Ninja Gaiden 4 Collectibles Route and New Game Plus Cleanup

This is a base-game first-run and New Game Plus cleanup route. It covers the collectible families that affect achievements or character progression: 15 Gourdies, 18 Purgatory Gates, 13 maximum-health upgrades made from 23 items, 55 total missions, seven loose accessories highlighted by route references, and 13 Combat Skill scrolls for Ryu. It does not cover The Two Masters DLC.

Two numbers that look contradictory are both useful. There are 55 missions in total: 34 are tied to particular chapter routes and 21 are general combat or weapon tasks that can progress across chapters. A route that says “34 missions” is normally counting only the missable-looking, chapter-specific assignments. Accept every mission at every DarkNest or Muramasa terminal so both groups progress together.

How the game records a pickup

Collectible progress is written to the profile at checkpoints. After taking the last object on a cleanup run, continue until a checkpoint or terminal save confirms it before leaving to the main menu. New Game Plus adds chapter selection, so no listed pickup is permanently lost after a clear. That safety net does not mean every menu activity writes the same flag.

Purgatory Gates are the important exception. Clearing a missed gate only through the separate challenge list can count toward a challenge objective without satisfying the story-chapter gate record used by Annihilator. Enter a missing gate from its campaign chapter in New Game Plus and reach a later checkpoint. For Challenger of Challenges, the challenge menu and its difficulty settings are relevant; do not assume the two achievement checks are identical.

Yakumo’s ten health increases are assembled automatically. A Black Scale and a Phantasmal Herb combine into one Dragon Lord’s Grace; there is no separate combined pickup to find. Ryu instead finds three Lives of the Thousand Gods. Some scales and herbs come from mission rewards, so a chest-only sweep cannot finish Yakumo’s health bar.

Mark the branch before following the objective

Use this field routine in every chapter:

At the first terminal, turn in completed tasks, accept everything, and photograph or write down the active mission names.
At a rail, glider stream, portal, long drop, or boss door, inspect the opposite direction first.
After a pickup, note the next unmistakable landmark: terminal, boss, portal room, or chapter end.
Do not quit immediately. Trigger the next checkpoint, then verify the count in the chapter checklist or profile.

Regular Gourdies stand still and require a button-sequence capture. Blue Gourdies flee when they see you, so approach from behind using the intended upper ledge, grapple, or patrol turn. If a blue Gourdy spots you, reset the encounter or move far enough away for the patrol to normalize; sprinting directly after it rarely repairs the angle.

Yakumo sweep: Chapters 1–4

Chapter 1 — Bloodsoaked Tokyo

Mission branch: at the giant mechanical-doll-head area, take the right lane, wall-run the two gaps, and clear the officer group in the dead-end alley.
Purgatory Gate 1: before the second major Caddis Wire gap, turn left at the three dump trucks, enter the alley, and Flying Bird to the roof.
Gourdy 1: cross that Caddis gap, then turn left toward the boxes instead of following the rightward story lane.
Cobalt Ring: after a later Caddis jump near the first surveillance drone and large screens, take the right dead-end path rather than the gate on the left.
Data-chip mission: by the troop carrier on the helipad, inspect the floor beside the group of three chests. Its reward supplies a Phantasmal Herb.

Exit check: the gate, Gourdy, ring, officer objective, and data chip are recorded before the D.D.O. Commander. If the data-chip reward is still unclaimed, use the terminal before ending the chapter.

Chapter 2 — Haunted District

Purgatory Gate 2: after scaling the large building near flying enemies, cross the blue containers to the broken building and ride the parallel monorail track that does not glow orange.
Black Scale: after the large flying-enemy and drone battle, do not mount the next obvious rail immediately; open the chest to the left.
Bodyguard mission: after the second main monorail segment and Flying Bird climb, turn around, cross the left gap, and take the extra rail into the combat pocket.
Gourdy 2: in the square room with the broken yellow track and vendors, climb the shipping containers.

