Is Iki Island Harder Than Tsushima? Absolutely.

As an avid Ghost of Tsushima fan whose sunk over 200 hours perfecting lethal+ duels and standoffs across feudal Japan, I can definitively say the Iki Island expansion ratchets up the difficulty compared to the base Tsushima campaign. Between brutal new enemy archetypes with overtuned stats, relentless aggression, and devastating attacks, Iki presents a substantial combat challenge demanding skill, upgraded gear, and strategic play to overcome.

Iki Island Difficulty Overview

While Tsushima offers moderate resistance on normal difficulties, Iki enemies play on lethal mode by default. Foes attack faster, coordinate better, hit harder, and have way more health than their mainland counterparts. Failing to respect their expanded capabilities leads to frustrating, repeated deaths.

Farmers turned warriors display the martial prowess of mainland leaders twice their level. What passes for a basic archer on Iki could dominate as a mainland captain. And true named elites on Iki double as mythic tales bosses anywhere else. You face an island of super-powered warriors.

This amplifies the challenge especially early on before obtaining gear to compensate. But this guide will break down exactly what you‘re up against and how to ready yourself for intense, lethal-plus engagements across Iki‘s coastal combat arenas.

Enemy Strength Analysis

Let‘s crunch the numbers on how much burlier Iki foes have grown using community resources documenting precise health and damage values…

Now for some back of the napkin math using calculators…

Against vanilla enemies, Jin can withstand around 4 hits while dishing out 200 damage per swing of his katana – meaning basic kills only demand 8 or so successful attacks. Easy enough.

But Iki swordsmen deliver nearly double (14 vs 8) while taking 57% more punishment (2500 HP) before meeting their maker. This can stretch fights past 20-30 hits as damage piles up, especially when facing groups. And don‘t even ask the number crunch on spearmen or rezzing shamans – the totals get ugly fast.

Simply put – Iki gives no quarter for the unprepared. Enemies thrive on lethal+ while you‘re stuck playing catchup on normal.

And we haven‘t even touched on the new enemy archetypes yet…

New Archetypes – The Shaman, Eagle Tribe, and Brute

These fresh faced foes drive difficulty skyward, each bringing nasty abilities that strain Jin‘s skillset to counter:

Shamans buff allies‘ attack and defense, heal wounded soldiers, resurrect the dead, and summon spectral beasts—all while confounding melee range. Not fun dealing with a revived brute three times in a row!

Eagle Tribe act as mini-bosses, wearing heavy armor that requires precise sword strikes while unleashing unblockable grabs and combos. They quickly shred resolve and kill in just 3-4 attacks.

And the aptly named Brutes sport even thicker protection and deliver devastating AoE attacks. Plus they smugly No Sell arrow headshots that‘d drop mainland threats.

Each demands mastery of specific combat mechanics – closing distance against shamans spell casting, hitting armor weak points on Eagle Tribe, dashing away from brute slams at the perfect time. Expect your skills to be tested fully against all three.

Campaign Length – How Big is Iki Island?

In terms of main story content…

Tsushima: 25 hours
Iki Island: 10 hours

So quantity-wise Iki provides close to half Tsushima‘s content when sticking to the critical path. But it‘ll likely take much longer clearing activities given the increased difficulty. Storming camps, liberating outposts, searching artifacts – everything proves more grinding on Iki.

And that still leaves the scope of side content…

Exploration Comparison – 100% Completion

For players determined to 100% both islands:

Tsushima: ~80 hours
Iki Island: ~15 hours

So add-on totals around 20% of the full base game – but with enemies and challenges dialed up to 140%. It‘s dense.

Plan for each diversion – from follower tales to bamboo strikes – to eat extra lives learning timing and patterns. Iki taxes muscle memory accrued on Tsushima when input windows tighten. But climbing to the top proves satisfyingly worthwhile after so many attempts met with failure.

Gear Up Before Arrival

Given the heaping helpings of hurt enemies are serving, adequately gearing up before departure helps ease the friction of Iki‘s elevated trials.

Follow This Upgrade Order Pre-Iki:

1. Max katana – access all stances + skills
2. Max long bow – one shot basic archers
3. Obtain Samurai Clan Armor – Bonus health & resolve
4. Upgrade Sakai armor – damage reduction + melee buffs
5. Fill technique slots – unlock powerful mythic arts

Check the building in Toyotama‘s Kubara forest to swap unwanted techniques for any you‘ve missed. I highly recommend skills like Heavenly Strike and Dance of Wrath to manage crowds and barriers on Iki.

And don‘t forget supporting tools:

• Max kunai
• Max sticky bombs
• Max black powder bombs
• Max smoke bombs

Combined with distraction, stealth, and properly upgraded armor – you‘ll be slicing eagles in no time.

Additional Combat Tips for Iki Island

Beyond gear gates, success on Iki demands adopting an aggressive, guerilla tactics mindset when engaging.

Here are essential playstyle tips:

Resist temptation to button mash – unlike vanilla guards who drop in 4 hits, Iki foes require 6, 7, sometimes even 10+ consecutive strikes before defeating. Button mashing gets you slaughtered when health dwindles faster than enemy posture. Wait for clear openings.

Master parrying – since straightforward damage trades typically don‘t favor Jin, perfect parrying helps turn the tide. It cuts enemy health chunks while minimizing damage received. Certain armor sets even buff riposte damage after successful parries.

Fight dirty – stealth and ghost weapons help thin numbers at range before entering open combat. Why duel five swordsmen when two smoke bombs leave only the strongest? Free assassinations also prevent shamans from reviving troops later.

Divide and conquer – isolate clumps of enemies using firecrackers, smoke bombs, and archery. The best way to kill a brute? Bait them away from supports while stealthily wearing down its reinforcements first.

Know when to run – don‘t get greedy chasing kills when health drops too low. Retreat and bandage instead of pushing all in. With Tadayori‘s Armor and patience, you‘ll secure victory through attrition eventually.

In summary – like Sun Tzu says, "supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy‘s resistance without fighting." Use every dirty trick as a ghost before toeing the line for honorable 1v1 duels once the field thins.

Apply these lessons in battle preparations and combat strategy for success on Iki‘s lethal shores.

Conclusion

Iki Island undoubtedly warrants its reputation among ghosts as a dangerous, unforgiving wasteland occupied by demonic raiders who fight like mainland leaders at twice their rank. Under-prepared travelers face a steep challenge.

But with diligent upgrading of armor and skills beforehand, mastery of alternate combat styles favoring stealth and guerilla tactics, and exploitation of every advantage ghosts wield over mortal swords – Iki‘s elevated trials prove exciting, fresh, and supremely rewarding once overcome.

The road remains difficult – but forging new paths often is. Bring firm resolve and the best of your practiced technique to emerge tempered, trimuphant steel. The eagle calls…what will your answer be?

Let me know in the comments your own tips for mastering Iki‘s magistral enemies! I‘m eager to learn new strategies from fellow ghosts also struggling against the island‘s heightened trials.