Everyone is finding themselves with some excess of time right now and in response, some people have been learning to bake bread, others have been investing in their own personal health, while the true elites have been blazing through their gaming backlog. And no game is better to invest the time in at the moment than Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
RELATED: Sekiro Shadows Die Twice: 10 Tips For Beating The Great Shinobi Owl Boss Fight
Sekiro takes a hefty amount of hours to beat & even more to 100%– it isn't quite as replayable as other FromSoftware games, but the potential is absolutely there. So, to help those who decided to take the plunge into this world of monsters, shinobi, and immortality, here is exactly how long this title takes to beat and some other pro tips to guide those along the way.
10 It Takes A Solid 30 To 50 Hours
Sekiro has a ton of difficult bosses to beat and regions to explore. There are 15+ bosses in total, each with their own little area to traverse around them. And, certain parts of the game can be done in any order, allowing players to have completely different routes to the end goal. But, all in all, the average time to beat this historical fantasy game is between 30-50 hours. Though the more advanced FromSoftware veterans can cut down that time significantly, and speedruns of the game are achieved in less than an hour, so it really all depends.
9 Master The Parry And Deflect System
Now onto the tips. Most of these will be for people who haven't started the game yet or are new to the FromSoftware type of games, but a few of these can even help out the veterans. In any case, the parrying, deflect, and posture mechanic in Sekiro is absolutely crucial. Players really can't ignore it or try and circumvent learning it by relying on jumps and dodges– it's the backbone of the entire game. In the Dark Souls titles, if players didn't want to learn how to parry, block, or even roll at the right time, they had other options that could work as a substitute, but not here.
8 No Picking Up Lost Souls This Time Around
Many people thought that Sekiro would have a "pick up your lost souls" mechanic like literally all the other Soulsborne games have. But, surprisingly, this game doesn't. If a player dies and doesn't have a resurrection, what they lose is gone forever. This includes half the experience towards Wolf's next skill point and half of the currency he was currently holding (called Sen). The only way to avoid this (other than not dying) is being granted "Unseen Aid" which is basically a dice roll random chance mechanic that acts as a nice surprise for players who just lost a ton of money.
The Shinobi Tools that Wolf uses throughout Sekiro should not be underestimated. Honestly, anyone who has beat the game will usually gush about how useful the Shinobi Firecrackers are or how underrated items like the Sabimaru or Loaded Spear can be. Each tool does something completely different and has unique interactions with all the different bosses and enemy types throughout the game.
RELATED:
Each tool has its own upgrade tree that has wildly different variations later down the line. The Shinobi Tools aren't the same as Transforming Weapons from Bloodborne, they're meant to be secondary tools to Wolf's katana, but they still add variation to each playthrough.
6 Differentiate When To Posture Break & Chip Vitality
Some enemies in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice are built for posture breaks while others are better to chip away at, whittling their Vitality bar down little by little. The rule of thumb is that humanoid enemies guard more, and are thus more susceptible to posture damage while bestial enemies don't guard as much and should have their Vitality targeted instead. In any case, breaking either bar results in a Deathblow which is how Wolf beats these absurdly powerful enemies. It's crucial for ease of play that players learn quickly in a fight when to go for the posture break and when to just focus on pure DPS.
5 Mikiri Counter Is Absolutely Essential
The beginning of Sekiro really tries to get players to learn the complex battle system sufficiently. Enemies do a lot of sweeping attacks so players can jump over them, the Chained Ogre teaches how unforgiving unblockable attacks can be, and he also teaches the player about elemental damage. Once enemies like the Shinobi Hunter show up and start thrusting away with spears, that is where a lot of players will hit a wall. That's why the ability Mikiri Counter is almost required to help people get through the game. It's an amazing counter to thrust attacks that does an insane amount of posture damage. Seriously, get this move early and master it quickly, it'll help with plenty of the mid to late-game fights.
4 The Game Has Branching Paths
At first, Sekiro feels pretty linear as players are just moving through hallways and buildings, progressing further and further in the hopes of getting to the top of Ashina Castle and rescuing Kuro. But there are a deceptive amount of paths players can actually go down, even before they fight Genichiro for the first time. Just know that if an area is too hard or troublesome, Wolf can just go down a different path. Grinding early game enemies isn't at all a cheap tactic. Leaving an area alone for now to come back to it later as a stronger shinobi is just smart decision-making.
3 Don't Be Afraid To Buy Spirit Emblems
Spirit Emblems are the "Ammo" Wolf uses for his Shinobi Tools. These paper dolls are said to house the spirits of the dead, and they're everywhere in Ashina. Wolf can find them sitting around, or he can gather them from defeating enemies. It is absolutely recommended that players build up a collection of these things quickly. The further they get into the game, the more they'll be required and the more Sen they'll cost to buy.
RELATED: Sekiro Shadows Die Twice: 10 Pro Tips For Beating Long-arm Centipede Giraffe
Remember, Wolf can only carry 15 at first, but any extras go into storage and auto-refill every time he respawns or sits at an Idol. Collect a mountain of these things early, and thank us once you get stuck on bosses like the Guardian Ape or the Demon of Hatred and have an infinite amount of Spirit Emblems built up by then.
2 Sneak Up On Minibosses For A Free Deathblow
There are a certain amount of "bosses" in Sekiro, but there are also a staggering amount of "mini-bosses" that are scattered throughout Ashina. These are usually Generals in the Ashina Army, but they can pop up anywhere, at any time. Usually, they don't have their own dedicated arenas, and 99% of the time they have multiple health bars. While Stealth isn't a huge aspect of Sekiro's core gameplay, sneaking up on these Minibosses is a necessary strategy because these guys aren't immune to stealth deathblows. This means Wolf can sneak up on them and knock out one of their health bars for free, which can be a huge help on some of the more difficult late-game minibosses.
1 Complete The NPC Quests
Lastly, we encourage players to try to help out the NPCs they come across throughout Sekiro and learn the lore behind them. Most of these characters have their own side stories and Wolf can usually impact them in some way. Most of the time, it is worth it to do these side quests, as Wolf will get skills, materials, & other items that can help him on his journey. A lot of the time, completing these quests requires a bit of backtracking and a thorough understanding of the events of the game, but we promise, they're worth the time it'll take to complete.
NEXT: 10 Quotes That Will Stick With Us Forever From Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
