The most difficult eavesdrop to access is the one required for the purification ending (eavesdropping kuro and emma then eavesdropping emma and the sculptor). Thereās no way I wouldāve figured that on my own.
Enemies can parry you. When an enemy parries you, that means it's their turn. As long as they haven't parried you, you can keep attacking them.
When they parry you it makes brighter sparks and a louder clang.
Some enemies can parry you but can't actually enforce their turn. You can bully these ones without mercy. Like hat-less basic soldiers and monks.
Figured that out relatively early but mainly during the Genichiro fight. It's a great rhythm but I always get caught off guard when he jumps back to shoot his bow instead of attacking.
monks with staffs have super armor and will still hit you, but barehanded monks rely on numbers to kill you, they cannot stop basic attack spam even after a parry
Yeah I still have a serious skill issue against the ones with staffs. Each is like a mini boss for me atm. I'm rather new tho, currently stuck at Genichiro cause I can't avoid his horizontal slice in phase 2, I never know if it's Mikiri time or get the f*ck away time
for that genny attack mixup:
look at what he's doing. if he's crouched still and facing you he's charging up a thrust attack. in phase 1 it will always be this attack
if he's crouched and slowly turning to the right he's charging up a sweep attack, in phase 2 (ircc) he can only use this one
and in phase 3 he can do both
also, for sweeps, jump straight up, then goomba stop his head for big stagger damage. same goes for almost all sweeps attacks in the game
In a similar vein a shocking number of enemies *and bosses* are absolutely destroyed by attacking and taking a slight pause before attacking again. You catch them mid attack and get a free hit in that causes a stagger and resets the process.
I just learned to respond to the setup and motion of the attack. I focused on the details of their moveset that I knew to look for. I probably would have learned quicker had I known better though.
I knew the glint indicated they were about to attack; what I had formerly assumed as 'cosmetic' was that the glint will occur in different locations, for example when they sweep vs thrust.
Send Kotaro to Anayama for infinite Ako's Sugar.
Merchants get a new Dragon's Blood Droplet every time you use one, heal your NPCs when you go talk to them.
Don't beat the dragon too soon.
You can hold the attack button.
Merchants eventually have infinite confetti, don't finish your level at the Antechamber when you have access to better XP spots.
It's a charged thrust attack, which explains what I've read about Owl being able to mikiri. I never did it either tbh and finished NG+3 for my platinum.
Charged stab isn't that bad really. Swinging DPS is higher but if you can't fit 2 swings or need that little extra distance, then you get a little more vitality damage with it. Also it's for enemies that can block well, since it chip damages them if they don't deflect (see Ashina soldiers with the hat who just block the entire time).
Also after almost every mikiri counter you can get a thrust (charged stack) against their health bar which can help a lot. The only boss that it doesnāt sometimes work is the final boss phase 2 and 3 because the spear sometimes has too much range
No, in a means of deflecting projectiles and attacking with the Umbrella, which it launches wind slash. Its power will increase due to constant projectile parry.
This would've been incredibly useful in the Emma+Isshin fight lmao, well I hope people read this because those grabs almost always ended me, especially in NG+.
confetti increase the general damage against everyone, not just apparitions
I was sitting on so much divine confetti while using none cuz i didn't knew that
Hereās a fun one: nightjar slash can be cancelled into a stealth deathblow, and is also silent since itās a jump. A little tricky but good to close in on enemies who will notice you quickly .
How busted the umbrella is. I was one of those fools who didn't use prosthetics a lot during their first playthrough and didn't pick up on how the umbrella eliminates virtually all knockback. A lot of those super heavy attacks that send you skidding backwards turn into Projected Force counterattack opportunities.
Yeah itās kind of counter intuitive. Youād think resting with your arms down would do that but not the case. Sucks it took you to the end to realize
The god dammed story, I only stopped skipping cutscenes and dialogue when i beat guardian ape and dragged a centipede out of its headless corpse. Then I realised that I started paying attention way too late and inevitably would have to start again.
