From Software Lyric Suite's own Sekiro corner

[Multidirectional]

I assume you'd actually need to know a lot about Japanese mythology to even have a chance of fully comprehending Sekiro storyfag parts. So I just ignored it mostly, same as in Souls games. Did first playthrough without skipping through cutscenes/dialogs and started skipping them after.

 

[Egosphere]

It was really massive took me a total of five progress updates to cover all of it. I wanted to draw a summary of what i understood so far in the last entry but i really don't feel like it now. Plus there's still a lot that doesn't make any sense so i might as well wait until i get more info before starting drawing erronous conclusions.

A lot didn't make sense to me when I got to this part and when I finished I still wasn't much wiser.

I've watched a few lore videos since but I still don't understand everything. It's just your good ol' From Software narrative, buttressed by another wonky English translation that makes things even more bewildering.

Sekiro seems especially impenetrable, lore wise. Or perhaps its the increased amount of story relative to DS and BB which gives that effect.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I assume you'd actually need to know a lot about Japanese mythology to even have a chance of fully comprehending Sekiro storyfag parts. So I just ignored it mostly, same is in Souls games. Did first playthrough without skipping through cutscenes/dialogs and started skipping them after.

Well, i'm a religious fag and even though the far eastern religions are the ones i know or have studied the least i do recognize some things or concepts related to Shinto and Buddhism, enough that it seems to me knowledge of either isn't really gonna help you (it mostly gives a context to the fantasy "fluff").

Basically, the Shinto influence has to do with everything that is magical or is related to nature as well as the spirit world. Shinto is a very ancient shamanism not too dissimilar to the religion of the Red Indians where nature itself is a kind of "bible" or sacred scripture and there's no real discontinuity between this world or the next. Spiritual or divine entities have a tendency to influence or directly interact with our world down here and there's ways for us living in this physical reality to "cross" over to the other side, so to speak (if you see one of those famous Japanese "portals" in the game, you know you are about to enter Shinto territory). So everything with the Divine Heir, the whole idea of reaching the divine realm, the worship of monstrous entities like the White Serpent (divine or spiritual entities are known to "appear" in our world in the shape of animals etc), even the concept of using a drug to cross over to the divine realm is common practice in a lot of shaman traditions (the smoking of the pipe among the American Indians all the way down to the use of psychedelics in certain South American tribes).

The fact Shinto is a "magical" religion also explains its attraction to the lower classes. Peasants who wish for a good harvest would be attracted to the idea they could obtain certain "favors" from the other side, direct spiritual influences or interventions that could help produce a concrete wordly advantage. Lots of festivals, folk marriage rituals, everything that is "pagan" in character is related to Shinto.

Buddhism, by contrast, appears to be a much more strictly "religious" affair much like Christianity is in the west. Buddhism is both very stern, trascendent and metaphysical but also more "civilizational" compared to Shinto. Buddhist pradictioners build big, imposing temples. Sometimes they had influence in politics, even military power (like in the case of the Sohei).

As far as i can tell, what this game is doing is using those twin Japanese traditions as a backdrop to tell a made up fantasy story. That's of course on top of the "historical" backdrop of the Sengoku era, the struggle between the central goverment rapresented by the Emperor (the divine Emperor is also related to Shinto btw, through the concept of the "ancestor" which in Shinto is something akin to what Adam is in Christianity) against the rising Shogunate and then the local Daimyo. So the Ashina is a local clan struggling for indendence against the Interior Ministry who rapresents the central goverment. This context is probably so engrained in the Japanese mind it would explain why the planetary central goverment in Armored Core 6, namely the PCA, is portrayed as being such a massive force (even though you'd think interplanetary corporations would be much more powerful than a planetary goverment). This idea of a central goverment struggling to retain a unified Japan under their single authority against the rising of upstart warrior clans is likely something that all the Japanese respond very strong to since so much of their history centers around this problem, especially the Sengoku era which appears is to them what the middle ages are to us.

 

[Lyric Suite]

~ Leftovers ~
​

Spoiler

So, i think it's clear Mt. Kongo is my next destination, but before going there i figured i might as well finish clean up the Ashina Castle. Down from where Isshin is, i see a Sculptor's Idol and lots of little goodies so it's time to finish pick this place clean:



Of course, it does appear like there's a lot of this area that is left and i wonder if i'm not going to get involved into a whole new big section of this game but there's only one way to find out i guess:



From afar, i see that monk again whom of course i'm in no mood to fight so i just take him out in a stealth kill:




I then got a chance to heavesdrop on the following serious conversation:








Moved both by their plight as well as the care this commander has for his soldiers, i decide to face him in open combat rather than kill him with a stealth deathblow:



He doesn't prove to be much of a challenge but at least he died with honor.

In the pond, i see more of those fishes. They are clearly not those red carps, just those regular aggressive fishes, but i decide to take them out nontheless just because i find them annoying:



While i'm there though, i manage to lock on something that seems to be a boss?



I have no idea if its a glitch or something i'm supposed to fight later. Apparently there's no way to dive in this game that i could find so i'm forced to remain guessing as to what this is. Really wierd.

