Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice: Walkthrough & Boss Guide

The game opens with a duel against Genichiro Ashina in a field at Ashina Reservoir. You are meant to lose. Winning is possible but gives no reward, and the story continues the same way: Wolf loses his arm. You wake in the Dilapidated Temple, where the Sculptor fits the Shinobi Prosthetic. The temple is your hub. You buy skills there, the Sculptor upgrades prosthetic tools, and you can rest at its Sculptor's Idol.

The core lesson starts here: deflect, don't dodge. Well-timed blocks build up the enemy's Posture bar. When it fills, you can land a Deathblow.

Work through the Outskirts. On the way you meet the area's mini-bosses: General Naomori Kawarada, the Chained Ogre and General Tenzen Yamauchi. Each Deathblow on a mini-boss gives a Prayer Bead, and four beads make a Prayer Necklace (+Vitality/Posture). Talk to Inosuke Nogami's mother in the Outskirts. She gives you the Young Lord's Bell Charm, which you need for Step 3.

The area boss is Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa, a mounted spearman fought near the Ashina Castle Gate. He drops the Mechanical Barrel. See the boss sheet below.

Offer the Young Lord's Bell Charm at the Buddha beside the Sculptor in the Dilapidated Temple to enter the Hirata Estate memory. The area is optional but well worth doing. The Flame Barrel sits in a campfire northeast of the Estate Path idol; the Sculptor turns it into the Flame Vent. Juzou the Drunkard guards the main hall as a mini-boss.

The Hidden Temple Key opens the area boss, Lady Butterfly. She is the first real test of deflection against fast, acrobatic attacks.

Climb Ashina Castle to the top. Genichiro Ashina fights you on the castle tower with two health bars. Then he returns as Genichiro, Way of Tomoe for a third bar and starts throwing lightning. Learn Lightning Reversal here: jump so the lightning hits you in mid-air, then attack before you land to throw it back. Beating him gives Memory: Genichiro and Bloodsmoke Ninjutsu.

After Genichiro, ask Isshin about the Mortal Blade, then travel to Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo. In the Main Hall, the table in front of the large Buddha takes you to the Hall of Illusion and the Folding Screen Monkeys. This is a catch-the-monkeys puzzle fight, and it rewards Puppeteer Ninjutsu.

In the Inner Sanctum, the Divine Child hands over the Mortal Blade. You need it to end the immortal enemies ahead.

To reach Fountainhead Palace, Kuro needs two items: the Lotus of the Palace and the Shelter Stone.

• The Lotus is in a cave behind the Guardian Ape, which waits in a pool in the Sunken Valley Passage near the Bodhisattva Valley idol.
• The Shelter Stone is guarded by the Corrupted Monk apparition at the end of Mibu Village in the Ashina Depths. Divine Confetti helps a lot against her.

Returning to Ashina Castle, you find the Interior Ministry has invaded. At the top of the castle Owl orders you to abandon Kuro.

• Refuse and stay loyal to Kuro: you fight Great Shinobi Owl (he drops the Aromatic Branch). This is the path to three of the four endings.
• Obey the Iron Code: you are locked onto the Shura ending (see Step 8).

Fountainhead Palace opens with the true Corrupted Monk, who is not an apparition. Later comes the Divine Dragon:

• Grapple to the cherry trees that spark with lightning.
• Attack in mid-air to hurl the lightning spear at the dragon.
• Finish it, then cut the Divine Dragon's Tears with the Mortal Blade.

The finale at Ashina Reservoir is Genichiro, Way of Tomoe followed directly by Isshin, the Sword Saint (three phases). Dying sends you back to the Genichiro part.

Endings:

• Immortal Severance: give Kuro the Divine Dragon's Tears.
• Purification: get the Father's Bell Charm from Emma, beat Owl (Father) in the second Hirata memory, and give the Aromatic Flower he drops along with the Tears.
• Return: finish the Divine Child questline and give the Frozen Tears.
• Shura: obey Owl in Step 7. You then fight Emma and Isshin Ashina instead.