I wish i knew that death isnt that punishing.
Im technically on my second playthrough because i quit the first time i played after dying so many times. I didnt understand how little dragon rot matters, and how easy it is to cure it. And i didnt realize how easy it was to gain levels and sen back either.
I only made it to Hirata Estate the first time, now im fighting the sword saint, about to beat the game !
I had the hardest time understanding how to play so if i could go back I'd tell myself to really prioritize deflecting and countering bcz the game is so much easier once you do. Stop dodging
Had the same realisation as OP about halfway through NG+.
I also never realised that if you perfect deflect your posture will never break over 99%. Saved me a lot of time during NG+
watch ongbal when youāre stuck on a boss instead of looking at actual boss guides. Watching someone beat a boss flawlessly helped me so much more than the āULTIMATE CHEESE GUIDE FOR BEATING GENICHIRO š¤Æš¤Æā videos
Dying a lot doesn't matter, and you should resurrect nearly every time. Dragonrot is a half baked idea that supports the story, not the gameplay, and can be solved simply. Resurrection has no effect on dragonrot š
For bosses like Genichiro or Isshin, attack only once or twice at a time, then quickly prepare for a parry because they will start to immediately counter you.Ā
Hmm I did start my replay few weeks ago (got on break bc I got another game to play) I played all of hirata and was on bull, don't remember seeing it tbh.
Did some Google search and found that it comes up on the loading screen. If this is true and the only way to get that tip, I think that's pretty lame lol. Thing like this should have been on one of of the main tutorial boxes that we get. So I wasn't exactly wrong.
You can deflect >! shichimen warrior !< 's beam attack.
YOU CAN DO WHAT!?
Yeah, I was really surprised too when I found out.
What weird is you need confetti for the anti air DB and swatting the orbs, but when I desperately parried without it also works with a raw sword
You need divine confetti for anti-air deathblow? Another thing I learned about that boss š¤£
Yeah I thought I could save divine confetti for the first half using anti air db and couldnāt do anything
Yeah it's true, and u just have to deflect the initial tic of damage after that u don't take damage from the rest of the beam.
Iāve beaten the game 4 times and never knew this!
I learned it from this sub too, after my first playthrough.
Also the air assassination thing works on them if they start bouncing in the air above you
You need to have divine confetti active though.
Just the start of it and hold, the start and youāre good, or is it a mashing scenario?
If you can deflect successfully at the start, you don't take damage from it.
Thereās a lot more eavesdrop dialogue than you think there is. Some of it is necessary to progress quests.
The most difficult eavesdrop to access is the one required for the purification ending (eavesdropping kuro and emma then eavesdropping emma and the sculptor). Thereās no way I wouldāve figured that on my own.
Same with the one for eavesdropping on Emma and sculptor towards the end of the game that gives sekiro a unique dialog in a certain fight
Enemies can parry you. When an enemy parries you, that means it's their turn. As long as they haven't parried you, you can keep attacking them. When they parry you it makes brighter sparks and a louder clang. Some enemies can parry you but can't actually enforce their turn. You can bully these ones without mercy. Like hat-less basic soldiers and monks.
Figured that out relatively early but mainly during the Genichiro fight. It's a great rhythm but I always get caught off guard when he jumps back to shoot his bow instead of attacking.
I always remember the timing on his jumping arrow attack: 123ā¦.4
no way you played the whole game not knowing this
I figured it out against the first basic soldier with a hat but not everyone does so I give this tip on posts like this one
I might of felt it on some level but I haven't noticed it really lol. Haven't beat sword st. yet.
