Stealth & Environmental Awareness

Stealth is a crucial mechanic in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, allowing you to bypass enemies or gain a tactical advantage. Environmental elements like tall grass provide cover, and specific wall and ledge interactions enable silent movement. Eavesdropping on enemy conversations can reveal important information or trigger events, enhancing your understanding of the game world.

The prologue serves as a tutorial for basic stealth mechanics. You will learn to:

Hug Walls: Press Square on walls with white scratch marks. Use the L button to move along the edge. Press L towards the edge to "Peek" without exposing yourself.
Crouch: Press the Left Thumbstick to move stealthily through tall grass.
Eavesdrop: Listen to enemy conversations. An "Eavesdrop" icon with a red tick mark indicates you've successfully listened. This can be done by looking up at broken floors or near groups of soldiers.
Ledge Hanging: Press Square to hang from ledges (indicated by white paint). Use the L thumbstick to move along, and Square again to climb up.

Stealth can be used to bypass guards when you don't have a sword, or to gain a critical hit on mini-bosses from behind, effectively removing their first life bar before a direct confrontation. Sometimes, you can even climb to high ground and perform another critical hit from above, eliminating the mini-boss without a direct fight. Eliminating nearby enemies before engaging a mini-boss is also a viable strategy to avoid being overwhelmed.