FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Sekiro has no leveling system. Your power comes from Skill Points (unlock abilities), Prayer Beads (upgrade vitality/posture), and Memories (increase attack power). Explore thoroughly to find these upgrades.

Find Gourd Seeds and give them to Emma at the Dilapidated Temple. There are 9 seeds total (10 charges max). Check merchants and hidden areas in every region.

The Bell Demon increases difficulty — enemies deal more damage and have more health. But it also increases item drop rates and sen gains. You can remove it by using the Bell Offering menu at any Sculptor's Idol.

You are supposed to lose to Genichiro in the tutorial. It triggers the story and gives you the prosthetic arm. Don't worry about dying here.

It means Perilous Attack — unblockable. Three types:

• Thrust (突): Dodge forward → Mikiri Counter
• Sweep (下): Jump and kick
• Grab (掴): Run away

Sekiro is a posture game, not a health game. You don't chip away HP — you break their posture for a deathblow. Deflect attacks, don't just block. The boss's posture bar is the real health bar.

Headless deal Terror damage. Use Pacifying Agent or Umbrella prosthetic to resist. Divine Confetti boosts damage against them. They are optional but drop Spiritfall candies (infinite buffs).

Talk to the Old Woman near the gate in Ashina Outskirts. She gives you a bell. Take it to the Dilapidated Temple and offer it at the Buddha statue. This transports you to Hirata Estate (a memory).

They become sick and you cannot interact with them (no quests, no shops). Use a Dragon's Blood Droplet at a Sculptor's Idol to cure all NPCs at once. Droplets are limited, so don't waste them.

Progress through Ashina Castle → defeat Genichiro → talk to Kuro → collect Incense ingredients (from Senpou Temple, Sunken Valley, Ashina Depths) → return to Kuro → travel to Fountainhead.

4 endings:

• Shura: Betray Kuro, obey Owl. Early ending, miss 40% of the game.
• Immortal Severance: Standard ending. Defeat final boss, sever immortality.
• Purification: Hidden ending. Complete Emma's questline, obtain Father's Bell Charm.
• Dragon's Homecoming: Hidden ending. Complete Divine Child's questline, obtain Frozen Tears.

No. Shura ending locks you out of the rest of the game. However, you can save-scum before the final choice to see multiple endings. For the true experience, play through NG+ for the endings you missed.

No! Sekiro has a steep learning curve but becomes manageable once you understand the core loop:

• Don't play it like Dark Souls — aggression wins
• Deflect, don't dodge (most of the time)
• Posture is health — break it for deathblows
• Explore for Prayer Beads and Gourd Seeds
• Use prosthetics — Firecrackers stun almost everything

Everyone struggles at first. The first 5 hours are the hardest. After that, you enter the zone.