100% agreed. The huge spikes in difficulty make it a much worse game, imo, since the difficulty almost always in the same way: ultra quick reaction. Rinse and repeat dozens of times.
Also, we always had multiple ways of playing. The lack of builds and customization now pushes us into only a few valid tactics.

Most people are just cheesing the bosses (dodge hit ad eternum) because lots of them are just ultra quick glorified quick time events.

In the end, we have a great game. Not nearly as good as their previous franchises though. Really hope they ditch it ASAP.

You just have to change your mindset. In the beginning they forgive you for playing like it’s a souls game but continues to warn you to change up your approach because it won’t work forever. Eventually you simply can’t do the dodge attack dodge attack souls style.

People said the same thing when Bloodborne came out. They felt it was harder due to it being faster paced than the souls series.

100% agree with this. I love the aesthetic and the combat even feels good when you get the deathblow but it's a punishing game more so than I believe it has to be. It's like they took tenchu and ratcheted up the difficulty of a souls game by 100. That's sekiro. Since I've stopped playing it like I would a souls game I've been doing better but there are still some things I don't like. Not a big fan of losing half of your exp and money when you die. I've had enemies track me when they're already in the middle of an attack and I hate that so much. The damage the enemies do in comparison to what you do to them is also insane. This game, at least to me, isn't as good as it could be because of the insane difficulty. Don't get me wrong I know that's the point and I can appreciate that but there are so many parts of this game that are done so well to only be marred by the difficulty.

That all being said I do have this love hate relationship with it and I enjoy parts of it a lot for what it's worth. Also the game makes me excited for if they ever do a tenchu game again. A tenchu game in this style minus the insane difficulty would be fantastic.

It's on a whole different level.

It's ALL about precision and reflex. Knowing at any moment when to hit, dodge, deflect or jump, and that's not an easy thing to do.

Run, run while you can, the final boss of the estate is true nightmare fuel, I spend 2 hours learning the fight

^ At least that boss a different challenge...

LMAO, harder than bloodborne? NioH?

I think you might be approaching progression in the game from the wrong angle. I think alot of people are completely ignoring the skill system and how you have to level up your skills, and acquire new skill to make your progress easier.

Spend time in an area, just farming your skills - don't rush to go fight that boss. Just spend time getting your exp up to level 3 or 4 then bank those points and purchase skill upgrades. Primarily save up your exp points (it means going back to the last buddha often, especially whenever you have no more resurrections left - this ensures you don't die and lose the exp that your're storing up) and get the Breath of Life skill where you get back a little bit of life when you execute a death blow.

Then save up exp for Emma's Medicine Potency upgrades so your estus recovers much more life. Get youself prepped and ready, before progressing to that boss. You might also need to farm for oil, to use with you flame arm, or farm healing pellets etc etc. The point is, don't think you can simply walk up to a boss unprepared. You have to be prepared with both unlocked skills and support items. That's how "the system" is designed to work. You have to work within that system to become more succesfull.

It will be understood eventually. I was one of the original guinea pigs in Demons' Souls before any wiki existed and it was brutal. Truly brutal. Like that game though, eventually the disease and all its nuance will be understood.

I am only on the Drunkard now and I am tempted to start over so I can clean my dragonrot slate and have less deaths.

Agreed, Spinal. Slowly the community will figure out / make up the craziest theories.

I wouldn’t start over if I were you. You’re pretty early into the game and you’ll still die a lot, mostly to bosses. I had to start over (accidentally killed the first vendor) and it was nice to play “easy mode” through the well know content. Once it was over, all the difficulty came back.

Dragon rot locks out some side quests, vendor options etc (as the NPC will be too sick and coughing) For example the sculptor does'nt upgrade your weapon when he has dragon rot either.

As I understand it, Dragon Rot also plays a part in which ending of the game you get. I assume if critical NPC's have dragon rot at he end of the game it will affect the story.

p.s. I loved Demon's Souls. And I remember having a black world tendency. I don't think I was ever able to complete that game.

There was one boss that seemed so resistant to my strategies that I eventually resorted to hanging from the ledge below him and slashing at his feet for three or four minutes until his posture broke. I’m sure I could’ve gotten his patterns down with time, but the way the game discourages trial and error I felt justified in relying on the cheapest available tactics.

I think some of the hit boxes are way off. The Ogre for example. SO many times I clearly jumped or dodged out of the way and then magically get pulled back into is grab attack. There are other animations (like with the fire arrows) where I have clearly side stepped, but the arrow still stes me aflame.

So yeah I agree that some of the hit boxes may be out of alignement.

The ogre's tackle and slam were like a tractor beam. I killed him just by cutting and running.