Highlights

  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice features a combat system that is different from FromSoftware's other games, with a faster tempo and emphasis on aggression.
  • Understanding the game's mechanics, such as deflections and exploiting enemy attacks, can make the game easier and more rewarding.
  • The Shinobi Prosthetic Tools in Sekiro have a wide range of applications in combat and can be essential in challenging boss fights if used effectively.

When Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice released back in 2019, its harsh difficulty didn't come as a surprise to most FromSoftware fans. What was something of a surprise was its combat system, which was wildly different from the studio's other releases in a number of ways. This new combat system can make Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice challenging for both FromSoftware veterans and newcomers, but mastering some of the less obvious basics of the game can make it considerably easier.

Sekiro, like Bloodborne before it, is an evolution of typical Dark Souls combat in the sense that it is still about positioning and careful, deliberate movements. Still, it operates at a much faster tempo, encouraging aggression more than its high fantasy predecessors. Series staples like the stamina bar have been removed entirely, which gives the game a sense of intense speed and non-stop movement, and the fundamentals of mechanics like posture further reward aggressive play. There are advanced techniques and abilities in Sekiro, especially when factoring in items, Shinobi Arts, and the Shinobi Prosthetic Tools, but there are just as many simple rules that can help carry a player to victory.

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Sekiro's Unwritten Rules

Every Enemy Attack Is an Opportunity

Like in all Soulsborne games, fights in Sekiro follow a certain rhythm. Given the pace of Sekiro's combat and its focus on deflections, aggressive play will almost always be more effective than conservative strategies. Keeping that in mind, it's important to understand that there are no unavoidable enemy attacks in the game, as the majority of blows can be successfully deflected with the proper timing. While some attacks cannot be deflected (denoted by a red kanji symbol), these moves can still be avoided and exploited, opening an opportunity to deal significant posture or health damage. Essentially, every attack from an enemy can be used against them in some way.

Unblockable Attack

How to Counter

Thrust attack

Mikiri Counter: dodge into the thrust to deal massive posture damage.

Sweep attack

Jump above the enemy and press the jump button again to kick their head, dealing massive posture damage.

Grab attack

Dodge to the right or left, then use the opening to land a few attacks.

Prosthetic Tools Can Turn the Tide of Battle

Players will quickly learn that there is more to Sekiro's Shinobi Prosthetic than its traversal capabilities; it is a potent tool with a wide range of gameplay applications in the form of Prosthetic Tools, which can be swapped out at will and provide incredible combat opportunities. There are several unique Tools, all of which can be upgraded and expanded in several ways, but all of them have the power to make even the most challenging fights considerably easier.

Knowing how to use these special moves effectively is key, however. For instance, the Loaded Shuriken seems rather underwhelming when used against an enemy on the ground, but throwing one at an enemy in midair will make them fall to the ground, which can be incredibly helpful in fights against agile opponents. All the Prosthetic Tools have similar tricks and exploits to discover, and learning them can be the difference between life and death during Sekiro's toughest boss encounters.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is built around one of the deepest and most satisfying combat systems of any FromSoftware game, but it can be tricky to get a hang of. Even those familiar with games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring can struggle with it, as it's so fundamentally different in certain ways from those games. But most fans of the game would agree that it's more than worth it to learn the ABCs of the gameplay, as Sekiro is one of the best games FromSoftware has ever released.