start a New Game Plus on Carnage difficulty. Your unlocked skills, equipment, and Charms carry over, but enemy aggression, posture damage, and combo lethality all scale up dramatically.
Carnage tips:
- Lean on Issen counters. Carnage enemies combo harder and longer — the parry/Issen loop is the only reliable way to reset pressure.
- Use Oni Armaments on cooldown. Boss fights in Carnage demand the burst that only an Oni Armament rotation provides.
- Save Oni Awakening for emergencies. The gauge fills slowly in Carnage. Don't burn it on trash.
- Skip optional fights. If a side encounter is costing more souls than it returns, run past. The platinum doesn't require Carnage clears of every encounter — only the final boss.
- Manage soul economy. Spend Red Souls + Favor before starting NG+ — they don't carry over as raw currency, but unlocked upgrades do.
Clearing the game on Carnage unlocks True Onimusha.
5 Step 5 — Boss Rematch sweep
The Boss Rematch feature lets you re-fight any major boss on Story, Action, or Carnage difficulty. Glutton for Punishment requires you to defeat every boss on every difficulty.
Recommended order:
- Run every boss on Story difficulty first (~2 hours).
- Run every boss on Action difficulty next (~2 hours).
- Run every boss on Carnage difficulty last (~3 hours). These clears also count toward combat-related trophies that require multiple Issen kills.
Glutton for Punishment unlocks the moment the Carnage sweep completes.
4. Trophy Categories Overview
The 52 trophies cluster into five categories. Use the table below to know which category a given trophy falls into when you're cleaning up.
| Category | Trophy Count | Trophy Names |
|---|---|---|
| Story / Boss | 13 | Onimusha Showdown → Truly, Thank You |
| Combat | 15 | Burning Blade → Genma Griller |
| Collectibles | 4 | Mystery Solved → Looking Sharp |
| Upgrades / Side-Content | 11 Silver | Demystified → Winding Way of the Sword |
| Difficulty / Meta | 2 Gold + 1 Plat | True Onimusha, Glutton for Punishment, Peerless |
For the full list of all 52 trophies, see the All 52 Trophies & Achievements page.
5. Upgrade Path Strategy (Manual Save Trick)
The biggest currency bottleneck for the platinum is the upgrade cost on Charms, Hozuki Pouches, and equipment. PowerPyx has confirmed the following manual save trick — use it to upgrade everything without running out of currency.
The Save → Upgrade → Reload Trick
- Before spending currency on a major upgrade batch, create a manual save at a shrine, merchant, or save altar.
- Spend the currency to upgrade your Charms, Hozuki Pouches, or equipment.
- Reload the manual save. The upgrade is permanent — but your currency is restored to the pre-spend amount.
- Repeat for every batch of upgrades.
Total cost to fully max all 15 Charms is 135,000 Red Souls + 150,000 Favor. Even with the save trick, you need that much currency in your inventory at once. Farm in Mount Oe and Arashiyama before attempting the upgrade sweep.
| Upgrade | Red Souls | Favor |
|---|---|---|
| All Charms to Level 2 (per Charm) | 3,000 | 3,500 |
| All Charms to Level 3 (per Charm) | 6,000 | 6,500 |
| GRAND TOTAL — max all 15 Charms | 135,000 | 150,000 |
The save-reload trick is most valuable during the Action playthrough, because Carnage doesn't carry raw currency forward. Finish all your Charm / Hozuki / equipment upgrades on the Action run, then start NG+ with everything already at max.
6. Final Mission Trophies Checklist
The final mission carries the bulk of the late-game trophies. Use this checklist as you push through.
7. Carnage Difficulty Boss Reference
Carnage bosses hit harder, combo longer, and posture-break faster than their Action counterparts. The list below is the verified Carnage boss lineup. Use the linked guides for full strategy.
- Sasaki Ganryu — keep distance in phase 1, parry the thrust in phase 2.
- Daidara — exploit the belly-bash recovery window.
- Rasho-gan — bait the dash, punish with Chain Issen.
- Ifuu — dodge the spinning gale, use Oni Armament during the lull.
- Greater Nue — keep centered, deflect the lightning bolts.
- Benkei — alternate Issen and parry for the dual-phase opener.
- Burai — strafe the lightning strikes, punish the staff slam.
- Shuten Doji — close the gap quickly, exploit the drunken-stagger window.
- Dokyo — save Oni Awakening for phase 2.
- Byakue — at Kiyomizu-dera, deflect the ice projectiles.
- Minamoto no Yoshitsune — final boss; full HP-gauge burst required.
For a complete list of every boss strategy, see the Boss Guide.
8. Boss Rematch Reference
The Boss Rematch feature is unlocked after you beat the final boss for the first time. Use it for the Glutton for Punishment gold trophy.
Rematch Order (Recommended)
- Story difficulty sweep — every boss. Use your maxed Action build to clear these in ~5 minutes each.
- Action difficulty sweep — every boss. Tighten timings, practice the patterns you're weakest on.
- Carnage difficulty sweep — every boss. This is the gate. Lean on Oni Armaments and save Oni Awakening for the second half of each fight.
Glutton for Punishment unlocks the moment your last Carnage boss clear registers.
Each rematch fight increments your combat-counter trophies — Issen, Chain Issen, Burning Blade, and Helm Splitter all bank progress here. A full Carnage sweep usually closes the last few combat-counter trophies without dedicated farming.
9. Final Tips
- Keep a manual save in slot 1 before the final mission. Treat it as the platinum's safety net.
- Farm Red Souls + Favor before any major Charm/Hozuki/equipment upgrade batch. The save-reload trick only works if you have the currency to spend in the first place.
- Don't skip side content. Most silver trophies are gated to completion of specific side missions. Each missed encounter is a small trophy lockout you can't undo later without a replay.
- Save Citizens. The 30-rescue threshold is generous, but several merchants and NPCs are only available in specific chapters.
- Pre-Carnage, max your build. Carnage doesn't care about your progression — it cares about your build. A maxed skill tree and fully upgraded equipment turns Carnage from brutal to manageable.