What Should You Do With Kuro’s Charm in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice?
Fast answer first. Then use the tabs or video for more detail.
- Watch the video explanation below for a faster overview.
- Game mechanics may change with updates or patches.
- Use this block to get the short answer without scrolling the whole page.
- Read the FAQ section if the article has one.
- Use the table of contents to jump straight to the detailed section you need.
- Watch the video first, then skim the article for specifics.
The short answer is: it depends on your skill level and desired difficulty. Give Kuro’s Charm back to Kuro at the Dilapidated Temple after defeating Gyoubu Masataka Oniwa. This activates Hard Mode, increasing the game’s difficulty by removing Kuro’s Charm’s passive defensive abilities. If you prefer the standard difficulty or are struggling with the game, keep Kuro’s Charm and equip it. This will provide passive damage reduction and block effectiveness.
Understanding Kuro’s Charm
Kuro’s Charm is a pivotal item in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, directly influencing the game’s difficulty. Its primary function is to provide passive defense, allowing you to block attacks with reduced posture damage and health damage, even if your timing isn’t perfect. Think of it as a safety net that makes the game significantly more forgiving.
The Benefits of Keeping Kuro’s Charm
- Easier Blocking: Blocking enemy attacks becomes much more effective. You’ll take significantly less posture and health damage even with imperfect timing. This is incredibly helpful, especially early in the game while learning enemy patterns.
- Reduced Posture Damage: Enemies will often fill your posture bar quickly, leading to a posture break, leaving you vulnerable. The Charm reduces this accumulation, allowing you to maintain your defensive stance more effectively.
- Lower Health Damage: Even when blocking, some attacks can chip away at your health. With the Charm, this chip damage is substantially lessened, allowing you to survive longer.
- Learning Tool: Keeping the Charm allows you to focus on understanding enemy attack patterns and perfecting your parrying skills without constantly dying. It provides breathing room to experiment and learn.
The Consequences of Returning Kuro’s Charm
Returning Kuro’s Charm plunges you into a much more challenging experience.
- No Passive Defense: Blocking becomes far less effective. You will take substantial posture and health damage even when blocking perfectly timed attacks.
- Increased Reliance on Perfect Parry (Deflection): Deflection becomes absolutely crucial. You must master the art of perfectly timing your blocks to deflect enemy attacks, preventing posture and health damage.
- Higher Skill Ceiling: The game demands precise timing and a deep understanding of enemy attack patterns. It’s a punishing but rewarding experience for experienced players.
- ‘Charmless’ Run: This is the ultimate difficulty setting for Sekiro. Successfully completing the game without Kuro’s Charm is a significant achievement that tests your skills to the limit.
- Returner’s Charm: After obtaining the Severance ending, the next playthrough will begin with the Returner’s Charm, allowing you to switch between regular and hard mode whenever you visit an Idol.
How To Decide: Keep or Return?
The decision of whether to keep or return Kuro’s Charm boils down to your personal preferences and skill level.
- First Playthrough: Unless you’re an experienced Souls-like player seeking a significant challenge, it’s generally recommended to keep Kuro’s Charm on your first playthrough. This allows you to learn the game mechanics, explore the world, and enjoy the story without excessive frustration.
- Experienced Players: If you’re familiar with FromSoftware games or have already completed Sekiro once, returning Kuro’s Charm can provide a fresh and challenging experience. It forces you to master the parry mechanic and adds a new layer of depth to the combat.
- Seeking a Challenge: If you enjoy difficult games and relish the feeling of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles, returning Kuro’s Charm is the way to go. Be prepared for a steep learning curve and numerous deaths.
- Feeling Overwhelmed: If you’re finding Sekiro too difficult even with Kuro’s Charm, don’t feel ashamed to keep it. There’s no shame in using the tools the game provides to enjoy the experience.
- Forcing Improvement: Some players choose to return the charm to force themselves to improve at the game. By being punished severely for poorly timed blocks, you are encouraged to learn the exact timing of enemy attacks.
