Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice Catch-All

Spikeout wrote:

I'm determined to beat this!

You can do it, man!

Sekiro is a rhythm game. Just keep that in mind.

Localgod54 wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

I'm determined to beat this!

You can do it, man!

I will give it a damn good try! Did you play & beat Sekiro LG?

r013nt0 wrote:

Sekiro is a rhythm game. Just keep that in mind.

I did start to get into the groove of parrying, being more aggressive & not playing it like Bloodborne or Dark Souls.

There were just some mini bosses that required rotating between a jump, a side step dodge, knowing when to block vs get out of the way of an unblockable attack & finding the opportunities to parry within all those attack patterns.

In a couple of the most recent encounters my timing just wasn't sharp enough, even when I knew the attack was coming.

From games are genius but so damn stressful.

I don't know exactly where you are in the game, but just a reminder - the Mikiri counter. Seriously, it works on SO MANY things that I didn't even think about. Getting a reminder about the Mikiri counter is quite literally what enabled me to beat the last boss.

And it's weird because that also doesn't line up with other From games. Usually things like odd abilities outside of the standard & heavy attacks are simply bonuses and flashy stuff. You can not only get by, but succeed overwhelmingly with basic combat in Souls games. But abilities in Sekiro can be literal game-changers.

NSMike wrote:

I don't know exactly where you are in the game, but just a reminder - the Mikiri counter. Seriously, it works on SO MANY things that I didn't even think about. Getting a reminder about the Mikiri counter is quite literally what enabled me to beat the last boss.

And it's weird because that also doesn't line up with other From games. Usually things like odd abilities outside of the standard & heavy attacks are simply bonuses and flashy stuff. You can not only get by, but succeed overwhelmingly with basic combat in Souls games. But abilities in Sekiro can be literal game-changers.

I started doing the Mikiri counter more often, I might need to double down on it though as it is a game changer.

I'm at the area where Ashina Seven Spears is, fought him (even getting the sneak attack in first) but I always get tripped up between trying a normal block, not jumping or being too defensive (dodging backwards consistently).

NSMike wrote:

I don't know exactly where you are in the game, but just a reminder - the Mikiri counter. Seriously, it works on SO MANY things that I didn't even think about. Getting a reminder about the Mikiri counter is quite literally what enabled me to beat the last boss.

And it's weird because that also doesn't line up with other From games. Usually things like odd abilities outside of the standard & heavy attacks are simply bonuses and flashy stuff. You can not only get by, but succeed overwhelmingly with basic combat in Souls games. But abilities in Sekiro can be literal game-changers.

Well, I've been saying since page one that this doesn't seem like a Souls-like at all to me, and so I've skipped it thus far. From has made way more non-Souls games than otherwise.

If we stipulate that this is half Souls, with an emphasis on learning advanced combat techniques and "getting gud", I'd say that's my least favorite part of the series anyway.

Might still pick it up cheap one day, but not anytime soon.

Spikeout wrote:

Are there any tips videos anyone would recommend? incase I'm not taking advantage of a certain mechanic or skill. I'm even thinking I've maybe branched off into a more difficult area which has seen countless deaths to bosses/mini bosses.

Not tip videos, but I will shamelessly promote the tips I listed out here and here, some of which haven't been covered by any tips videos I've seen. I also made a short video of some fights vs. early minibosses in my 2nd run focused on blocking and deflection. Maybe watching the fight against Ashina Seven Spears could help.

I'm planning to return to this during holiday break to polish off my 3rd run. Maybe I'll get the Platinum trophy for the hell of it. I've been having a good time with Jedi: Fallen Order, but the floaty combat there has me itching for that good, good Sekiro swordplay.

Dyni wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

Are there any tips videos anyone would recommend? incase I'm not taking advantage of a certain mechanic or skill. I'm even thinking I've maybe branched off into a more difficult area which has seen countless deaths to bosses/mini bosses.

Not tip videos, but I will shamelessly promote the tips I listed out here and here, some of which haven't been covered by any tips videos I've seen. I also made a short video of some fights vs. early minibosses in my 2nd run focused on blocking and deflection. Maybe watching the fight against Ashina Seven Spears could help.

I'm planning to return to this during holiday break to polish off my 3rd run. Maybe I'll get the Platinum trophy for the hell of it. I've been having a good time with Jedi: Fallen Order, but the floaty combat there has me itching for that good, good Sekiro swordplay.

