Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Walkthrough#

Walkthrough Overview#

Sekiro’s main story is a relatively linear “shinobi rescues his lord” route: you constantly shuttle between the regions of Ashina Castle, unlock everything within reach of the Grappling Hook, and finally face the decision about “immortality” before Isshin Ashina himself. The whole main line revolves around four key items: the sword (Kusabimaru), the Mortal Blade, the aromatic water, and the fragrant tree root and stone lion’s tooth needed to open the way to the Fountainhead. Rather than listing chapters mechanically, this walkthrough is organized by objective.

The Four Stages of the Main Story#

Note: the “abilities unlocked” column lists what each stage can yield, but of the traversal abilities — Grappling Hook, diving, double jump — the Grappling Hook is granted right after the prologue, diving comes from the diving skill (Ashina Depths), and the double jump comes from the Ashina shinobi prosthetic upgrade schematic. Exact timing is covered in each stage below.

Stage One: Rescuing the Divine Heir#

After the prologue, Wolf wakes up at the Dilapidated Temple on the outskirts of Ashina Castle, where the Sculptor fits him with the Shinobi Prosthetic. From that point on, the main objective points in one direction: climb Ashina Castle’s keep and rescue the Divine Heir.

Ashina Outskirts#

• This is the tutorial area. Use the Grappling Hook to get onto the rooftops first and bypass the Ashina soldiers patrolling the ground.
• Chained Ogre: this elite’s grab throw is a dangerous perilous attack, and it has a thick health bar. Use the firecrackers (bought from a merchant) to startle it into a large stagger window, then break its posture and land a Deathblow — the difficulty drops noticeably.
• On the ground you will run into Ashina generals such as Juzou the Drunkard; the Gourd Seed they drop increases Healing Gourd charges, so take them down as you pass.
• Along the way you can pick up two starting prosthetic tools, the Shuriken and the Axe; the mechanics introduced at the top of this page see constant use in later boss fights.

Ashina Castle · The Keep#

• Push up from the outskirts, cross the great bridge into the castle grounds, and take the palanquin up to the keep.
• At the top you meet the Divine Heir, but Genichiro Ashina appears, cuts off your left arm, and takes the boy away. This fight is meant to be lost (a story battle), so don’t try to win it.
• After the fight the Sculptor fits you with the Shinobi Prosthetic and you receive the Grappling Hook — proper exploration and assassination begin here.

Traversal gained in this stage: the Grappling Hook (for jumps, rooftops, and getting out of danger); in combat you unlock the Deathblow (instant kills on grunts from behind or from the air).

Stage Two: Finding the Mortal Blade and the Aromatic Water#

To get the Divine Heir back, Wolf must travel out and collect the aromatic water and the Mortal Blade, cutting down several key bosses along the way.

The Dragon Spring Riverside (toward the Ashina Depths)#

This area will be crossed again in the late game; for now, file it away as the approach to the Ashina Depths. Watch for the following:

• The Hirata Estate memory where Lady Butterfly awaits is where you earn the Aerial Deathblow and that area’s key item. It is a side area you can do early or late, and it is the only side content this walkthrough strongly recommends clearing on the way, because it directly upgrades your assassination toolkit.
• The enemies along the river are mostly archers and sword-wielding grunts; make good use of the Grappling Hook to infiltrate from high ground.

Sunken Valley and Gun Fort#

• Head east into the Sunken Valley, where the Gun Fort sits. You can shoot the gun emplacements off their mounts with the Shuriken so you aren’t suppressed at range.
• Guardian Ape: the gatekeeper boss of this stage. Its huge body plus grabs count as perilous attacks. It revives twice: break its posture for a Deathblow in phase one, then focus on handling its “grabs” and “pounces” in phase two. It will later appear again in the two-ape encounter.

Ashina Depths#

• This is the key region for obtaining the diving ability and the aromatic water.
• In the water you can find the diving skill; once acquired, you can submerge and explore hidden paths.
• The poison swamp calls for antidote powder; when you don’t have enough, sprint through quickly rather than stop and fight.
• The Corrupted Monk (phantom form) appears at the tail end of this region; her attacks are mostly big sweeping motions, so watch out for the sweeping perilous attacks.

