Sekiro Beginner's Guide
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is one of the toughest games you’ll ever play so here are 11 essential tips you'll need to get started.
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is one of the toughest games you'll ever play, and you'll die
00:09over and over and over again. But there are certain things you can do to improve your
00:14chances of survival and make the early stages of the game less frustrating. Here are 11
00:19tips to help you if you're just starting out.
00:24Hold block while learning enemy attack patterns. Instead of going for deflections the first
00:29time you meet a particular enemy, try holding L1 or LB to block instead. It will absorb
00:35almost every attack in the game, except for unblockable attacks which are accompanied
00:39by a red symbol on screen. But be careful, because blocking too many attacks in a row
00:45will damage your own posture, so keep an eye on the bar at the bottom of your screen. If
00:49it's getting dangerously full, switch to dodging.
00:59Take the high ground and plan your route. Stealth is paramount in Sekiro. Most areas
01:04are filled with groups of enemies, and it's unwise to face them all head on. Thankfully,
01:09the game offers you plenty of ways to take them out from the shadows, one at a time.
01:13Get to the highest possible ground to work out the best route through any zone. Sekiro's
01:18grappling hook will lock onto any nearby jump locations, so you can always see where the
01:22best nearby vantage point is. Get up there and scout out your surroundings, looking for
01:27enemy patrol patterns and lines of sight.
01:34Stealth kills work on most minibosses. Some of Sekiro's minibosses are as tricky as
01:39the big bads, and most will take two deathblows to finish off, but for some of them, one of
01:44those can be a stealth attack before the battle even starts.
01:51When you know the location of a miniboss, see if there's a way to sneak up on them
01:54from behind or above. It's not possible for all of them, but it is worth the time
01:59to find out. Doing this will half their health before you face them, and make the task much
02:04less daunting.
02:10Practice combat with Hanbi the Undying. New combat techniques come at you fast at the
02:14start of Sekiro, and Hanbi the Undying, located next to the Dilapidated Temple, is a perfect
02:20test dummy. As his name suggests, he can't die, and his skill with a sword means he can
02:25help you test new techniques without consequence. If you're struggling to counter one particular
02:30move, those unblockable attacks we mentioned earlier for example, check in with him and
02:34practice until you've got the timing down.
02:41Master your own moveset. Sekiro's moveset isn't limited to a simple forward slash.
02:46Before you take on bosses, make sure you're fully clued up on the rhythm of your strikes.
02:51You should know exactly how it feels to perform three strikes in succession, as well as exactly
02:55how far you'll lunge forward when you hold down the attack button.
02:59The same is true for attacks you pick up via the various skill trees. Return to Hanbi the
03:04Undying to get to grips with it. That way, you'll know when it will work, and when
03:08it will just get you into trouble.
03:17Invest in coin purses. When you die in Sekiro, you usually lose half of the money that you're
03:22carrying, but you can prevent this by buying coin purses with your spare cash. These purses
03:26protect your money, and then when you need to spend it, you can open them up and retrieve
03:30the currency inside. They cost more than the value of the coins they contain. A purse holding
03:36100 sen costs 110 to buy, but trust us, you'll die more than enough to get your money's
03:42worth.
03:43You can buy prayer beads and gourd seeds from merchants. Prayer beads and gourd seeds are
03:47some of Sekiro's most important items. You can hand in four beads at the Sculpture's
03:52Idol to gain both vitality and posture, while giving a seed to NPC Emma nets you an extra
03:58refill of your healing gourd flask. Both will make fights a lot easier, and help you survive
04:03longer between rests. The merchant in Ashina Outskirts, next to the battlefield where you
04:08fight the horseback boss, will sell you gourd seeds, while you can buy prayer beads from
04:12the merchant next to the abandoned dungeon entrance.
04:16Organise your quick items during downtime. There's nothing worse than dying because
04:20you were fumbling with the d-pad trying to select the right slot for your quick items.
04:24To avoid that trap, make sure you only equip items you really need, and don't worry if
04:29you leave some of the five slots empty. You can pause it any time during combat, so if
04:34you need to use other items, you can do that direct in your inventory.
04:39Keep a note of side boss locations. After you defeat the Blazing Bull mini-boss, the
04:44world will open up considerably, and you'll have four or five paths to choose from, each
04:49ending in a powerful enemy. This tip is to simply remind you to make a note of each of
04:54their locations, so you don't forget later. Some of them are optional, so if you forget
04:58to come back, you won't have a chance to grab their powerful loot.
05:04Read every note and eavesdrop for hints. Some of the best items in Sekiro, including new
05:08attachments for your Shinobi prosthetic, require you to poke around off the main path.
05:13To avoid aimless wandering, look out for clues on your travels. You can eavesdrop on enemies
05:18for intel, and some will reveal the locations of new prosthetics, or tips about taking on
05:23the next boss. You'll also find notes littered around the world that hint at key locations.
05:28Read them thoroughly, because some of them are fairly cryptic, but they all contain leads
05:32worth following. The same goes for your own conversations with NPCs, who will often tell
05:37you where to look for key items.
05:39Don't hoard consumables, especially Maibu balloons. If you're exploring diligently,
05:44you'll soon have an inventory bursting with items. Don't let these items go to waste,
05:48particularly the Maibu balloons, which can either help you find even more items, or more
05:53money for a limited time. They do no good simply sitting in your inventory, so pop them
05:58whenever you get the chance, and you'll soon find some replacements. The same goes for
06:02candies that enhance your combat abilities. If you feel like you're having trouble with
06:05a fight, then chow on down.
06:08So those are 11 tips to help you get started in Sekiro. If you've got any more, let us
06:12know in the comments below, and we'll see you in the next video.