Brilliant Dyni, I'll try to absorb as much of that as possible & put it into practice! Cheers.

The Genichiro Ashina fight was the thing that helped me learn the game. Massively frustrating in the first instance, but just being willing to actually fail in that fight so you can learn the timing helped me a huge amount through the rest of the game. I think you've just got to go through a bit of pain to learn all the timings, but once you get them then the game makes sense.

I wrote this about the game elsewhere:

"To beat the harder enemies in Sekiro the name of the game is *aggression*. You want to be in their face and either hitting them for damage or posture, or countering them with moves that also hit them for posture damage. For older, slower Souls veterans with bad twitch reflexes and timing this is probably the hardest aspect of the combat to get used to."

There are some bosses where the only way to get the fight into the right rhythm so that you can win is to swing at them rather than laying back and dodging like you would in Souls or even Bloodborne. The Bloodborne-style hit then dash dodge out move also got me killed over and over and over and over again ... because it does not work in this game.

And yeah, learn to Mikiri. It's by far the best move in the game along with whatever that overhead two hand sword slam thing is (Ichimonji).

I liked the combat in this game a lot, but I never got back through my second run (for one of the other endings) in NG+. Maybe in a while.

Spikeout - I got to the final area and accidentally made a choice I didn't care for and didn't end up finishing. I should go back and do it. I feel like I could get right back into the combat no problem.

Localgod54 wrote:

Spikeout - I got to the final area and accidentally made a choice I didn't care for and didn't end up finishing. I should go back and do it. I feel like I could get right back into the combat no problem.

Your always so adept at From games too, get your ass back to it & enjoy the struggle with me

Fired Sekiro back up for the first time since the first month or so of its release. I cleared the area around Sir Lancelot (Ashina Seven Spears) to then give that battle a few more goes.

I always climb on the wall just right of the bottom of the stairs, grapple onto the two trees/branches, get the first sneak attack then draw him to the bottom of the long stairs.

I've got back into jive of the controls & movement pretty nicely. I am Mikiri(ing) the hell out of Ashina but that damn sweep attack has ruined me a couple of times. On two of my attempts I thought I'd timed the Mikiri counter to perfection only for the attack to come on through & hit me anyways (I had Higgledy in watching through the share play). My question is can you be too close to Ashina for the Mikiri counter not to work? I do it loads of times per fight & it works great, this definitely seemed like the game just didn't register it for whatever reason.

Overall I did quite well, learned to deflect his shots straight after the Mikiri counter (when they come) & I'm deflecting a decent number of his other attacks. I just seem to get caught by silly things or that sweep, I need to be more aggressive too as the one time I did the bar to break his posture was well up. The downside is that's also the time you can be most vulnerable to a quick push attack that momentarily stuns you & opens you up to a big attack.

I think I tried the fight about 5 or 6 times, once I got extremely close which was annoying but I'm learning. I think by the time I beat him I'll know his moveset better than himself.

Spikeout wrote:

I've got back into jive of the controls & movement pretty nicely. I am Mikiri(ing) the hell out of Ashina but that damn sweep attack has ruined me a couple of times. On two of my attempts I thought I'd timed the Mikiri counter to perfection only for the attack to come on through & hit me anyways (I had Higgledy in watching through the share play). My question is can you be too close to Ashina for the Mikiri counter not to work? I do it loads of times per fight & it works great, this definitely seemed like the game just didn't register it for whatever reason.

If you're too close, it's possible to dash by him instead of initiating the Mikiri. Seven Spears has one thrust attack with a big delay on it, so it's possible you're getting caught by that and just trying to counter a little too early.

Dyni wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

I've got back into jive of the controls & movement pretty nicely. I am Mikiri(ing) the hell out of Ashina but that damn sweep attack has ruined me a couple of times. On two of my attempts I thought I'd timed the Mikiri counter to perfection only for the attack to come on through & hit me anyways (I had Higgledy in watching through the share play). My question is can you be too close to Ashina for the Mikiri counter not to work? I do it loads of times per fight & it works great, this definitely seemed like the game just didn't register it for whatever reason.

If you're too close, it's possible to dash by him instead of initiating the Mikiri. Seven Spears has one thrust attack with a big delay on it, so it's possible you're getting caught by that and just trying to counter a little too early.

It seemed I was positioned pretty well, the red symbol pops up & from the previous fights I had with Ashina I'd got the timing down really well for the Mikiri counter. Even with the delayed thrust attack the symbol would always flash up anyways, it must have just been the distance. The only other thing I can think of is there are parts of the ground that are a little more elevated than others & Ashina was on one of those such areas when initiating the attack.

I'll likely have a good few more attempts until I beat him so hopefully I'll get a learn a little more in the coming battles.

Spikeout wrote:
Dyni wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

I've got back into jive of the controls & movement pretty nicely. I am Mikiri(ing) the hell out of Ashina but that damn sweep attack has ruined me a couple of times. On two of my attempts I thought I'd timed the Mikiri counter to perfection only for the attack to come on through & hit me anyways (I had Higgledy in watching through the share play). My question is can you be too close to Ashina for the Mikiri counter not to work? I do it loads of times per fight & it works great, this definitely seemed like the game just didn't register it for whatever reason.

If you're too close, it's possible to dash by him instead of initiating the Mikiri. Seven Spears has one thrust attack with a big delay on it, so it's possible you're getting caught by that and just trying to counter a little too early.

It seemed I was positioned pretty well, the red symbol pops up & from the previous fights I had with Ashina I'd got the timing down really well for the Mikiri counter. Even with the delayed thrust attack the symbol would always flash up anyways, it must have just been the distance. The only other thing I can think of is there are parts of the ground that are a little more elevated than others & Ashina was on one of those such areas when initiating the attack.

I'll likely have a good few more attempts until I beat him so hopefully I'll get a learn a little more in the coming battles.

Good luck! Seven Spears seems to be one of if not the toughest miniboss for a lot of players, so hopefully you can conquer it and have smoother sailing beyond

Dyni wrote:
Spikeout wrote:
Dyni wrote:
Spikeout wrote:

I've got back into jive of the controls & movement pretty nicely. I am Mikiri(ing) the hell out of Ashina but that damn sweep attack has ruined me a couple of times. On two of my attempts I thought I'd timed the Mikiri counter to perfection only for the attack to come on through & hit me anyways (I had Higgledy in watching through the share play). My question is can you be too close to Ashina for the Mikiri counter not to work? I do it loads of times per fight & it works great, this definitely seemed like the game just didn't register it for whatever reason.

If you're too close, it's possible to dash by him instead of initiating the Mikiri. Seven Spears has one thrust attack with a big delay on it, so it's possible you're getting caught by that and just trying to counter a little too early.

It seemed I was positioned pretty well, the red symbol pops up & from the previous fights I had with Ashina I'd got the timing down really well for the Mikiri counter. Even with the delayed thrust attack the symbol would always flash up anyways, it must have just been the distance. The only other thing I can think of is there are parts of the ground that are a little more elevated than others & Ashina was on one of those such areas when initiating the attack.

I'll likely have a good few more attempts until I beat him so hopefully I'll get a learn a little more in the coming battles.

Good luck! Seven Spears seems to be one of if not the toughest miniboss for a lot of players, so hopefully you can conquer it and have smoother sailing beyond :)

I'm so happy to hear that! Tougher than those Ninja's? They feel even tougher from what I can remember.

I wonder if those red kanji (is that what they're called? - the red letters that prompt a special attack reaction) are something that tell you what is coming if you can read them. It's weird that they pop up and it's, "PROMPT - I need to counter or jump, but I'm not sure which!"

Also, I picked my game back up and I have no idea where I am or what I'm supposed to be doing. I know I'm in late mid-game/early end-game. I already made a pivotal choice from which one can't return. Hopefully I can figure it out, or if somebody could DM me with any ideas, that would be cool.

Localgod54 wrote:

I wonder if those red kanji (is that what they're called? - the red letters that prompt a special attack reaction) are something that tell you what is coming if you can read them. It's weird that they pop up and it's, "PROMPT - I need to counter or jump, but I'm not sure which!"

It says, "GET REKT"

imbiginjapan wrote:
Localgod54 wrote:

I wonder if those red kanji (is that what they're called? - the red letters that prompt a special attack reaction) are something that tell you what is coming if you can read them. It's weird that they pop up and it's, "PROMPT - I need to counter or jump, but I'm not sure which!"

It says, "GET REKT"

Then it is at 100% accurate at least 50% of the time.

I just found a mod to make the buttons show up as ps4 buttons instead of xbox. One of the hardest things about the game was translating the buttons in my head as I learned different techniques. I should have known somebody had modded it within weeks of release. Shame on me for not checking sooner.

