Dragonrot is a disease that spreads every time you resurrect in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. True to the name of the game, you’ll only actually spread this disease if you die twice and resurrect at a Sculptor’s Idol. The disease increases every time you experience ‘true’ death, and will spread to friendly NPCs you’ve met. If they die, you’ll be unable to complete their quests, get special rewards or miss out on story lore.
The Dragonrot System is tied to the story, but you can fight back against the debilitating effects. As the percentage increases, you can use specific items to cure certain NPCs, or cure everyone. Keeping track of the illness is very important — and here, I’ll explain how this system works in detail. Just keep scrolling to see what’s up.
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 Beat Every Boss | Mini-Bosses & Bosses Tips Guide
- 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 The Dragonrot System Works | Cures & Effects Guide
Dragonrot spreads like a disease. If you encounter a friendly character that’s couching or wheezing, then they’ve been hit by Dragonrot. If you don’t cure them before dying too many more times, they can and will die. This illness can effect every NPC — some NPCs have a slightly higher resistance to the illness, while others are more susceptible.
NOTE: Dragonrot will ONLY INCREASE if you die and resurrect at an idol. There is no reason not to resurrect once in combat. It’s better to resurrect and retreat than to die immediately after losing a life.
It doesn’t matter where you or when you die. The disease spreads equally everywhere — but there are ways to stop it. Before continuing, here are the exact effects of the disease.
- As Dragonrot increases, your Unseen Aid will lower. Unseen Aid is a special effect that will save your lost coins / skill points when you die and resurrect at a Sculptor’s Idol.
- NPCs with Dragonrot can die. This includes quest-givers. Each NPC has a different resistance percentage, so it can be random when or if an NPC is afflicted.
The Old Sculptor is the first to become afflicted with Dragonrot. He is very tough, so it’s unlikely he can die. Still, there are other NPCs and characters that most certainly can die. Preventing as much death as possible is important — but you’re going to die, and characters are going to get sick.
- To cure Dragonrot, you need to collect two items; Recovery Charm, and Dragon’s Blood Droplets. To acquire the Recovery Charm, talk to Emma near the Old Sculptor and complete her quest to provide a sample of Dragonrot blood. Talk to any NPC suffering from Dragonrot to get the blood, then return to Emma.
With the Recovery Charm unlocked, you can now cure all Dragonrot afflicted at the same time with the Dragon’s Blood Droplets. These rare items can be purchased from Memorial Mob and other NPCs for about 150+ coins each. They will be restocked, so you can get more than you need. Make sure that you use the Dragon’s Blood Droplets at Sculptor’s Idols only. Using them from the quick-select menu will waste them.
- Using a Dragon’s Blood Droplet will cure everyone with Dragonrot, and set Unseen Aid to the default 30%.
To manage the Dragonrot curse, you need to avoid death as much as possible by resurrecting and retreating to Idols. If Dragonrot increases too much, use a Dragon’s Blood Droplet at a Sculptor’s Idol to cure everyone. Purchase extra Droplets when you spot them from vendors, and you’ll be able to keep the population of Ashina safe.
More Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice guides:
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Increase Difficulty With The Demon Bell | Secret Hard Mode Guide
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – How To Find Robert’s Firecrackers Prosthetic | ‘Memorial Mob’ Guide
- Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – PC Tweaks & Fixes Guide | DS4 Controller, Low FPS & More
