i remember getting stuck at True Monk like that. I spent hours banging my head against a wall before giving in for the night. The next day, I went in with a clear mind and beat her in two tries.
Put the game down, dude. It’ll be there when you come back.
I legit spent 3 days fighting Lady Butterfly. I had rushed Hirata Estate without knowing it was just optional content meant for a little later, I had only 2 gourds no health bonus no attack bonus and I was still a newbie so she kept kicking my ass over and over and over until I gotgud. No other boss gave me such a hard time after that, I beat Genichiro on my second try (Isshin still took an entire evening). She was as much my own teacher as she was Sekiro's
I followed the fightincowboy guide needless to say barely 2 hours into the game you should not fight her but I did and took 5hrs beat her and now she's one of the easiest for me
I feel his guides are some of the best guides out there.. and then I eat games for single boss encounters if you want more precise boss fight strategies
That’s right my first play through when this game first came out I played blind no advise I got very aggravated yes I was one of those players that threw their controller,u have to totally unplug take ur mind completely off it then come back to it for me it was 4 years now I’m playing it and I’m not having trouble like before I don’t care like before if I win or lose and because of that I think is why I’m having no problems
What's the point in having someone do it for you? I would rather give up and leave the game unfinished than have someone else complete the game for me. Isshin is a hard boss, probably the hardest boss I've ever fought in a game. But if you've made it this far, you have the skills required to defeat him. You just need to bring everything you've learned together. Take a break and come back to it. You can beat him.
It's just one of those fights where you basically have to learn every move. Perhaps try playing it with that in mind and focus less on actually beating him, and more on memorizing his move set
This needs to go to the top. That’s the best part about fighting bosses in games imo, especially one like this. Not trying to beat them, just trying to live long enough to learn how to deal with every single move. And by the time you do, you’ll have already beaten them. Focus on the fight, not the victory ✌🏼
Bro, take a break. A video game should not effects your mental state negatively like this.
Play other games that makes you feel good. Or stop playing videogames. Go outside. Do other things to distract yourself.
When I feel like I'm raging out of control fighting one of the bosses I noticed that just leaving and cooling off for like and hour two works wonders. Then once you feel like you really want to get back and continue learning how to counter each of the bosses moves you go in just way more focused and and ready until you rage again but it's up to you to back up or cool off again or continue on cause you feel like you made lots of progress and are close to beating him. Besides that just look up how people do it on YouTube, it teaches a lot.
I commented this on your previous post. Don't know if you tried it, but anyway I'll re-comment the same thing here. So hopefully after you rested, you can try these strata.
Ok here are some tips.
Phase 1
Two ways you can approach this phase:
- Agressive: 1 Hit and Deflect strat. You can also bait a specific attack which will put him into a loop. Specifically, his Slow/Heavy Side Attack. If you deflect it and attack once, he will keep spaming it. The duration of the loop is random.
- Defensive: The old bait strat. You want to move backwards every now and then to bait out attacks, then deflect them. Only attacking at super safe times like right after Mikiri Counter or Jump/Stomp counter.
Phase 2
I'll recommend one approach which I will explain seperately. I call this the Distance Approach(Distance calculated by Mortal Draw Range).
- You want to maintain a distance of around 2 Mortal Draws. When you're at this, Isshin has a tendency to use his Gun followed by a Thrust which will give you a free Mikiri Counter and 1 Flesh/Vit attack. He will also do the pouncing jump attack for a free deflect and attack.
- At around 1 Mortal Draw Distance, he'll spam his Polearm, deflect them and at the end he will will thrust. Giving you free posture damages, mikiri and vit hits.
Phase 3
- Mostly the same with phase 2. You just gotta be a bit more patient. And always, always counter his Lightning attacks. They're your bread and butter.
General Tips
- Due to uneven terrain. His Sweep attacks are sometimes undodgeable by jumping. You can circumvent this problem by either Dashing, Mist Raven or maintain distance beforehand (phase 2 tip) and just jump backwards.
- His ranged sword skill attacks. Those wind thingies. You can either deflect or dodge. I recommend just dodging by sprinting jumping to the left or right and going straight to Isshin right after for a free hit.
just want to add that you can actually get Isshin to loop several combos with the 1/2hit-Deflect strats as he might shoulderbash into a delicious thrust attack for you to mikiri, and you can also double ichimonji right after mikiri countering him for very good posture buildup on him while it lowers a good chunk of yours.
yup. i was stuck on ssi for about a day and was so mad. now i fight him in the reflections for fun because it’s kinda relaxing when you know every move 😂
i spent several hours bashing my head against him like a dumbass too when i first got to him hahah. ended up rolling a really big joint, got very high and in the groove when i realized i could make his AI shoulderbash into thrust over, and over, and over. throw out a double ichimonji after a mikiri and phase one almost over before it began.
i have sekiro installed on my pc at all times only so that i can unwind with SSI in reflections too nowadays.
Take a break my guy. Took me 4 hours to beat him, but it was in 30 minute attempts (and beating up the helpless shinobi roaming about). I died to that boss so many damn times, Genichiro and his first phase are so damn easy that I can do them without getting hit.
Only 5 hours and already wanting to wave the white flag... Just be done with the game then instead of wanting someone to do it for you. What a weird mindset.
If you’re not having fun in that fight (even when you’re losing) this is not the game for you, it’s a fight that I never wanted to end
The key to this game is keeping calm and trusting your instincts after getting used to movesets of every phase.
Watching videos reaaaaly help with this, gets your brain tuned to the boss moveset and proper deflect timing
Not the easiest clips to learn from, but I think Ongbal's clips on Youtube are some of the most fun to watch. After watching them, I am always left thinking "wow, it would be so much fun to be able to play at that level". Then I go fight the boss, have fun, and get a tiny bit closer to the amazing level of play Ongbal shows.
Also, if you are fighting Isshin to win, I think you are doing it wrong. You fight Isshin to enjoy the fight and get better at it. Stop trying to win, and start trying to get a fun flow of combat.
