Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

ahnowbrowncow

sticker wrote: »

I'm into a good portion of the game and sucessfull parrying is still a nack I'm struggling with. If I wait patiently and tap L2 when the strike is about to hit, I get hit and posture damage.

Do you guys have any advice on this? Hit just before? I faced the armoured knight and whereas he can be somewhat sloe in strikes, I could not parry him...

I see where you are going wrong.

L1 is the parry button :pac:

sticker

ahnowbrowncow wrote: »

I see where you are going wrong.

L1 is the parry button :pac:

Typo!!! - I am using L1!

SomeSayKos

sticker wrote: »

I'm into a good portion of the game and sucessfull parrying is still a nack I'm struggling with. If I wait patiently and tap L2 when the strike is about to hit, I get hit and posture damage.

Do you guys have any advice on this? Hit just before? I faced the armoured knight and whereas he can be somewhat sloe in strikes, I could not parry him...

sometimes you can notice a shine on their blade. i usually parry as soon as i see the flash of light on the blad.

In other news, I beat

great shinobi owl

last night. found it tough, but I eventually got him. Ashina Castle really becomes a pain in the arse later on

sticker

SomeSayKos wrote: »

sometimes you can notice a shine on their blade. i usually parry as soon as i see the flash of light on the blad.

In other news, I beat

great shinobi owl

last night. found it tough, but I eventually got him. Ashina Castle really becomes a pain in the arse later on

Cheers. Will try that!

derfderf

The corrupted monk is everything that's cheap about this game in one fight. Awful camera where you can't see what's happening. A boss that stops taking damage mid fight (sure why not).
Pity, it came just after the rin fight. I enjoyed that.

derfderf

derfderf wrote: »

The corrupted monk is everything that's cheap about this game in one fight. Awful camera where you can't see what's happening. A boss that stops taking damage mid fight (sure why not).
Pity, it came just after the rin fight. I enjoyed that.

It's cheap and lazy design IMO

johnny_ultimate

Personally felt the monk was by far one of the easiest and fairest fights in the game. Popping a divine confetti doesn’t hurt, but nothing particularly cheap even without it - compared to some of the tricks a handful of other bosses pull (most of which are avoidable) that’s doubly the case.

SomeSayKos

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Personally felt the monk was by far one of the easiest and fairest fights in the game. Popping a divine confetti doesn’t hurt, but nothing particularly cheap even without it - compared to some of the tricks a handful of other bosses pull (most of which are avoidable) that’s doubly the case.

I agree with this. Corrupted Monk troubled me a lot less than

Guardian Ape

or

Great Shinobi Owl

. Plus you can kinda easy mode it if you use firecracker and slash a couple of times and repeat.

The previous fight with

O'Rin

was one of my favourite fights in the game though

Fred The Red

Fred The Red wrote: »

Here's my biggest problems with the game so far and I've pumped in about 15-20 hours since launch.

The game forces you to play in a specific way. I find the lack of variation when fighting the bosses / mini bosses after a while the bad type of repetitive / frustrating.

If I compare it with Bloodbourne of Dark Souls each new bosses presented new or additional challenge accommodated with multiple methods of defeating them and also depending on your playing style / build.

Sekiro shoehorns you into a path that you must learn via repetition. It reminds me of Hotline Miami in a way.
Most of the time it boils down to parry parry, block block, attack rinse and repeat. It's a chore with some of the bosses.

Also some sidenotes:
The soundtrack is terribly grating after while. I had to mute the music.
And I have mentioned this already but the input lag on console (Xbox One X) get's progressively worse the further you get into the game.
From Software get a way with murder and never patch there games properly.
I have actively press block / parry only to have Wolf do nothing or have a delayed response in his block animation so many times at critical points of a boss fight. It's just not good enough for a game so specific around learning attack patterns.

I think this is probably my favourite From Software game. Although I have played all three Dark Souls games, I haven't finished any of them. I like the idea of them but I eventually get bored and frustrated after 30 or so hours, which is long enough to get full satisfaction from any game imo.

I like how this game is streamlined. There is no stats page with tons of numbers with almost no explanation of what they mean or what they would be effective for. I felt overwhelmed by all the items. Whatever I choose, I felt like I could have easily been making the wrong decision. It was a constant nagging feeling that I was doing it wrong, and how else was I to know better given its obtuse instructions and storytelling. When I level up in Sekiro, I simply get more health or more damage. The only optionals are the abilities but that's small enough and contained enough to not have the overwhelming, niggling feeling of indecision. I frankly didn't have the patience to explore different builds in DS. DS outstayed its welcome before I'd be bothered to restart or respec into another insecure build. Also platforming has been largely removed. DS had some awful tightropes that you had to navigate where falling meant instant death. Who the fcuk enjoys that?!

Although some variety in weapons could be nice but that could complicate things if tons of stats had to be introduced.

