holy shit i am slow at this game / i guess am better at not letting it take over my life like Bloodborne did when i was living by myself?
its so weird how I must have done the Genichiro fight maybe 50 or 60 times - the first time it seemed impossible but every single time i could feel a tiny bit of improvement, until the time i killed him i took almost no damage, first and second phases done in about 90 seconds each, then did the lightning reverse 3 times in a row on phase 3. holy shit thats a fun fight.
got the monkeys done last night and excited to see the next areas.
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Friday, 3 May 2019 10:22 (four years ago) link
^Sekiro in a nutshell. There were definitely certain bosses in Souls that I never learned 'properly', because you could switch to a different weapon/setup to make things easier, or because they were weak to a certain type of build. Here they made sure that there's no way around learning the whole moveset.
(even certain prosthetics or buffs might make things easier, you're still probably going to get killed if you don't know when to use them)
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 3 May 2019 15:50 (four years ago) link
i think that becomes very clear the first time you get a deathblow without even taking off half a bosses health. 99% of the time its not about cheesing damage.
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Friday, 3 May 2019 16:05 (four years ago) link
i've been sort of lowkey sneaking playtime with this game and holy fuck i COMPLETELY missed a whole area because i never went across a bridge at one point.love you so much from software
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 8 May 2019 20:59 (four years ago) link
this got into my head in a big way. Stuck on Genichiro in lightning mode, all these fucking headless ghosts (they scare me), and the corrupted monk illusion.
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 22 May 2019 15:58 (four years ago) link
took out true corrupted monk last night even without getting the second phase aerial deathblow everyone seems to do - surprised myself but he can go down pretty quick with a lot of deflecting. trying to do all 4 endings in one playthrough - Shura is done, doing the rest now. still loving it.
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Friday, 24 May 2019 13:19 (four years ago) link
I got to the final boss two weeks ago, attempted for a few hours, put it down and haven’t picked it back up again. :/Hopefully get back to it, but won’t have time for at least another week. Will be a little rusty.
― circa1916, Friday, 24 May 2019 13:37 (four years ago) link
trying to do all 4 endings in one playthrough
Oh, I didn't know this was possible. So it doesn't actually, y'know, end after you get an ending?
I did the Isshin one and I never experienced Owl pt. 2.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 24 May 2019 14:35 (four years ago) link
i am soooooooo bad at this. chances of reaching an ending: 2-3%
i'm stuck at the damn boss right after the ogre (general tenzen), even though i can now reliably start the fight with all of his henchmen eliminated and 1 deathblow down due to stealth.
― Karl Malone, Wednesday, 17 June 2020 05:03 (three years ago) link
i think it clicks? at some point the combat clicks? or you just throw it down in rage, misery and frustration and never go back to it idk.
― Fizzles, Friday, 19 June 2020 11:37 (three years ago) link
I'm... okay? at this game, I've done p much all there is to do including most of the quest lines, and I can't see myself ever beating that final boss. Has anyone here managed that?
― Neil S, Friday, 19 June 2020 12:40 (three years ago) link
oh and
*SPOILERS*
that big red demon seems like no fun to grind away at, so I've not killed him either
― Neil S, Friday, 19 June 2020 12:42 (three years ago) link
no, i screwed up because i didn’t listen to so and so whispering to someone else which meant although i’d closed off i think two of the remaining paths. never fought the fire demon or the last boss. enjoyed it a lot but i’m not *really* sure why. it lacks the strange and fragmentary mythos and metaphysics of dark souls and bloodborne. and the environments aren’t that potent. but the combat is v pure once you get the hang of it. and the boss fights are *intense*, in the way the combat system forces you to remain persistently engaged and make incredibly quick judgments.
― Fizzles, Friday, 19 June 2020 12:47 (three years ago) link
it's definitely more explicit in terms of its storyline. I found it very atmospheric, and I think the environment is as ingenious as that in DS1, possibly more so as it changes over the course of the game as the plot pushes on. I agree about the combat, it's an absolute joy to take out a boss that you had previously thought was invincible, even more so than the Souls games as there's no recourse to outside help and little scope for cheesing.
