Techniques I learned from Playing Sekiro

Background

I recently completed Sekiro, which has become my favorite game. However, I wasn't skilled at it from the start. It took me 20 hours to get from the beginning to defeating Genichiro Ashina. Although some of that time was spent playing aimlessly, Genichiro alone took me at least four nights, during which I played for a couple of hours each time before giving up.

However, after defeating Genichiro, I felt as though I had learned something important. By the time I got to the Guardian Ape, I saw people online saying "slow sword combo," I suddenly understood how to play the game properly. So, from Genichiro to the Divine Dragon, it only took me another 20 hours. After that, I spent time farming money and skill points, unlocking prosthetic tools, collecting prayer beads and gourd seeds, gathering Treasure Carp scales, completing side quests, and finally defeating the Demon of Hatred and Isshin, the Sword Saint. In total, I spent about 60 hours on the game, with 4-5 hours on the Demon of Hatred and 3-4 hours on Isshin at the end.

I share this to give an idea of my learning curve. Compared to hardcore gamers online, I'm certainly not the fast type. However, I believe I am among those who have shown the greatest improvement. I also consider that my adaptation and learning speed for bosses in the later stages are among the faster ones.

Common Challenges

• Do you find yourself panicking during boss fights?
• Do you try to whittle down health with hit and run, feeling like it's not the right way to play, but unsure of what else to do?
• Are you unsure when to deflect?
• Do you feel lost at the start of each fight, relying on reactions and luck?
• Do you think your reaction time isn't good enough for this game?