Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: 10 Tips For Beginners

Being a former Yakuza member turned Pirate Captain has its ups and downs. Goro Majima, the Mad Dog of Shimano, has to get used to a new life (and fighting style). Fortunately, the swashbuckling new adventure of seeking buried treasure is packed with lots of thrill and challenge. It’ll always feel like an escape from reality, even as you conquer the high seas with your wit and skill. To make the most of your captivating voyage across the remote islands in the Pacific, we’ve summed up Like a Dragon Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii: best tips for beginners below.

10. Raid Treasure Islands

Raiding the islands in Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is not only a great way to enjoy yourself, but it also reaps off bountifully. Using the Treasury of Treasures map that you receive when you commandeer your own ship, you’ll discover several islands you can raid for treasure.

Remember, though, that nabbing treasure chests doesn’t often come easy. You’ll run into competitor pirates while exploring the mini-dungeons of the islands you’ll visit. You’ll often need to wade off nasty pirates, usually greater in number than during normal enemy encounters, before you can get your hands on the treasure (in-game currency).

9. Explore Sub Stories

Like a Dragon’s heart and soul lies in its sub-stories. However, before you can unlock the cool stuff, you’ll need to stick to the beaten path, at least until Chapter Two. By then, Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii will introduce its core mechanics. Moreover, more explorable areas will open up.

While sticking to the main story is an option from then on, you want to also pay special attention to the sub-stories past Chapter Two. They are wide-ranging, from bounties to cooking games. Besides being fun, they reward you with in-game cash. Some even allow you to recruit new crew members to help you complete more sub-stories. 

8. Hunt Lucrative Bounties

Besides treasure hunts, bounties are an especially lucrative source of income. While bounties will be limited, each successfully completed one will rack up a decent amount of cash. So, be sure to explore Honolulu, using taxis for quicker travel. You’ll find the bounties marked on different points on the map.

By completing bounties, you can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars. Rewards earned will then proceed to help you buy equipment, abilities, and more useful ways to beat the game.

7. Replenish Health with Food

Majima needs to eat from time to time. It helps to replenish your health. But it also is a great way to raise your reputation. The former can be achieved by direct consumption or cooking. You can collect ingredients around the world and make appetizing dishes in a cooking mini-game.

Besides increasing HP, eating will increase your Heat Gauge, alleviate status effects, and more. Also, remember to stock up on meals for the future, as well as plant a seed for a constant source of ingredients. For the latter, you want to have enough money to spend at restaurants, and make sure to try out different meals to raise your reputation. 

6. Raise Your Reputation

While cash is important and all, reputation counts, too. The higher your reputation, the more likely NPCs will want to join your crew. Also, you’ll, at a later stage, use reputation points, in addition to money, to unlock new skills. Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers lots of ways to raise your reputation.

You can simply say “Aloha” to the NPCs on the street as many times as you want. You can develop deeper bonds with the characters you meet. Successfully locating treasure chests also earns you a high reputation. Alternatively, you can enrol in Ounabara Vocational School and pass the exams, keeping in mind that each exam costs a fee. However, the 50,000 reputation points will prove worth it.

5. Cash is Important

We’ve mentioned cash a number of times. That’s because it’s how you upgrade your ship and buy new equipment and new skills for Majima to beat enemies and bosses. But it’s also how you’ll do most of the fun stuff in the game.

While fighting enemies is one way you can make money, ultimately, the many activities you can do around the world rack you the most cash. The quickest ways to earn cash include bounty hunting, cooking mini-games, selling junk, and completing the challenges in Madlantis.

4. Focus on the Rings

Rings play a crucial role in Majima’s overall combat abilities. They not only boost your stats but also weapons, armor, accessories, skills, and basically all that pertains to combat. So, definitely hunt down rings from clothing shops or complete side quests.

Feel free to wear the same rings at the same time while others are best synergized with their counterparts. 

3. Master Mad Dog and Sea Dog Fighting Styles

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii’s combat is pretty fun. The Mad and Sea Dog types carry so many combos and variety. You’ll have melee and ranged weapons. Plus, varied abilities.

Mad Dog is more beat ‘em up brawling while Sea Dog wields Shuriken and grappling hook. For every successful heat action, counterattack, and air combo, you’ll receive in-game rewards. 

2. Manage Your Crew

Your crew will be made of a bunch of misfits whose strengths and weaknesses you must use to your advantage. Each crew member has four stats, rated as you level them up. Be sure to assign them wisely to your cannon, boarding, and more squads. 

1. Explore Honolulu

Honolulu returns to bring the same wealth of things to do. You’ll scavenge resources, fight goons, and engage in naval combat. Make sure to sweep through every objective, collecting everything, fighting as many bad guys as you can, exploring the shops around town, and unlocking travel points.

Once you unlock substories, make sure to recruit new crew members and enjoy the ride. Also, make great use of the fast travel zones to save precious time chasing substories and mini-games.