Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice |OT2| Domo Arigato, Mr. ROBERTOOOOO!!!

MilkBeard · May 20, 2019

Red Liquorice said:
I think lag would absolutely cripple pvp.

Yeah they would have to have dedicated servers; this game would need it more than Souls. So yeah, I doubt they'd bother. But in a hypothetical scenario where they made the necessary structure, it would be really cool to have. it wouldn't fit thematically with the game or anything though. They would have to design it from the ground up with PVP in mind like Souls.

Perhaps in their next game they bring multiplayer back, as their battle system designs are getting better and more intricate (hopefully with dedicated servers).

Cat Party · May 20, 2019

I just beat

Great Shinobi Owl

at the castle lookout. I peaked at an endings guide and I'm supposed to be able to eavesdrop on Kuro now. How do I do this? I haven't seen the option to do it yet.

Stencil said:
I'm stuck at

Owl 1st encounter

at Ashina Castle.. Is there anything I can do to tie up loose ends or alternate routes to avoid the fight for now?

Try this:

I got this from a YouTube video. Equip Whirlwind Slash as your combat art. Lock on to him and just run around him in a circle as far away from him as you can. He only has a few attacks when you are far away from him. It will take practice, but you can basically run away from all of them without getting hit. When he misses with these attacks, you can run in and get in a whirlwind slash and then dash out before he counters. It really doesn't take that long to whittle him down this way.

hanmik · May 20, 2019

Stencil said:
I'm stuck at

Owl 1st encounter

at Ashina Castle.. Is there anything I can do to tie up loose ends or alternate routes to avoid the fight for now?

There is a simple solution to this fight.. just spam mortal Draw.. and vupti he is down.

rahji · May 20, 2019

Finally beat the shura boss on my ng++ playthrough. Holy hell, he was a tough one. To make things worse, I only encountered him the first time on ng++. He really gave me a hard time and is definitely worth as a final boss. Now only one more playthrough and some skill grinding and I got the platinum trophy. I am a bit scared of the skills because I still miss around 30 skill points and I will never get them all in my next playthrough. I don't really want to grind.

Deleted member 29857 · May 20, 2019

F you

Guardian Ape

That fight was brutal

Stencil · May 20, 2019

hanmik said:
There is a simple solution to this fight.. just spam mortal Draw.. and vupti he is down.

Thank you for the tip; I just looked up a video of someone doing that and it seems less effective (or maybe just slower) than the Whirlwind-after-attack approach...

edit: nevermind, watched another and it does seem effective. The first vid I watched the person seemed to be charging it up. Unless there's an upgrade to make it go faster?

Kamek · May 20, 2019

If I save scum, do I have to beat the second playthrough all the way for the Plat? Or can I just get that lapis lazulite after I complete the Shura ending.

stryke · May 21, 2019

finally finished the game after a month break
GOTY for now, although it's only competition so far is KH3

Red Liquorice · May 21, 2019

Cat Party said:
I just beat

Great Shinobi Owl

at the castle lookout. I peaked at an endings guide and I'm supposed to be able to eavesdrop on Kuro now. How do I do this? I haven't seen the option to do it yet.

Go behind any close wall - there's an onscreen prompt showing you that it's available to do and what button to press.

blonded · May 21, 2019

How far am I into the game? Just got to

mibu manor idol

Noema · May 21, 2019

blonded said:
How far am I into the game? Just got to

mibu manor idol

I'd say you're about 85-90% done.

You're in the final area of the game (which is pretty big so if you explore thoroughly it could take you several hours still).

Red Liquorice · May 21, 2019

blonded said:
How far am I into the game? Just got to

mibu manor idol

End game really, 85%? Fountainhead Palace is the last new area of the game, there's stuff to do in older areas after it.

Necron · May 21, 2019

That final boss... holy shit! Swords, spears, guns and lightning... I keep dying on his third or last phase. It can't end like this. So many attempts... so much death... Era - how? How did you manage this boss?! How did anyone.

Cat Party · May 21, 2019

Red Liquorice said:
Go behind any close wall - there's an onscreen prompt showing you that it's available to do and what button to press.

I figured it out. I needed to reload the game, apparently, to trigger the prompt.

blonded said:
How far am I into the game? Just got to

mibu manor idol

It depends on which ending you are going for. The end game is about to kick off, but (as I'm currently learning), there are a still a bunch of very tough bosses to face, and you will be backtracking through a few areas, in addition to one more new area.