― Neil S, Friday, 19 June 2020 13:40 (three years ago) link
I did the last boss and the fire demon, both of which were worthwhile and my most memorable parts of the game. That could just be because they were at the end, but it's probably because they took the longest to learn.
(I think I did use the flame umbrella on the demon, which protects you from the move where he jumps into the sky)
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 19 June 2020 14:43 (three years ago) link
Also this series is essential viewing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0mmP5jOWemI
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 19 June 2020 14:47 (three years ago) link
scrub dojo - this sounds like my dojo
― time is running out to pitch in $5 (Karl Malone), Friday, 19 June 2020 15:25 (three years ago) link
xxp okay I will go back and give it another go (or 100 goes!), does that vide provide some useful hints?
― Neil S, Friday, 19 June 2020 16:01 (three years ago) link
video!
― Neil S, Friday, 19 June 2020 16:02 (three years ago) link
enter the dojo
― time is running out to pitch in $5 (Karl Malone), Friday, 19 June 2020 16:09 (three years ago) link
I don't think he's made videos about those last bosses yet, but lots of good info about the mechanics and entertainment value is high imo. There are plenty of other videos of other people doing it if you're into that.
Looking upthread apparently it took me at least three hours to learn the final boss. :) I'm sure if I started Sekiro again today it would take me quite awhile to get back into the rhythm of it.
― change display name (Jordan), Friday, 19 June 2020 16:23 (three years ago) link
I suspect this is next in my queue ...
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 12 September 2021 19:06 (two years ago) link
And I'm in! Just did the intro stuff, more or less. It's going to take some getting used to how fast this game is, even compared to "Bloodborne." It's a huge relief (at least for now) that all the arcane RPG stats n stuff doesn't seem to play a huge role, because that always made me anxious.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 September 2021 21:21 (two years ago) link
Bookmarked.
It's now been awhile since I've played this (never went back to it), but yeah iirc the special skills and tools aren't really required (with a couple of basic exceptions), but just make things easier.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 13 September 2021 21:28 (two years ago) link
The current top Any% speedrun for Sekiro is 19m 55s, so if you take longer than that you're doing it wrong imo
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Monday, 13 September 2021 21:29 (two years ago) link
Oh, I'm totally doing it wrong.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 September 2021 21:45 (two years ago) link
i think i made it to the TWO MONKEYS stage and that did it
― think “Gypsy-Pixie” and misspelled. (We are a white family.) (forksclovetofu), Monday, 13 September 2021 21:57 (two years ago) link
Hmm, maybe I spoke too soon. I'm in the first village and the first mini boss, or at least tougher soldier, is giving me a little bit of trouble, because I was being impatient, thinking there were fewer repercussions than in a Souls game. But I think I'm wrong. You lose half your accumulated HP, it seems, and there must be a catch to resurrections, because why would it give me the option? I'm assuming the HP you get from enemies is how you level up, but I suspect there are some malignant mechanics are work that I am as of yet unaware of. Hopefully reversible!
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 September 2021 22:56 (two years ago) link
did you check out one of those "10 things you should know the first time you play Sekiro" kind of guides or are you going in cold? i'm trying to remember if there was some deal with death that had irreversible consequences (though not gamebreaking ones), but i never played this one. maybe it the system in Mortal Shell (which i didn't finish).
anyway, might be worth taking a look at one just in case!
― "HYYOOOOOOONK!" is the sound I make (Karl Malone), Monday, 13 September 2021 22:59 (two years ago) link
I glanced at one, and my big takeaway was "use your items" and "be aggressive." But yeah, I think there was a downside to coming back from the dead? Though I suppose it might be worth it to come back from the dead if it means keeping your Souls or whatever they are here (XP). Like a Devil's bargain. I'll look into it.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 13 September 2021 23:14 (two years ago) link
You don't need to worry about it too much. There's an item you can get to deal with it.
https://www.polygon.com/sekiro-guide/2019/3/25/18281289/sekiro-rot-essence-dragonrot-cure-item
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Monday, 13 September 2021 23:23 (two years ago) link
Yeah, I think I need to follow a walkthrough. I was hoping to try it relatively on my own, but I'm barely into it and I'm already knee deep in esoteric lore, the statue carver is sick because of me, I keep getting items with mysterious uses, and praying to a statue of Buddha sent me back in time three years. Plus I'm going to have to get a lot better at fighting, though at least the first mini boss stays dead!