Edit: I still, even after all the time I played it, think the timing is weird on parries in this game. It feels like I have to press the button too early. I want to press the button when impact will happen, but that's too late. Leaving the game and coming back has set me back completely where I really have to consciously remind myself to be early with everything. Just thought I'd share.

Localgod54 wrote:

Edit: I still, even after all the time I played it, think the timing is weird on parries in this game. It feels like I have to press the button too early. I want to press the button when impact will happen, but that's too late. Leaving the game and coming back has set me back completely where I really have to consciously remind myself to be early with everything. Just thought I'd share.

What system are you playing on? I wonder if it's a frame rate thing.

I'm playing on PC with a usb connected dualshock 4 ps4 controller. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there's a bit of input lag causing my issues, but I think it's more of a me thing. I just constantly think of what the timing should be rather than what it is.

Also, when I playing it yesterday, I forgot I had the bell rung, so the game was more punishing than I remembered. Whoops. The Shura fight was kicking my butt.

Localgod54 wrote:

I'm playing on PC with a usb connected dualshock 4 ps4 controller. I wouldn't be surprised to learn there's a bit of input lag causing my issues, but I think it's more of a me thing. I just constantly think of what the timing should be rather than what it is.

Also, when I playing it yesterday, I forgot I had the bell rung, so the game was more punishing than I remembered. Whoops. The Shura fight was kicking my butt.

I only played on thePS4, but there is a difference in timing than what one would expect based on previous souls-like games; pressing the parry button a split-second before the hit lands, somewhere in the arc of the enemies slash/lunge/stab. It took me well over a day - and I mean a whole Sunday of sitting there, forcing myself to figure it out and become accustomed to the timing - to finally feel fairly proficient... and then I had to add jumping against deathblows and the occasional Mikiri Counter once I unlocked it.

It's certainly not easy, I'll tell you that.

Yeah, I'd gotten at least mostly accustomed to it before I took months off from the game, but coming back, it's like I never learned it. I know what I'm supposed to do, but somehow I can't make myself do it, at least consistently.

This seems a really good video for when I finish with Nioh and get into the game. He's very clear about how he plays and isn't a godlike player.

This final boss is a bit of a bear.

Spoiler:

Three phases can really put a pinch on any supplies you're using. I was rushing down the first phase and trying do the same with the second, but when the fire phase happened, I was not prepared, so I got gud at the first two phases so I have resources left for the final phase, but those fire abilities feel so cheap. Ugh.

This Ashina fight is getting ridiculous. I can use the Mikiri counter loads but at times its just not working & his thrust attack is coming straight through. I must easily be verging on near 30 attempts in total, I've got his attacks down very well, deflecting normal attacks too but this inconsistency with the Mikiri counter is killing me.

f*cking yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss! Finally Ashina is down. The relief is enormous.

I think for some of the mikiri counters I was going too early but there was a lot that felt off. I'm past him & more than any boss in the game I've learnt to deflect & counter to become a better player.

Onwards to the next boss that stops me in my tracks!

Spikeout wrote:

f*cking yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss! Finally Ashina is down. The relief is enormous.

I think for some of the mikiri counters I was going too early but there was a lot that felt off. I'm past him & more than any boss in the game I've learnt to deflect & counter to become a better player.

Onwards to the next boss that stops me in my tracks!

Great news. Always satisfying when you break the log jam and can move on.

Spikeout wrote:

f*cking yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss! Finally Ashina is down. The relief is enormous.

I think for some of the mikiri counters I was going too early but there was a lot that felt off. I'm past him & more than any boss in the game I've learnt to deflect & counter to become a better player.

Onwards to the next boss that stops me in my tracks!

Nicely done!

In Sekiro, even more than in any Soulsborne game, beating a boss brings an immense sense of accomplishment. I dare say I haven't had as challenging a game as Sekiro. Keep it up and good luck with the next bosses!

It really feels truly sublime when you time the parry's. There's so many delayed attacks that make it even more gratifying when you can stop your itchy index finger from wanting to press that L1 button sooner than required.

I definitely think Sekiro has one of the best combat systems of the generation. There's a technicality, patience & timing to encounters that must take so much work to get right.

I think the stuff they do with the camera during the parry & deathblows is fantastic. One of the many cogs that makes the combat truly sing.

If From Software keep making their games slightly harder than the previous I'm dreading Elden Ring :O