Hope you like facing those purple ninjas!

AndrewGPK · May 21, 2019

Necron said:
That final boss... holy shit! Swords, spears, guns and lightning... I keep dying on his third or last phase. It can't end like this. So many attempts... so much death... Era - how? How did you manage this boss?! How did anyone.

- Make sure you do Genichiro without having to heal more than once. At the start of that phase circle around to his left (your right) to dodge the mortal blade and hit him with a double ichi. Parry like usual, and dodge out of his overhead slice - watch your posture. Master the timing of his thrusts for mikiris - there is a delay.

- On ISS's first phase start by taking a blue sugar/heal. Make sure the umbrella is your prosthetic. Parry and whenever he sheaths his sword run around his backside by circling to his right (your left/clockwise) - he'll do an Ashina cross or another lunging swipe attack that you will dodge as you circle around and then hit him with double ichi. When he does his AOE wind stuff, whip out the umbrella and shelter until its over - it will block it - assuming he doesn't break the umbrella get close to him do the umbrella counter. Otherwise just get in damage where you can and learn his two mikiri timings the quick one comes when he circles around you.

- On his second phase start by taking a blue sugar and heal - I back off at first. I stay close to him or lance length and just practice the parrying. When you see the red kanji this is almost always a thrust so mikiri as he whips the lance around his head. This is the key as this builds posture that sticks and fast, has generous mikiri timing - this is what you are trying to trigger. If you need to heal then back away far enough, this will trigger his overhead leap thing with the lance. Now you can either keep backing to use the heal opportunity. Or dodge out and hit him once and be ready to parry instantly - in fact that's a rule of thumb, be ready to parry after attacking once, because he uses the gun or the leaping swing when he jumps away. But you should always dodge out of this (kinda forward right for me) and not try to parry unless you don't see it coming and its too late. Other than the mikiri this is the other way to most easily get in hits to reduce his vitality to help the posture build. As in other phases, use Umbrella to shelter from wind attacks - this will often break the umbrella shelter but you will take no damage - if it doesn't break umbrella counter.

- On third phase, similar to the 2nd phase, primarily just adds lightening - but this actually makes the phase quicker and I think easier assuming you get the lightening reversals down. Generally the jump is delayed just a bit, some say as the red kanji disappears - personally that's about the time I process that he's doing lightening, so it works for me. Jump straight up and spam r1 as you get hit to reverse it. Three lightening reversals generally end it for me. He'll be stunned and you can get in some other hits otherwise be doing what you did in Phase 2.

- Final tips - take advantage of all that is available to you - sugars, rice/sticky rice, ressurections, hidden tooth, Jizo statues. Make a save with all 3 of your ressurection bars to start and if you deplete your inventory on repeated attempts, save scum if you have that option.

Note that when you do uhh....get gud.....at parrying in ISS's second phase, its only a matter of time before you beat him.

blonded · May 21, 2019

Noema said:
I'd say you're about 85-90% done.

You're in the final area of the game (which is pretty big so if you explore thoroughly it could take you several hours still).

Red Liquorice said:
End game really, 85%? Fountainhead Palace is the last new area of the game, there's stuff to do in older areas after it.

Cat Party said:
I figured it out. I needed to reload the game, apparently, to trigger the prompt.

It depends on which ending you are going for. The end game is about to kick off, but (as I'm currently learning), there are a still a bunch of very tough bosses to face, and you will be backtracking through a few areas, in addition to one more new area.

Hope you like facing those purple ninjas!

Ah ok thanks.

Is the path to the best ending obvious or do I need to look at a guide? Lol

derFeef · May 21, 2019

I tried to pick up the game after I left it thanks to frustration and yes - the game is still frustrating sadly.
Happening for the first time for me that I will not play a FROM game extensively. :(

Cat Party · May 21, 2019

blonded said:
Ah ok thanks.

Is the path to the best ending obvious or do I need to look at a guide? Lol

It's a FROM game. You need a guide, lol.

Necron · May 21, 2019

I finally did it! Final boss is down. After 4-5 hours of learning and mastering, I actually managed it. Heart's still pounding... one of the most exhilerating fights since... maybe Sister Friede in Dark Souls 3?

An utterly amazing final boss.

