Locations, Step-by-Step Acquisition, Best Uses, and Pros & Cons for Every Arm in Sekiro
Welcome to the ultimate guide for all 10 base Shinobi Prosthetic Tools in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice! Organized chronologically by story progression, this guide provides exact locations, detailed acquisition steps, combat uses, and a detailed Pros & Cons breakdown for every tool.
When to get it: Very early in the game inside the Hirata Estate memory area.
Exact Location: Hirata Estate – Estate Path Sculptor's Idol.
Why It's Essential: It is the only weapon that instantly shatters wooden shields used by shield-enforcers and deals colossal Posture damage to heavy, slow-moving enemies.
Instantly shatters wooden shields in 1 hit; massive hyper-armor during swing; deals huge Posture damage.
Slow wind-up animation; high Spirit Emblem cost (2 Emblems); leaves Wolf vulnerable if missed.
When & Where: Early Game — Ashina Outskirts (Outskirts Wall - Gate Path) Idol.
How to Get: Immediately after resting at the Gate Path Idol, look directly ahead at the open doorway of the building. Grapple up to the second-floor window. The Shuriken Wheel is sitting on a corpse right next to the wall opening.
Best Used For: Sniping low-health snipers/dogs and knocking airborne enemies (Nightjar Shinobi, Lady Butterfly) out of the sky for massive posture damage.
Fastest ranged attack; 1 Spirit Emblem cost; massive bonus posture damage against airborne enemies; cancels enemy posture recovery at distance.
Low raw vitality damage against grounded armored bosses; blocked easily by guarding enemies.
When & Where: Early Game — Ashina Outskirts (Outskirts Wall - Stairway).
How to Get: Near the Outskirts Wall Stairway area, look for a high mountain peak surrounded by black crows. Grapple up to the top to find the Crow's Bed Memorial Mob merchant. Purchase Robert's Firecrackers for 500 Sen. (Also sold by Battlefield Mob merchant near Gyoubu arena).
Best Used For: Stunning beast enemies (Gyoubu's horse, Blazing Bull, Guardian Ape) and buying a guaranteed 2–3 second window to heal or strike during intense boss fights.
Guaranteed stun on almost all beasts and human bosses; creates emergency healing windows; wide cone area of effect.
Enemies build temporary immunity if spammed consecutively; costs 2 Spirit Emblems.
When & Where: Early Game — Hirata Estate (Estate Path).
How to Get: Looted from the small wooden shrine in the residential courtyard guarded by two eavesdropping bandits.
Best Used For: Shield destruction & heavy posture damage.
One-shots wooden shields; strong hyper-armor during animation; high posture damage.
Long execution delay; high emblem usage.
When & Where: Early Game — Hirata Estate (Estate Path).
How to Get: From Estate Path Idol, advance past dog archers into the open village square with a massive bonfire. Loot the Flame Barrel directly from inside the burning fire pit after clearing the drinking bandits.
Best Used For: Red-eyed enemies (Chained Ogre) who fear fire, and inflicting Burn status to freeze enemy posture recovery.
Inflicts Burn status (DoT + halts posture regen); panics red-eyed enemies; combos with Oil for instant burst ignition.
High emblem cost (3 Emblems); short range; long wind-up time without Living Force skill.
When & Where: Early Game — Hirata Estate (Bamboo Thicket Slope).
How to Get: Swim upstream from Bamboo Thicket bridge, grapple right bank, cut bamboo blocking cave entrance, climb up to 3-story Pagoda. Defeat or bypass purple ninja to loot chest inside.
Best Used For: Defensive teleportation — dodge un-parryable attacks, grab attacks, or lightning hits mid-air to teleport behind bosses for counter-strikes.
Invulnerable dodge against any attack (even grab attacks & perilous strikes); instant counter-attack positioning; easy Lightning Reversal execution.
Requires exact hit timing; deals no offensive damage by itself.
When & Where: Mid Game — Ashina Castle (Ashina Reservoir).
How to Get: Kill guards on castle entrance bridge for Gatehouse Key. Travel to Ashina Reservoir gatehouse, unlock door, and open chest for Gyoubu's Broken Horn.
Best Used For: Mid-range poke thrusts, stripping armor off bulky enemies, and pulling the centipede parasite out of Headless Ape's neck post-parry for massive posture damage.
Longest reach melee prosthetic; strips armor in 1 pull; deals catastrophic posture damage to Headless Ape; low emblem cost (1 Emblem).