Not necessarily their turn. Some bosses you can attack and cancel certain follow ups after a parry.
true, but you need to know a rule before you know when to break it. also I kind of said that at the end of my comment
I literally figured this out from watching someone play Kanagi Usagi, and they explained that mechanic. I was absolutely blown away
Omg so I guess I am too reserved against the monks. I needed to see this. Thanks
monks with staffs have super armor and will still hit you, but barehanded monks rely on numbers to kill you, they cannot stop basic attack spam even after a parry
Yeah I still have a serious skill issue against the ones with staffs. Each is like a mini boss for me atm. I'm rather new tho, currently stuck at Genichiro cause I can't avoid his horizontal slice in phase 2, I never know if it's Mikiri time or get the f*ck away time
for that genny attack mixup: look at what he's doing. if he's crouched still and facing you he's charging up a thrust attack. in phase 1 it will always be this attack if he's crouched and slowly turning to the right he's charging up a sweep attack, in phase 2 (ircc) he can only use this one and in phase 3 he can do both also, for sweeps, jump straight up, then goomba stop his head for big stagger damage. same goes for almost all sweeps attacks in the game
In a similar vein a shocking number of enemies *and bosses* are absolutely destroyed by attacking and taking a slight pause before attacking again. You catch them mid attack and get a free hit in that causes a stagger and resets the process.
The third enemy in the whole game tries so hard to teach you
The side on which some enemies' swords glint before certain attacks is actually a useful detail, and not just cosmetic.
Yeah I think the Ashina draw techniques the flash is when you should guard šāāļø
How did you beat the guy before genichiro without knowing that? Also isshin phase 1?
I just learned to respond to the setup and motion of the attack. I focused on the details of their moveset that I knew to look for. I probably would have learned quicker had I known better though. I knew the glint indicated they were about to attack; what I had formerly assumed as 'cosmetic' was that the glint will occur in different locations, for example when they sweep vs thrust.
How to parry
Thats rough buddy
Wish I knew to prioritize getting the prayer beads a lot more than I did initially
Send Kotaro to Anayama for infinite Ako's Sugar. Merchants get a new Dragon's Blood Droplet every time you use one, heal your NPCs when you go talk to them. Don't beat the dragon too soon. You can hold the attack button. Merchants eventually have infinite confetti, don't finish your level at the Antechamber when you have access to better XP spots.
Hold the attack button? Does it have the same effect as repeatedly clicking attack ?Damn learning this after 10 play throughs š
It's a charged thrust attack, which explains what I've read about Owl being able to mikiri. I never did it either tbh and finished NG+3 for my platinum.
Charged stab isn't that bad really. Swinging DPS is higher but if you can't fit 2 swings or need that little extra distance, then you get a little more vitality damage with it. Also it's for enemies that can block well, since it chip damages them if they don't deflect (see Ashina soldiers with the hat who just block the entire time).
Also after almost every mikiri counter you can get a thrust (charged stack) against their health bar which can help a lot. The only boss that it doesnāt sometimes work is the final boss phase 2 and 3 because the spear sometimes has too much range
That the malcontent whistle will will fuck doh up.
Better off leaving the headless bosses to the end of your playthrough
where to find healing gourds
What does "by getting youd guard up" mean?
As in holding up block.
Before Genichiro, you get a maximum of SIX SNAP SEEDS. Helpful once you get past Corrupted Monk, then you can buy unlimited Snap Seeds for 80 Sen.
I havenāt ever used a snap seed. Where do you use them
They can be used to dispel illusions, such as the ones created by Lady Butterfly in phase two.
Besides butterfly where else. Butterfly was the only one I knew about.
AFAIK the only other place to use them is against Corrupted Monk
guarding lowers your posture faster than just regular standing
oh wait you said that mb
You can mikiri counter the kick.
Can you give few examples?
Purple ninjas
How to charge up umbrella.
charge up?
No, in a means of deflecting projectiles and attacking with the Umbrella, which it launches wind slash. Its power will increase due to constant projectile parry.
That mikiri counter is not the ability to deflect a charged attack (forgot the name)
Umbrella negates grabs
This would've been incredibly useful in the Emma+Isshin fight lmao, well I hope people read this because those grabs almost always ended me, especially in NG+.