AndrewGPK said:
- Make sure you do Genichiro without having to heal more than once. At the start of that phase circle around to his left (your right) to dodge the mortal blade and hit him with a double ichi. Parry like usual, and dodge out of his overhead slice - watch your posture. Master the timing of his thrusts for mikiris - there is a delay.

- On ISS's first phase start by taking a blue sugar/heal. Make sure the umbrella is your prosthetic. Parry and whenever he sheaths his sword run around his backside by circling to his right (your left/clockwise) - he'll do an Ashina cross or another lunging swipe attack that you will dodge as you circle around and then hit him with double ichi. When he does his AOE wind stuff, whip out the umbrella and shelter until its over - it will block it - assuming he doesn't break the umbrella get close to him do the umbrella counter. Otherwise just get in damage where you can and learn his two mikiri timings the quick one comes when he circles around you.

- On his second phase start by taking a blue sugar and heal - I back off at first. I stay close to him or lance length and just practice the parrying. When you see the red kanji this is almost always a thrust so mikiri as he whips the lance around his head. This is the key as this builds posture that sticks and fast, has generous mikiri timing - this is what you are trying to trigger. If you need to heal then back away far enough, this will trigger his overhead leap thing with the lance. Now you can either keep backing to use the heal opportunity. Or dodge out and hit him once and be ready to parry instantly - in fact that's a rule of thumb, be ready to parry after attacking once, because he uses the gun or the leaping swing when he jumps away. But you should always dodge out of this (kinda forward right for me) and not try to parry unless you don't see it coming and its too late. Other than the mikiri this is the other way to most easily get in hits to reduce his vitality to help the posture build. As in other phases, use Umbrella to shelter from wind attacks - this will often break the umbrella shelter but you will take no damage - if it doesn't break umbrella counter.

- On third phase, similar to the 2nd phase, primarily just adds lightening - but this actually makes the phase quicker and I think easier assuming you get the lightening reversals down. Generally the jump is delayed just a bit, some say as the red kanji disappears - personally that's about the time I process that he's doing lightening, so it works for me. Jump straight up and spam r1 as you get hit to reverse it. Three lightening reversals generally end it for me. He'll be stunned and you can get in some other hits otherwise be doing what you did in Phase 2.

- Final tips - take advantage of all that is available to you - sugars, rice/sticky rice, ressurections, hidden tooth, Jizo statues. Make a save with all 3 of your ressurection bars to start and if you deplete your inventory on repeated attempts, save scum if you have that option.

Note that when you do uhh....get gud.....at parrying in ISS's second phase, its only a matter of time before you beat him.

Thank you so much for this write up! I beat him in under 7 minutes towards the end. I did save scum admittedly with three resurrection bars and rice. Used red sugar a lot too in phase 1 and 2. Firecrackers (best prosthetic) helped too for a stun during his area attack.

xyla · May 21, 2019

Still at Ishin - and I swear, the game is misreading my Mikiri counter isn't being read properly. I see the symbol coming. I press 'B'. For some reason I dash into Ishin and get cut.

It works with every other situation, but I can reproduce this every time. No idea why this happens and it's pissing me of. It works with Genichiro every time before, but here it doesn't? Is my timing worse? Is it the wrong attack by him and I simply can't counter it? I happens in close quarter situations. I attack, that triggers the unblockable symbol and I let go of every button and press b. He would be so much easier if I wasn't losing every time in this situation.

MilkBeard · May 21, 2019

xyla said:
Still at Ishin - and I swear, the game is misreading my Mikiri counter isn't being read properly. I see the symbol coming. I press 'B'. For some reason I dash into Ishin and get cut.

It works with every other situation, but I can reproduce this every time. No idea why this happens and it's pissing me of. It works with Genichiro every time before, but here it doesn't? Is my timing worse? Is it the wrong attack by him and I simply can't counter it? I happens in close quarter situations. I attack, that triggers the unblockable symbol and I let go of every button and press b. He would be so much easier if I wasn't losing every time in this situation.

The timing is different. If you are dashing into him, it's because it's too early. Wait a little bit longer. They kind of trick you, because G. and ISS have different timings.

Deleted member 41520 · May 21, 2019

xyla said:
Still at Ishin - and I swear, the game is misreading my Mikiri counter isn't being read properly. I see the symbol coming. I press 'B'. For some reason I dash into Ishin and get cut.