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 September 2021 03:22 (two years ago) link
Don't worry about resurrecting, it's part of the game (and plot).
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 14 September 2021 03:27 (two years ago) link
And yeah it takes time to get used to the combat, that's the whole thing. Iirc hp is a red herring (for bosses), it's all about breaking their posture.
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 14 September 2021 03:29 (two years ago) link
The trickiest thing so far is that in a lot of ways the combat is the *opposite* of Dark Souls. There are shields in DS but they are rarely useful, and Bloodborne gets rid of the shield entirely; in Sekiro, it actually benefits you to keep your block up all the time. In DS, rushing in at an enemy is a surefire way to get killed; in Sekiro, keeping up the pressure and pounding away seems to be a better strategy than giving the enemy time to regain their composure. In DS, you are more or less immune when you roll; in Sekiro, dodging and rolling and getting out of the way allows the enemy to regenerate posture. In DS, parrying was a helpful skill that makes certain specific fights and enemies easier; in Sekiro, parrying is essentially key to combat, even at the most basic level. In DS, your stats give you an upper hand, and you can farm to improve your power; in Sekiro, you're at the mercy of your mastery of timing. I suppose in this one it's balanced out a bit by giving you a grappling hook hand and dispensing with stamina.
So yeah, gonna take a bit to get used to this.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 September 2021 12:45 (two years ago) link
Well, I'll say this much: at least I know what I'm in for. I've been fighting the chained ogre mini boss for a while now and my impatience has been my downfall. The first ten times it killed me with one hit I should have gotten the message that I should not let him touch me, but he's well within reach.
So, the dragon rot that everyone has (because of me), does that have a negative impact aside from lowering my odds of getting some stuff back after death?
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 September 2021 20:46 (two years ago) link
https://sekiroshadowsdietwice.wiki.fextralife.com/Dragonrot
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 14 September 2021 21:15 (two years ago) link
Yeah, that's the site I'm going to have to start using. The thing about these From games, even with guides and help it's still super challenging!
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 14 September 2021 22:46 (two years ago) link
Yesterday I made my first I think irreversible mistake. I was in the area three years in the past and killed a looter NPC (while I was on a panic-mode kill everything spree), and after realizing what I did learned he becomes a vendor "later" (that is, present-day) in the game. The thing is, I think I met him already. So if I met him first, *then* killed him in the flashback (or whatever it is), is he gone? I guess I can check and if so may possibly just start over. Now that I am a little more confident I think I can speed through what I've done so far relatively quickly, and then by the time I get back to the Chained Ogre have the patience to just kick his ass properly.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 September 2021 13:16 (two years ago) link
Yeah I think he's gone for good, but you could get by without him if you didn't want to start over. Or, you're right that I'm sure you could get back to that spot very quickly if you really don't want to miss out on anything.
― change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 September 2021 14:53 (two years ago) link
Yeah, I'm not a fan of killing NPCs, at least not accidentally. I think I did it on purpose a few times in the first Dark Souls, killing the vendor to get the fancy sword and pushing a knight off a cliff much later to get ... something, I can't remember. But killing them for no good reason seems like stabbing yourself in the foot, especially so early in the game. No benefit, only pain. Plus, they're fun to interact with in otherwise lonely games.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 September 2021 15:10 (two years ago) link
Looking at my posts upthread, here are some random things that I apparently learned at some point:
1) You can do a charged thrust attack by holding down R1 (I had no idea)
2) For the secret doors in this game, you have to hug the wall
3) Btw I switched the controls so that up on the d-pad changes prosthetics, and triangle heals (so you can keep moving while healing), that helped a lot.
It's going to crazy if Elden Ring introduces Sekiro-style counters and jumping over low attacks, which it sounds like it does.
― change display name (Jordan), Wednesday, 15 September 2021 19:10 (two years ago) link
I ended up starting over, and it wasn't too bad. Still had trouble with the chained ogre, whose reach was insane, but after I learned to keep my distance it went better. As always, battling the camera is half the, er, battle. Also, did more of the flashback and got two more prosthetics, which helped. Definitely going to swap the d-pad and triangle, though, that's a great idea.