I cross the bridge, only to find myself in front of a Shinto torii. This must clearly be the way to the Sunken Valley, so i decided to stay clear for now since this is not my destination:



In this grave, i find a Dragon's Blood Droplet. This seems like it should be a significant lore clue, but since i cannot read Japanese i cannot make up what's written on the grave stones. I may have to google it later, might be relevant:



Man where the hell am i going here:



Probably something important in that hole in the roof of the house below:



Before moving forward, i just remembered there was a nugget i had to get where the pond is:



After going around in a circle trying to figure out a way to get there, i finally see it:



Sadly, it seems the only way to reach that grappling point is to jump from the roof of the Castle. This forces me to port up there and reset this whole thing, to my annoyance:




To add insult to injury, once i get there, all i find is Scrap Iron. All this trouble for that.

BTW, i noticed even regular or low level mooks are now dropping upgrade mats for Prosthetic Tools. It appears after killing Genichiro the loot table of most enemies has been updated. Also, it seems certain things are pricier than before.

I now return to where i was going where i chance on this conversation:





One of those rat guys perhaps?





I should laugh at this but in FromSoft games the smaller they are the more i don't want to fight them so i'm already tensing up at yet another messy fight with an obnoxious nimble bastard. I take out this tower with ease:



And scouting on the side, i think i finally figured out where i am. That's the battlefield there:



Next tower is a little more tricky to figure out. Eventually, i finally see what i need to do to reach the cannoneer:




From here, i had to dangle down from the ledge where i was finally able to kill the cannon guy.

Not much here that was actually that valuable but it felt good to clean this place up:



Yep, i get it, here's that collapsed bridge:



Down there i find another Prosthetic Tool upgrade mat. They seem to be everywhere now.

I guess it's finally time to approach that hole and see what this racoon guy is capable of. Look at all that blood through:



In the end, it turns out it is an NPC:




I hope this is not like that ninja guy down the well in the Ashina Reservoir that first talks to me than attacks me.




Yeah, like the fact i'm not wearing a bird outfit. You'd think that would be a big give away.




Wolf just gives him the usual response: ellipsis. Guy at least has a sense of humour about it:



He then goes on with his tirade:





Dude you think you are having a bad day? Try getting knocked down a cliff by a giant snake, or getting your asshole ripped out by some headless demon you cannot even hit with your weapons, than we'll talk about having a bad day.




You are not even getting warm my man. So far i'm guessing this guy isn't gonna try to kill me though, in fact, turns out he is a merchant!





Well, maybe getting stuck into a hole and killing everybody that walks in isn't a good way to make money as a merchant, just saying.






That's really interesting but it seems i cannot afford it yet, mind if i come back?




Nice, thanks!

So i go on a killing spree in the Ashina Castle to raise the sens to get this thing. When i come back, it seems bussiness is booming. How, i have no idea maybe this guy is crazy and is actually conjuring up customers in his head:





Well, i do have the chash now, so hand that thing over!

After buying the thing, i guess i made a new friend now:




No offense dude, but you look like one of them.



Mmmmh, you wouldn't you by chance be talking about that Tengu guy.





Yeah well me and Tengu go way back you know? Real good friends.





Damn really? If i knew that i would have grinded for the sens to buy that skill book as well. Where ya going anyway:



Is that so. What a coincidence. I'm going there myself as soon as you stop yapping. I'll be sure to come loaded next time i see ya.




Now he realizes this.



You too bro!

Before going to Mt. Kongo, i decide to take this thing for a spin. While i'm by the Sculptor, i also get an extra updrade:



I then come back here and sure enough, the little guy is gone. Nothing to do for now but try to test my new toy, and ho my, it's basically a Dark Souls shield, in Sekiro lmao:



And not only it deflects bullets with ease, but it even blocks cannon balls! Pretty impressive little gadget.

Anyway, i think i'm done with Ashina Castle, on to Mt. Kondo!

 

[Lyric Suite]

~ Not Blighttown ~
​

Spoiler

Well, this was a little disappointing. I head to the Abandoned Dungeon thinking this would lead to something like a big underground dungeon but apparently it's just a small transitional area. It's the merchant outside that just made me think of Blightown, i got flashbacks to Domhnall of Zena like i said earlier, but nope.

No biggie, something i find here seems to suggest i'll get my dungeon eventually after all (maybe).

So, i'm finally back here. To the right i spot a passage:




Inside, i get attacked by another zombie. I intentionally let him grab me to see what they do:



The damage is impressive but to be honest they are not that dangerous and the fact you have to kill them twice is pretty annoying, all though here at least you get a chance to kill them in stealth and you can even do it twice, as if they don't see you on the first deathblow they still aren't alerted when they wake up, so you can stealth kill them again. This reduces the irritation of having to dispose of them.

Near that nugget, i see a body twiching but i don't get attacked. I guess some of them are just passive. Who are they? I assume recipients of the Rejuvenation Waters but obviously something went wrong with them. There's crickets all over the place but they seem to be harmless:



It seems somebody here is trying to put those bodies to rest once and for all. I see some severed heads on a table and dead corpses on the other side:




Some of them are indeed moving but not all of them are aggressive:



Near one of the corpses i find this note:



Was the fragrant stone mentioned by Kuro at one point? I don't remember to be honest. From what i can gather here, you can reach the Fountainhead Palace through the Ashina Depths. I get the sense this is for much later.

I find another passage where i now get attacked by those crickets. They just do chip damage though and they are easy to kill. Down a ledge i see a bunch of them near some loot:



Once i get there, the loot consists in oil bottles. I assume the game is indicating you should use fire on those things, but what for? They die in one hit and they do no damage. Almost all the critters in this game are kinda of disappointing to be honest. None of them are dangerous, most are just annoying (like those aggressive fishes).