It works with every other situation, but I can reproduce this every time. No idea why this happens and it's pissing me of. It works with Genichiro every time before, but here it doesn't? Is my timing worse? Is it the wrong attack by him and I simply can't counter it? I happens in close quarter situations. I attack, that triggers the unblockable symbol and I let go of every button and press b. He would be so much easier if I wasn't losing every time in this situation.

As Milkbeard said - several bosses have different Mikiri timings

The toughest one imo is Seven Spears - you have to dash towards him pretty late. The minute you see the symbol, or just after, and he fucking GETS you. It's a full breath after you see the symbol.

Noema · May 21, 2019

xyla said:
Still at Ishin - and I swear, the game is misreading my Mikiri counter isn't being read properly. I see the symbol coming. I press 'B'. For some reason I dash into Ishin and get cut.

It works with every other situation, but I can reproduce this every time. No idea why this happens and it's pissing me of. It works with Genichiro every time before, but here it doesn't? Is my timing worse? Is it the wrong attack by him and I simply can't counter it? I happens in close quarter situations. I attack, that triggers the unblockable symbol and I let go of every button and press b. He would be so much easier if I wasn't losing every time in this situation.

You are doing it too early, specially if you are too close. You won't have enough time to finish the dash forward animation, so at that point even if you mashed B / Circle, you wouldn't get the Mikiri.

In general Spear thrusts are more delayed than sword thrusts.

MilkBeard · May 21, 2019

Well, just started NG +++ with no charm, and made a straight line to the demon bell. Doing this.

So far I like how this is changing up my playstyle without the charm. Instead of just instinctively holding block and then tapping, I am letting go and just timing the deflect, and it feels more natural and satisfying. This is going to be fun (and painful in late game, ha ha).

I also have only 10 points left to get all skills. I think this will be pretty easy to get by the end of this run.

Noema · May 21, 2019

I didn't realize how shitty I was at deflecting until I did a No Charm run.

AndrewGPK · May 21, 2019

Necron said:
I finally did it! Final boss is down. After 4-5 hours of learning and mastering, I actually managed it. Heart's still pounding... one of the most exhilerating fights since... maybe Sister Friede in Dark Souls 3?

An utterly amazing final boss.

Thank you so much for this write up! I beat him in under 7 minutes towards the end. I did save scum admittedly with three resurrection bars and rice. Used red sugar a lot too in phase 1 and 2. Firecrackers (best prosthetic) helped too for a stun during his area attack.

Awesome! No problem, I try to help as much as I can when people ask for bosses because I know the anxiety that some of these bosses gave me. Glad you found some of your own strategies too. Its a great feeling!

Some people jump on his head on the AOE attacks, some use firecrackers. I prefer umbrella because I can be at pretty much any range and not be hit by it, and often get a counter.

I beat him again on NG+ yesterday and it was just as thrilling (although not as anxious) as the first time. To me the save scumming to preserve your resurrections is fine, you can get those back just by going somewhere and grinding and why make the boss that much more frustrating.

By the end of the game I ended up thinking that Umbrella is actually the best prosthetic although firecrackers are more frequently effective. Umbrella is the best prosthetic IMO for ISS, the Shura ending boss, and DoH - 3 of the hardest if not the 3 hardest bosses. It is also extremely effective versus Guardian Ape's AOE. To me its a necessity for the Shura ending.

AndrewGPK · May 21, 2019

Well, joined the PLATINUM club over the weekend. Let it sit for a few days and found that grinding for skill points for multiple hours was not how I wanted to end it, so I did the final boss again on NG+.

He's an epic boss and it was almost as rewarding the second time around. It turned out to be an epic 10 minute battle, which is all the more remarkable considering I bullied ISS's first phase in under a minute with no damage and Genichiro took less than a minute (lots of false starts because Genichiro is more of a pest in NG+ because your posture is the same but he's stronger). Second phase, for some reason I could not get offense in, it was just parrying like crazy, so I pretty much went toe-to-toe with ISS's dreaded Phase 2 for like 6-7 minutes, lol. I think I got myself in more trouble trying to heal because I wanted to stay at full health and he'd regenerate posture. I mikiri'ed him probably close to 12-15 times between all 3 phases, and finished him off with 3 lightening reversals (surviving 2 times getting stuck on a wall/rock, 1 time coming as close to falling off the ledge as you can - lucky!, and twice losing lock on).

DirtyLarry · May 21, 2019

Okay, I am NOT a Souls Veteran. Only From game I ever attempted to play was Bloodborne and I did not get very far (3rd or 4th Boss I forget). So to say the From formula never really clicked with me is probably a fair statement.