Phantom Pleasure Quarter audit — Chapter 3

Purgatory Gate 3: after the opening Flying Bird shaft, turn around and follow the alley to its dead end instead of crossing the bridge.
Rotting-charm mission: when the temple door forces a left detour, wall-run the gap, climb the stairs, and check behind the shipping container. The reward is a Black Scale.
Food-thief mission: below that upper floor, open the left gate and follow the dead-end corridor.
Phantasmal Herb: after the first Burabura lantern encounter, climb the narrow stairs on the right and open the chest at the top.
Gourdy 3 and renegade-soldier mission: at the wall-run used to reach the next high platform, drop down. Straight ahead reaches the trash room and Gourdy; the right corridor reaches the soldiers.

Chapter 4 — Pilgrim’s Windswept Path

Black Scale: after the three-officer stealth room, go left, wall-run upward, and open the chest near the large Tengu statue.
Tengu-leader mission: immediately after the Dragonfly Glider unlock, ignore the broken bridge and take the right canyon detour to the shrine gate.
Blue Gourdy 4: after the cave preceding the second glide, look down from the right ledge. Use the grapple point behind the Gourdy to arrive above and behind it.
Secret supplies: after the second glide, search the wrecked train rubble for the distinct chest group. The mission reward is another Black Scale.
Purgatory Gate 4: in the canyon, when a cliff wall invites a Flying Bird climb, turn around and follow the narrow ledge away from the objective.

Mountain inventory: Chapters 5–7

Chapter 5 — Raging Valley

This chapter has several close branches, so clear it by landmark rather than by item type.

At the cave intersection with three green torches, climb the flowered left wall and slide under the rock to find Gourdy 5.
At the large cave temple, take the right-hand wooden door for the troublemaker mission.
Where the route jumps a ravine beyond a ruined temple, drop into the ravine and follow it back toward the route for Purgatory Gate 5.
In the broad temple courtyard, climb the right roofs and mountain passage to reach the rampaging-daemon mission around the large tree.
At the four-temple bell, strike once for the first reveal, deal with the encounter triggered later in the sequence, and continue to the fifth strike for the chest containing the Ashen Pipe.
From that bell area, use the high grapple and wall run on the right to approach blue Gourdy 6 from behind.
During the glider canyon with wooden platforms, leave the air route for the two right-hand poles, grapple across, and open the Crimson Ring chest.
After the later glider section and Tengu fights, defeat the large kettle-like enemy and take the blue-glowing heirloom knife behind it. Its mission reward is a Phantasmal Herb.
After Sanzeon, leave the arena and check the left corner for the Tengu offering, also rewarded with a Phantasmal Herb.

Chapter 6 — Guiding Winds

Black Scale: at the starting rope bridge, turn toward the broken section beside the shops.
Purgatory Gate 6: after the short glide onto wooden canyon platforms, take the right grapple across the gap instead of the main left route.
Man-eating-daemon mission: at the shops after the shield-daemon fight, backtrack to the landing and take the other air stream toward the cliff temple.
Gourdy 7: after the second of two consecutive yellow Flying Bird climbs, turn around and drop to the right ledge.

The current patch fixed an out-of-bounds Chapter 6 progression problem. If an old route tells you to manipulate the boundary, update first and follow the normal path.

Chapter 7 — Altar of the Mountain God

At the opening, descend the right-hand staircase rather than climbing with the objective. The short path leads to Purgatory Gate 7 with Gourdy 8 just behind it. Record both before returning for Kurobo.

Drowned hub audit: Chapters 8–10

Chapter 8 — Drowned District

Blue Gourdy 9: turn right immediately at chapter start, wait behind the closed-gate lane for its back to turn, then approach.
Otherworldly-messenger mission: after the spiral stairs, take the left grapple into the pipe rather than the right story route.
Antiquated-currency mission: after unlocking Pond Strider and passing the disco-ball landmark, destroy the left portal in the two-portal room and open the chest beyond it. Its reward is a Black Scale.
Purgatory Gate 8: from the next room, turn right around the hallway, climb, and surf the upper pipe instead of following the left exit.

