Last Update: 2022-05-16 08:03 Irish Time
I played it on Xbox, so these tips are for Xbox.
Runes
When you kill enemies you get runes.
These are used for increasing your stats or weapons stats.
When you die you’ll lose the runes.
You can recover them if you go to the place where you died. You’ll see them shining on the floor. The place you died is marked on the map.
You’ll not lose things like the map, flowers you picked, etc…
You don’t lose your stats.
Horseback mount
After you get the Spectral Steed Whistle bind it to your belt through the inventory or pouch. It looks like a golden ring.
Then you’ll be able to summit it by selecting it (keypad down changes the item selected from the belt) and pressing X.
If you jump over some special spinning wind zones you’ll fly to very high distances.
You can run/sprint!
That’s something I didn’t see in the controls and I was being killed many many times, so I figured it out there has to be a way to sprint.
You can run by pressing the dodge button, B in XBox. Press B and hold it and move to any direction.
You can also use it when you are mounting Torrent, your horse.
Rolling dodges some attacks
Some attacks are avoided by rolling.
Mentioned by my friend Cian O’Brien.
Weight
You can have many items with you, but when you equip them the weight is important.
If you equip too much you’ll be unable jump or roll.
You can have several weapons with you and just equip what you need at each moment (before engaging combat).
Golden runes
You’ll find golden runes that will be kept in your inventory. They are consumables and you can use them to get instant amount of fragments.
Summon Ashes spirits
You’ll find spirits that you can summon in points of interest and to fight bosses.
Flasks
You can balance the number of flasks you have, and increase the number of them by using golden seeds at the sites of grace and the amount of life they replenish if you have the sacred tears.
Sort Chest
At the sites of grace you can sort your chest, and move things from your inventory to the chest and vice versa.
That’s ideal for reducing the items you carry until the appropriate moment to sell the goods.
Chests protected by soldiers in cars
You will find some cars protected by soldiers or big monsters.
It took me many time to realize that in the back of them they have a chest.
Jump and open the chest. Good weapons will become handy at an early stage.
Use the shield
Pressing LB if you have the shield on the left hand will raise the shield and keep it lifted.
This will protect you from incoming attacks.
I killed many enemies and bosses without using the shield, and it was a bit of a pain.
Sekiro style, dying and dying. Raising the shield I was able to beat impossible-to-beat-before bosses easily.
Head Skull
There are head skulls in the map, with bright eyes.
If you crack them hitting with your weapon, you’ll get a golden rune.
You can sell the golden runes to merchants or use them at any time and you’ll get runes. You may have a treasure enough to level up and you may not known.
You don’t loss the golden runes when you die.
Cycling items in your bag
You can bind several items to your back and cycle them pressing the down key on the pad.
If you bind the healing potion to the first slot in your bag if you hold down the cycle key it will always go back to the first item (thanks Cian!)
My friend Michela says: Carles I suggest if i may put the ring in backup pouch because if you map on the menu where healing potions are you risk to call the horse when u wanna heal
If you press and hold Y you’ll see the actions that you have mapped in the pouch. So, it’s also a quick way to access these.
Eliminating groups
Will restore a flask, so you will be able to use another crimson tears. This is capped to your max number of flasks.
Torch
You can buy a torch and use it. Useful for caves and dark places. Equip it as a weapon and just select it.
Traveling to the Round Table
When the requirements are met and you travel to the round table, you can go back by opening the map and zooming out. You’ll see then the round table.
Craft bombs
You can craft bombs if you have recipients to hold them.
Bombs are very useful against some bosses.
In order to craft you’ll need to buy a crafting kit.
Medallions
Michela also recommends: Bosses use to drop medallions. You can equip them in the medallion/s slot.
Use Magic
Once you have a spell you can go to a site of grace and select Memorize Spell.
Then with the up path you can switch.
You need to have a casting tool in any hand and press the attack button for that hand in order to perform the sorcery.
I found my first staff in the Sellia Crystal cave, after killing several of these digging blue crystal enemeies, which is a zone where you travel after you open a chest in a cave in Dragon-Buirnt ruins which you access going down stairs in the runes that have the zombies, where the big dragon is. It’s the Digger’s staff.
The centipedes in that area are very hard but I found them very vulnerable to fire bombs that you can craft and to throwing curved knives that you can buy in merchants.
After you defeat a boss in a cave next to a gigantic plant, you can become Sorceress Sellen’s protegee and she will teach you magic (she sell scrolls).
You can give her the academy scroll, IDK if this is good or bad.
Show glinstone projectiles without aiming
You don’t need to have the focus over an enemy. If you’re looking at the right direction you can just shoot using your staff, and the projectile will go to the enemy automatically.
Use Incantations
You can use incantations, that are another type of spell.
For doing incantations you need a Sacred Seal.
You can buy one in the two commerce women in the round table.
I discovered this after 82 hours of gameplay.
The incantations are based of faith.
Kick stairs
Like in Sekiro Shadows die Twice, after you get to certain parts you will be able to kick a stair so you’ll not need to do all the round to get to a boss.
Try different weapons
Different weapons have different behavior that you may find very convenient.
I recommend you to try different of them.
Some shields parry, which means that if you press the LT action button in the precise moment an enemy attacks, they will become vulnerable for a moment. You can then perform a critical with RB.
Great Runes
When you defeat one of the mega bosses, the demi gods, you will get a great rune.
You can use the great runes after restoring their power (only once) in a tower.
Then you equip a great rune in a site of grace.
They grant some buffs, but to get the most of them you have to use a Rune Arc.
These are dropped by rats and big rats.
Using a Rune Arc when having a Great Rune active gives you buff, like increased stats, until you die. Then you need another Arc.
I used an Arc for the first time when I was level 77.
Hashes of war can be duplicated
The hashes of war give special effects to the weapons. To be honest I have been afraid of using it and ruining a good weapon effect, or losing the ash.
But Ashes of war can be duplicated if you have the proper ingredient, in the smith in the Round Table.
I found the first nomadic merchant selling one of these ingredients just after South Raya Lucaria Gate, coming back after traversing the seal, from Main Academy Gate, just walking through the seal, without examining it, and after killing some packs of wolves.
I found this at level 77…
After 120 hours played I was level 83.
After 150 hours played I was level 111 and I had not yet used a single Ash of war.
Some attacks can be charged
Some attacks, like Loretta’s great arrow, can be charged by holding the fire button.
When it’s fired at its max charge level, it will deal more damage for the same FP cost.
Don’t roll over poison
In some caves you’ll find poison or rott on the floor. Don’t roll over trying to advance faster. That will cover your clothes with the poison and the disease will continue after you leave the infected zone. Just run or walk.
Plants in the caves allow you to level up the spirit ashes
The plants that are in the caves, allow to level up the spirit ashes.