Thrust attacks can be parried by human swordmasters; narrow linear hit cone.
When & Where: Mid Game — Ashina Castle (Upper Tower - Antechamber).
How to Get: Drop down from Antechamber central railing to blue-carpeted bottom atrium. Open large wooden chest in back room guarded by blue samurai.
Best Used For: Fast poison combo strings. Devastating against fast female opponents (Snake Eyes Shirafuji/Shirahagi, Okami warriors in Fountainhead Palace).
Ultra-fast multi-hit combo; inflicts Poison status quickly; triggers heavy flinch loops on Okami & Snake Eyes enemies.
Poison-resistant enemies take very little damage; rapid emblem drain during full combo.
When & Where: Mid Game — Ashina Castle (Old Grave).
How to Get: Drop through broken roof near Old Grave Idol. Purchase Iron Fortress from merchant Blackhat Badger for 1,600 Sen.
Best Used For: Blocking heavy incoming physical swings, bullet flurries, and elemental terror/fire attacks (with Suzaku / Phoenix upgrades).
Extremely generous deflect window; 360-degree protection; blocks terror/fire damage with upgrades; comboes with Projected Force for massive retaliatory damage.
Does not block un-guardable sweep perilous attacks (requires jump); slight movement slowdown while open.
When & Where: Mid to Late Game — Sunken Valley (Gun Fort).
How to Get: Defeat mini-boss Long-arm Centipede Giraffe inside Gun Fort shrine. Pick up Large Fan from the altar in the back room.
Best Used For: Instantly turning non-boss mob enemies around to deliver instant stealth Deathblows in combat; farming Senpou monks.
Instantly turns mob enemies around for 1-hit stealth Deathblows; spirit away monk enemies instantly; great for farming.
High emblem cost (3 Emblems); ineffective for instant Deathblows on main bosses.
When & Where: Mid to Late Game — Sunken Valley (Bodhisattva Valley).
How to Get: Automatically dropped upon defeating main boss Guardian Ape.
Best Used For: Luring isolated guards away from groups with sound, or driving animal enemies (dogs, wolves, monkeys) into a frenzy so they attack their human masters. Upgrade to Malcontent stuns apparition bosses (Demon of Hatred, Headless).
Long-range stealth luring; turns animal groups against enemies; Malcontent upgrade stuns Demon of Hatred for 10 seconds per blow.
High emblem cost (3 Emblems); base version has low utility in standard 1v1 human boss fights.
| Tool | Location | Emblem Cost | Primary Purpose | Top Pro | Top Con |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loaded Shuriken | Ashina Outskirts Gatehouse | 1 | Ranged sniper & anti-air | One-shots airborne posture | Low grounded armor damage |
| Firecrackers | Outskirts Memorial Mob | 2 | Beast stun & healing window | Guaranteed 3s boss stun | Enemies gain temporary immunity |
| Loaded Axe | Hirata Estate Shrine | 2 | Shield breaking & posture burst | Instantly shatters shields | Slow wind-up speed |
| Flame Vent | Hirata Estate Bonfire | 3 | Fire damage & Burn status | Halts enemy posture regen | High 3 Emblem cost |
| Mist Raven | Hirata Bamboo Pagoda | 2 | Emergency evasion & counter | Dodges grabs & peril attacks | Deals no direct damage |
| Loaded Spear | Ashina Reservoir Gatehouse | 1 | Armor strip & Ape parasite | Destroys Headless Ape posture | Linear thrust can be parried |
| Sabimaru | Ashina Castle Atrium | 1 / 2 swings | Poison multi-hit combo | Melts Okami & Snake Eyes | Ineffective vs poison immune |
| Loaded Umbrella | Ashina Castle Old Grave | 1 | Heavy & elemental deflection | 360 degree turtle protection | Does not block sweep attacks |
| Divine Abduction | Sunken Valley Gun Fort | 3 | Turn enemies for Deathblow | Instant kill on non-boss mobs | 3 Emblem cost |
| Finger Whistle | Guardian Ape Boss Drop | 3 | Animal madness & Malcontent stun | Stuns Demon of Hatred phase 3 | Low 1v1 base human utility |
To upgrade your prosthetic tools to their ultimate Lazulite forms (Lazulite Sacred Flame, Lazulite Shuriken, Lazulite Axe), you need Lapis Lazuli. This is a rare material strictly capped at 6 per playthrough.
Note: Choosing the Shura ending locks you out of Lapis Lazuli completely. Stay loyal to Kuro to reach Fountainhead Palace!