The Demon Bell and Kuro’s Charm: Stacking Difficulty
The Demon Bell is another item in Sekiro that increases difficulty, but in a different way. Ringing the Demon Bell causes enemies to do more damage and be more resilient, but also increases the drop rate of items. The effects of the Demon Bell stack with the removal of Kuro’s Charm, creating an extremely challenging experience. You can find the Demon Bell on Mt. Kongo.
Should you use Both?
Combining the effects of the Demon Bell and the absence of Kuro’s Charm is only recommended for highly skilled players seeking the ultimate test of their abilities. The increased damage and resilience of enemies, combined with the lack of passive defense, can make even basic encounters incredibly difficult. You should only consider this after you can beat the game charmless without ringing the demon bell.
The Impact on Combat
The difference in combat with and without Kuro’s Charm is substantial.
- With Kuro’s Charm: You can afford to be more forgiving with your timing when blocking. Even if you’re slightly off, you’ll still mitigate a significant portion of the damage. This allows for more aggressive playstyles and more opportunities to learn enemy patterns.
- Without Kuro’s Charm: Combat becomes a dance of death. Every attack must be perfectly parried, or you’ll suffer severe consequences. This requires intense focus, precise timing, and a deep understanding of enemy attack animations. One missed parry can often lead to a swift death.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Can I get Kuro’s Charm back if I give it away?
Yes, you can retrieve Kuro’s Charm in a subsequent playthrough or at the end of the game by choosing to begin Journey 2. You will start the game again with all your skills, equipment, and memories intact.
2. Does giving away Kuro’s Charm affect the story?
No, giving away Kuro’s Charm does not affect the story or the available endings. It only impacts the gameplay difficulty.
3. Is it possible to change the difficulty mid-game?
Yes, you are given the option to take or receive Kuro’s Charm every time you start a new game cycle. Once you hand over the charm, it will be in hard mode for the rest of the playthrough.
4. Does keeping Kuro’s Charm make the game “too easy”?
For experienced players or those familiar with Souls-like games, keeping Kuro’s Charm might make the game feel relatively easier. However, Sekiro is still a challenging game even with the Charm.
5. What are the benefits of completing a “Charmless” run?
Completing a “Charmless” run is a significant achievement that demonstrates mastery of the game’s combat system. It provides a sense of accomplishment and allows you to experience the game in a completely new way.
6. Does the difficulty scale in New Game Plus?
Yes, enemies will deal more damage and have higher health. New Game Plus in Sekiro becomes more challenging, even with Kuro’s Charm. This effect does cap after a few cycles.
7. How does the Demon Bell work?
The Demon Bell increases the difficulty by making enemies stronger and more resilient, but also increases the drop rate of items. It’s a risk-reward system for players seeking a greater challenge and potentially better rewards. You can get rid of its effects by using the item “Bell Demon”.
8. Where can I find the Demon Bell?
The Demon Bell is located on Mt. Kongo, in a temple near the Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo idol.
9. Can I reverse the effects of the Demon Bell?
Yes, you can reverse the effects of the Demon Bell by using the Bell Demon item. This item will reappear when the bell is rung again.
10. Does using the Demon Bell affect my game ending?
No, using the Demon Bell does not affect your game ending. It only impacts the gameplay difficulty and item drop rates.
11. Is Kuro’s Charm the same as a “difficulty setting”?
While it functions similarly, Kuro’s Charm isn’t a traditional difficulty setting. It’s an item that alters the fundamental mechanics of combat, making the game more or less forgiving.
12. What are some tips for playing without Kuro’s Charm?
Focus on perfecting your parry timing, learning enemy attack patterns, and utilizing the Mikiri Counter effectively. Also, don’t be afraid to use prosthetic tools to create openings.
13. Are there any disadvantages to keeping Kuro’s Charm?
The main disadvantage is that you might not fully master the parry mechanic, as the game is more forgiving with the Charm equipped.
14. Can I use Kuro’s Charm for certain bosses and then remove it for others?
No, once you have chosen to hand over the charm, you will not get it back for that playthrough. Once you begin Journey 2, you will be prompted again to hand over the charm or not.
15. Will playing Charmless or with the Demon Bell increase my Skill Point gain?
No, neither playing charmless nor using the Demon Bell will increase the amount of skill points you gain.