Sekiro is a true single player game. I hated being invaded in DS. I hated the concept of it. I hated been given the option of have someone join you to fight bosses. It's an easy-mode that is being dangled in front of you. The best part of souls games is slowly progressing through the world. It has metroidvania elements in that regard. I love exploring through new areas. I haven't got the best will power so sometimes I'd avail of online help and I felt like I cheated. It made the game feel cheap and easy. It undermined the difficulty, the hardwork you need to put in and the resulting satisfaction you get from progressing. People always give out about multiplayer games being tacked onto single player games, I personally love all sorts of multiplayer games so I've rarely agreed, but I do agreed with DS. It did not need that aspect and it takes away from my enjoyment of the game.

I love the speed of the combat. I reminded me of Tenchu Stealth Assassin from the very beginning. Probably a big reason why this has resonated with me. That series really deserved a modern remake and this is basically it. Nailing down a few block along with a counter is extremely satisfying. I feel like I'm playing a fighting game. The ability to jump in and out of combat allows you to make mistakes. It allows you to try take on multiple enemies at once unlike in DS, which is often a death sentence. I hated that the main strategy to DS games seemed to revolve around argo'ing or cheesing one enemy at a time until an area is cleared. Sure that's a viable strategy in Sekiro, you can also jump around like a lunatic too.

Going to have to walk away from this for a while. Still on Genichiro Ashina, must have had 50 attempts at this point. Phase 1 I get through maybe one in 5 attempts depending on how cheap he's feeling with point blanking me with the bow or double perilous attacks. I swear the more you fail the more new moves he pulls out of the bag Like the one were he jumps to the side and draws, I've only see him do that in the last 10 runs or so and does it every time, very hard to see coming.

Second phase I was nearly there and hit LB instead of RB like the fool I am :mad:

ShaneU

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Going to have to walk away from this for a while. Still on Genichiro Ashina, must have had 50 attempts at this point. Phase 1 I get through maybe one in 5 attempts depending on how cheap he's feeling with point blanking me with the bow or double perilous attacks. I swear the more you fail the more new moves he pulls out of the bag Like the one were he jumps to the side and draws, I've only see him do that in the last 10 runs or so and does it every time, very hard to see coming.

Second phase I was nearly there and hit LB instead of RB like the fool I am :mad:

Just get up in his face and keep slashing, only way to do it.

nix

So at around 1am last night, i said id do a bit more exploring in

mibu village

or whatever its called, i just arrived there and the mobs are satisfyingly easy to kill. So yeah, said id explore a bit and then jump into bed and watch an episode of something and then kip..

Anyway, after doing none of that, cut 3 hours later, its 4am and ive milled through

O'rin

and the

corrupted monk

, surprisingly as they are both pretty hard and i was pretty knackered. So i now have to sneak back

into the Castle after getting all items to give to the Heir,

can anybody tell me how far i am from the finish of the game? Just a % would do.. plz, thx xx

johnny_ultimate

nix wrote: »

can anybody tell me how far i am from the finish of the game? Just a % would do.. plz, thx xx

Assuming I'm at the last boss (which I'm pretty sure I am), you're probably around 75-80% of the way there. Depends on what you do next though,

there's a big chunk of the game behind a certain choice

.

nix

johnny_ultimate wrote: »

Assuming I'm at the last boss (which I'm pretty sure I am), you're probably around 75-80% of the way there. Depends on what you do next though,

there's a big chunk of the game behind a certain choice

.

Cool cheers, ill just keep exploring, there a couple of places i can

dive

/explore with my new found ability, ill check them out and then progress, maybe hit the headless guy up in the

not so misty anymore forest

, i need to find a vendor that sells the confetti though, hoping there is one :eek::pac:

johnny_ultimate

Just to go back to the early conversation about the game being more prescriptive than earlier From games. I definitely feel that's true but equally I believe it's a very good thing.

If I was to differentiate it from the others, it's that it feels more 'directed'. In the previous games, the designers had to think of many variables when designing the game - whether that's from the perspective of an offensive build compared to a casters build, or the impact of jolly co-op on a boss battle. In contrast, here they can be completely focused on one shared toolset. Every one of us playing this is using the same mechanics, and that to me is a departure from the way these threads usually go.

The impact on the game is profound. One of my favourite Soulsborne bosses was Lady Maria... this game feels like a constant stream of those. Pretty much all the boss fights are among my favourite Miyazaki and co have crafted, and I think that's down to the fact that they can focus so much on a shared experience. Everything feels polished and spectacular in a deeply satisfying way.

