Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118246805#Comment_118246805

Nicely done! I never used ichimongo, I always expected it to be too slow in boss fights, but that video shows how effective it really is.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118247480#Comment_118247480

Sword Saint is one of those fights where you're either in the zone and don't need to heal too much, or there's just a good chance you're going to lose because the more you need to heal, the more he'll punish you for it.

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118247766#Comment_118247766

yup, even my last NG+3 run, I should have beaten him first go (arsed up the lightning reflect in last phase) and then he continued to spank me about 10 times for daring to be confident. The first time I actually got the win against him, I got lucky that he presented himself quite a bit for a headstomp into Ichi/Mortal - it looks a bit spammy but after soooo many attempts, I'll take it. I do have a video of that too but I won't bore you all with my collection of mediocrity.

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118247766#Comment_118247766

The thing I found most frustrating about Sword Saint was not Isshin himself but Genichiro beforehand. You can beat him in about 30 seconds but only if you are not frustrated. If you are frustrated I find that he beats you about 3/5 times and this is a killer when you just want to get back in the ring with Isshin straight away!

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118257597#Comment_118257597

Yeah, in my last playthrough I fought Isshin a bunch through the Reflections of Strength thing, but when I reached that fight in the game I remembered I had to fight Genichiro again first. Luckily it didn't take too long, and I was versed enough from fighting Isshin again that I got him 2nd try, but definitely in my original playthrough Genichiro was always a b*tch of a stumbling block to get across, as if Isshin wasn't a tough enough fight on his own. And like you say, he has a different rhythm than Isshin so you're kinda having to adapt on the fly each time.

theteal

Anybody done the Gauntlets?

I was having withdrawals earlier so I thought I'd have a lunchtime bash. The first Gauntlet is just Gyoubu, Butterfly and then Genichiro. Grand, that should be handy enough I thought - and it was until fight 3. Little did I realise it's not normal Genichiro. He has learned some new tricks and he spanked me. I have a new mission.

Penn

Yeah I was trying to work my way through the gauntlet but Genichiro just kept demolishing me. I ended up just abandoning it as I wanted to move on to another game anyway. Tough as hell though. Even Gyobu and Butterfly were hitting harder than normal.

theteal

Oh I beat Genichiro the day after my post above. The Shura gauntlet one looks more difficult to me than the Severance - I've not fought Emma and Old Isshin that many times. So I've had a few runs at Severance - Ape is easy, I can do Owl fairly easily now too, I've found I'm fairly rusty on the Monk though. Anyway, I'm just happy the game is giving me something more of a challenge.

Markus Antonius

A few of the futurepress guides have appeared on Amazon for a reasonable price (£27). It's usually only available from scalpers at £100+. I recommend as a collector item or just for the artwork alone.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sekiro-Shadows-Twice-Official-Guide/dp/3869930942/ref%3Dsr_1_4?crid=33LAC2FAZ3Q33&keywords=future+press&qid=1643669302&sprefix=futurepress%2Caps%2C47&sr=8-4

Edit: Already gone! 😪

theteal

Inner Isshin 🤬

I will beat that final gauntlet this week!

petes

Got the platinum in it last week, was a bit of grinding but not too much!

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639621#Comment_118639621

I went painstakingly slow on first playthrough for the full ending and did Shura 2nd time around which is obviously quick. Absolutely blitzed through playthrough 3 and 4 - surprising how quickly you can get through it when you don't need pickups, beads etc

Markus Antonius

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118640683#Comment_118640683

Don't forget the steep learning curve!

Currently working at Genichiro. Think I've spend two evenings on him and getting close. A skill check of a fight indeed. Sometimes I can blitz through his first two lives barely taking damage and other times I get wiped out.

Really standout game but I wish more minibosses had closer checkpoints. I could go fight the Seven Spears guy now but love getting right into it with Genichiro.

theteal

It's mad, I remember it took quite a few tries to beat that pr!ck but it was definitely the fight that makes the mechanics click. You will get to a stage where he becomes quite easy. He has quite long combos but you've no option but to spam deflect so he's actually doing you a favour. Mikiri is a big tool in that fight. 3rd phase, fling his lightning back at him - I did have a bad habit of jumping too early.

