If you’ve spent any amount of time trekking across the snow-covered slopes of Hokkaido in Sucker Punch’s latest open world title, you’ve probably stumbled on a steamy, secluded pool tucked between pine trees or hidden in a mountain cave. These hot springs aren’t just nice to look at either—each one gives you a permanent increase to your maximum health, making them one of the most valuable collectibles to track down early in your run. This guide covers all hot spring locations in Ghost of Yotei, plus extra tips to help you find them faster and make the most of their rewards. I’ve spent over 40 hours scouring every corner of the map to mark each spot, so you won’t have to waste time guessing where to look next.
All Hot Spring Locations in Ghost of Yotei: Region Breakdown
The game’s open world is split into three distinct regions, each with its own unique terrain and set of hot springs to find. You can access all of them as soon as you unlock the open world in the first act, though some are tucked behind minor platforming challenges or small enemy camps you’ll need to clear first. None of them are missable, so you can come back for any you skipped even after you beat the main story. You don’t need any special gear to interact with a hot spring—just walk up to the edge and press the interact button to trigger the cutscene and claim your health boost.
Before we dive into specific spots, there are a few easy clues you can use to spot a hot spring from far away, even if you haven’t uncovered that part of the map yet:
- Thin plumes of white steam rising above the treeline or mountain ridges, visible even during blizzards
- Small wooden signposts with a water symbol carved into them, placed 50-100 meters away from the spring entrance
- The distinct sound of bubbling water and distant wind chimes that gets louder as you get closer to the spot
Northern Snow Peaks has three hot springs total. The first is right at the base of Mount Yotei itself, tucked in a small cave on the southwest side of the mountain, just past the first group of bandit camps you encounter in act 1. The second is at the top of the frozen waterfall northwest of the first survivor camp, you’ll need to climb the ice ledges on the left side of the fall to reach it. The third is hidden behind a breakable wooden wall in the abandoned mining camp on the far north edge of the region.
Central Forest Valleys also has three hot springs. The first is right next to the small fox shrine west of the main village, you’ll probably stumble on it naturally while doing early side quests. The second is on a small island in the middle of the frozen lake, you can walk right across the ice to reach it, though there are a few wild wolves patrolling the area. The third is tucked between two giant cedar trees on the east edge of the region, just before the path leading down to the coast.
Southern Coastal Cliffs has the final two hot springs. The first is in a small cove on the west side of the coast, only accessible by climbing down the rope lines tied to the cliff edge above. The second is in the basement of the abandoned lighthouse on the far south tip of the map, you’ll need to clear out the small group of raiders occupying the lighthouse first to get access.
Perks of Visiting Every Hot Spring in Ghost of Yotei
A lot of new players write off hot springs as a silly cosmetic collectible, but they’re actually one of the best ways to make tough boss fights way easier as you progress through the story. Each individual hot spring gives you a 5% permanent increase to your maximum health, and that stacks across every spring you find. Finding all 8 hot springs will give you a total 40% health boost that stays with you for the entire playthrough, even if you start new game plus.
On top of the health boost, you also get a small temporary stamina regen buff for 10 minutes after you use a hot spring. That buff is super useful if you’re about to do a long platforming section or take on a large enemy camp, so try to hit a nearby spring before you start those activities if you can. You can also re-use any hot spring you’ve already found to re-apply that stamina buff any time you want, you don’t just get to use it once.
If you collect every single hot spring, you also unlock the exclusive “Warm Soul” cosmetic skin for your character’s winter coat. It’s a soft white fur-lined coat that makes you blend in better with snowy terrain, which is a nice bonus for stealth sections. You don’t get any extra stat boosts for collecting all of them beyond the stacked health increases, but the skin is a fun reward for completionists.
One thing to note: the health boost applies to all your save files on the same account, so if you start a new playthrough later, you’ll get to keep that extra health right from the start of the game. That makes subsequent playthroughs way more forgiving, especially if you’re playing on the hardest difficulty mode.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hunting for Hot Springs
I made a lot of dumb mistakes when I was first hunting for these collectibles, so I can save you some time by pointing out the most common ones players run into. First, don’t ignore the steam plumes even if they look like they’re coming from a camp or village. A lot of players assume steam is just from a campfire, but more often than not, it’s a hot spring tucked just out of sight behind a building or rock formation.
Second, don’t forget to check inside caves and abandoned buildings. Half the hot springs in the game aren’t out in the open, so if you see a cave entrance or an unlocked building, it’s worth popping in to check if there’s a spring inside. You can use your focus ability to highlight interactive objects through walls, which will make it way easier to spot a hot spring that’s hidden inside a structure or cave.
Another mistake a lot of players make is waiting until the end of the game to hunt for hot springs. The health boost is way more useful early on when you have low base health and are still learning how to dodge and parry enemy attacks. Even finding 3 or 4 hot springs in the first act will make the first few boss fights feel way less frustrating, so try to prioritize them early.
Also, don’t worry if you miss a spring while you’re doing side quests. The map will mark any hot spring you’ve previously spotted but not collected with a small water icon, so you can easily come back for it later. If you want to clear the map completely, you can buy a hot spring location map from the merchant in the main village for 500 gold once you reach act 2, which marks every uncollected spring on your map automatically. The only downside to buying the location map is that you’ll miss out on the fun of exploring and finding the springs on your own, so I only recommend it if you’re in a hurry to get all the perks before a boss fight.
How to Make the Most of Your Hot Spring Visits
There are a few little tricks you can use to get extra value out of each hot spring visit beyond just the health and stamina boosts. First, if you visit a hot spring right after you complete a tough fight, it will fully restore all your health and stamina for free, so you don’t have to waste healing items to top up. I do this all the time after clearing a big enemy camp that’s near a hot spring, and it saves me a ton of resources over the course of the game.
You can also trigger small, optional character interactions if you bring certain companions with you to a hot spring. For example, if you bring the elder from the main village to the hot spring near the fox shrine, you’ll get a short cutscene where he tells you a story about the history of the springs and gives you a free rare healing item. These interactions are completely optional, but they add a lot of nice lore context to the world, so they’re worth checking out if you’re a fan of the game’s story.
If you’re playing on new game plus, you can use hot springs to reset your skill points for free once you’ve collected all 8 of them. That’s a huge perk if you want to switch up your playstyle from stealth to melee or vice versa without having to start a new save file. You can do this as many times as you want, so you can experiment with different skill builds as much as you like.
One last little trick: if you sit in a hot spring for 2 full minutes without skipping the cutscene, you’ll get a special 30 minute luck buff that increases the chance of enemies dropping rare loot. It’s a small bonus, but it’s worth doing if you’re about to farm for rare crafting materials or rare weapon skins.
Taking the time to track down every hot spring is one of the most rewarding side activities you can do in Ghost of Yotei, both for the gameplay perks and the small little lore moments you get along the way. You don’t have to hunt them all down in one go, even grabbing a few whenever you’re in the area for a side quest will add up to a big advantage over time. Once you’ve found all hot spring locations in Ghost of Yotei, you’ll have a much easier time taking on the game’s toughest challenges, and you’ll get to see some of the most beautiful hidden spots on the map while you’re at it. If you get stuck on a particular spot, don’t be afraid to slow down and listen for the bubbling water or look for that telltale steam plume rising over the trees.