Sekiro Beginner's Guide

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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.

Transcript

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.

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