How to get the glider in Rise of the Ronin & all upgrades

Getting a glider in Rise of the Ronin is one of the most worthwhile gadgets to work for, given we’ve known since its trailers flying around Japan will make traversal a whole lot easier. 

You sadly won’t be able to start gliding right away, but you won’t have to wait too long once you enter Rise of the Ronin’s open world. 

How to get the glider in Rise of the Ronin

You’ll be able to get your Rise of the Ronin glider within one-to-two hours of the main story - specifically at the end of the mission ‘Curtain Falls, Curtain Rises’ after meeting the eccentric Ronin, Ryoma Sakamoto.

Click to enlarge

With Ryoma, this mission has you need to take on a group of thugs occupying a local magistrate’s house to find a permit which will allow you into Yokohama. 

After fighting your way through the linear level, alongside Ryoma as your new AI companion who you can control, you’ll eventually come face-to-face with Gonzo, the bandit chief.

How to beat the Gonzo boss battle

To more easily defeat Gonzo in Rise of the Ronin, it’s best to keep in control of Ryoma since his Hokushin Itto-Ryu fighting style is effective against the boss’ odachi; however, you can also switch difficulties to ‘Dawn’ - the game’s equivalent of an Easy mode - if you’re still struggling.

Like with most tough fights in Rise of the Ronin, I found beating Gonzo mostly comes down to getting used to the timing of his slow and broad odachi swings, of which you can counterspark and strike back with critical hits after depleting his ki using martial skills. 

Click to enlarge

With patience, you’ll be able to thwart Gonzo and move on to the storage house where you can get your permit and glider in one of the chests.

All glider upgrades in Rise of the Ronin

After unlocking the photography studio, meeting Igashuchi, and completing the camera quest, you’ll be able to give him foreign books to not only develop new devices you can use, but to upgrade your glider as well. 

The glider upgrades you can get in Rise of the Ronin, along with their descriptions as written in the game and requirements, are as follows:

For more from the game, check out how good Rise of the Ronin is in my review, how to fast travel, and how to transmog your gear & change your appearance. 

Otherwise, head into our Rise of the Ronin guides & news homepage for more updates right here at GGRecon.