In Sekiro, Generals serve as a mini-boss. While they’re not quite as complicated to defeat or as strong as an actual boss, they have multiple deathblow markers and are much more lethal and robust than an average soldier. You’ll find several Generals throughout Sekiro, and while most of them are optional, defeating them will give you some much-needed upgrade items.
Fortunately, each General in Sekiro fights much the same way. The ones later in the game are naturally stronger than the first one you’ll face, but the tactics required to beat a General are the same no matter which one you’re facing.
How to beat a General in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice
You’ll come upon your first Samurai General in Sekiro just past the Outskirts Wall – Gate Path Sculptor’s Idol in the Ashina Outskirts. When you enter the nearby gate, you’ll find yourself in a circular area. The only enemy nearby will be the Samurai General.
Your first fight with a General won’t be too tricky if you pull off one thing first. Generals are susceptible to stealth attacks, which means you can start each fight by removing one of their deathblow markers. You can either sneak behind them or attack from above to accomplish this.
Once the fight begins, all you have to do is worry about breaking the General’s posture. Unlike the main bosses in Sekiro, you don’t have to completely deplete a General’s health bar to go in for a deathblow. Like regular enemies, if you can manage to break their posture, they’ll be open for the kill. Since you’ve started the fight by knocking one deathblow marker off, you just have to break their posture once to take them out.
However, this is easier said than done. Generals have a very long sword which has a longer reach than Sekiro’s katana. Fortunately, their attacks are deflectable, though you’ll still have to be wary. Your best bet to defeat a General after your first deathblow is to keep on the offense. Deflect when they attack, watch for their combos, and attack when you see an opening. Don’t attack more than 2-3 times before you get ready to go on the defense again, or else they may hit you with an attack when you’re swinging for that third or fourth hit.
An item that can be really helpful if you’re pushed on the defensive when fighting a General is a Fistful of Ash. Since you fight Generals at such short range, it’s effortless to nail them with the ash, which temporarily stuns them. You can then regain your posture, heal, or go on the offense.
While the first General is relatively easy, these guys get faster and stronger as the game goes on. Fortunately, so do you, and though you can sneak past most of these mini-bosses, the rewards for beating them are good enough that you should take the time to do so, even if it takes a few tries.
What do I get for killing Generals in Sekiro Shadows Die Twice?
For killing a General in Sekiro, you usually get an excellent upgrade item. The first one, for example, gave me a Gourd Seed and a Prayer Bead.
These items are crucial for raising your power, and a little labor early on killing Generals will prepare you for the harder parts of the game you face later.
Sekiro Soulslikes
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Best of the Soulslikes
It's always exciting to see a new genre emerge. You get that original hit game, the follow-ups and the attempts by other developers to recapture the magic. With the release of Sekiro, let's look back at the landscape of Souslikes so far. -
Demon's Souls
The original that kicked it all off (unless you count King's Field), Demon's Souls went under the radar on the PlayStation 3. Originally, gamers didn't know what to make of it, but anyone who stuck with it got an amazing experience that was unlike anything on the market. -
Dark Souls
By the time a new generation rolled around, From Software had moved from demons to darkness. The Dark Souls trilogy cemented the genre tropes, proving to achieve the popularity that their previous title had only hinted at. Far more than a cult success, these games proved to be influential even outside the genre. -
Bloodborne
Once things started taking off, original Demon's Souls publisher Sony had to get back in the action. Teaming with From, the result was Bloodborne. Taking things was from medieval castles and including firearms for the first time, this was the first hint that this formula was flexible. -
Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, Lords of the Fallen takes things in a more Norse direction. Using hammers and axes, you must fight towering gods and demons. After this game's success, the two developers split, with CI working on an upcoming sequel to this Viking Soulslike. -
Nioh
Team Ninja tried their hands at Souslikes with Nioh, a game where you control an Irish Samurai and fight yokai. The game was announced back in 2004 as Oni and changed hands multiple times before release. Originally another PlayStation 4 exclusive for the genre, the game has since come to PC with all its DLC bundled in. -
The Surge
Deck13 took what they learned from Lords of the Fallen and took the Soulslike genre into the future. The Surge has you stomping around in a mech suit fighting uncontrollable robots. Once you destroy an enemy, you can scrap their parts and convert them into weapons for you to use. A sequel is currently set to release in 2o19. -
Ashen
Developed by A44, Ashen puts players into a world without light. Each character is a muted faceless person, adding to the downtrodden vibe of the entire experience. While combat is inspired by Dark Souls, the game also features open-world exploration and novel passive multiplayer encounters. -
Immortal: Unchained
Going even more Norse than Lords of the Fallen, Immortal: Unchained finds you battling the monsters of Ragnarok. Instead of swords and spears, your character uses a mix of technologically advanced firearms to take down each and every mysterious foe. More fast-paced than other soulslikes, you'll need to duck and weave to stay alive. -
Death's Gambit
Pitched as a merger of Souslike and Castlevania, Death's Gambit is also one of the first games to take these concepts into the second dimension. You can choose from seven playable classes as you seek immortality in this labyrinth of death. -
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
What if you didn't have to explore a Soulslike? What if you just fought a collection of out of control boss monsters? Then, you'd have Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. In this game, you start at your strongest and level down as you progress, adding to the challenge.