In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, progression is divided into three areas: earning Skill Points for new abilities, collecting Prayer Beads to upgrade your health and posture, and consuming Boss Memories to upgrade your attack power. Here is the ultimate guide to leveling up fast.
1. Farming Skill Points (XP)
You earn Experience Points (XP) by defeating enemies. Once your XP bar is full, you receive a Skill Point. You can spend these points on Shinobi, Prosthetic, or Ashina combat styles. Here are the best farm spots:
- Early Game (Ashina Outskirts - Stairway): Start at the Outskirts Wall - Stairway Sculptor's Idol (after defeating Chained Ogre). Grapple to the tower to stealth-kill the rifleman, drop down to stealth-kill the second guard, run down the stairs to take out the two patrolling guards, and grapple back to rest. This quick loop yields solid early XP. See Walkthrough Act 1 (Ashina Outskirts Part 2).
- Mid-Game (Ashina Castle - Antechamber): Start at the Upper Tower - Antechamber Idol. Sneak up behind the purple shinobi guarding the walkway for an easy stealth-kill, then run back and rest. The loop takes 15 seconds. See Walkthrough Act 2 (Ashina Castle Part 1).
- Late Game (Ashina Outskirts - Stairway in Flames): In the endgame, return to the Stairway Idol. Sneak-kill the five Ministry soldiers patrolling the stairs and bridge. This loop grants massive XP. See Walkthrough Act 3 (Grand Finale).
2. Upgrading Vitality & Posture (Prayer Beads)
Your raw health does not increase from XP. Instead, you must collect Prayer Beads. Once you have 4, you can offer them at a Sculptor's Idol to create a Prayer Necklace, permanently boosting your health and posture. You can find all 40 beads using the Sekiro Campaign Walkthrough.
- Defeat Mini-Bosses: Almost every mini-boss (Generals, Shinobi Hunters, Seven Ashina Spears) drops a Prayer Bead on their first defeat. Do not skip them!
- Hidden Chests: Search behind wall scrolls, dive deep underwater, and explore hidden caves. Some beads are located in chests hidden in the environment.
- Memorial Mob Merchants: Some merchants sell Prayer Beads for 500 gold. Buy them as soon as you have the money.
3. Upgrading Attack Power (Memories)
Attack Power determines how much vitality and posture damage you deal. The higher your Attack Power, the faster you break bosses' defenses.
- Face Main Bosses: Defeating major bosses (like Gyoubu Oniwa, Lady Butterfly, and Genichiro Ashina) rewards you with a Battle Memory. Access a Sculptor's Idol and choose "Enhance Attack Power" to consume the memory. You can track all bosses in the step-by-step Campaign Walkthrough.
- Dragon Mask (Late Game): In the late game, you can assemble the Dancing Dragon Mask by buying parts from Pot Nobles and Memorial Mobs. Once assembled, you can trade 5 Skill Points to permanently increase your Attack Power by 1.
4. Use Mibu Balloons to Boost Loot
Pop Mibu Balloons to temporarily increase your resource gathering efficiency:
- Mibu Balloon of Spirit: Boosts the rate at which you gain Resurrection power when defeating foes.
- Mibu Balloon of Wealth: Boosts the amount of gold dropped by defeated enemies.
- Mibu Possession Balloon: Increases the item drop rate, helping you gather upgrade materials like Iron and Gunpowder.
Back to Game Page