Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - How to beat 'Guardian Ape' boss in Sunken Valley (Phase 1)

Guardian Ape is another main boss battle in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice that you need to beat. I know that as of now, you must have figured out how this game actually works, but that doesn't mean it won't be able to surprise you anymore.

Guardian Ape might seem like a tougher beast to slay than most if its gigantic size seems overwhelming, but trust me, that is actually not the case. In just 2-3 tries you will memorize all his moves and will be able to deflect and dodge every one of them. Of course, that's only if you're careful and not overconfident.

First of all, you'll need Robert's Firecracker prosthetic weapon, which will prove to be incredibly useful for you. Now keep in mind that you can't sneak attack him from behind. That means you've got to man up and face him in a straight forward man vs gorilla battle, twice.

This is the first phase. The Guardian Ape has 3 most basic attack patterns that he will put out repeatedly. The first is when he does a sweeping attack from his left hand and into the air as he lays down on the ground to pretend as if he's drowning while flapping his hands (no seriously, he does that). Try not to be in the range of any of his gigantic hands as it will do major damage. Instead, dodge and stand right next to his head and start slashing. Damaging his head might even stun him for a bit, giving you extra time to deal some damage.

Now the second basic attack he performs is a combo of multiple punching attacks. Deflecting them is not recommended, as it will fill up your posture quickly. Instead, dodge away and wait for him to finish, then quickly sprint up to him and use the firecracker to stun him. This will give you about 10 seconds to do major slashing damage, though be ready to deflect his attack as soon as he becomes conscious.

Another major attack he does is when the red kanji symbol flashes, and trust me, if he grabs you, then you're probably dead. Jumping up is the only way to escape this. Also when you run far away from him, he will throw up poison stuff at you. Quickly dodge straight up when you see it coming.

By now his health bar would have been nearly finished, so dodging away, jumping and using the firecracker at the right time will bring him down in no time. Also by the very end, he will do another dangerous attack in which he will jump up as the red kanji symbol will flash. This move is by far the most difficult to comprehend but lucky for you I already did the hard work.

As soon as he pulls off that stunt, quickly jump leftwards. Don't even think of doing it in other direction or he will body slam you down to the earth really hard. Keeping in mind everything I mentioned above will definitely bring him down in no time but don't celebrate just yet. The worst is yet to come.