Chapter 9 — Realm of Silent Dead

Yakumo crouching beside machinery while checking an optional route in NINJA GAIDEN 4 — Large chapters are safer to sweep by landmark: shoreline, gate, tunnel, crystal return, then exit.

Purgatory Gate 9: on reaching open water, surf along the left boundary into the cave.
Black Scale: after passing under the large orange gate, stay left until a tunnel ends in a small enemy cave; open the appropriate reward chest after the fight.
Gourdy 10: after the second surf area’s final ramp and before entering the crystal cave, turn around, travel left, climb the building with Caddis Wire, and glide across the void. The Gourdy waits near the unit behind the chest.
Miscreant mission: after the club section, take the right optional hallway from the shop tunnel and climb the ladder.
Blue Gourdy 11: on the second crystal-realm visit, after climbing the cliff, take the right ledges instead of surfing straight ahead.
Three-mineral mission: after the large surf jump, use the small left strip as the anchor for the first branch; keep each blue-glowing mineral count visible before leaving its branch.
Enormous-fiend mission: from that optional area, follow the river and grapple sequence to the isolated combat arena.

This hub is easy to revisit accidentally. Use the orange gate and the two crystal-realm transitions as your written checkpoints. Do not mark an item complete merely because you returned to familiar water.

Chapter 10 — Bounding Spirits

Purgatory Gate 10 is off the right-hand opening hallway before the long surf and dimensional descent. Clear it before committing to the extended sequence. This chapter is otherwise a route-to-boss chapter for the collectible audit; save the profile after Cetus and verify the gate before moving on.

Stronghold ledger: Chapters 11–13

Chapter 11 — Infiltration

Gourdy 12: before boarding the rail beside the first major platform, walk behind the far shipping containers and climb the stairs.
Special-defense mission: use the optional rail combat path and eliminate the specified D.D.O. force before continuing.
Phantasmal Herb: dismount at the broad platform with four treasure chests; one chest contains the herb and another useful recovery item.
Purgatory Gate 11: when the oncoming train forces a rail switch, follow the safe rail behind the train around to the side platform.

Version 1.004.000 fixed a boundary issue involving Raven Gear before detection and updated incorrect enemy information in this chapter’s Purgatory Gate. Current-client text should win over screenshots from launch builds.

Chapter 12 — Dragon’s Maw

Dragon’s Maw is long; record pickups in the order the environment presents them rather than planning to backtrack after the elevators.

Open the early stronghold chest containing the next Phantasmal Herb.
Before the red-laser progression, check the side chest for the Fortune Omamori.
At the rail branch, take the optional line for the elite-squad mission and return before committing to the next stronghold segment.
Capture Gourdies 13 and 14 at their two separate side-room landmarks; do not combine them into one checklist mark.
Use the side path before the late elevator and arena sequence for Purgatory Gate 12.
Complete the strange-oni fight and retrieve the classified document while their terminal objectives are active.

The current patch restored NinjaCoin and Weapon EXP for enemies that fall out of the Chapter 12 stage. It does not change the location of the route items.

Clash of Convictions audit — Chapter 13

Purgatory Gate 13 sits behind the opening start direction. Turn around before entering the boss route. This is the last Yakumo gate before the character handoff and the easiest one to lose by walking straight into the chapter’s duel sequence.

Ryu rebuild: Chapters 14–18

Chapter 14 contains no route collectibles; it is the Ryu practice fight. From Chapter 15 onward, open every skill-scroll chest. The game curates some scroll rewards based on what Ryu already knows, so a guide can promise the chest location and the total of 13 skills, not a universal one-to-one skill name for every later chest.