Retr0gamer

I had trouble as well but it was because I was playing the game all wrong. After that fight I understood the mechanics so much better and while the game challenged me afterwards I knew I had the tools to beat anything it threw at me. It was like being able to see the matrix afterwards.

I just caught my first couple of lightnings. Shouldn't be too long now.

And done. Jesus.

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118793642#Comment_118793642

Rise young wolf, you have now completed the training level :)

Your reward now is to do some dodgy eavesdropping

theteal

@[Deleted User] how are you getting on since?

One thing I'd advise, leave the Guardian Ape until after you've been to Mibu Village. If you do him before, your path path to Mibu has an extra obstacle.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118800932#Comment_118800932

I beat the Seven swords guy and the lone swordsman shortly afterwards. Haven't had much time to play it since.

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118802645#Comment_118802645

I've done all the achievements and can beat most bosses fairly handily (including Inner Genichiro) but I still don't like fighting that Seven Spears guy!

MadYaker

I finished Dark Souls 3 a few days ago and have started this. I'm enjoying it so far, the combat is different to the DS series or Elden Ring but very satisfying. Just made it to the Hirata Estate, I've fought a few field bosses but no main ones. Seems like a cool game.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119809370#Comment_119809370

It's very much a game designed around the combat system, rather than other Souls games where you have different weapons, skills, builds etc. You will get upgrades and tools to use, but because the game is centered on the combat system, so too are all the bosses, which makes for absolutely incredible boss fights.

Enjoy! One of my favourite games of all time.

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119809370#Comment_119809370

"Seems like a cool game" - I am affronted by this understatement 😋

I'm another in the favourite game of all time club, I found Elden Ring was a slog in comparison. I still jump back for a quick boss battle/gauntlet from time to time. I'm a little jealous of someone having their first run through, beating some of those bosses for the first time felt embarrassingly good.

MadYaker

I was watching a walkthrough yesterday and it appears I should have an option to aquire skill points while at a site of grace / bonfire / statue thingy but I don't have this option. It looks like I need an esoteric text, in the walkthrough I watched this acquired from the NPC at the temple who upgrades the prosthetic arm but when I speak with him I don't get the correct dialogue option and he isn't giving me anything. Maybe I missed something?

theteal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811454#Comment_119811454

You got any skill points yet?

https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/Shinobi%2BEsoteric%2BText

MadYaker

I have 2 prayer beads from killing field bosses and I've fought loads of regular enemies so I must have them but when I talk with that NPC he doesn't give me anything.

My Dark Souls and Elden Ring habits are not serving me well here, I keep getting hammered because I instinctively try to dodge when I should be deflecting. So satisfying when you get the timing right though, I feel like when I go back to Elden Ring I'll be a lot better at parrying.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811657#Comment_119811657

There should be a light blue bar in the top right corner, that's your XP bar. The number at the side of it is how many skill points you have.

Sekiro is different to other FromSoft games. In Sekiro, if you die, your XP bar reduces by half (although you do have a 30% chance that this doesn't happen, if you ever see UNSEEN AID on the screen after coming back to life, that means you didn't lose any XP). Which means even though you've defeated minor bosses, you may not have earned any skill points if you died enough times along the way. If you do fill the bar and earn a skill point though, that's banked, you don't lose them if you die.

If you definitely have a skill point, keep talking to the Sculptor in the temple. If he keeps repeating what he's saying, go to the idol and rest to reset the area, then talk to him again. The Esoteric texts unlock new skill trees, but I think the Sculptor is meant to give you the first one for basic upgrade skills.

MadYaker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119811902#Comment_119811902

Ok this is useful information. I probably just died too many times so I might go and do a bit of farming of regular enemies and see if I can build up enough XP for a skill point. Then I'll talk to the NPC at the temple again and see if he gives me anything, thanks.