I actually figured out charged attack on my own, for once, but goddam ... more secret doors!?
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 15 September 2021 23:14 (two years ago) link
I've seen some debate over which From game is the hardest, but at least as far as early game goes this one is *significantly* more challenging than the others. For every little tweak that makes things a little easier (the ability, even encouragement, to zip away fast and hide from enemies, for example) there are some serious offsets (enemies so aggro and strong and numerous you *need* to run away and hide, for example). The early game feels a bit like the Old Hunters DLC in Bloodborne, where the game is just not messing around, and you have to deal with sharper AI and more aggressive tactics. Except that here you are pretty unpowered and, er, underarmed, compared to the time you reach that DLC, which calls for a completely novel approach to tactics and strategy. It's pretty neat that they were able to reinvent everything, but boy it can be tricky. So far of the three or four mini bosses I've faced each has had a specific weakness that 1) wasn't always obvious 2) needed exploration to figure out and 3) didn't always help all that much. And all could more or less one or two shot me.
And the Dragonrot stuff is mostly annoying (so far). I was able to cure it once, so it looks like every time it builds up I need to find one of the infected NPCs, get a blood sample, bring it back to Emma, and then get a dragon's blood droplet. But at the rate I'm dying it's pretty inevitable that all of these NPCs will eventually be suffering from Dragonrot.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 16 September 2021 13:18 (two years ago) link
Yeah I would agree with that, all the other games give you so many different ways to do it (magic, ranged, poise, shields, dodge, summon friends, etc). You pretty much have to meet Sekiro on its own terms.
This might help if you're stuck on a boss or section:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCUGQbM4UVA
― change display name (Jordan), Thursday, 16 September 2021 14:39 (two years ago) link
y'all are gonna make me go back to this game aren't you
― think “Gypsy-Pixie” and misspelled. (We are a white family.) (forksclovetofu), Thursday, 16 September 2021 16:00 (two years ago) link
xpost I don't think I'm quite ready for that insanity, and hopefully it is relatively far off.
Made some modest progress, by my similarly modest standards. Killed the shinobi hunter on my first try, which was satisfying, killed General Tenzen Yamauchi after a few tries that taught me patience above all else. Made some more progress in Hirata Estate (to the fire and my father to get a key), explored some caves near the General's compound, where there was also an optional enemy I was tipped off by a guide to avoid. Managed my first prayer bead upgrade, too, which should help for a minute or two.
Another observation: this game seems designed *not* to reward farming, or at least to reward it much less than the other From games. It takes a while to get even one skill point, and of course if you die (which is easy enough) you lose half your progress.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 September 2021 02:55 (two years ago) link
OK, now we're cooking with gas. Got past the giant snake (it never killed me, but leaping to my death did), and just took down my first boss! Maybe ... three or four tries? So far the best strategy on mini bosses and bosses seems to be keeping your distance, but then finding windows of opportunity to be hyper, hyper aggressive. In this case, I used the firecracker trick and the grappling hook, which ... yeah, if I didn't check out a guide this fight would have been dire, like one of the tougher DS bosses. Looks like it unlocked a bunch of abilities to explore, so I'll do that next time I play.
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 September 2021 20:51 (two years ago) link
BTW, not sure I like the titular "die twice" mechanic, which I'm sure will turn out to be a plot point but for now is just kind of weird to deal with. You kill the enemy, but then have to kill them ... again. Why not just give it two phases? Also, dragonrot: I've cured it once, so it doesn't seem like it for sure be a huge problem the next time it comes up, but I was wondering how many times you have to resurrect or die or whatever for dragonrot to spread. Like, if you go a long time without dying and resurrecting, is there an invisible counter somewhere that resets? Or is it kind of a cumulative effect that you can't impede? Could you be, say, 5/6 on the invisible dragonrot meter, go a long stretch without resurrecting, and then once you hit number 6, bam, dragonrot?
― Josh in Chicago, Friday, 17 September 2021 20:57 (two years ago) link
I really loved that snake part the first time I saw it. I thought the game was just going to be a bunch of dudes fighting each other until then.
― reggae mike love (polyphonic), Friday, 17 September 2021 23:31 (two years ago) link