Chapter 690: Always Cheesing, Always Satisfying (Requesting Subscriptions, Monthly Passes)

Why is he so strong?

Zhang Yi looked at the 武士大将 before him and felt utterly vexed.

This is a bit unreasonable, isn't it!

Unlike the monsters in Dark Souls and Bloodborne.

In Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the BOSSes and mobs basically all block. And their blocking frequency is incredibly high.

Although the sound of swords clashing is very satisfying, like the ringing of steel.

The crucial point is that sometimes, while blocking, the BOSS directly attacks. And compared to mobs, where getting hit during an attack causes them to lose balance and allows for a Shinobi Execution.

Some larger mobs, or those wearing light armor, as well as leader BOSSes, have a hyper armor-like buff; hitting them won't interrupt their attacks.

At that moment, attempting to parry or dodge is already too late.

Of course, this isn't the most critical point. The most critical point, Zhang Yi realized after careful thought, is that Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice seems to boast two health bars and no stamina bar as particularly appealing.

But the key issue is that the absence of a stamina bar practically forces players to get greedy with attacks!

What is the biggest taboo in Souls-like games?

Isn't it getting greedy with attacks!

Why did many players initially find Bloodborne harder to pick up than Dark Souls?

Wasn't it because of the Rally mechanism and the lack of a shield?

It made many players involuntarily want to squeeze in extra attacks.

But now, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, it's gone even further!

Without a stamina bar, it's practically telling you, 'Are you still not getting greedy with attacks?'

There's no stamina bar, just run and slash freely!

However, once you actually get greedy, what awaits you is the harsh lesson of death.

Making players worldwide learn how to write 'Death'.

As for two health bars, it's laughable. One Healing Gourd, one health bar; with a total of two health bars, the margin for error, upon closer inspection, is even more unforgiving than Dark Souls or Bloodborne!

You say not to get greedy with attacks, not to confront head-on?

Zhang Yi thought the same, hitting the BOSS once then turning to run.

But the critical thing he found was that the BOSS was unreasonably tanky. And unlike the BOSSes in Bloodborne and Dark Souls that let you hack at them freely.

The humanoid enemies in Sekiro also parry.

This meant that out of three slashes, two would often hit the opponent's blade.

All he heard was the clang of metal, and the opponent's health bar didn't drop at all.

The most efficient way was to fill up the opponent's Posture Bar, and repeating this cycle could indeed wear down the BOSS, but the catch was that the margin for error was also not low, and it was extremely time-consuming.

“And it seems I can't even level up. This increase in vitality and Gourd Seeds, surely they're not only dropped by BOSSes, right?”

After dying four times and respawning in front of the Sculptor, Zhang Yi also triggered a mechanic called Dragonrot.

People around him would constantly cough when he died, and his Unseen Aid would be reduced. Unseen Aid is a chance to avoid dropping money upon death.

He received some plot clues from Emma regarding Dragonrot and Immortal Power.

If it were a normal game, Zhang Yi's focus would definitely be on the story and background worldview. But now, Zhang Yi felt himself trapped in a vicious cycle.

When playing Dark Souls and Bloodborne, encountering powerful BOSSes allowed him to continuously grind for Blood Echoes and souls to upgrade his stats and increase his health.

However, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, to increase his maximum health, he needed an item called Prayer Beads.

And Zhang Yi had no idea where to get these Prayer Beads.

But based on current experience, there's a high probability that some of these Prayer Beads are obtained after defeating a BOSS.

Well, that's just terrible!

Unable to defeat the BOSS to increase maximum health, but increasing maximum health requires Prayer Beads, which in turn require defeating the BOSS.

Despite having just started, and only facing the game's first or second BOSS.

Zhang Yi already felt the profound maliciousness emanating from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

“It’s not a big problem. If I can’t increase my maximum health, then so be it. I’m not the kind of player who collapses repeatedly.” Zhang Yi took a deep breath, thinking of a way to break the deadlock.

It's just dying a few more times, what's the big deal?

As for Dragonrot?

What could he do about it? Was it something he could avoid just by not wanting to die?

He recalled playing Dark Souls and Bloodborne; which BOSS didn't claim at least a dozen of his lives?

And most importantly, Zhang Yi felt there must be some unconventional methods.

As is well known, while Souls-like games are notoriously difficult.

They demand a high level of player skill.

However, there are also ways to cheese, especially when facing certain BOSSes.

For example, Father Gascoigne in Bloodborne can be fought using the music box.

Cleric Beast can be rushed with Molotov cocktails.

For Vicar Amelia, you can use Beast Blood Pellet and Fire Paper, and some BOSSes even allow summoning good helpers.

Currently, in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, Zhang Yi hadn't found any good helpers, and the game's interaction, apart from leaving bloodstains, didn't even have an online multiplayer function.

But Zhang Yi always felt there must be some way to cheese.

Respawning at the Sculptor's Idol, Zhang Yi didn't immediately rush to the BOSS. Instead, he stayed on the rooftop to observe.

Aside from becoming a deserter and not fighting this BOSS, were there other methods?

After a careful observation, Zhang Yi quickly noticed a crucial point.

That is, this BOSS in the game doesn't patrol back and forth like other small soldiers.

Instead, he stands motionless, gazing into the distance.

At the same time, he can use the grappling hook to reach the nearby watchtower.

Moreover, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice has stealth mechanics. And the previous tutorials consistently emphasized the characteristics of Shinobi Execution, so could it be?

Thinking this, Zhang Yi's eyes lit up.

Using the rope and double jump, Zhang Yi crouched and stealthily circled around to the BOSS's back, then saw a prompt that pleasantly surprised him.

A red execution point was flashing on the BOSS.

“Haha, it actually works!”

Zhang Yi decisively pressed the attack button, and then saw the Wolf in the game agilely grab the general's neck, then raise his Kusabimaru high.

*Splurt!

Blood splattered everywhere as the Wolf instantly executed the BOSS's first health bar.

Then, facing a BOSS with only one health bar, Zhang Yi used a Healing Gourd, a dozen Shuriken, and his two lives, but against the BOSS with only a sliver of its Posture Bar left, Zhang Yi died and returned to the Sculptor's Idol again.

But this time, he didn't feel any frustration at all, because victory was within reach.

“Indeed! This is the correct way to play the game! It's a stealth game, and shouldn't a ninja be stealthy?!”

“Mr. Chen’s level design is indeed as brilliant as ever; there’s a brute-force approach, but also a smart approach!”

Zhang Yi's face was beaming with a happy smile. Cheating? What kind of cheating is this? This is reasonable utilization of game mechanics, and even if it's cheating, he's having a blast.

Suddenly, he felt that this game had become fun again!

(End of Chapter) <>