Sifu: Beginner's Guide

Getting Started in Sifu

You begin at age 20 and every death makes you older. Aging trades maximum health for damage and has no other penalty, so the game can be finished at any age. Finishing a level sets your starting age for the next level, which is why replaying earlier levels to finish them younger is a normal part of play.

Skills cost XP. You can unlock them at shrines, after dying, or at the skill tree in the courtyard between levels. A skill you unlock works for the current run only, but buying the same skill five times unlocks it permanently, and permanent skills stay available if you restart an earlier level.

Core Mechanics to Master

Each death adds one to your death counter, and when you rise your age goes up by the counter's total. At age 45 with four deaths, one more death takes you to 50. Every ten years of age breaks a coin on your pendant, lowering maximum health and raising damage. One guide states that once you are 70 or older, your next death is final.

You can clear deaths from the counter by defeating tough enemies and mini-bosses, or by choosing the far-right shrine upgrade, which resets it. Finishing a level also resets the counter but not your age.

Shrines and Upgrades

Shrines let you pick a shrine upgrade and use the skill tree. Shrine upgrades carry over between levels, but to change them you have to replay from an earlier level. Because some skills and upgrades cannot be unlocked past certain ages, it helps to spend XP early rather than at the end of a run.

Essential Tips

1. Use the environment. Bottles, bats and other objects can be picked up and used in a fight.
2. Look for the shortcut. Every level has at least one, unlocked by beating a mini-boss and taking the key item. A locked door near the start is the usual sign.
3. Replay levels to get younger. If you are too old for a boss, go back and beat earlier levels with fewer deaths.
4. Learn each boss one phase at a time. Kuroki throws knives, so the Weapon Catch skill helps in that fight.
5. Pick a difficulty that suits you. The Student mode downplays aging significantly; Master is far more punishing than the original Disciple mode.

First Major Boss: Fajar (The Botanist)

Fajar is the boss of the first level, The Squats. Phase 1: he opens with a flip kick from the air, so block or avoid it right away and stay close rather than backing off; build his structure meter through successful hits, parries and blocks to trigger the phase transition. Phase 2: the arena turns into a bamboo field and Fajar attacks from within the bamboo, lunging out of it — blocking or avoiding that lunge damages his structure. Bamboo poles along the edges can be picked up and used as weapons. Learn his patterns and keep your age low by parrying rather than trading blows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does Sifu take?
A: HowLongToBeat averages, as shown on Deku Deals, are about 7.5 hours for the main story and about 22.5 hours for a completionist run. Reducing your age by replaying levels adds time.

Q: Is there a way to reset my age?
A: No. You cannot get younger. The death counter can be cleared, but the age you have reached stays; replaying earlier levels lets you finish them at a younger age.

Q: Does the game have difficulty settings?
A: Yes: Student, Disciple (the original difficulty) and Master. They were added in a content update announced in April 2022. Student significantly downplays aging; Master is far more punishing.

Q: What is the Arenas mode?
A: A free expansion released on 28 March 2023 with 45 challenges across nine locations and five modes, separate from the main story.

Q: Which platforms is it on?
A: PS4, PS5, PC (Epic Games Store, later Steam), Nintendo Switch and Xbox One/Series.