Chapter 15 — Fanged Gate

Open the early sewer and flooded-island chests for the first cluster of Ryu Combat Skill scrolls. Fatal Flash is established early; later contents can vary in order.
Accept and complete the spreading-monstrosities mission from the Muramasa route.
After the first disco-hall drop, turn around at the bottom and open the chest containing Lives of the Thousand Gods 1.
Before dropping to Cetus, take the connecting tunnel into the side room for Purgatory Gate 14 and another skill chest.

Chapter 16 — Downpour

Open the street, intersection, breakable-box, and side-room chests that continue Ryu’s Combat Skill set.
From the familiar shrine route, take the right-side walkway to Purgatory Gate 15.
At the lantern platform, go straight across the gap instead of following the right objective. Past the Fish enemy and skill chest, open Lives of the Thousand Gods 2.
Complete the rampant-monstrosities mission before opening the Courtesan door.

Chapter 17 — Howling Ravine

Follow the descending or side path at the ravine landmark for Purgatory Gate 16, then continue to Kurobo. There is no Gourdy sweep for Ryu here; keep the audit focused on the gate and checkpoint.

Chapter 18 — Darkness Reborn

Take the stronghold side room for Purgatory Gate 17.
Open the remaining route chest needed to complete Ryu’s 13 Combat Skills.
Collect the Focus God’s Orb from its stronghold branch if it is still missing.
Before Totyos, open the health chest for Lives of the Thousand Gods 3.

Chapter 19 and the profile check before the finale

Ebon Wings returns to Yakumo and places the final items before the multi-boss finish:

Purgatory Gate 18: it occupies the corresponding late stronghold gate route now approached as Yakumo.
Gourdy 15: capture the last Gourdy on the final side branch and wait for a checkpoint.
Strife Orb: open the late route chest rather than committing immediately to the boss marker.
Final Phantasmal Herb: collect and verify the automatic Dragon Lord’s Grace combination if it completes a Black Scale pair.

Do all terminal hand-ins and shopping before fighting Ryu. After the Dark Dragon’s first form, the game creates a separate retry point for the Phantom, but that late retry is not a convenient place to repair chapter collectibles.

NG+ cleanup without replaying every corridor

Start a carried New Game Plus campaign, select the chapter that contains the missing record, and use one target per run. The clean sequence is: accept the relevant chapter mission, travel directly to the known landmark, complete or collect it, then advance to the next checkpoint. For a Purgatory Gate, enter from the story chapter. For a Gourdy, verify its profile count after the save. For a health pair, check both Black Scale and Phantasmal Herb progress because the upgrade may be waiting on the other half.

General missions account for the difference between the 34 route assignments and the 55 total. They track broad actions such as weapon finishes, enemy classes, Ninpo or Obliteration use, and similar combat goals. Keep all 21 accepted while clearing the ten additional NG+ chapter tasks. Change weapon or finisher only when its general-mission counter is active; otherwise it is easy to finish another chapter with no progress on the remaining requirement.

Use this final reconciliation:

Family	Expected base-game total	Best repair method
Gourdies	15	Chapter Select; approach blue variants from behind; checkpoint afterward.
Purgatory Gates	18	Enter the gate inside its story chapter for Annihilator; use challenge menu separately as required.
Health upgrades	10 Yakumo pairs plus 3 Ryu Lives	Reconcile 20 Scale/Herb components, mission rewards, and three Ryu chests.
Missions	55 total	34 chapter-specific route tasks plus 21 general tasks; accept and hand in at terminals.
Loose accessories highlighted by route references	7	Revisit named chests; other accessories can also arrive from missions or trials.
Ryu Combat Skills	13	Open all Ryu-era skill chests; track the total because later skill order may vary.

Verification boundary

Counts and base-game identity were cross-checked against the official Steam listing, readable collectible and mission routes, and chapter checklists. Team NINJA’s version archive supplied the current progression repairs. If a later patch changes checkpoint behavior or Purgatory tracking, treat the in-client chapter checklist and official update notes as authoritative.