Want to make sure that you are keeping all of that experience and money you are earning? How about the secrets that the world map may hold? The rest of our Sekiro guide goes over how not to waste time or resources.
Sekiro Guide – World Exploration and How to Handle Death
Store Your Money in Coin Purses
Anytime you come upon one of the Memorial Mob—Sekiro’s in-game shops—make sure to use your Sen (gold) to buy coin purses. For a 10% premium, (ie. 110 Sen for a Coin Purse that holds 100 Sen), you can get this item that will save your Sen from being lost upon death. Each time you die, you lost half of your skill experience and Sen. Storing your money in these coin purses allows you to have that money available even after multiple deaths to a particularly hard boss. You’ll need Sen to buy some crucial items in the game, so banking the money is the best way to make sure you aren’t wasting it.
Grind Skill Experience by Running Back to Sculptor’s Idols
Resting at a sculptor’s idol will reset the world state and return any killed enemies to the world (minus bosses and mini-bosses). You can use the regular grunt enemies to grind up skill experience by killing a group of them, returning to a sculptor’s idol to rest, and repeating. Anytime I was close to death, I would run back to rest up and try again because I got to keep all of my skill experience if I didn’t die. This tactic become a bit more difficult later on as the more skill points you earn, the more you need for the next one. But it can be an effective way to just get you over that crest for the next skill point before fighting a particularly tough enemy so you don’t lose a bunch of skill experience for nothing. Once you have a skill point, that skill experience is banked and can’t be lost.
Eavesdrop When You Can
Occasionally near enemies, you’ll have the opportunity to eavesdrop on them. This isn’t just about hearing some random world-building dialog though! Often the conversations the have will reveal tactics and weaknesses you can use when fighting tough bosses. Learning that the ogre is weak to fire and that a horse can be scared using gunpowder (Shinobi Firecrackers) comes through listening to what characters in the world are saying. If you’re stuck, pay attention to eavesdrop dialog and put it into the context of your various fights.
Explore Multiple Paths
Sekiro isn’t a linear game. If you are stuck on a certain boss, there may be items that can help you elsewhere. Can’t beat the ogre in Ashina Outskirts? Maybe you need to get the flame barrel attachment from the Hirata Estate in order to weaken it. Having a tough time with one boss? Maybe the attack boost you get from beating another boss could give you the edge you need. Don’t feel the need to bash your head against one enemy or path in the game. Exploration will be rewarded.
Stealth Attack Minibosses To Make the Fight Easier
Most bosses and minibosses will have multiple deathblows required to kill them, but what if you could cut your efforts on minibosses in half? If you can approach a miniboss stealthily, you can get a stealth deathblow which removes one of their markers entirely. This leaves a lot less room for error when it comes to fighting them as an entire vitality bar is already gone. If it’s possible to stealth deathblow a miniboss, you’ll want to start out every one of these battles that way to gain the upper hand quickly. Unfortunately the same tactic doesn’t work on the big bosses though.
Have Patience
Even knowing exactly what you need to do to beat an enemy, you are going to end up failing a lot. You could follow a step-by-step guide and the game still wouldn’t be “easy.” I can’t tell you how many times I made a mistake just when I thought I had a fight in the bag, and completely choked to lose it all. It sucks. Step away if you need to. Gain new perspective. Play something else. Explore other parts of the world. Spend time with your loved ones that are worried for your sanity. Be patient. You can do it. My kills on some of the bosses that felt impossible were near flawless when I finally got them done. You’ll grow as a player, and that’s one of the best parts about Sekiro.
Check back on page one for more basic combat tips to defeat enemies.
Thanks for reading our Sekiro guide! Hopefully these tips can help you make the most of the game, while also leaving a lot of discovery and wonder up to you. We didn’t want to spoil things beat by bet, because part of Sekiro’s charm is the discovery of what comes next and figuring out how to fell these foes all on your own. Do you have any additional Sekiro tips for people looking for help with the game?
Don’t miss our extensive Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice review.
