Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, like many other titles by the popular studio FromSoftware, has a setting filled with rich lore. Unlike other FromSoftware games, where a player finds out most of the story of the world either through side quests, texts found in-game, or even YouTube lore videos, Sekiro keeps the majority of its narrative directly in front of the player. The way Sekiro informs players about its setting of Ashina is one of the major reasons why it stands out from other games by FromSoftware.
However, this is not to say that Sekiro allows for players to see everything going on inside and around Ashina Castle, and there are plenty of events hinted at by the game that take a background role within the main story. The invasion of Ashina Castle is something that gradually builds throughout Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, as the enemies of Sword Saint Isshin grow more confident as the elite warrior grows older and weaker. By the time the player has completed the Divine Dragon boss, they can see the invasion in full force.
The invasion technically begins before then, though, as Interior Ministry Agents can be seen following the defeat of the Guardian Ape and the Corrupted Monk bosses. One mod seeks to improve the visibility of this first invasion, showing full NPC battles rather than the small skirmishes players may or may not notice in Sekiro. The mod is titled "Shadow of War," but it is not to be confused with Warner Bros' Shadow of War game based around Lord of the Rings.
As the first invasion begins, players will now be able to see loyalist Ashina NPCs facing off against the forces of the Interior Ministry thanks to the mod. As the first invasion is more of a test than anything else, the Interior Ministry's elite troops are matched fairly evenly with the more numerous Ashina soldiers. But, as Sekiro players see later in the game, the second invasion shows that Ashina's attempt to hold out is mostly futile, especially thanks to the player's actions in killing most of the remaining leaders like Genichiro.
At the huge file size of 6GB, the mod does more than just make NPCs fight more frequently. It also seeks to redecorate most of the map in Sekiro, redesigning key locations such as the Ashina Outskirts and Kuro's room. There are also more guards posted closer to Ashina Castle, slightly increasing the challenge as players work their way up to save their lost lord. Unlike other Sekiro mods that tweak the gameplay slightly, the Shadow of War mod seems to be focused on overhauling much of the game's visuals, as the creator states they aren't done yet with their changes.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.