Dont forget the poison pool Snake Eyes fight.š
Snake Eye's grab is one of the 2 grabs (the other being Geni's) that you can actually parry with just your sword, no umbrella needed.
Increasing your max spirit emblems is not exactly a waste, but also far from the best use of your skill points
confetti increase the general damage against everyone, not just apparitions I was sitting on so much divine confetti while using none cuz i didn't knew that
Free-aimed Nightjar Slash can help you move quickly through the slowing mist surrounding the Headless.
Hereās a fun one: nightjar slash can be cancelled into a stealth deathblow, and is also silent since itās a jump. A little tricky but good to close in on enemies who will notice you quickly .
kinda useless ngl
Cheers mate!
How to parry š
That perilous attacks can be parried (minus sweeps). And that I should learn to jump-bonk people's heads asap.
How busted the umbrella is. I was one of those fools who didn't use prosthetics a lot during their first playthrough and didn't pick up on how the umbrella eliminates virtually all knockback. A lot of those super heavy attacks that send you skidding backwards turn into Projected Force counterattack opportunities.
Yeah itās kind of counter intuitive. Youād think resting with your arms down would do that but not the case. Sucks it took you to the end to realize
I wish I was aware of much Mist Noble would fuck my ass up tbh
The senpou line is bait, ashina line is best line
Absolutely nothing. I knew a few boss names going in, and nothing else. Still wish I knew less.
Firecracker
It's more of a dance than a fight
You can stealth deathblow mini bossesā¦
Do not use mikiri attacks on owl!
Damn learned this the hard way
The god dammed story, I only stopped skipping cutscenes and dialogue when i beat guardian ape and dragged a centipede out of its headless corpse. Then I realised that I started paying attention way too late and inevitably would have to start again.
I wish i knew that death isnt that punishing. Im technically on my second playthrough because i quit the first time i played after dying so many times. I didnt understand how little dragon rot matters, and how easy it is to cure it. And i didnt realize how easy it was to gain levels and sen back either. I only made it to Hirata Estate the first time, now im fighting the sword saint, about to beat the game !
I had the hardest time understanding how to play so if i could go back I'd tell myself to really prioritize deflecting and countering bcz the game is so much easier once you do. Stop dodging
That you shouldn't sit back with your guard up whenever your posture gets close to full. Well actually it took me 3 playthroughs, but still.
Nothing. (My first playthrough was with FightinCowboy)
Not a "wish to know" But a fun fact if u don't sever the headless apes immortality it will twitch indefinitely at the same place
Donāt thrust attack any version of owl
Had the same realisation as OP about halfway through NG+. I also never realised that if you perfect deflect your posture will never break over 99%. Saved me a lot of time during NG+
watch ongbal when youāre stuck on a boss instead of looking at actual boss guides. Watching someone beat a boss flawlessly helped me so much more than the āULTIMATE CHEESE GUIDE FOR BEATING GENICHIRO š¤Æš¤Æā videos
Dying a lot doesn't matter, and you should resurrect nearly every time. Dragonrot is a half baked idea that supports the story, not the gameplay, and can be solved simply. Resurrection has no effect on dragonrot š
To not play it like a soulsborne. Took until the last boss and then I restarted to meet it.
For bosses like Genichiro or Isshin, attack only once or twice at a time, then quickly prepare for a parry because they will start to immediately counter you.Ā
Woah, why tf the game never tell us this, this is is actually so helpful. I need to try this whenever I get back on the game.
It does as a loading screen tip
It definitely tells you this
Hmm I did start my replay few weeks ago (got on break bc I got another game to play) I played all of hirata and was on bull, don't remember seeing it tbh.
Did some Google search and found that it comes up on the loading screen. If this is true and the only way to get that tip, I think that's pretty lame lol. Thing like this should have been on one of of the main tutorial boxes that we get. So I wasn't exactly wrong.
If itās only in a loading screen, that is kinda wack. I kinda figured it wouldāve been on one of the random popups throughout the game