Stage Three: Returning to Ashina Castle#

After collecting the required items, you head back to Ashina Castle’s keep, by which time the castle is under its second invasion (the gates and the keep have been overrun), and both enemy placement and paths have changed.

• You need to punch through the sealed paths again and climb back to the top of the keep.
• At this critical decision point you face Great Shinobi - Owl (your foster father). This is the core branching point of the story:
  • Choose to stay loyal to the Divine Heir: keep fighting toward ending routes such as Immortal Severance, Purification, and Return.
  • Choose to betray the Divine Heir (the Shura choice): join forces with Owl and head for the Shura ending, which cuts the playthrough drastically short.

This choice determines whether you can enter the routes of the other three endings — it is the single most important fork in the entire main story, so decide before you commit.

Stage Four: Fountainhead Palace and the Endgame#

Fountainhead Palace#

After choosing loyalty, Wolf needs the fragrant tree root and the stone lion’s tooth (obtained at Senpou Temple and through related side content); once both are gathered, the offering is completed at the Fountainhead, and you enter this land where the “exalted” dwell.

• The Corrupted Monk (true form): unlike the phantom in the Ashina Depths, the true form is far more complete; make full use of Mikiri Counter and jumps against her sweeps and thrusts.
• The Divine Dragon: a story-driven boss that is mostly dodging and climbing — a relatively “cinematic” fight. Succeed and you obtain the Dragon’s Tears.

Ashina Castle Watchtower — The Sword Saint#

Back at Ashina Castle, at the watchtower (or the upper floors of the keep, depending on your ending route), you face your final opponent.

• Isshin, the Sword Saint: one of the hardest bosses in the game, spread across multiple phases, combining spear work, iaijutsu, and swordsmanship. You need to master Mikiri Counter, deflection, and how you budget Deathblows and Spirit Emblems.
• Beat this boss and you enter the final choice, which decides which ending you receive.

How to Reach All Four Endings#

The generic “NG+/challenge mode” table from the original page is replaced here with Sekiro’s own ending checklist:

Verdict: on a first playthrough, Immortal Severance is the least stressful way to learn the whole game; if you want to wrap the run up quickly, take Shura; Purification and Return both require dedicated side-content collection, so save them for a run where you already know each region’s routes.

Key Items and Collection Points by Stage#

Note: your sen drops on death, and buying a “coin purse” first means dying no longer costs the sen inside — Sekiro’s unique money-protection mechanic, different from the souls-style “drop and corpse run”. Make a habit of buying a purse before you carry a large amount of sen.

The Core Read for Boss Fights#

The original page’s “humanoid/large/magic/group boss” table is a cross-game template; here it is rewritten as Sekiro’s own combat-reading rules:

Reading the perilous marker alone gets you nowhere — you must tell whether it is a thrust, a sweep, or a grab and answer each type differently. This is the most core reading skill in Sekiro’s combat, and the most common reason players get stuck.

Practical Tips for Efficient Progress#

• Deflect rather than dodge: Sekiro’s dodge has no souls-style invincibility frames, so rolling on instinct usually gets you chased down by combos. Make “block → deflect → grind posture” your first reaction.
• Assassinate whenever you can: grunts can be Deathblown from behind or from a ledge drop in one hit; every single grunt can be thinned out with stealth, keeping you out of getting mobbed head-on.
• Don’t skip Prayer Beads: a full strand of beads raises your HP cap, and elite enemies are the main source — clear each new area’s elite first.
• Rest at idols often: Sculptor’s Idols are checkpoints and also anchor points for resurrection and resupply. When exploring a new area, prioritize lighting the idol first.
• Budget Spirit Emblems sensibly: prosthetics and combat arts both consume emblems, which cap at 20. When carrying a lot of sen, buy a coin purse first, then convert spare sen into emblems (or just rely on pure swordplay).
• Stuck for more than 30 minutes?: it is usually a wrong response rather than weak stats (e.g., not Mikiri-countering thrusts, not jumping sweeps). Stop and review the perilous type of every move instead of grinding numbers.

Troubleshooting Common Roadblocks#

Related Pages#

• Combat System — the full mechanics of posture, deflection, and perilous attacks
• Boss Guides — detailed strategies for every boss and elite
• All Ending Conditions — exact steps for all four endings
• Quests and NPCs — side characters and choices, organized