With the above said I rented Sekiro from GameFly (I just recently renewed my sub) as to be honest it was the only somewhat new game available I was remotely interested in.

I actually watched a few of the videos in the OP this afternoon while eating lunch. I have also been playing the last hour just fucking around in that first section of the map and took out that first General dude by the gate and only died twice attempting to do so. I finally got him as I realized I could sneak around him and take out one of his circles with a stealth sneak attack (I am sure it has a proper name but I do not know it yet). Once I did that his ass was pretty easy. I also had not trained yet on Thrust or Sweep attacks, which I just did now after beating him. In all fairness I did see them in the videos this afternoon, but seeing them and playing was two different things. Especially since I am not a person who plays From games.

My Main Question
So right now I have what I believe is a super simple question. As soon as I get shit I should travel back to the Temple right? Like there is no punishment for doing so? Specifically the Gourds and I already traveled back for the Shuriken I found. I know Resurrecting uses up those icons on the left bottom. I also know dying means I lose half of whatever attack stuff I had built up. Resting means enemies respawn. Just trying to figure out if there is any punishment for travelling. It does not appear so but want to be sure. Additionally if I travel but do not rest, do enemies still respawn?

I have to say although I am not a From game Veteran, I feel way better about this game then I did Bloodborne this early on. Perhaps it is because I am getting a heavy Tenchu vibe and I loved the shit out of that game/series. Perhaps it is because it features Shinobi's and I am just approaching it more confident as a result like I am no doubt a badass. Not for nothing the dilapidated character in Bloodborne did not install badass confidence initially. More likely perhaps I am just being duped since I am still super early on and will get my ass handed to me soon enough just as I did with Bloodborne and give up out of utter frustration. However since it appears Rage 2 is not going to ship anytime soon and there are no other games on my queue until next month, I plan on trying to stick with it for some time.

Right now I am just training again and again, doing that first area multiple times to get used to the mechanics, and I will take it from there.

So besides that one question about travel, I will take any other general tips and advice for a newcomer to the game. I am feeling determined to finally make a From game click on my end. The Shinobi setting is helping this determination no doubt.

AndrewGPK · May 21, 2019

DirtyLarry said:
Okay, I am NOT a Souls Veteran. Only From game I ever attempted to play was Bloodborne and I did not get very far (3rd or 4th Boss I forget). So to say the From formula never really clicked with me is probably a fair statement.

With the above said I rented Sekiro from GameFly (I just recently renewed my sub) as to be honest it was the only somewhat new game available I was remotely interested in.

I actually watched a few of the videos in the OP this afternoon while eating lunch. I have also been playing the last hour just fucking around in that first section of the map and took out that first General dude by the gate and only died twice attempting to do so. I finally got him as I realized I could sneak around him and take out one of his circles with a stealth sneak attack (I am sure it has a proper name but I do not know it yet). Once I did that his ass was pretty easy. I also had not trained yet on Thrust or Sweep attacks, which I just did now after beating him. In all fairness I did see them in the videos this afternoon, but seeing them and playing was two different things. Especially since I am not a person who plays From games.

My Main Question
So right now I have what I believe is a super simple question. As soon as I get shit I should travel back to the Temple right? Like there is no punishment for doing so? Specifically the Gourds and I already traveled back for the Shuriken I found. I know Resurrecting uses up those icons on the left bottom. I also know dying means I lose half of whatever attack stuff I had built up. Resting means enemies respawn. Just trying to figure out if there is any punishment for travelling. It does not appear so but want to be sure. Additionally if I travel but do not rest, do enemies still respawn?

I have to say although I am not a From game Veteran, I feel way better about this game then I did Bloodborne this early on. Perhaps it is because I am getting a heavy Tenchu vibe and I loved the shit out of that game/series. Perhaps it is because it features Shinobi's and I am just approaching it more confident as a result like I am no doubt a badass. Not for nothing the dilapidated character in Bloodborne did not install badass confidence initially. More likely perhaps I am just being duped since I am still super early on and will get my ass handed to me soon enough just as I did with Bloodborne and give up out of utter frustration. However since it appears Rage 2 is not going to ship anytime soon and there are no other games on my queue until next month, I plan on trying to stick with it for some time.

Right now I am just training again and again, doing that first area multiple times to get used to the mechanics, and I will take it from there.