As i return to the level above, i'm now confronted by this ominous looking dude. After going through the usual routine (NPC: who might you be? Wolf: ellipsis. NPC: haha you must shinobi etc etc ad nauseam) he introduces himself:



Doujun, why do i remember that? I had to check my previous progress updates until i found it. This is the guy who salvaged all the materials about the use of the Rejuvenation Sediment Dogen was working on but which were subsequently destroyed. Something about him just says "baddie" can't really put my finger on it (lel). He then asks me to do him a favor:






At this point i just assume he is trolling me and he is going to attack me. After all, i'm a tough man, young, samurai type, and depending on how arrogant this guy is, he might think he could take me unharmed. Turns out he wants me bring him an able-bodied warrior to him, all though the possibily it could be me isn't entirely excluded:



I have no idea how he suggests i could do this. Hell, i have no idea why he thinks i would even agree to do such a thing. The way behind is blocked and i have half a mind of killing him right here but i know better than to kill NPCs in a FromSoft game, but still.

Nearby, i find this thing and even after reading the description is still have no idea what it is supposed to do:



I guess i'll google it later screw it. Moving forward, i discover a Sculptor's Idol and up ahead there's a tunnel i need to swim through. I assume this is just the exist of this place:



But before leaving, i want to make sure i didn't miss anything in this dungeon. Good thing i did this too, as i had infact failed to notice an hidden passage:



After killing a zombie, i discover this sign:



So those zombies are the corpses of those Ashina people who died in this great rebellion. Is this all part of Genichiro's plan? Was he trying to actually revive dead soldiers to bolster the Ashina forces?

At the end of the tunnel, i'm now confronted by that thing i had seen earlier and had noped out of fighting:



I guess i don't have to go through the Ashina Reservoir to fight this thing i can reach it from this side. After arming myself with some Divine Confetti and clinching my buttcheeks to make sure my asshole is well protected this time i plunge myself into battle!

After Headless this guy was a bit of a joke. Didn't even try to rape me or anything. This was my third try btw. I had him figured out on my first try but i wasn't using a Confetti then as i just wanted to spar with him a bit so i reset it. I think if i had i could have easily killed him on my first try. He manages to smack me on my second try so i reset it again just because i wanted it to look good on video lmao and this was my third attempt. I'm going try to do as little dying as possible to see how long i can play without rot again.

Spoiler

I get this thing after killing him which seems interesting though likely useless:



I don't know what kind of playstyle requires one to deplete their Spirit Emblems to the point they'd have to resort using something like this, but it ain't mine that's for sure.

From the description, i finally get confirmation of what i already suspected. If the Okami clan worships the White Serpment, the Fountainhead people must worship a dragon. I mean this is obvious since it's literally called the "Dragon's Heritage" but it's nice to see it all but confirmed.

Looting this area reveals a bunch of scattered Shinto shrines so those otherwordly foes are related to that. Obviously, as they pertain to the spirit realm.

Up ahead, i find that enthralled samurai again, and he is still spellbound by this music only he appears able to hear:





I try to shake him out of it, he doesn't even hear me at first:





He continues to drone on about this sound. It's strange that only he appears to be able to percieve it:




You are in a cave, what wind?



I'm now given the choice to lie to him and lure him to the Abadoned Dungeon:



At first i'm not sure where this is going but then i realize this is how i'm supposed to provide a "strong" soldier to that creepy surgeon guy. Yeah fuck no, i ain't doing that. I'm sure since this is a FromSoft game this guy is fucked one way or another but i'd rather not be the direct instrument of whatever horrifying fate is waiting for him at the end of his quest.

So i tell him the truth, that i don't hear anything:



He now returns delirating about his melody:



Nothing more i can do for him i think, so i turn around to check that "hole" he was talking about:



Another Shinto torii. This is likely the path towards the Ahina Depths, and sure enough up ahead i find the old Okami tome, who just turns out to be that crazy old hag that wanted me to go to Mt. Kondo:



I'm sorry what?






Yeah no you crazy bint i'm not doing this:



I'm pretty sure there's nothing left to do in this cave, so i head out. Returning to that tunnel, i see some Ashina soldiers at the end of it. This was totally uneccessary as those guys are just mere mooks but i can't stop myself from using this thing now lmao:




After this unecessary literal bloodbath, i spot this boat but can't use it sadness:



I make it to the end of this tunnel, and after killing a couple more guards i end up in a cave with what appears to be Buddha effigies. Clearly i'm on the right path:



I then call the lift behind me:



(i mean after going back to kill those stupid fishes whose yellow alert signs were getting in the way of my screenshot lmao)

And after taking a little ride, i now find myself in what is obviously a Buddhist temple:



Whelp i can't roll through this what do?

I turn around and see a Sculptor's Idol at the far end of this temple. So i make my way there:



Huh? Who bitch this is now?



Where? Ho, i see it:




So they chose to escape the cycle of rebirth while still remaining in Samsara. Not very smart of them.




Not to worry, ho voice that is totally coming out of this painting and is not a figment of my own imagination, i can handle myself.





Will do.



Lady, you just said you weren't going to bug me about this.



Good, get out of my head now.



Mt. Kondo i presume. Finally i'm here. And my, what a beautiful sight!

 

[cvv]

I've always thought Shichimen are tougher than the Headless dudes, what with their disappearing act BS and dread build-up.

Anyway, a good run. I for one had a bit of a struggle with this vagina on my first run, 10+ runs IIRC.

 

[Lyric Suite]

I just cheesed the disappearing trick by putting my back against the wall. You get a 70% chance you are going to see him as soon as he appears. If that fails, you just have to rely on the noises he makes and start running on the side hoping you guessed his position right just going by the sounds alone. If you wait until you can see it and can lock on him you are likely already too late to sidestep his laser beam. Just run and hope for the best and worry about locking on after.

You also have to control yourself when hitting him. I learned this from Headless i usually hit him twice and then brace for a possible response. If you see that semi-stagger animation, you can hit him two more times. If you see him cast, just hit him again. If you see him trying to hit you with the staff just deflect obviously and so forth. Never try to hit him recklessly always two hits then see what you get.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Wow, the Divine Confetti makes quite a difference in that fight. He never did that beam attack more than once against me (after the first deathblow). I suppose that's something he only does if he teleports, and without the confetti I never did enough damage against him in a short space of time for him to even think about teleporting away.

The Tanto has been occasionally useful for me. Sometimes it's nice to have that extra flame vent or poison attack.

 

[Multidirectional]

You don't need to kill zombies twice if you burn them, by the way.

 

[CarbonCarousel]

Anyway, who are this bitches calling coward? Wait until i get my hands on a sword!

Oh, I am afraid you will have a lot more of these "just you wait" moments. Sekiro is From's worst balanced games and does not get good until about the midway point when you finally get your full kit and the gameplay begins to make sense. Until that point is really just a poorly made Tenchu with Souls mechanics stapled on.

Sekiro borrows very little from Souls games. Parrying lies at the heart of the battle system, and it's damn fun when you figure out that it should be played almost like a rhythm game.

 

[Andnjord]

I think it’s similar to increasing your poise in Dark Souls. Not sure how useful it would be since you can’t wear heavy armour, but maybe with the defensive sugar it might be ok.

I don't know what kind of playstyle requires one to deplete their Spirit Emblems to the point they'd have to resort using something like this, but it ain't mine that's for sure.

Oh you’ll see soon enough, you’ll see…

I had to satisfy Lyric’s OCD

 

[Lyric Suite]

You might want to spoiler that, or this thread is going to look messy.

So far i haven't bothered using consumables at all. I'm too much of a stingy bastard lmao.

 

[Strange Fellow]

I'll be surprised if anyone in the history of this game has ever used a Mibu balloon.

 

[Multidirectional]

So far i haven't bothered using consumables at all. I'm too much of a stingy bastard lmao.

If you are not forced to use a consumable for specific reason, like divine confetti, you don't need it at all. My guess is you could already play with Demon Bell on and still not give a fuck about most consumables as you already figured out how combat works.

 

[cvv]

I'll be surprised if anyone in the history of this game has ever used a Mibu balloon.

I'm sorry what? I've used a ton of those while farming sen and XP at that one special place LS hasn't reach yet so I won't spoil.

 

[Lyric Suite]

My guess is you could already play with Demon Bell on and still not give a fuck about most consumables as you already figured out how combat works.

I was actually thinking of turning on the Demon Bell for segular mooks, and turn it off for bosses.

I mean, technically i could leave it on for bosses but for my first playthrough i want to stay as close to "reference" as i can but regular mooks, who cares, right?

I mean as long as there's no limit to how often you can just turn the thing on and off.

I just mopped the floor out that squadron of kung fu monks right at the start of Mt. Kongo and didn't even break a sweat. I could definitely use a boost in difficulty at least for the trash.

BTW the Bell works on the memories of bosses, right? That is definitely something i can try once i finish the game.

 

[Multidirectional]

I was actually thinking of turning on the Demon Bell for segular mooks, and turn it off for bosses.

I mean, technically i could leave it on for bosses but for my first playthrough i want to stay as close to "reference" as i can but regular mooks, who cares, right?

I mean as long as there's no limit to how often you can just turn the thing on and off.

There is no limit to how many times you can use Demon Bell. And it doesn't make that much difference either, just makes fights last a little bit longer. Also gives you NG+ drops from regular enemies. Bosses don't get any additional drops.

 

[Lyric Suite]

~ Whoa, They Know Kung Fu ~
​

Spoiler

So, i'm finally at Mt. Kongo. Talk about a change of pace. First off, the scenery is beautiful:




As i admire the view, i spot some Shaolin looking guy down a collapsed bridge. Wonder if NPC or if i have to fight him:



On the other side, i now a spy another Shaolin monk coming my way, apparently they are enemies:



I decide to come down and spar with him just to see what they can do, and holy crap he uses kung fu lmao. Not really sure how historically accurate this is, to have Shaolin style Buddhist monks in a Japanese setting. The traditional warrior monks of Japan, the Sohei, were basically like the Samurai.

Still, it adds a bit of novelty to this game. As i'm fighting with the guy, i'm also impressed by the combat music. After Dark Souls 2, i've found music in most FromSoft games to be competent but rarely that memorable. Maybe a few select boss tracks here and there. This game is no different from the start the music was pretty good but also fairly nondescript and nothing really stood out for me. This is the first time since i started playing this game where i actually stopped to listen to the music.

After this monk i see another one coming down and decide to get a closer look and apparently he is chanting some Buddhist prayers:



With the bells ringing in the distance this place as a very nice atmosphere. I kill him with a stealth blow than take a long view of this path, but from the looks of it this leads to a temple or something:



So for now i decide to explore the other side. As i make my way down, who do i see? By friend the racoon! There's some kind of kite next to him and down there i see that Shaolin guy but i now know what they are:



Before talking to the badger guy i go get rid of him just in case he decides to show up in the middle of an NPC interaction. Now that the coast is clear, i go talk to my little buddy here:



Of course i did bro, you left without even giving me the chance to buy the rest of your stuff. So, what's up anyway, what were you looking at?



So there's no way to cross to the other side?




I see. So what can we do?





Yeah, some people just have no manners. Let me go talk to the guy, i may be able to convince him.



So that's the guy. Alright, let me whip out my best shinobi diplomacy:



There, it seems we have come to an agreement. I don't think i want to touch the kite just about now, but let's see what the badger guy has to say.



So basically i have to actually operate the kite to get the next part of this quest going. I think i'll do that later. BTW, very difficult option this one, especially for Wolf whose entire existence revolves around saying as little as possible:



So i go check out for loot, and find a nugget on side of the temple. So as i make my way to check this other side as well, i meet one of those giant guys who appears to have been abandoned, poor dude:





I try to talk to him, see if i can help him somehow:



Who left you alone?








It doesn't seem his mind is all there, or perhaps something is interfering with his consciousness? It's still a mystery what those giants are and why they go out in a poof when they die.






I try to talk to him again and i get the same litany, and then this thing again shows up:



I can only assume this means i'll have to choose something once i get to the next step with their quest but it's still wierd to see it.

Anyway, i think i actually got this one. The red flower is the sakura flower from the Everblossom tree, while the white flower is the Lotus i'm supposed to find in the Sunken Valley. Has to be.

After looting everything on this side as well, i decide it's time to check out those monks. Up ahead i find a variant that uses a staff. Not that difficult all though the timing to Mikiri in his perilous attack is a bit wierd. Even though i'm not doing anything different, half the time instead of stomping on his staff i actually dodge his attack. Not sure what's up with that. As he dies, he drops this wierd thing:



Look at them Asura guys:



I now see there's several patrols of monks, some with a staff. I don't think i can take them on all at once, so i use ninjutsu to clear the first tree, after which i see what appears to be a pair of dead commoners:



Up ahead i see an entire horde of monks:



This calls for a little bit of shinobi tactics:





And so on and so forth. Eventually i clear them all, and i'm now free to pick this place clean, except on every corner i find those dead commoners:





Just what the hell is going on here?

Up above i find some more loot:



I look around but there doesn't seem to be a way inside this temple. This certainly ain't it:



Plump sort ahead and all that.

As i turn around, i still see those damn bodies:



What are those "monks" doing exactly?

I guess it's now time to check out that kite thing, but on the way there, it finally hit me. Something had been bugging me this whole time and i just couldn't remember what it was. Turns out i forgot to go talk to that looter guy after finding out what the Ashina soldiers "wanted".

Feeling like an idiot, i go check out the guy, and sure enough, what the Ashina samuari wanted was frikking salt:








Why, who could have seen that coming?



I'm pretty sure it will, but i'm not gonna tell him that. Let him face the consequences of his actions.

So i leave him to his scheme to profit off the misfortunes of the Ashina people. I'm sure when i return he'll have new merchandise to offer. To pass the time, i decide to make a few more stops. First, i go check out if Tengu has nw dialog since the last time i talked to him. Turns out something did change:





I now decide to also go visit Lady Emma to get an extra Healing Gourd since i had a seed laying in my inventory that i also had forgotten about. While i'm there, i take the time to talk to Kuro to see if i can tell him about that note i found in the Abandoned Cave. Turns out i can:





Apparently, he has never heard of any such village, upon which i tell him it is found in the Ashina Depths. He now remembers the well near the Moon-view Tower, where he read it may have some connection with a bottomless hole. And then, that part in the note where it says to "throw oneself"...

I explain to him i may have already found the answer to that:








So now there's indeed three parts to this aroma quest, and i will do them in the order the game presented them to me: Mt. Kongo > Sunken Valley > Ashina Depths.

It is now time to check up on the scoundrel merchant, and it seems that indeed he has refilled his stock with new products (he actuallys says he is loaded with cash and product! the absolute dirtbag). He now sells some upgrade materials in unlimited quantities and has something i had never seen before:



Of course, apparently he now has another hairbrained scheme to get rich, this time sinking to even worse levels of depravity:





Somehow i already know where this is going:





The way Wolf asks him what kind of qualifications he is looking for made me chuckle for some reason.




Wow, i may actually already have a good candidate for this.

It's now time to return to Mt. Kongo, but before that, i had to make one last stop. I found the monks to be a bit underwhelming. The whole game has gotten quite easy at this point, so to give myself a little boost, i decided to finally turn on that Demon Bell:




With this "Sinister Burden" upon me, i now decided to grind the monks in Mt. Kongo for a little bit. I wanna see if this increased drop rate actually does something and i also want to gather a bunch of sens so i can deplete the racoon's guy stock as soon as i'm able to purchase more things from him, just in case he leaves again. Of course, while i'm recording the following video, i finally find out how i can enter the damn temple. There's a spot in the ceiling you can just rope to, which i see suddenly while killing the last two guys. Damn i am retarded. I'm too tired to get up there yet so i'll just leave that for the next time.

Just a little video to showcase a possible farming route with the Demon Bell on. Using every dirty trick in the book available to a ninja to make it smooth and efficient (with the exception of the first couple of monks which i wanted to spar with).

 

[Ezekiel]

Trying to give this game another shot after quitting on the last boss when it came. I still suck. Sorry, but a combat system where the goal is to get hit (parry), not avoid, but get hit, isn't one I can respect. Sadly, it's the only From game I can stomach right now because I'm so sick of those tiny heads, weird bodies and hideous faces on the user-made characters. Fuck character creation. Them being mute is annoying as hell too. Give me a man of few words like the Sekiro boy.

 

[Ezekiel]

The Dragon's Dogma character creation that everyone praised is shit too. But even a lot of the NPCs in that game look freaking weird, so I don't know where the sculptors were.

 

[DJOGamer PT]

The Dragon's Dogma character creation that everyone praised is shit too.

DD char creation is good because the physical properties of your char actually modify his gameplay
No one cares about the fact that the characters don't end up looking good

 

[gabel]

The Dragon's Dogma character creation that everyone praised is shit too.

DD char creation is good because the physical properties of your char actually modify his gameplay
No one cares about the fact that the characters don't end up looking good

You can make good-looking characters in DD.
And the variety you can make is what's most astonishing.
That size and weight actually affect gameplay is just the cherry on the top.

 

[Lyric Suite]

~ Shaolin Hygenie ~​

Spoiler

Or lack of thereof to be honest. Seriously those are filthiest monks i've ever seen. Before getting into the temple, i take one last beauty shot of this place:



And it's now on:



Well, technically after this i went on a cleaning sweep to make sure i didn't miss anything and started jumping around a dozen rope points scattered across all the trees here as if i was Tarzan and ended up injuring myself in the process.

Anyway, i make it into the temple, and since i assume there might be a boss room i decide to be a pussy and take off that Demon Bell thing for now (i was also a bit disconcerned at the increased drop rate for mats. Started to feel a bit cheesy) . I look around and spot some nice Buddhist statues:



But as soon as i walk in here bugs start crawling out of every crevice. Do those monks ever clean up the place? Honestly these are the sloppiest motherfuckers around even all those bodies i've seen before why were they scattered all over the place? I have no idea why they are murdering those commoners, whether it's for their sick pleasure or it's part of one of their twisted rituals but in either case you'd think they'd pick a spot and do it there not just leave bodies everywhere seemingly at random what's wrong with this people.

I make my way down, stepping over more disgusting bugs on the way, and finally make it to what indeed appears to be a boss room (and of course bugs everywhere here too):



First, i need to take on this guy, but i'm not sure how:



He makes a little round but i'm sure if i were to sneak up on him i will alert the whole room. So i try to use one of those ceramic things to lure him up the ramp here. I don't know why those things have a tendency to just hit walls and jars and i had to do it twice but i manage to alert the guy without being seen. I make my way on the upper level and wait for the guy to come a little closer, but the bastard just wants to stay down there:



Time to try again, but this time i wait for him around the wall and see if i can grab him for a stealth kill from there. Success!



I'm now facing the boss. He doesn't see me, but i can't lock on him or the monks in front of him because i keep locking on those damn bugs instead:



There doesn't seem to be any other way to do this besides charging in (no guts no glory right?), and since i need more Spirit Emblems to do that Ninjutsu thing on those guys i actually get the opportunity to use this thing:



I heal myself and it's now time to charge, except i keep locking on the damn bugs:



This pisses me off now so fuck it, i just kill them. Somehow this doesn't alert the whole room and i manage to make my Ninjutsu entry afterall:



I now brace for a boss battle but the damn bastard doesn't even move. Is he actually alive? Instead, a burly guy shows up from behind that altar. All this Buddhist shit inspired me to use some kind of cool power up too, so i was waiting for an opportunity to use this thing the whole time, might as well be him:



I miss a deflection but no matter, those guys are routine too now:



Ok so now what's up with this guy:



Also, damn when was the last time he showered? He is literally covered in shit those monks need to be taught a thing or two about hygiene.

Flinching a bit, wondering where it's been, i decide to just hold my nose and pick up that loot, one of those Gourd things, and suddenly he comes alive. I get ready for a big battle but he dies in two hits:



Erm:



Well, zombies die twice in this game right? He now starts vomiting shit on me and bugs come out crawling under his ass i need to get the hell out of this place, let's get this over with quickly:



Erm, fuck:



The third time is the charm, right?



Or not:



I now figure maybe fire is going to do the trick. I mean look at disgusting shit at his feet. Forget a shower dousing him in flames is the only way to get rid of that filth:



Nope, he is still there, vomiting bugs on me:



Ok, stay there loitering in your own filth then. See if i care.

So i guess this is how the monks have discovered immortality: just don't shower, like ever, until you got so much shit on you it even manages to keep the Grim Reapear at bay.

I decide to step out of this nightmare and outside at least is nice and clean. Also, those monks may know nothing about personal cleansiness but they sure like to make the place pretty:



I turn around to gaze at the mountains and try to breath in some fresh air, except i still smell shit somehow:



Ho, it's that old lady again, the one that likes to hang around moats and moldy caves. It's like everybody who is dirty has to come here to foul up the place. What do you want now, you crazy bint?






Who the hell does this crazy woman think she is, Babe Ruth?




Find what? What the hell are you talking about...



Yes, you are.






I now get this thing again:



I guess this prompt is happening because i do not have anything to give to those NPCs it's just so wierd i never saw it before and it's now the third NPC in a row where this appears.

Talking to NPCs again usually just leads to a short summary of what they just said, but in this case she adds an extra piece of information:




What divine child, Kuro?

I now turn around to see what she was pointing at. Ho...



Definitely not looking forward to meeting that damn snake again. Time to move on i guess. This place is gorgeous btw:



In the distance, i see some smoke:



I guess i'll have to end up there at some point.

Mmmmh, more bodies:



This is starting to make me angry, both for the killing of innocents as well as for the haphazard way the bodies are just left seemingly in random places. I manage to jump back to where i was and i spot a grappling point, but i think i'll just make it to that platform first:



Once i land there i can now see my next challenge:



Could that be a mini-boss? Also, those guys around him look familiar. I sneak a little further ahead and i see the fire guy is making rounds. Should be able to easily take him out unseen in that grass:



I now i recognize those guys. They are the bandits i met in the Hirata Estate. What the hell are they doing here?

I rope my way to that grappling point and see if i can get an even better look:



At the far end i see there's another one of those guys with straw hats. This one might be dicey. I turn around and i see a big tree with a bunch of Emblems on top. Those might defintiely turn out to be useful:



While up there, i take a panoramic view of my surroundings:





Beneath me i spot a monk, who gets what was coming to him:



Up ahead i see another one. No mercy for those guys anymore, they have desecrated everything that makes Buddhism what it is, and do not deserve to live:




From here i make it to the second guy with the straw hat but there's no grappling point so i can't leap behind him:



What's with those collapsed bridges btw:



It made sense in the Ashina Castle since it is not unusual for armies to sacrifice bridges in order to block a venue for a possible enemy advance, but why would anybody do it here, the monks aren't at war with anyone, as far as i know anyway. Plus it's a complex of temples, not a castle.

I decide to backtrack and check out if the opposite side offers a better attack point. On the way there i spot that fire guy again, i'm actually not entirely sure if i can take him out without being seen:



More damn bodies on this side too:



Yep, that's those damn bandits:



Next to them i see a grappling point but judging from its position i'm pretty sure i'm gonna land right in front of that guy with the straw hat and not behind him. How the hell am i gonna do this.

I go all the way around again, and from the roof i see a grappling point that would put me behind that rock:



I land next to it and manage to remain unseen, but this is no good. I have both straw hat guys on either side and i'm sure the one on the bridge will spot me in a nanosecond which would alert the second one.

At this point i'm pretty tense as i have a ton of sens on me. I was farming those monk guys to make sure i had enough cash to just empty out every item on that racoon guy's inventory just in case he decides to disappear again. Still, i have a lot of ways to just bolt out of here if things go south, so i decided to just opt for recklessness as usual. I sprint out of this rock and just run straight up to that first straw hat guy. Right at the last second (millisecond really), i somehow manage to land a stealth deathblow, and it's now time to party:



I kill the two bandits in the span of a single second and it's now time to face the other straw hat guy head on:



I decide to stay on the defensive just so i can see what he can do. He is pretty wayward and seems to share the same problem the monks with the staff had with their perilous attacks. For some reason the timing is screwry and every time he did that i always ended up side stepping instead of doing a Mikiri. On my fourth try, the guy manages to land a full hit which takes out a ton of my health, but worst of all, i end up falling right where those two bandits were. Now i can't even take any screenshots if i hope to survive this. I quickly kill the one sitting down. He is an axe guy but to my luck he does that whole croggy animation when standing up which allows me to just kill him really fast. Sadly, i'm not so lucky as the shield guy does a charge and while avoiding it i land straight into that straw hat guy right in the middle of a perilous attack and actually get killed. Too pissed to even remember to take a shot of me laying on the floor, i quickly heal and jump up on that rope point. The guy with the straw hat follows me there but this time i'm not fucking around. I get to his face and start pounding that nimble bitch, pushing him all the way to where he was originally, until he goes down and doesn't get up anymore.

I then quickly make my way back to that shield guy and smash his ugly face into a bloody mess:



I now remember to at least take a shot of that dead straw hat guy lol:



On the side i see a grappling point and after hooking myself to it i end up in front of a small cave:



I take one last look behind me:



And then it's time to move on. At the end of the cave, i finally find a Sculptor's Idol. This must have been the longest stretch between check points i've seen in this game. After turning on the thing quickly, i now see i'm faced with two different paths:




Not sure which way to go, maybe i'll flip a coin, but that will have to wait for next time.

 

[Lyric Suite]

~ Armored Core ~
​

Spoiler

Alright then, time to move on. Unsure of where to go, i decide on a whim to check the right side, the one that goes upward. I rope myself to a tree branch, then i turn around to see what was on the other path, and from a distance i see what is definitely a merchant. Alright, guess i should have gone left:



Apparently, this path ends with him, which reminds me that compared to Souls this game is definitely a bit more linear:




Now those merchant guys all say the same thing but each one of them as at least one new line of dialog, though it's all inconsequential:




In his inventory, i see he has some new stuff, including a Five-Color Rice bottle which apparently is this game verion's of rainbow stones or stuff like that. Funny, considering i just commented how linear this game is, so i'm not sure what use i can get out of this. Funnily enough, the description of this Rice Bottle saw fit to mention that the rice is not "edible" at the end, just in case anybody thought of taking this to the old hag i guess, right?

I got a trillion of sens at this point and i might as well unload them, but i figured since i'm right next to a Sculptor's Idol i may as well just clean the inventory of all the other merchants first. I also make a stop to Lady Emma since i now got two more Gourd Seeds to get rid of.

After porting back, it's now time to turn to the right side path, and i'm presented with two options:




I flip a coin again the pick the top side. Wrong call as i instantly get ganked by the Vulgar Militia:



Ok then, bottom side it is. There's a short tunnel here at the of which i spot one of them rat guys:



I throw a ninja star at it. This makes all of them alert but i'm not actually seen so i wait until the coast is clear:



I jump up and i see the bastard is within reach of a deathblow. I waste no time taking advantage of this opportunity:




I then make a leap and kill the other guy since he has his back turned on me. I land a deathblow without alerting anybody else, and from a distance i spot the third one. I'm pretty sure he also has his back on me, and sure enough i easily land another stealth kill:




Up above i spot a fourth one. Wonder if i can sneak up on him by hanging on that ledge:



Turns out i can, so long buddy:




I think i got them all, and i take a moment to admire the view once more:



I turn around, and i spot another goodie up ahead but it appears it's a little tricky to get there:



I'm pretty sure i should make this jump from here, but up above i spot two other possible points of access:




For now, i decide to scout up above to see what's ahead of me first. That's one big temple:



From here, it seems i can finally reach that bridge:




Yeah 100% there's a boss in there. Fuck you i ain't getting tricked here. I turn around and see an open path littered with baby Buddha statues and spinning wheels. 100% at the end of it a bunch of those midget ninjas are going to crawl out of the ledges:



Turns out i was 100% wrong and it was totally safe:



I pick the thing and hooo now i get it:



So that what the crying giant was talking about lmao.

Turning around, i see something that definitely looks familiar:



I'm now at one of those ledges i had spotted earlier, but there's definitely no way to get down from here:



Since there's nothing else here i go back and make that jump like i should have. Wasn't hard:



From there, i see the path keeps going up:



I make it to the top and i end up finding this thing:




Ok then, so this was that. Not sure if those descriptions mean anything, i guess i'll see later when i'm back to the crying giant.

I now see the path goes ever upwards:



I expected more of those rat ninja guys but all i find is those dumb Daikatana lizards. At the top i find myself in front of a door. After opening it, i now come face to face with this damn thing again:



They look menacing but it takes two hits to kill it i don't get it. Now this place definitely looks familiar. It seems from here i can finally reach those Buddha statues, where i loot some wierd monkey booze thingy:




Finally, i'm now back to that Demon Bell thing:



And you know what? Fuck it, i'm turning the thing on again:




Nothing left to do but face whatever is in that tunnel bridge. But since i'm like two inches away from getting a skill point, i go kill a couple of more monks, and while i'm there, i take the time to talk to Kotaro. I'm now faced with the option of giving him one of the two pinwheels:



There's no way for me to know which option is the "better" one without consulting a wiki, and i don't think i'm gonna do that so i follow my instincts and give him the White Pinwheel. I'm going to post the response in full so i can keep a record of it as i understood very little from it, but i can always come back here and read it again if i find clues later on:







I think this is a recap of the first conversation i had with him. The Red and White Pinwheel says: Everyone is right here. The White Pinwheel says: Only the child is here.

So the Red and White Pinwheel is the "everyone" that he was complaing left him "all alone" (everyone being the children of the rejuvenating waters?), and the White Pinwheel is the one he wanted to find, a pinwheel for "that child".

Well, that sure cleared some things up (not lmao).

He then asks me for a favor, which leads to even more confusion:




I'm sorry what?




We can? And he wants me to do that why?





Alright, so he was in charge of looking after the children of the rejuvenating waters, and since he wants me to send him to the spirit world (how i have no idea, guess i'll find a mean later on), i can only assume that's where the children ended up as well. And among those children, there was a special "that" one, i'm assuming a divine child like Kuro or Lord Takeru. This must have been before the monks went psycopath.

BTW, i was convinced this was the guy i was supposed to send to the merchant. Certainly fits the description of being "strong", but i guess not? Nothing i can do for now but move on and face that tunnel. Just in case i decide to make another trip to unload my sens, this time picking this from the Sculptor as well:



While there i'm given the option to give him the monkey booze for drink but i'm not sure about this. Maybe i should give it to Isshin instead? I'll worry about that later though, time to face the boss, and, what the hell is this:




Is that a guy with full plate European medieval armor wielding a European greatsword? In a Japanese Buddhist temple? What? And what's this shit about his son? Do i know you dude? I'm so confused. At this point i expect this to be my first death since clearing the rot after Genichiro. No room to use the Homward Idol here in case things go south, but whatever, let the battle commence!

Alright, managed to kill this guy on my first try! I was fully expecting to die here so i was focusing on trying to figure him out instead of killing him. I begin by trying to get used to his attacks and try to get a feel for his patterns. He has slow moving attacks but deflecting them isn't that difficult. I quickly find out he is immune to all damage, even after a death blow. I try that spear thing but it does nothing. I thought this thing was supposed to "strip" armor what happened to that shit? I get hit once and almost got one shot since i left that Demon Bell thing on but no matter, all i'm doing for now is just practice. Then, suddenly, i do a deathblow near a ledge and he just plunges to his death? Lmao the hell is this so that's it? That was the gimmick?

And he screams Roberts on his way down, whom i assume is his son, but i have no idea who that bitch even is. Very strange fight but i as gimmick fights go it wasn't bad. I was getting pretty good at deflecting his attacks and i was actually enjoying doing it, and in a way i'm sad the fight didn't last a couple more deathblows.

 

[cvv]

Yeaah, I wasn't as lucky, I deathlowed him multiple times but never near the ledge. Was pulling my hair out. Figured maybe I need something I find later in the game so I withdrew and did other stuff but ultimately I found jack shit and had to look it up on wiki. Was really mad about it too coz I hate checking walkthroughs on my first runs.

Maybe the gimmick was kinnda obvious for some people but it has never struck my dumb ass. Fffff...still mad about it.