Gamers who have experienced FromSoftware’s notoriously difficult Dark Souls series knew that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice wasn’t a title to take lightly either. With a tricky new combat system and liberating movement mechanics to master, along with some devastating bosses of its own, it’s just as tough as Dark Souls and its spiritual successor Bloodborne.
By now, though, skilled players have defeated Sekiro’s most dastardly foes and met its curious cast of characters, so it’s time for a new challenge. While the game may not be getting a fully-fledged DLC expansion, a very substantial update is due to arrive on October 29, 2020. Here are some of the brilliant new features it’s going to bring.
10 The ‘Remnants’ System
For the most part, FromSoftware’s games are all about isolation; about a protagonist with an impossible quest doing their best to survive in an environment that’s about as hostile as it gets. Friendly NPCs are few and far between.
Even so, when playing online, Souls fans do have a little companionship in the form of notes left by other players. These could be hints as to how to proceed, other helpful tips or, in true ‘Souls Trolls’ fashion, cunning lies to lure newer players into ambushes or traps. One of the major additions coming with the Sekiro update is the Remnants system, which will function a lot like the notes/phantoms of old.
9 A Little More Direct Help From Experienced Players
Leaving Remnants behind will, of course, allow players to leave small cryptic notes for each other. Presumably, it’ll be a choice of preset phrases stitched together. This would be welcome in and of itself, but there’s going to be much more to the mechanic than that.
When creating a Remnant, a player will be able to ‘attach’ up to thirty seconds of their previous gameplay. In this way, they can show less experienced players exactly how to do a certain difficult section. FromSoftware haven’t shown off the system in action yet, but there’s a lot of potential here to go further than their games have ever gone before in this area.
8 Boss Remnants, Which Could Be Fantastic
When it comes to the difficulty of Dark Souls, players usually focus on particularly fiendish boss battles. Previously, fans could only help intrepid adventurers by leaving hints as to boss weaknesses outside their fog gates (“Fire is effective” or similar), short of hopping into their games and battling alongside them, but the Remnants mechanic could really shine here.
With the ability to leave brief snippets of gameplay, it’ll be possible to actually show the right approach to avoid certain attacks, which equipment is effective and so on. How will this ‘recording’ work in the heat of battle? The ins and outs haven’t been revealed yet, but Sekiro players will find a way!
7 New Outfits
Really, there are two schools of thought when it comes to armor in FromSoftware games: either players want to go for a practical, stat-boosts-in-all-the-right-places set regardless of its looks, or they want to prioritize style, jumble of stats or no jumble of stats.
For the fashion-conscious Wolf, a series of three new outfits are being added with the Sekiro update: the Old Ashina Shinobi and Tengu outfits plus another that hasn’t been revealed yet. Players will be able to switch between them at a Sculptor’s Idol, and it seems that they’re purely for looks rather than offering any gameplay advantage.
6 Completion Rewards For Players Who Have Proven Their Skills
Players who revel in that sense of hard-fought accomplishment (read: everyone who plays FromSoftware titles) will probably be glad to hear that these new looks for Wolf won’t simply be handed to them. Instead, they’re rewards for besting a series of tough feats.
The mysterious third outfit is unlocked by completing the main game at least once. As for the Tengu and Old Ashina Shinobi outfits, those are awarded to gamers who best a punishing new mode called Gauntlets of Strength.
5 Gauntlets Of Strength
As wary players who have been burned by Dark Souls countless times before will tell you, descending into something called a Gauntlet of Strength in a FromSoftware game is a scary concept.
Gauntlets of Strength are battles against a range of enemies from the game, in what will presumably be an arena-like setting. Prevail and you’ll earn those new outfits and a number of other special rewards. It’s sure to be brutally difficult, but it’s sure to be worth your while too!
4 The Increased Challenge Of One-Strike-And-You’re-Out Gameplay
There’s one other important thing to mention about the Gauntlets of Strength: the player has only a single life with which to complete them. Slip up just once and die, and you’ll have to start all over again.
It’s safe to assume that these will be quick, high-octane challenges, so not too much time should be lost should this happen (which it will). Nonetheless, though, for a game that tends to be relatively forgiving with players in that regard (there’s even a limited resurrection mechanic), this is a new and daunting idea.
3 Reflections Of Strength
With the iconic, notorious and meme-worthy nature of some of FromSoftware’s boss battles, it’d be remiss of them to include a mode like Gauntlets of Strength (focused on battles against hordes of enemies) without one that allows players to tackle bosses in a similar fashion. This is where the new Reflections of Strength will come in.
As the name might suggest, this mode allows Wolf to take on any previously defeated boss again. It’s unclear whether there’s any particular reward for doing so, but the opportunity to try out different approaches and strategies (perhaps in tandem with the Remnants mechanic) or simply repeat a favorite boss will be another great addition.
2 A New Style Of Boss Rush Gameplay?
For many players, the notion of hopping back into battle against a boss that they finally, narrowly defeated by the skin of their katana isn’t exactly a tempting one. For others, though, there’s nothing better than perfecting tactics against a challenging opponent.
The Reflections of Strength function is aimed at the latter, naturally, but how robust will this mode be? If players can repeatedly challenge these titans in any order they wish, it could serve as a sort of custom boss rush mode. This isn’t territory that FromSoftware have really ventured into before, which is quite exciting.
1 An Overall Huge New Test Of A Player’s Combat Mastery
Sekiro’s combat is an entirely different beast than that of Dark Souls or Bloodborne, and it was very jarring for a lot of returning fans to get to grips with at first. It’s a system that rewards precision, patience, and timing; a graceful blade ballet that looks smooth and effortless in the hands of a master.
If players are feeling confident in their skills with this system, October 29’s big update will be the perfect opportunity to prove it. With challenge modes that offer face-offs with both mobs of… mobs and bosses themselves, a true test of skill with every aspect of Sekiro combat awaits.
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