There's definitely aspects I prefer in the older games - the art and world design of Bloodborne is still my favourite of the series in particular. But as I said before, this is right up there at the top. Player freedom is always nice, but there's plentiful benefits that come with more explicitly setting the rules.

johnny_ultimate

nix wrote: »

i need to find a vendor that sells the confetti though, hoping there is one :eek::pac:

I don't recall what the exact trigger is, but yes once you hit the last stretches you can be rolling in the confetti if you so wish Although I do find the game can sometimes be a bit scabby with the old sen - there's a few decent grinding spots (Gun Fort,

Fountainhead Palace

) but there was a mid-late game stretch where I felt I was struggling to earn enough to pick up a whole lot.

ShaneU

ShaneU wrote: »

Just get up in his face and keep slashing, only way to do it.

Yesssssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Barely type from the adrenalin here

He f'd me up and I revived before the first deathblow and from there it just went my way I stopped trying to bait the Mikiri in the third round and got in his face like in the previous ones and did him in!!!!!!

I cannot upgrade my gourd seeds at this particular juncture and I'm stuck at the toughest boss yet. I have two spares after exploring around

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

I cannot upgrade my gourd seeds at this particular juncture and I'm stuck at the toughest boss yet. I have two spares after exploring around

I know at least one merchant sells one early game possibly 2 and I got another in a chest.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

I know at least one merchant sells one early game possibly 2 and I got another in a chest.

Well I have the item, I just can't access Emma right now until I beat this particularly tough boss.

YouSavedMyLife

Deleted User wrote: »

Well I have the item, I just can't access Emma right now until I beat this particularly tough boss.

Rise up! Go beyond!

johnny_ultimate

Still tackling

Sword Saint

. I'm getting there slowly but surely. Still haven't seen phase four yet, but getting through one and two fairly easily and making progress on three. MASSIVE jump in difficulty - nothing else in the game has come remotely close to being this tough tbh! Shall resume the battle tomorrow with some refreshed patience

One of the things about it is that even though phase one is generally pretty handy, every time I have a good run it seems I'm in a different mindset and suffer one or two silly losses at the very start before I get back into the swing of things

Sephiroth_dude

Is it true if you have certain items for each boss fight, they're easier fights then?

nix

Sephiroth_dude wrote: »

Is it true if you have certain items for each boss fight, they're easier fights then?

Not really, the items are similar to soulsborne, buffs, weapon enchants, remedies etc. There are Prosthetic arm upgrades which can help a great deal in some fights, but always knowing which can be hard unless you google it prior, or if you happen upon the knowledge in game, eavesdropping on guards can help with that from time to time, especially early game, but not for all bosses.

So the only way of making fights easier item/ability wise would be finding out which prosthetic causes them a lot of trouble, but even then, you have limited uses of them in the fight.

This is why I myself just put all efforts into mastering my blade, the only prosthetic i use really is the firecracker, mainly because it can be useful in nearly all fights, I CBA testing a bunch of prosthetic's each fight.

Finally beat that guy... evil route spoilers:

I choose to side with the owl / your father. You fight Emma straight after, hence why I couldn't upgrade my gourd seeds, then fight her father in two different stages. Both stages are very difficult. Spent the guts of 4 hours on him. Then there's a cut scene where the owl talks about how he's going to take over the world, and then you stab him in the back. It goes onto to tell you the country falls into the biggest genocide that it's ever seen :pac: Truly the most evil ending, but I feel like I missed a lot. I'll have to google the other endings.

YouSavedMyLife

Deleted User wrote: »

Finally beat that guy... evil route spoilers:

I choose to side with the owl / your father. You fight Emma straight after, hence why I couldn't upgrade my gourd seeds, then fight her father in two different stages. Both stages are very difficult. Spent the guts of 4 hours on him. Then there's a cut scene where the owl talks about how he's going to take over the world, and then you stab him in the back. It goes onto to tell you the country falls into the biggest genocide that it's ever seen :pac: Truly the most evil ending, but I feel like I missed a lot. I'll have to google the other endings.

You missed alot. The game is meant to be replayed, be it in NG+ or a fresh NG. I took this route on my first playthrough and after a quick google it turns out i missed about 5 bosses! Coming up on Ashina castle for the second time now, its been fast.

sticker

Quick Question,

Does the skill level point quota increase as the game progresses? I see to be able to farm skill points easier earlier game than mid game...?

sweetie

sticker wrote: »

Quick Question,

Does the skill level point quota increase as the game progresses? I see to be able to farm skill points easier earlier game than mid game...?

yes, its similar to levelling up in the other soulsbourne games.

brianregan09

Beat Gyoubu the Horse fella last night on about the 10th go , really getting the hang of deflecting now , mad to see how far some of you lads have gotten , I'm not getting to play it as often as I'd like but good to see I'm making some progress when I do , I'm onto to the blazing bull now and I think i can already see what the play is here ,I'm loving this game i'd have it only 2nd to Re2 for game of the year so far

nix

On the

Owl

now, has he just got two lives? I'm thinking no, He's not seeming too hard, i got him down to half health on his second life on the first go, I gotta go out now though :pac: