Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is a difficult game, and that’s all because of the bosses. There are dozens of bosses in Sekiro, and each one presents a unique challenge that you must overcome. They’re also very, very different than previous Soulsborne bosses — some bosses can’t be defeated by normal means. Some of them present a tricky puzzle to solve, or require pure defense before striking them down with a well-timed execution. Each boss is unique, and we’ll here to help you beat them all.
Every boss has a weakness. Some bosses can only be damaged with special weapons, while others can’t be damaged at all. You’ll need to learn secret techniques to counter their most dangerous attacks — for example, lightning attacks can only be deflected when jumping. If you attempt to deflect a lightning attack on the ground, you’ll get zapped. Wild animals like horses and bulls are easy to spook with firecrackers, and certain bosses can be stunned with your grapple arm. There are too many weaknesses to list here, so keep scrolling for all the tips we’ve got on each and every boss.
More Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice guides:
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – 10 Newbie Tips From A Soulsborne Veteran | Beginner’s Guide
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – How To Unlock More Healing Charges | All Gourd Seeds Locations
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – All Arts Scrolls Locations Guide | How To Unlock Every Skill Tree
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Where To Find All Shinobi Prosthetics | Weapon Locations Guide
How To Defeat Every Boss | Tips & Tricks
[Work-in-Progress: Check back soon for new updates.]
There are two types of bosses in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. There are major bosses, and mini-bosses. Mini-bosses are often completely optional. Both boss types are special, named enemies that are much harder challenges than standard enemies. Defeating them will drop useful items like Prayer Beads or Memories which will increase your health or attack damage respectively.
Bosses are the main enemies you’ll have to defeat to progress in the game. Some bosses will lock you into an arena, while others allow you to retreat at any given time. All bosses have two ‘Deathblow’ health bars. You’ll need to hit them with two Deathblows to defeat them. This is standard, but some bosses can be defeated with a single deathblow — or can’t be defeated with a deathblow at all.
- NOTE ON DEATHBLOWS: Many bosses can be attacked from stealth, allowing you to initiate a stealth Deathblow and cut down their health by 50%. You can only do this once. If you retreat and attempt to hide, the boss will fully recover. Initiate the battle after your stealth deathblow and finish the boss in combat.
Table Of Contents
- Ashina Outskirts Bosses
- Hirata Estate Bosses
- Ashina Castle Bosses
- Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo Bosses
- Sunken Valley Bosses
- Ashina Depths Bosses
- Fountainhead Palace Bosses
- The Final Bosses
Mini-Boss: General Naomori Kawarada
- Optional?: No
- Stealthblow?: Yes
- Location: Ashina Outskirts, Outskirts Wall – Gate Path
- Loot: Prayer Bead
This is a very simple, straightforward boss — learn to parry his attacks to bring him down. It’s all about timing. Unlike future bosses, the General is only slightly more difficult than standard enemies. He requires two deathblows to defeat.
Mini-Boss: Chained Ogre
- Optional?: No
- Stealthblow?: Yes
- Location: Ashina Outskirts, Outskirts Wall – Stairway
- Loot: Prayer Bead, Shinobi Medicine Rank 1
An early challenging boss. To defeat the Chained Ogre, bring the Flame Vent Shinobi Prosthetic from the Harata Estate area. Throw Oil at the Chained Ogre, then light him up with the Flame Vent to stun him and damage him.
The Chained Ogre is difficult to deflect, so you’re unlikely to deliver a Deathblow until his health bar is almost empty. Practice jumping and dodging to avoid his grapple attacks — he’ll use grapple attacks often, and it’s very, very annoying.
To make this battle slightly easier, you can retreat and hide after activating the battle, then backstab him.
Mini-Boss: General Tenzen Yamauchi
- Optional?: No
- Stealthblow?: Yes
- Location: Ashina Outskirts, Outskirts Wall – Stairway
- Loot: Prayer Bead, Fistful of Ash
Right after the Chained Ogre, you’ll enter a larger arena with another General. He fights very similarly to the first General mini-boss, but has many soldiers helping him. Carefully move around the arena and clear out the soldiers. If they spot you, retreat and wait for the alert to end.
When the soldiers are down, you can perform a stealth deathblow on the General. He is a sword-fighter, so you can parry his attacks. The Flame Vent isn’t effective against him, but Robert’s Firecrackers will help stun him for a short time.
His stabbing thrust attack can be countered with the Mikiri Counter. It will significantly damage his Posture — keep on the attack and don’t let him heal his Posture. The higher his Posture builds, the slower it heals.
Boss: Great Serpent
- Optional?: No
- Stealthblow?: Yes
- Location: Ashina Outskirts, Underbridge Valley
- Loot: None
This is more of a puzzle-fight than a boss. You’ll encounter the Great Serpent in the vast valley past the Underbridge Idol — use the grapple to cross the trees in the valley, and you’ll see the giant serpent. Instead of fighting it, you’ll want to avoid it. Wait for it to look away, then jump and hide in the tall grass.
Continue to follow the stealthiest approach. If you are spotted, the snake will bite you — if you’re lucky, you’ll survive with just a sliver of health remaining. Continue to sneak until you can enter a small palanquin in the middle of the area. Crawl inside, and wait for the snake to look in. That’s your chance to deliver a Deathblow.
While the snake is freaking out, run forward and escape. When you return to this area, the snake will be gone.
Boss: Gyoubu Oniwa
- Optional?: No
- Stealthblow?: No
- Location: Ashina Outskirts, Ashina Castle Gate Fortress
- Loot: Memory, Mechanical Barrel (Prosthetic Upgrades)
This battle takes place outside the main gates of Ashina Castle. The horse-back riding enemy is fast and powerful, but you can use his horse against him. Drop Robert’s Firecrackers to spook his horse, leaving him vulnerable for a few attacks and interrupting his charges.
Stay as close as possible. His attacks are well-telegraphed and can be parried — when he charges away, you can use your grapple claw to pull yourself closer and attack while mid-air. Attack hard and attempt to break his Posture with parries / deflects. If your Posture is broken, leaving you stunned, you really don’t have to worry. The boss doesn’t attack quickly enough. You’ll be able to recover and dodge away.