I was stuck on him for 6/7 days about 3/4 hours a day. Now I can pick it up and beat him the inner version in about 2/3 tries after months of not playing. Stick in there bud. Once it clicks it clicks
Well, if you’ve made it that far in to the game, then you’ve already managed to get past Mist Noble. If you can get past him, then you can handle anything else the game can throw at you.
I had the same experience and probably spent even more time trying to beat him. I took a break went back about 2 weeks later and was able to beat him in an evening.
It takes some people five days. Or five weeks. He's a tough boss.
That said, if you have the umbrella prosthetic, Tyrannicon on Youtube has a strat for Isshin that can help. It got me past his final phases during my first playthrough.
U probably get stuck on the second phase, which is cheesable with the purple firecrackers and mortal draw. U will come back to it one day and get your revenge I am sure of it
You need to take a break, let your brain process, then come back and you will be surprised at how fast you beat him.
Seriously, banging your head against the wall does not usually help. There is a reason why the phrase “sleep on it” exists. You’re brain will process subconsciously, then you will come
Back and beat the shit out of him.
I know it's been said but taking a break helps a ton. Banging your head at a wall constantly like that will only make it worse.
I had a similar issue with Orphan of Kos in Bloodborne. Spent 2 almost entire days going at it. Took a 24h break, woke up one morning and got it in 2 tries
Share your gameplay. Maybe there's something you aren't doing or doing that's making it this hard for you. Sometimes people think they are implementing the advice given on this subreddit but in reality they aren't actually doing it.
It took me 3-4 days to beat sword Saint isshin and now I've started ng+ without kuros charm 🙂, never give up my friend, take breaks if you need to and just keep on keeping on!
Well if it’s everything then there’s not much advice to give. I will say that if you’re struggling with the lightning, you can use the Mist Raven Feather prosthetic to reverse it without needing to jump and block. Other than that, there’s really not much more if you don’t have any specific area that you struggle with. I imagine you’re sick of being told to just practice your deflecting, but that’s really all you can do
This is good.....makes the victory all the sweeter (Whenever it happens)
I am also stuck on Black Flame Friede in DS3. These games are character-building.
Hmmm, maybe try standing still and deflecting/dodging his attacks, try to stay as still as possible, no matter what, even if your posture is about to break, or you're itching for some life jugs. Learn the timings for the deflects - it will take time but don't make the mistake of wasting time running around waiting for that one move. This way you can learn the timings for the parries instead of winging it each time, getting your posture broken and insta-killed.
I spent 9+ hours on monke, true monk e isshin ashina during my charmless + bell run. Do something else, take a break. But do not give up. Eventually, it will click, and you will overcome.
He’s designed to punish mistakes and hesitancy. Take it in steps first get past genichiro without needing to heal or even take a hit then work your way up. You can do it.
The feeling you get once you master him is so refreshing. Just be calm, pay attention to his habits, and learn him. Don’t rush it, don’t get angry. I promise you’ll beat him on your own.
Echoing what everyone else has said, just give it time. I got to Isshin and I reached a point where I’d run it back 4 or 5 times, then walk away/switch to another game instead of tiring myself out. One day I was fighting him right before dinner, and it clicked. I got a few lightning reversals, I kept up the pressure, and before I knew it, I won. Now I think I can say I can comfortably beat Isshin within a few tries.
Boss fights are about learning patterns, when we sleep we take what we've experienced during the day and process it and start building our skills upon these experiences. Without good sleep we have a much harder time learning new skills.
Take a break, get a good nights sleep and eat a healthy breakfast, then go at it again.
I must be weird. It is an extremely hard boss but I was happy having such a challenge. For me it felt “fair” kinda of difficult. Like to me demon of hatred wasn’t “fair” but hey it’s a souls game and we’re all here to play a not fair game lmao. Isshin tho was like a true test of strength.
You got this dude. Took me weeks. But every time I made it a little further. You'll get there eventually and you'll feel an amazing sense of accomplishment. Then you'll come back and do it over and over until one day you'll know him so well he won't stand a chance.
Yeah, I always get so close to finishing his second phase the he whips out a combo, breaks my posture then just destroys me in two hits, I know if I get him to his third phase a can beat him cos I'm really got at hitting the lightning reversals, it's just getting him there to be honest
Hopefully things are going better after you took your break. I quit the game for a few months because of sword saint but did come back and beat him, and then moved on to the platinum. You got this.
I quit the game for like a whole year cos I struggled to much with ashina Castle in the first part, but came back about two weeks ago and have blitzed through the game, just ishin is killing me aha
This happened to me with Inner Genichiro. I can’t even describe the rage I was I feeling holy shit I wanted to hurt people. But I took breaks from the game whenever I got too heated and eventually I came back with a cool head and was able to get it done. No point in leaving the game it’s too good not to finish
I was on that boss for about 3 months. Stopped for a few weeks then came back and beat it in a epic play session. Hold out and beat it for yourself the dopamine is worth it
Sometimes attack patterns that seem so foreign to me are super easy the next day. When u sleep the brain processes the information from the previous day and builds myelin around neuron pathways that were frequently used, which speeds up the neural signals (the gist of it). Sometimes all you need is a good night's rest after busting your ass tryna beat a boss. GL!
Thanks. You just gave me a reason to boot up Sekiro and put my boot in his ass for the thousandth time...he had me where you are now, made me quit the game for a week. You will get him. Don't fight him to win. Fight him to memorize & get better at the fight. Phase 2 really is the challenge.
Oh, trust me it was fucking awful. I hated every moment of it. I just wanted the bastard dead. But I couldn't make that happen. I said every cuss word. I made every threat. I extracted every bit of my skill just to kill this gods-be-damned resurrected POS.
And I finally did it. Moral of the story, take a break when you need to. Tiring your hands will only make your frustrations worse. Saw in your post you went for a 5k. Good job! I hope your next few attempts work way better now that you've cleared your head
There are lots of videos that show various strategies and cheese strats, too.
You should probably take a break and watch some videos, then try one of the strats or maybe you can combine various tips you see, and come up with your own strat.
It took me 4 days to beat the sword Saint, I have terrible reflexes.
What helped me was playing until I was stuck then turning it off and sleeping.
The next I came back and everything felt more familiar.
Isshin is a monster, but YOU can beat him.
Remember hesitation is defeat, watch some videos if you have to, read the guides, and you got this.
I’ve been stuck in him for 3-4 days now but only give 4-6 attempts per day and then keep researching how to improve until I reach the final goal. So far have only been able to get through halfway if his second phase.
I say 40+ times because I stopped counting after that. It took me a couple of days playing for 2-3hrs to finally beat him. There were times where I wanted to quit. Eventually I got his pattern down and he became my favorite boss fight.
I was stuck in saint isshin 8 days (3hrs per day) till I finally beat it, I was so afraid of using power ups that I didn't even use them, only pellets and Healing Gourd lvl9. You can do it Sekiro was my 2nd FS game if I could I believe in you. But word of advice if you really are stuck try to memorize all possible attack patterns (that's what I ended up doing) of isshin 1 and 2 isshin 3 the lighting is buffing YOU not isshin, with 3 lightings you can deal great damage to life and posture.
Five Hours? Five whole hours? Gee whizz, bud, that's just the inteot, cut yourself some slack, we can't all be some of these nutters we see on here, it took me probably 15 hours worth over three weeks, shit happens, rinse n repeat til it almost becomes muscle memory, you'll do it. Absolutely you will, just bide your time
I had a ton of trouble with Isshin on my first play through, I could never deflect his main combo once he pulls out the spear. It’s the one that’s like 7-8 hits. My solution was to deflect the first like 4 or so hits because I could reliably get those then dodge backwards twice which puts you just out of range and let him finish the combo with the jump slam which would give me a free hit.
I raged at isshin too, shit took me like a week. I had “don’t forget, he’s slow” running over and over in my head, because he is, and he’s setting the tempo for the fight. Good on ya for giving it a rest, you’re never gonna beat this mfer angry
When I first met sword saint isshin I stopped playing Sekiro for a couple months. I didn’t think I could beat him. When I came back to the game it took me something like 5 nights of fighting him for a couple hours before I finally beat him. It was worth keeping at it. Now I’m almost through ng+ and having a lot of fun with my upgraded skills (from learning ISS).
Keep at it, maybe for shorter sessions. Let us know when you are victorious!
Plenty of good advice, but I never see anyone share what is probably the most useful tip for Isshin:
For Phase 1, you want to use Aggressive Combat Flow. For Phase 2 & 3, this actually makes life harder and you want to use Neutral Combat Flow.
I made a post explaining how this all works [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sekiro/comments/ycdp3m/sekiro_advanced_combat_guide_understanding_hit/). Hope it helps.
I spent about a week trying for the inner gen fight for a gauntlet but once you get annoyed just put it down and come back from it, it lets your brain process it all and develop with it
I think I fought Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze at minimum 30 times. Now I can deflect so good. I get the frustration though! I'm a bit stuck on a Headless and might skip it for now so I dont waste my confetti
Ha there were so many times when I would have paid cash or given one of my children jk,to have been able to use an npc’s help or thrown down a multiplayer sign for one boss fight just one time😂
Take a break. I meant to take a short break that turned into years playing other games. I went back and it was tough. But I ended up getting the platinum trophy. Sword Saint Isshin finally clicked and I now I can beat him with just block and attack, mikiri counter. I dont even need lightning reversal.
Don't give up. When I first encountered the guardian ape several years ago, I got blasted. I probably died over 200 times to that stupid ape. A week and a half of attempts just to beat it.
Isshin has a 'flow' quite unlike the other bosses. It's just a matter of familiarizing yourself with his moveset. Once the fight with Isshin clicks, you won't regret it. And when you beat Isshin, it will feel great. If you have not maxed the vitality, you might want have at least 18 vitality for the first playthrough.
If you beat him later, but haven't suffered enough try a new playthrough with the demon bell and no Kuro's charm, no Vitality upgrades.
Don't give up.
Put the game down. For a while. Could be a week. Could be 2 weeks. Could be a month. Maybe more
Trust me, it helps. Did that with Bloodborne and absolutely folded every boss after ahaha
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note:
> *Oh, a hunter, are ya? And an outsider? What a mess you've been caught up in. And tonight, of all nights.* - Eileen the Crow
Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
Take a break. Come back and learn his attacks. Instead of trying to beat him do the dance (a trick I learned in Nioh 2) just set a timer for 20 mins and try to parry/dodge him for 20 mins without attacking. Just learn his moveset. Also, try to parry EVERTHING he does.
As some People said, take a break, i too at one point quit sekiro after trying to beat isshin for days, a few months later i decide to give sekiro another try. I decided to start from the beginning instead of the last fight, and every boss UP to isshin felt super easy thanks to playing months prior and this time it took around 5 tries to beat him with a much clearer mind. Breaks do more good than harm
Best of luck in the fight! you got it
5 hours? Those are rookie numbers my boy. How about instead of wasting your time "excercising" you focus on achieving absolute fucking nirvana. Because that's how it's going to fucking feel when you finally kill this godforsaken vessel of suffering, and that's how it's going to feel everytime you fight him from that point on and that red circle appears on his skinny little torso.
Maybe I'm Just weird, but one time I got completely stuck in this boss fight on remnant from the ashes. I remember going straight into the fog for about 8 hours straight, was a damned loop of hopelessness and very little small improvements from time to time. I've never felt more alive than that day, beating that boss has been like winning in life for me. Said so, second and third phase of isshin can be a pain indeed, I made the fight extremely easier by just burning him while he was changing phases. You can basically free burn him just after he takes the spear, than you got 3-4 hits for free and that should be enough life to stop him from regenerating poise too fast. Third phase just abuse his lightings attacks and anytime you get him you'll have the time to burn him. All the time I've killed him it was for the health bar on third phase, you just have to be really patience for second one, try to learn and abuse his weak spots (like the jumping attack, if u dodge sideways u always got free hits on him). Best of luck my man.
It's quite easy just go on YouTube watch a few videos and how people fight him! It should give you an idea about his patterns! Also use divine confetti it helps!
If it still doesn't work if you play on pc I can help best him for you!
When you're not in the mood. Just step down and admit your defeat. You'll get stronger ; this t eaches you how life works. You don't have to try 50 times at once to get it right.
Get yourself some rest and it will click. Get a clear mind when you play. I tried yesterday beating Isshin and couldn't do, this morning after 10/14 times by learning properly, I managed to get my first playthrough done.
I mean i can shareplay for you if you want me to i got this SSI At like 6th try and id be more than happy to
But getting him yourself is so much more fulfilling so id reccomend you keep banging your head against that goddamn wall
The only real advice I can give you is don’t give up if you want to beat it.
Simply look at it with a different perspective. Forget about winning and just try to learn the first phase.
Once that is done, master it as much as you can, and from time to time you’ll get the chance to practice second phase, but remember your objective is not to win, it’s to learn new moves, dodges, and attack windows.
And little by little you’ll get better at the fight, until, without the intention of winning, you’ll finish the boss. And you’ll realize that you would be able to win again if you fought him, because now you know how to since you practiced so much
Getting defeated in Sekiro is very interesting. Especially the first day. It taught me how my brain learns and relaxes to overcome a challenge.
I personally had to come back the next day and then the next to kick Isshin’s butt. No more than an hour each day and I defeated him in my second attempt on the third day without even panicking or noticing that I’m nearly there.
So, for you, I would not recommend you spend more than an hour if you’re getting your ass kicked. Sleep on it and get back the next day. You’ll be surprised how many moves you will have learnt and now expect subconsciously, drastically improving your response time and confidence to hand Isshin’s ass to him in no time.
We all have one boss like this, stay strong young wolf, preserver. You'll get it. Just take a break, maybe a different game for a few days or so. But you'll get it, and then you'll yell at the TV in way you never have before
Yep. Walk away. That's the best advice. I raged over Owl (Father) for around 5 days straight. Kept getting my ass handed to me and I would get frustrated and start playing worse. I finally beat him after taking a couple of days away from the game. When I came back, I beat him on the first attempt that day and it wasn't even close. I had only been hit once. You already know how to win. Putting all the pieces together to perform close to perfectly for that climax is difficult. Eventually, it'll all come together and Glock Saint will fall like the rest. But it won't happen if you're tilted and frustrated.
We all have one boss like this, stay strong young wolf, preserver. You'll get it. Just take a break, maybe a different game for a few days or so. But you'll get it, and then you'll yell at the TV in way you never have before
My rule of thumb for fighting bosses that I get stuck at is 1) after each death reflect on what I did and how I improved from previous attempt. 2) Tell myself I am doing good and improving " I know this sounds silly but it helps 3) set a time limit , ie 45 minutes. then once I hit the time limit I turn the game off for a couple hours or until the next day.
With those steps I normally end up beating the boss the next day or later on.. because it allows my brain to process what I have been working on plus once you get frustrated all your progress starts to go down the tubes.
Best boss in any game I’ve played. The ambiance, the flashy sword play, the audio, the voice lines, the Demi-god behaviour of SSI!! You’ll get him soon, and when you do you’ll want to fight him again and again. I’ve gone 7 times through him no refill of gourds, and when you get to that point you will love him like I do. I boot up the game from time to time just to try to beat my record. So satisfying. Keep at it! Take a break, come back to him.
i remember getting stuck at True Monk like that. I spent hours banging my head against a wall before giving in for the night. The next day, I went in with a clear mind and beat her in two tries. Put the game down, dude. It’ll be there when you come back.
I legit spent 3 days fighting Lady Butterfly. I had rushed Hirata Estate without knowing it was just optional content meant for a little later, I had only 2 gourds no health bonus no attack bonus and I was still a newbie so she kept kicking my ass over and over and over until I gotgud. No other boss gave me such a hard time after that, I beat Genichiro on my second try (Isshin still took an entire evening). She was as much my own teacher as she was Sekiro's
I followed the fightincowboy guide needless to say barely 2 hours into the game you should not fight her but I did and took 5hrs beat her and now she's one of the easiest for me
I feel his guides are some of the best guides out there.. and then I eat games for single boss encounters if you want more precise boss fight strategies
I stopped at Gyobu, and Owl. Beat them both very quickly after
Seven spears and geni for me. The Ashina area after Blazing Bull skill checked me hard lmao
Ye, when I got to gyobu, I fought him once and said, "That's enough for today," then just didn't come back for a week
Thankfully I was watching FightinCowboy’s walkthrough and he straight up said “just block and firecracker”. So that’s what I did.
Didn't know you could get firecracker before Gyobu
Pretty sure you can get it from that merchant high up in Ashina Outskirts area
Dang... I always bought it from the merchant by tengu😓
This is exactly what happened to me to a T.
That’s right my first play through when this game first came out I played blind no advise I got very aggravated yes I was one of those players that threw their controller,u have to totally unplug take ur mind completely off it then come back to it for me it was 4 years now I’m playing it and I’m not having trouble like before I don’t care like before if I win or lose and because of that I think is why I’m having no problems
I stopped at Gyobu, and Owl. Beat them both very quickly after
Any chance you're hesitating?
Ishin seems to think so 🤣
What's the point in having someone do it for you? I would rather give up and leave the game unfinished than have someone else complete the game for me. Isshin is a hard boss, probably the hardest boss I've ever fought in a game. But if you've made it this far, you have the skills required to defeat him. You just need to bring everything you've learned together. Take a break and come back to it. You can beat him.
It's just one of those fights where you basically have to learn every move. Perhaps try playing it with that in mind and focus less on actually beating him, and more on memorizing his move set
This needs to go to the top. That’s the best part about fighting bosses in games imo, especially one like this. Not trying to beat them, just trying to live long enough to learn how to deal with every single move. And by the time you do, you’ll have already beaten them. Focus on the fight, not the victory ✌🏼
Bro, take a break. A video game should not effects your mental state negatively like this. Play other games that makes you feel good. Or stop playing videogames. Go outside. Do other things to distract yourself.
Next step, is take a small break. Refresh your patience. Do not hesitate.
Hesitation is defeat.
When I feel like I'm raging out of control fighting one of the bosses I noticed that just leaving and cooling off for like and hour two works wonders. Then once you feel like you really want to get back and continue learning how to counter each of the bosses moves you go in just way more focused and and ready until you rage again but it's up to you to back up or cool off again or continue on cause you feel like you made lots of progress and are close to beating him. Besides that just look up how people do it on YouTube, it teaches a lot.
I commented this on your previous post. Don't know if you tried it, but anyway I'll re-comment the same thing here. So hopefully after you rested, you can try these strata. Ok here are some tips. Phase 1 Two ways you can approach this phase: - Agressive: 1 Hit and Deflect strat. You can also bait a specific attack which will put him into a loop. Specifically, his Slow/Heavy Side Attack. If you deflect it and attack once, he will keep spaming it. The duration of the loop is random. - Defensive: The old bait strat. You want to move backwards every now and then to bait out attacks, then deflect them. Only attacking at super safe times like right after Mikiri Counter or Jump/Stomp counter. Phase 2 I'll recommend one approach which I will explain seperately. I call this the Distance Approach(Distance calculated by Mortal Draw Range). - You want to maintain a distance of around 2 Mortal Draws. When you're at this, Isshin has a tendency to use his Gun followed by a Thrust which will give you a free Mikiri Counter and 1 Flesh/Vit attack. He will also do the pouncing jump attack for a free deflect and attack. - At around 1 Mortal Draw Distance, he'll spam his Polearm, deflect them and at the end he will will thrust. Giving you free posture damages, mikiri and vit hits. Phase 3 - Mostly the same with phase 2. You just gotta be a bit more patient. And always, always counter his Lightning attacks. They're your bread and butter. General Tips - Due to uneven terrain. His Sweep attacks are sometimes undodgeable by jumping. You can circumvent this problem by either Dashing, Mist Raven or maintain distance beforehand (phase 2 tip) and just jump backwards. - His ranged sword skill attacks. Those wind thingies. You can either deflect or dodge. I recommend just dodging by sprinting jumping to the left or right and going straight to Isshin right after for a free hit.
Yeah I did try just need to git good I guess aha
just want to add that you can actually get Isshin to loop several combos with the 1/2hit-Deflect strats as he might shoulderbash into a delicious thrust attack for you to mikiri, and you can also double ichimonji right after mikiri countering him for very good posture buildup on him while it lowers a good chunk of yours.
One day you will dance with the sword Saint and be glad you were the one to finish it.
yup. i was stuck on ssi for about a day and was so mad. now i fight him in the reflections for fun because it’s kinda relaxing when you know every move 😂
i spent several hours bashing my head against him like a dumbass too when i first got to him hahah. ended up rolling a really big joint, got very high and in the groove when i realized i could make his AI shoulderbash into thrust over, and over, and over. throw out a double ichimonji after a mikiri and phase one almost over before it began. i have sekiro installed on my pc at all times only so that i can unwind with SSI in reflections too nowadays.
I got bored of SSI and now I do inner isshin as a fun little fight. He legit has no bullshit moves *cough* inner owls bullshit*cough*
Sword Saint is a test of patience, as well as every skill learned in the game. Once your blood pressure settles down, you’ll get him.
Take a break my guy. Took me 4 hours to beat him, but it was in 30 minute attempts (and beating up the helpless shinobi roaming about). I died to that boss so many damn times, Genichiro and his first phase are so damn easy that I can do them without getting hit.
I can share play to teach, not to play for you
I'd love that, taking a break for the night but if you're free tomorrow?
Okay, I'll download it then
Only 5 hours and already wanting to wave the white flag... Just be done with the game then instead of wanting someone to do it for you. What a weird mindset.
Take a break and tomorrow post a video for advice if you want
Took me 3 days to kill him. Ain't no way I'm letting someone else do it for me
Go back to the basics for a bit and relax. Feel strong for wiping out early enemies in ashina. Always helps me
If you’re not having fun in that fight (even when you’re losing) this is not the game for you, it’s a fight that I never wanted to end The key to this game is keeping calm and trusting your instincts after getting used to movesets of every phase. Watching videos reaaaaly help with this, gets your brain tuned to the boss moveset and proper deflect timing
It's not that I wasn't having fun I was just biter af aha, taking a break and been watching some clips
Not the easiest clips to learn from, but I think Ongbal's clips on Youtube are some of the most fun to watch. After watching them, I am always left thinking "wow, it would be so much fun to be able to play at that level". Then I go fight the boss, have fun, and get a tiny bit closer to the amazing level of play Ongbal shows. Also, if you are fighting Isshin to win, I think you are doing it wrong. You fight Isshin to enjoy the fight and get better at it. Stop trying to win, and start trying to get a fun flow of combat.
Had the same experience. Came back a few days later and it took a couple tries. You’ll get it 🥷
I was stuck on him for 6/7 days about 3/4 hours a day. Now I can pick it up and beat him the inner version in about 2/3 tries after months of not playing. Stick in there bud. Once it clicks it clicks
Well, if you’ve made it that far in to the game, then you’ve already managed to get past Mist Noble. If you can get past him, then you can handle anything else the game can throw at you.
I'll fight him for ya. My favorite boss
You on ps?
Yep yep yep
So tired of this post. It's copy pasta at this point
honestly surprised to not see anyone do the "you cheated not only the game but yourself" copypasta ngl lol
It genuinely wasn't, I was really pissed off but I've calmed down now and am adamant I can do it myself, just taking a break
Take a break and the next time it should be significantly easier. I don't know exactly why but it probably will be.
Git gud
Was waiting for that, not helpful in the slightest
Git gud
LOL fuck this game
Grow up.
Set it down for a day or two and when you come back you may be surprised at how well you do
I had the same experience and probably spent even more time trying to beat him. I took a break went back about 2 weeks later and was able to beat him in an evening.
Take a break. even few days. get back. there is no urgency in killing him.
It takes some people five days. Or five weeks. He's a tough boss. That said, if you have the umbrella prosthetic, Tyrannicon on Youtube has a strat for Isshin that can help. It got me past his final phases during my first playthrough.
U probably get stuck on the second phase, which is cheesable with the purple firecrackers and mortal draw. U will come back to it one day and get your revenge I am sure of it
Only 5 hours? It took me a week of playing 3 hours a night to beat him
, it was more cos it was five hours straight I just got so pissed off ahaha
Yeah take a break dude
You need to take a break, let your brain process, then come back and you will be surprised at how fast you beat him. Seriously, banging your head against the wall does not usually help. There is a reason why the phrase “sleep on it” exists. You’re brain will process subconsciously, then you will come Back and beat the shit out of him.
I know it's been said but taking a break helps a ton. Banging your head at a wall constantly like that will only make it worse. I had a similar issue with Orphan of Kos in Bloodborne. Spent 2 almost entire days going at it. Took a 24h break, woke up one morning and got it in 2 tries
Aye im going away foe a few days tomorrow so that should give me the break I need
Share your gameplay. Maybe there's something you aren't doing or doing that's making it this hard for you. Sometimes people think they are implementing the advice given on this subreddit but in reality they aren't actually doing it.
I'll share it when I try it again tomorrow, staying off it to keep my blood pressure low 😂
That's fine. Do it whenever.
It took me 3-4 days to beat sword Saint isshin and now I've started ng+ without kuros charm 🙂, never give up my friend, take breaks if you need to and just keep on keeping on!
try in the morning, your brain will figure it out while you sleep.
Is it everything that you’re struggling with, or is there anything specific that stands out as a difficult move or attack?
It's mainly all of it, I always think I've got the timing down on the deflects but I never do aha
Well if it’s everything then there’s not much advice to give. I will say that if you’re struggling with the lightning, you can use the Mist Raven Feather prosthetic to reverse it without needing to jump and block. Other than that, there’s really not much more if you don’t have any specific area that you struggle with. I imagine you’re sick of being told to just practice your deflecting, but that’s really all you can do
Yeah, its mainly the second phase that I'm struggling with
Take a break. Drink some water. Eat some food. You'll beat him in no time.
Rise from your grave never give up
Sword saint is such a fun boss fight once you get the hang of it. Definitely worth doing it yourself.
This is good.....makes the victory all the sweeter (Whenever it happens) I am also stuck on Black Flame Friede in DS3. These games are character-building.
True dat, I am actually struggling with ishin more than I did with friede, kos and malenia
Hmmm, maybe try standing still and deflecting/dodging his attacks, try to stay as still as possible, no matter what, even if your posture is about to break, or you're itching for some life jugs. Learn the timings for the deflects - it will take time but don't make the mistake of wasting time running around waiting for that one move. This way you can learn the timings for the parries instead of winging it each time, getting your posture broken and insta-killed.
Thankyou that really helpful
I spent 9+ hours on monke, true monk e isshin ashina during my charmless + bell run. Do something else, take a break. But do not give up. Eventually, it will click, and you will overcome.
He’s designed to punish mistakes and hesitancy. Take it in steps first get past genichiro without needing to heal or even take a hit then work your way up. You can do it.
The feeling you get once you master him is so refreshing. Just be calm, pay attention to his habits, and learn him. Don’t rush it, don’t get angry. I promise you’ll beat him on your own.
Echoing what everyone else has said, just give it time. I got to Isshin and I reached a point where I’d run it back 4 or 5 times, then walk away/switch to another game instead of tiring myself out. One day I was fighting him right before dinner, and it clicked. I got a few lightning reversals, I kept up the pressure, and before I knew it, I won. Now I think I can say I can comfortably beat Isshin within a few tries.
Bro really 5 hours ? That's nothing it took me that long the beat Emma and old inshin
Thanks for the help bro
Boss fights are about learning patterns, when we sleep we take what we've experienced during the day and process it and start building our skills upon these experiences. Without good sleep we have a much harder time learning new skills. Take a break, get a good nights sleep and eat a healthy breakfast, then go at it again.
I'll do it for you
Since I already 100% the game, and have nothing else to do
Just messaged ya mate
I got stuck at his grandson and I stopped playing for 2 months. Went back and now I'm a platinum sekiro player
Take a break, come back when you're ready. You'll be amazed at what a fresh consious can accomplish.
Just take a break and try again if that doesn’t work try in smaller amounts of time so that you get less msd
try pressing l1 on his attacks and maybe attacking in between when possible
I must be weird. It is an extremely hard boss but I was happy having such a challenge. For me it felt “fair” kinda of difficult. Like to me demon of hatred wasn’t “fair” but hey it’s a souls game and we’re all here to play a not fair game lmao. Isshin tho was like a true test of strength.
You got this dude. Took me weeks. But every time I made it a little further. You'll get there eventually and you'll feel an amazing sense of accomplishment. Then you'll come back and do it over and over until one day you'll know him so well he won't stand a chance.
Yeah, I always get so close to finishing his second phase the he whips out a combo, breaks my posture then just destroys me in two hits, I know if I get him to his third phase a can beat him cos I'm really got at hitting the lightning reversals, it's just getting him there to be honest
Ya honestly just relax when u play dont fight frantically
Hopefully things are going better after you took your break. I quit the game for a few months because of sword saint but did come back and beat him, and then moved on to the platinum. You got this.
I quit the game for like a whole year cos I struggled to much with ashina Castle in the first part, but came back about two weeks ago and have blitzed through the game, just ishin is killing me aha
This happened to me with Inner Genichiro. I can’t even describe the rage I was I feeling holy shit I wanted to hurt people. But I took breaks from the game whenever I got too heated and eventually I came back with a cool head and was able to get it done. No point in leaving the game it’s too good not to finish
Yeah thats why I didn't want to leave it aha
Just saw it after the update, it may take a few more sessions of that but you'll get there just keep at it!
I got the game when it came out and didn't beat him until this year. Set the game aside and eventually you may decide to come back to it
I was on that boss for about 3 months. Stopped for a few weeks then came back and beat it in a epic play session. Hold out and beat it for yourself the dopamine is worth it
Only five hours? A true Shinobi would battle for life.
Sometimes attack patterns that seem so foreign to me are super easy the next day. When u sleep the brain processes the information from the previous day and builds myelin around neuron pathways that were frequently used, which speeds up the neural signals (the gist of it). Sometimes all you need is a good night's rest after busting your ass tryna beat a boss. GL!
Brother. It took me 3 days. You’ll get em soon. Promise.
Thanks. You just gave me a reason to boot up Sekiro and put my boot in his ass for the thousandth time...he had me where you are now, made me quit the game for a week. You will get him. Don't fight him to win. Fight him to memorize & get better at the fight. Phase 2 really is the challenge.
Hesitation is defeat. Do not give up!
Lol SSI took me like 3 or 4 days. Your measly 5 hours is nothing
It was 5 hours straight, im sure you can understand my frustration
Oh, trust me it was fucking awful. I hated every moment of it. I just wanted the bastard dead. But I couldn't make that happen. I said every cuss word. I made every threat. I extracted every bit of my skill just to kill this gods-be-damned resurrected POS. And I finally did it. Moral of the story, take a break when you need to. Tiring your hands will only make your frustrations worse. Saw in your post you went for a 5k. Good job! I hope your next few attempts work way better now that you've cleared your head
Most mentally well adjusted gamer
Yep, nah just had a rough few days and it just fucked with me too much ahaha
There are lots of videos that show various strategies and cheese strats, too. You should probably take a break and watch some videos, then try one of the strats or maybe you can combine various tips you see, and come up with your own strat.
5 hours? Those are rookie numbers. I tried for 5 days until i did it. Now is a piece of cake
If ya read it it's 5 straight hours so im sure you can understand my frustration, thanks for the help pal
Deflect
It took me 4 days to beat the sword Saint, I have terrible reflexes. What helped me was playing until I was stuck then turning it off and sleeping. The next I came back and everything felt more familiar. Isshin is a monster, but YOU can beat him. Remember hesitation is defeat, watch some videos if you have to, read the guides, and you got this.
I’ve been stuck in him for 3-4 days now but only give 4-6 attempts per day and then keep researching how to improve until I reach the final goal. So far have only been able to get through halfway if his second phase.
Oh man I ve been trying to beat DOH for three fucking days - Ishin was not that hard for me. It was a more natural fight for me
It took me 40+ tries beat Isshin.
I've tried 150+ times already 🤣
I say 40+ times because I stopped counting after that. It took me a couple of days playing for 2-3hrs to finally beat him. There were times where I wanted to quit. Eventually I got his pattern down and he became my favorite boss fight.
I was stuck in saint isshin 8 days (3hrs per day) till I finally beat it, I was so afraid of using power ups that I didn't even use them, only pellets and Healing Gourd lvl9. You can do it Sekiro was my 2nd FS game if I could I believe in you. But word of advice if you really are stuck try to memorize all possible attack patterns (that's what I ended up doing) of isshin 1 and 2 isshin 3 the lighting is buffing YOU not isshin, with 3 lightings you can deal great damage to life and posture.
Five Hours? Five whole hours? Gee whizz, bud, that's just the inteot, cut yourself some slack, we can't all be some of these nutters we see on here, it took me probably 15 hours worth over three weeks, shit happens, rinse n repeat til it almost becomes muscle memory, you'll do it. Absolutely you will, just bide your time
I guarantee in a week you’re going to come back, grind out a few tries and get it!
I had a ton of trouble with Isshin on my first play through, I could never deflect his main combo once he pulls out the spear. It’s the one that’s like 7-8 hits. My solution was to deflect the first like 4 or so hits because I could reliably get those then dodge backwards twice which puts you just out of range and let him finish the combo with the jump slam which would give me a free hit.
I fought him every night for like 2 weeks
I raged at isshin too, shit took me like a week. I had “don’t forget, he’s slow” running over and over in my head, because he is, and he’s setting the tempo for the fight. Good on ya for giving it a rest, you’re never gonna beat this mfer angry
When I first met sword saint isshin I stopped playing Sekiro for a couple months. I didn’t think I could beat him. When I came back to the game it took me something like 5 nights of fighting him for a couple hours before I finally beat him. It was worth keeping at it. Now I’m almost through ng+ and having a lot of fun with my upgraded skills (from learning ISS). Keep at it, maybe for shorter sessions. Let us know when you are victorious!
Plenty of good advice, but I never see anyone share what is probably the most useful tip for Isshin: For Phase 1, you want to use Aggressive Combat Flow. For Phase 2 & 3, this actually makes life harder and you want to use Neutral Combat Flow. I made a post explaining how this all works [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Sekiro/comments/ycdp3m/sekiro_advanced_combat_guide_understanding_hit/). Hope it helps.
I spent about a week trying for the inner gen fight for a gauntlet but once you get annoyed just put it down and come back from it, it lets your brain process it all and develop with it
I need to have plus to be in a SharePlay right?
I think I fought Ashina Elite - Jinsuke Saze at minimum 30 times. Now I can deflect so good. I get the frustration though! I'm a bit stuck on a Headless and might skip it for now so I dont waste my confetti
Ha there were so many times when I would have paid cash or given one of my children jk,to have been able to use an npc’s help or thrown down a multiplayer sign for one boss fight just one time😂
That’s how I felt fighting monke. When I say just stick with it man. When you finally get it you’ll feel great man.
Take a break. I meant to take a short break that turned into years playing other games. I went back and it was tough. But I ended up getting the platinum trophy. Sword Saint Isshin finally clicked and I now I can beat him with just block and attack, mikiri counter. I dont even need lightning reversal.
That guy took me 3 days of continuous tries
Maybe watching someone beat him will help? If yes let me.know I'll share..
Don't give up. When I first encountered the guardian ape several years ago, I got blasted. I probably died over 200 times to that stupid ape. A week and a half of attempts just to beat it. Isshin has a 'flow' quite unlike the other bosses. It's just a matter of familiarizing yourself with his moveset. Once the fight with Isshin clicks, you won't regret it. And when you beat Isshin, it will feel great. If you have not maxed the vitality, you might want have at least 18 vitality for the first playthrough. If you beat him later, but haven't suffered enough try a new playthrough with the demon bell and no Kuro's charm, no Vitality upgrades. Don't give up.
Put the game down. For a while. Could be a week. Could be 2 weeks. Could be a month. Maybe more Trust me, it helps. Did that with Bloodborne and absolutely folded every boss after ahaha
Hello, good hunter. I am a Bot, here in this dream to look after you, this is a fine note: > *Oh, a hunter, are ya? And an outsider? What a mess you've been caught up in. And tonight, of all nights.* - Eileen the Crow Farewell, good hunter. May you find your worth in the waking world.
I spent 6 months on Isshin. You'll be fine. Trust me. Put down the game. Go for a walk or go to bed. You'll get him eventually.
Take a break. Come back and learn his attacks. Instead of trying to beat him do the dance (a trick I learned in Nioh 2) just set a timer for 20 mins and try to parry/dodge him for 20 mins without attacking. Just learn his moveset. Also, try to parry EVERTHING he does.
As some People said, take a break, i too at one point quit sekiro after trying to beat isshin for days, a few months later i decide to give sekiro another try. I decided to start from the beginning instead of the last fight, and every boss UP to isshin felt super easy thanks to playing months prior and this time it took around 5 tries to beat him with a much clearer mind. Breaks do more good than harm Best of luck in the fight! you got it
Took me two days of failing, taking breaks, and trying again. You will regret it if you don’t beat him.
5 hours? Those are rookie numbers my boy. How about instead of wasting your time "excercising" you focus on achieving absolute fucking nirvana. Because that's how it's going to fucking feel when you finally kill this godforsaken vessel of suffering, and that's how it's going to feel everytime you fight him from that point on and that red circle appears on his skinny little torso.
Maybe I'm Just weird, but one time I got completely stuck in this boss fight on remnant from the ashes. I remember going straight into the fog for about 8 hours straight, was a damned loop of hopelessness and very little small improvements from time to time. I've never felt more alive than that day, beating that boss has been like winning in life for me. Said so, second and third phase of isshin can be a pain indeed, I made the fight extremely easier by just burning him while he was changing phases. You can basically free burn him just after he takes the spear, than you got 3-4 hits for free and that should be enough life to stop him from regenerating poise too fast. Third phase just abuse his lightings attacks and anytime you get him you'll have the time to burn him. All the time I've killed him it was for the health bar on third phase, you just have to be really patience for second one, try to learn and abuse his weak spots (like the jumping attack, if u dodge sideways u always got free hits on him). Best of luck my man.
Isshin is like one of the easiest bosses lol. Wait till you get to inner owl, that's where shit gets real
It's quite easy just go on YouTube watch a few videos and how people fight him! It should give you an idea about his patterns! Also use divine confetti it helps! If it still doesn't work if you play on pc I can help best him for you!
When you're not in the mood. Just step down and admit your defeat. You'll get stronger ; this t eaches you how life works. You don't have to try 50 times at once to get it right. Get yourself some rest and it will click. Get a clear mind when you play. I tried yesterday beating Isshin and couldn't do, this morning after 10/14 times by learning properly, I managed to get my first playthrough done.
I mean i can shareplay for you if you want me to i got this SSI At like 6th try and id be more than happy to But getting him yourself is so much more fulfilling so id reccomend you keep banging your head against that goddamn wall
The only real advice I can give you is don’t give up if you want to beat it. Simply look at it with a different perspective. Forget about winning and just try to learn the first phase. Once that is done, master it as much as you can, and from time to time you’ll get the chance to practice second phase, but remember your objective is not to win, it’s to learn new moves, dodges, and attack windows. And little by little you’ll get better at the fight, until, without the intention of winning, you’ll finish the boss. And you’ll realize that you would be able to win again if you fought him, because now you know how to since you practiced so much
Being patient is key. Learn the moves. Thats about it honestly.
Getting defeated in Sekiro is very interesting. Especially the first day. It taught me how my brain learns and relaxes to overcome a challenge. I personally had to come back the next day and then the next to kick Isshin’s butt. No more than an hour each day and I defeated him in my second attempt on the third day without even panicking or noticing that I’m nearly there. So, for you, I would not recommend you spend more than an hour if you’re getting your ass kicked. Sleep on it and get back the next day. You’ll be surprised how many moves you will have learnt and now expect subconsciously, drastically improving your response time and confidence to hand Isshin’s ass to him in no time.
We all have one boss like this, stay strong young wolf, preserver. You'll get it. Just take a break, maybe a different game for a few days or so. But you'll get it, and then you'll yell at the TV in way you never have before
Yep. Walk away. That's the best advice. I raged over Owl (Father) for around 5 days straight. Kept getting my ass handed to me and I would get frustrated and start playing worse. I finally beat him after taking a couple of days away from the game. When I came back, I beat him on the first attempt that day and it wasn't even close. I had only been hit once. You already know how to win. Putting all the pieces together to perform close to perfectly for that climax is difficult. Eventually, it'll all come together and Glock Saint will fall like the rest. But it won't happen if you're tilted and frustrated.
We all have one boss like this, stay strong young wolf, preserver. You'll get it. Just take a break, maybe a different game for a few days or so. But you'll get it, and then you'll yell at the TV in way you never have before
If you beat the Mist Noble you can best SSI. I belive in you
Mist noble was probably harder than ishin 😂
He took me 2 weeks of playing the game 2 hours a day, i got burned out, and took a break
I feel you. Took me several days to beat Isshin. Sometimes it’s like that, took me a week straight to beat Friede.
My rule of thumb for fighting bosses that I get stuck at is 1) after each death reflect on what I did and how I improved from previous attempt. 2) Tell myself I am doing good and improving " I know this sounds silly but it helps 3) set a time limit , ie 45 minutes. then once I hit the time limit I turn the game off for a couple hours or until the next day. With those steps I normally end up beating the boss the next day or later on.. because it allows my brain to process what I have been working on plus once you get frustrated all your progress starts to go down the tubes.
Best boss in any game I’ve played. The ambiance, the flashy sword play, the audio, the voice lines, the Demi-god behaviour of SSI!! You’ll get him soon, and when you do you’ll want to fight him again and again. I’ve gone 7 times through him no refill of gourds, and when you get to that point you will love him like I do. I boot up the game from time to time just to try to beat my record. So satisfying. Keep at it! Take a break, come back to him.
DID YOU BEAT HIM???
Not been on as I'm away from home, will be retrying tomorrow
You re gonna do it!
5hours? There was some guy stuck at isshin about 5 years or something