Sekiro For Beginners | GamesRadar
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.
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00:00 Sekiro Shadows Die Twice is one of the toughest games you'll ever play, and you'll die
00:08 over and over and over again. But there are certain things you can do to improve your
00:14 chances of survival and make the early stages of the game less frustrating. Here are 11
00:19 tips to help you if you're just starting out.
00:24 Hold block while learning enemy attack patterns. Instead of going for deflections the first
00:29 time you meet a particular enemy, try holding L1 or LB to block instead. It will absorb
00:35 almost every attack in the game, except for unblockable attacks which are accompanied
00:39 by a red symbol on screen. But be careful, because blocking too many attacks in a row
00:44 will damage your own posture, so keep an eye on the bar at the bottom of your screen. If
00:49 it's getting dangerously full, switch to dodging.
00:59 Take the high ground and plan your route. Stealth is paramount in Sekiro. Most areas
01:04 are filled with groups of enemies and it's unwise to face them all head on. Thankfully
01:08 the game offers you plenty of ways to take them out from the shadows, one at a time.
01:12 Get to the highest possible ground to work out the best route through any zone. Sekiro's
01:17 grappling hook will lock onto any nearby jump locations so you can always see where the
01:22 best nearby vantage point is. Get up there and scout out your surroundings, looking for
01:26 enemy patrol patterns and lines of sight.
01:33 Stealth kills work on most mini-bosses. Some of Sekiro's mini-bosses are as tricky as
01:38 the big bads, and most will take two deathblows to finish off, but for some of them, one of
01:44 those can be a stealth attack before the battle even starts.
01:50 When you know the location of a mini-boss, see if there's a way to sneak up on them
01:54 from behind or above. It's not possible for all of them, but it is worth the time
01:58 to find out. Doing this will half their health before you face them and make the task much
02:03 less daunting.
02:09 Practice combat with Hanbi the Undying. New combat techniques come at you fast at the
02:14 start of Sekiro, and Hanbi the Undying, located next to the Dilapidated Temple, is a perfect
02:19 test dummy. As his name suggests, he can't die, and his skill with a sword means he can
02:25 help you test new techniques without consequence. If you're struggling to counter one particular
02:30 move, those unblockable attacks we mentioned earlier for example, check in with him and
02:34 practice until you've got the timing down.
02:40 Master your own moveset. Sekiro's moveset isn't limited to a simple forward slash.
02:46 Before you take on bosses, make sure you're fully clued up on the rhythm of your strikes.
02:51 You should know exactly how it feels to perform three strikes in succession, as well as exactly
02:55 how far you'll lunge forward when you hold down the attack button.
02:59 The same is true for attacks you pick up via the various skill trees. Return to Hanbi the
03:04 Undying to get to grips with it. That way, you'll know when it will work and when it
03:08 will just get you into trouble.
03:16 Invest in coin purses. When you die in Sekiro, you usually lose half of the money that you're
03:21 carrying, but you can prevent this by buying coin purses with your spare cash. These purses
03:26 protect your money, and then when you need to spend it, you can open them up and retrieve
03:30 the currency inside. They cost more than the value of the coins they contain. A purse holding
03:35 100 sen costs 110 to buy, but trust us, you'll die more than enough to get your money's
03:42 worth.
03:43 You can buy prayer beads and gourd seeds from merchants. Prayer beads and gourd seeds are
03:47 some of Sekiro's most important items. You can hand in four beads at the Sculpture's
03:52 Idol to gain both vitality and posture, while giving a seed to NPC Emma nets you an extra
03:58 refill of your healing gourd flask. Both will make fights a lot easier, and help you survive
04:03 longer between rests.
04:05 The merchant in Ashina Outskirts, next to the battlefield where you fight the horseback
04:08 boss, will sell you gourd seeds, while you can buy prayer beads from the merchant next
04:13 to the abandoned dungeon entrance.
04:16 Organise your quick items during downtime. There's nothing worse than dying because
04:20 you were fumbling with the D-pad trying to select the right slot for your quick items.
04:24 To avoid that trap, make sure you only equip items you really need, and don't worry if
04:29 you leave some of the five slots empty. You can pause it any time during combat, so if
04:34 you need to use other items, you can do that direct from your inventory.
04:39 Keep a note of side boss locations. After you defeat the Blazing Bull mini-boss, the
04:44 world will open up considerably, and you'll have four or five paths to choose from, each
04:49 ending in a powerful enemy. This tip is to simply remind you to make a note of each of
04:54 their locations, so you don't forget later. Some of them are optional, so if you forget
04:58 to come back, you won't have a chance to grab their powerful loot.
05:03 Read every note and eavesdrop for hints. Some of the best items in Sekiro, including new
05:08 attachments for your Shinobi prosthetic, require you to poke around off the main path. To avoid
05:13 aimless wandering, look out for clues on your travels. You can eavesdrop on enemies for
05:18 intel, and some will reveal the locations of new prosthetics, or tips about taking on
05:23 the next boss. You'll also find notes littered around the world that hint at key locations.
05:28 Read them thoroughly, because some of them are fairly cryptic, but they all contain leads
05:32 worth following. The same goes for your own conversations with NPCs, who will often tell
05:36 you where to look for key items.
05:39 Don't hoard consumables, especially Maibu balloons. If you're exploring diligently,
05:44 you'll soon have an inventory bursting with items. Don't let these items go to waste,
05:48 particularly the Maibu balloons, which can either help you find even more items, or more
05:53 money for a limited time. They do no good simply sitting in your inventory, so pop them
05:58 whenever you get the chance, and you'll soon find some replacements. The same goes for
06:01 candies that enhance your combat abilities. If you feel like you're having trouble with
06:05 a fight, then chow on down.
06:07 So those are 11 tips to help you get started in Sekiro. If you've got any more, let us
06:12 know in the comments below, and we'll see you in the next video.
06:25 (music)