So besides that one question about travel, I will take any other general tips and advice for a newcomer to the game. I am feeling determined to finally make a From game click on my end. The Shinobi setting is helping this determination no doubt.

No penalty for traveling other than it also makes enemies respawn.

My biggest advice for a newcomer would probably be

1) ABP - always be parrying. Learn the posture system and parrying. You'll fight bosses that you are sure can't be parried, but most of them can (maybe not that Ogre, lol).

2) Learn the mikiri counter (for thrusts - you won't get it right away but early), jump bounce for sweeps, and dodge step for grabs. Now this is not always the case, but maybe 80% of the time if an enemy charges to their right (your left) a thrust is coming, so mikiri - and its as they start into the thrust, not at the red warning sign automatically (its not a QTE), and when they charge to their left (your right) its a sweep so jump bounce. This takes a while to master and is a quick reaction rock/paper/scissors thing that is still challenging well into the game, but also some of the most rewarding stuff to pull off.

3) Be patient and know that you will get stuck on enemies and bosses. Look and ask for help. Like Bloodborne this game does have a few early 'Gatekeeper' type bosses and many people probably stop there, but if you are patient and learn to overcome them, you'll probably be able to overcome the rest of the game as long as you keep trying.

4) You were right to stealth deathblow that miniboss, and the vast majority of minibosses can be to take off that first bar of health.

5) Try to get firecrackers prosthetic early. A helpful way to stun bosses and get in damage when you're going to struggle to do that early.

xyla · May 22, 2019

MilkBeard said:
The timing is different. If you are dashing into him, it's because it's too early. Wait a little bit longer. They kind of trick you, because G. and ISS have different timings.

Jiminy said:
As Milkbeard said - several bosses have different Mikiri timings

The toughest one imo is Seven Spears - you have to dash towards him pretty late. The minute you see the symbol, or just after, and he fucking GETS you. It's a full breath after you see the symbol.

Noema said:
You are doing it too early, specially if you are too close. You won't have enough time to finish the dash forward animation, so at that point even if you mashed B / Circle, you wouldn't get the Mikiri.

In general Spear thrusts are more delayed than sword thrusts.

Fair enough, I'll just try to delay my response to his thrust. But it's not the spear, it's his sword still. Spears work better with me somehow. After Seven Spears, they were not really a problem anymore.

Deleted member 41520 · May 22, 2019

xyla said:
Fair enough, I'll just try to delay my response to his thrust. But it's not the spear, it's his sword still. Spears work better with me somehow. After Seven Spears, they were not really a problem anymore.

Iirc Isshin also has a half-delay before the move actually starts. He raises his elbow, takes aim at you, pauses for a moment, THEN moves forward. The red symbol shows up before any of that I think, so it's quite a delay

Red Liquorice · May 22, 2019

That thrust he has in the second phase is often part of a long combo that starts with a little hop two-hit sword attack, if you see that attack, deflect the rest of the combo (a few mid-range spear attacks) and he is guaranteed to do the spear thrust at the end. If you're not in range to block it he usually won't finish the combo. I look out for it because it's a sure fire way to get damage in after the counter.

blonded · May 22, 2019

Question about the purification ending.

I've heard the point of no return for starting that questline is the divine dragon. I've faced him but haven't beaten him yet. Am I locked out of that ending?

DirtyLarry · May 22, 2019

AndrewGPK said:
No penalty for traveling other than it also makes enemies respawn.

My biggest advice for a newcomer would probably be

1) ABP - always be parrying. Learn the posture system and parrying. You'll fight bosses that you are sure can't be parried, but most of them can (maybe not that Ogre, lol).

2) Learn the mikiri counter (for thrusts - you won't get it right away but early), jump bounce for sweeps, and dodge step for grabs. Now this is not always the case, but maybe 80% of the time if an enemy charges to their right (your left) a thrust is coming, so mikiri - and its as they start into the thrust, not at the red warning sign automatically (its not a QTE), and when they charge to their left (your right) its a sweep so jump bounce. This takes a while to master and is a quick reaction rock/paper/scissors thing that is still challenging well into the game, but also some of the most rewarding stuff to pull off.

3) Be patient and know that you will get stuck on enemies and bosses. Look and ask for help. Like Bloodborne this game does have a few early 'Gatekeeper' type bosses and many people probably stop there, but if you are patient and learn to overcome them, you'll probably be able to overcome the rest of the game as long as you keep trying.

4) You were right to stealth deathblow that miniboss, and the vast majority of minibosses can be to take off that first bar of health.

5) Try to get firecrackers prosthetic early. A helpful way to stun bosses and get in damage when you're going to struggle to do that early.

Thank you for taking the time. Very much appreciated!! I know #2 is going to give me a challenge and I know #3 is what made me stop Bloodborne, but I am down to try to overcome this one. Again thanks.

derFeef · May 22, 2019

I also had my fair amount of problems with BB but I eventually managed it and it became my favourite FROM game probably. WIth Sekiro this was not the case sadly and I decided to stop playing. I wish you luck. :)

Noema · May 22, 2019

DirtyLarry said:
So besides that one question about travel, I will take any other general tips and advice for a newcomer to the game. I am feeling determined to finally make a From game click on my end. The Shinobi setting is helping this determination no doubt.

The best tip I could give is to be patient, and don't worry too much if you die. You'll die a lot, and that's fine. While the penalties for death (losing 50% of your Sen / XP unless Unseen Aid procs and Dragonrot) might seem harsh, they really aren't. If you are about to face a tough enemy, make sure to spend your money before doing so, and kill some enemies to top off your XP bar so you reach the next skill point (which you can't lose).

If you're having trouble against groups of enemies, remember that you are much faster and agile than them and stealth / running away is always viable.

The game is pretty open and it will rarely force you on a certain path (though of course there's a ton of mandatory stuff, you always have options if you're stuck on a boss or miniboss). About half the mini-bosses are optional, so if one of them is giving you a hard time, you can always come back later.

blonded said:
Question about the purification ending.

I've heard the point of no return for starting that questline is the divine dragon. I've faced him but haven't beaten him yet. Am I locked out of that ending?

No, not yet.

Have you eavesdropped on Emma and Kuro? As long as you haven't defeated the Dragon, they should still be in Kuro's Room.

xyla · May 22, 2019

Jiminy said:
Iirc Isshin also has a half-delay before the move actually starts. He raises his elbow, takes aim at you, pauses for a moment, THEN moves forward. The red symbol shows up before any of that I think, so it's quite a delay

This will hopefully help a lot! Thanks :)

AndrewGPK · May 22, 2019

DirtyLarry said:
Thank you for taking the time. Very much appreciated!! I know #2 is going to give me a challenge and I know #3 is what made me stop Bloodborne, but I am down to try to overcome this one. Again thanks.

Yes, in some ways those bosses are designed to teach you how to play, and usually when you get past them the game opens up and the challenge level levels off for a bit. But overcoming challenging bosses are a really big high.

Deleted member 679 · May 22, 2019

I stopped playing Sekiro for a while to play Quantum Break.

I just keep thinking that I miss Sekiro while playing it. TT_TT

Noema · May 22, 2019

I'm playing Hitman 2 and its great, but it just doesn't scratch that itch; the intensity in Sekiro makes all other games feel like bland tasteless porridge.

Morrigan · May 22, 2019

blonded said:
Question about the purification ending.

I've heard the point of no return for starting that questline is the divine dragon. I've faced him but haven't beaten him yet. Am I locked out of that ending?

If you have the 2nd bell, you're fine. If not, stop what you're doing immediately and go eavesdrop on Kuro and Emma/Sculptor to get the bell or you will be locked out.

AndrewGPK · May 22, 2019

xyla said:
This will hopefully help a lot! Thanks :)

ISS actually has two different thrusts in his first phase that come at different speeds. When he circles around you that is often the tell for his short quick thrust which I think he charges and launches on his left side (your right). This one you have to mikiri right away. The other one he pushes you back and this comes from his other side and there is a delay so watch for him to start moving and not the kanji.

As I've posted in strategy advice, when he sheaths his sword, the best thing to do is run a circle clockwise around his back to your left (his right). If you attack him when he sheaths I think he tends to push you off and then you have to make a quick read as to whether he's going to thrust or swipe. The circling method avoids that and will open him up to a double ichi from behind because he will do a sweeping thrust or ashina cross. He can pull out the other thrusts I mentioned just from routine parrying though.

xyla · May 22, 2019

AndrewGPK said:
ISS actually has two different thrusts in his first phase that come at different speeds. When he circles around you that is often the tell for his short quick thrust which I think he charges and launches on his left side (your right). This one you have to mikiri right away. The other one he pushes you back and this comes from his other side and there is a delay so watch for him to start moving and not the kanji.

As I've posted in strategy advice, when he sheaths his sword, the best thing to do is run a circle clockwise around his back to your left (his right). If you attack him when he sheaths I think he tends to push you off and then you have to make a quick read as to whether he's going to thrust or swipe. The circling method avoids that and will open him up to a double ichi from behind because he will do a sweeping thrust or ashina cross. He can pull out the other thrusts I mentioned just from routine parrying though.

Thanks again - it's the second one I can't nail so far.

The sheaths I have under control and are my surest hit so far. I just walk backwards and jump, his two slashes never touch me and I can put in a quick hit.

AndrewGPK · May 22, 2019

xyla said:
Thanks again - it's the second one I can't nail so far.

The sheaths I have under control and are my surest hit so far. I just walk backwards and jump, his two slashes never touch me and I can put in a quick hit.

It is important to use a method you are comfortable with, but keep in mind that my approach opens him up to a double ichi (which costs no spirit emblems) or any combat art - so a bit more than a quick hit and health+posture damage that will make Phase 1 quicker.

Its kinda funny because when I played him on my first run I had the most trouble with his first phase (until I figured out the sheathing thing). When I did my successful run on NG+ the other night, I took no damage in phase 1 and absolutely bullied him - I mikiri'ed both thrusts types two times over - combined with the double ichis it was an all out beating in < a minute. (Then, I had a messy 6 minute run through Phase 2 lol)

rahji · May 22, 2019

I think I am done with the game. Played through it three times, defeated all bosses and got all beads. I don't see a point right now in getting the last ending and grinding for skills. Maybe in the dlc.

DirtyLarry · May 22, 2019

Super simple very early on questions.
#1 Any way to distract enemies or lure them towards you?
I am still very, very early on, just got the Hirata estate, and just wondering if there is an easier way to deal with these bunches of dudes. I should add I mistakenly kind of figured one way out, to get one of them to kind of see me so they come looking for me. That made that group of 3 much easier to contend with.
#2 Getting carps was real easy until I am trying to get a 5th one. It seems to be under the water even though I can lock on to it. I tried throwing a shuriken at it with no luck. Anything obvious I am missing here? Would like to get that one skill scroll that costs 5.

Noema · May 22, 2019

DirtyLarry said:
Super simple very early on questions.
#1 Any way to distract enemies or lure them towards you?
I am still very, very early on, just got the Hirata estate, and just wondering if there is an easier way to deal with these bunches of dudes. I should add I mistakenly kind of figured one way out, to get one of them to kind of see me so they come looking for me. That made that group of 3 much easier to contend with.
#2 Getting carps was real easy until I am trying to get a 5th one. It seems to be under the water even though I can lock on to it. I tried throwing a shuriken at it with no luck. Anything obvious I am missing here? Would like to get that one skill scroll that costs 5.

You can use the ceramic shards to lure enemies towards you.

Don't worry too much about the Carp scales. There are ton of carps you'll find around the world, along with a couple of quests to get more. That skill isn't that great, anyway, and you can get it later.

DirtyLarry · May 22, 2019

Noema said:
You can use the ceramic shards to lure enemies towards you.

Don't worry too much about the Carp scales. There are ton of carps you'll find around the world, along with a couple of quests to get more. That skill isn't that great, anyway, and you can get it later.

Thank you!! Ceramic shard makes sense as I have yet to even see what it does (I am an idiot probably) And cool, will ignore the carps accordingly.

Noema · May 22, 2019

Also, keep in mind that if you see enemy groups, there's usually a way around them, either by grappling past them, or sneaking around them accross tall grass or something else.

DirtyLarry · May 22, 2019

Noema said:
Also, keep in mind that if you see enemy groups, there's usually a way around them, either by grappling past them, or sneaking around them accross tall grass or something else.

Nice thanks. I learned the hard way you do not have to face every group. I died one too many times and get not one but two cases of dragonrot at the same time. And I was not very far at all and I feel like I have learned a decent amount since I played, so I may just start over. I feel like the one case is easy enough to cure (I Googled how to get rid of it and found it out was the old woman that gave me the first bell) but have no idea how to get rid of the other case, so since I am only like actually 30-45 minutes in even though it took me several hours to get there, I may just start anew. I actually did this several times with Bloodborne as well.

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