As a long-time obsessed fan who has immersed thousands of hours into the world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, I live and breathe the exhilarating shinobi combat at the heart of this game. Through extensive gameplay analysis across countless New Game cycles, I‘ve honed an intuitive grasp of Sekiro‘s complex combat mechanics.
In particular, I‘ve developed razor-sharp expertise regarding prosthetic tools and how to maximize their potential through strategic upgrading. I‘ve dissected their utility in various tactical scenarios and against all types of enemies to determine which deserve priority. Now I‘m thrilled to be able to share my findings with fellow shinobi!
While skills like timing, positioning, and restraint are paramount, having the right prosthetic equipped is what ultimately empowers executing those skills effectively. As any veteran knows, not all upgrades are created equal when resources are limited.
So to help budding shinobi narrow their focus, I‘ll be outlining the 5 prosthetic upgrades that I believe no player should be without. These are the essential Swiss Army knives that excel in nearly any confrontation when wielded properly.
Let‘s dive in!
#1: Great Feather Mist Raven
Spirit Emblem Cost: 3
Damage Type: Physical + Fire
No other prosthetic encapsulates the shinobi principles of deception and redirection as sublimely as the Great Feather Mist Raven. This upgraded version infuses fire damage into the signature teleport mobility that defines the base Mist Raven.
After a brief charge-up, activating this tool will instantly reposition you behind the targeted enemy while afflicting them with lingering fire DoT (damage over time). This lets you effortlessly backstab unaware foes for colossal damage even from the front.
But the applications of Great Mist Raven extend far beyond raw offense. It acts as an unmatched emergency escape and defensive reset by instantly repositioning you safely out of harm‘s way. If you ever face imminent danger from multiple foes or unblockable attacks, this tool gets you out.
After escaping danger, you can use the extended I-frames (invincibility frames) during the animation to safely drink a gourd charge or revive an ally. This versatile flexibility makes Great Mist Raven well worth its price in spirit emblems, cementing its #1 position on this list.
Pros:
- Extremely high damage potential
- Instant escape from danger
- Enables easy backstabs
- Defensive utility via repositioning
Cons:
- Long charge time leaves you vulnerable
- Costs 3 spirit emblems per use
When To Use:
- Ambushing singleton enemies
- Escaping group attacks or danger
- Backstabbing mid-combat after deflecting
- Dodging perilous (red kanji) attacks
#2: Golden Vortex
Spirit Emblem Cost: 4
Damage Type: Magnetic Pull
While Golden Vortex doesn‘t provide direct combat perks like most prosthetic upgrades, no other tool rivals its indirect value. True to its name, activating Golden Vortex generates a magnetic field that painlessly extracts gold-containing items from enemies to your inventory.
These items include coveted loot like Gachiin‘s Sugar, Spiritfall consumables, Treasure Carp Scales, and Crystal Slugs – all highly useful resources. The enhanced Golden Vortex has massively increased range compared to the basic vortex, allowing area-of-effect extraction across multiple targets.
Simply sneak up behind a group of enemies, trigger Golden Vortex, then casually stroll away as your pockets fill with treasures. It feels incredibly empowering!
This tool essentially eliminates traditional combat from the farming loop. By bypassing kills entirely, you conserve health, resolve, and other resources for when you truly need them against major threats. It‘s a low-risk, high-reward harvesting machine.
While the emblem cost seems steep, a single use easily pays for itself dozens of times over by securing rare crafting materials that would otherwise require tremendous luck or skill to obtain normally. This unmatched farming efficiency is why the Golden Vortex takes the #2 spot over combat tools. Reap away and prosper!
Pros:
- Extracts rare, valuable loot
- Allows low-risk passive farming
- Massive area-of-effect range
- Conserves health/resources
Cons:
- Very high spirit emblem cost
- No direct combat application
When To Use:
- Farming crafting materials from groups
- Gathering sen/experience from stealth
- Skipping challenging encounters
#3: Lazulite Shuriken
Spirit Emblem Cost: 1
Damage Type: Physical
The Lazulite Shuriken‘s modest emblem cost belies its incredible combat versatility. Infusing lightning-based Sen damage into the standard shuriken projectile, this enhanced throwing dagger rivals heaviest of melee blows against vitality and posture alike. Its special homing capabilities take this already formidable tool to even greater heights.
By continuing to hold down the prosthetic button after throwing, players can manually steer the midair projectile using directional movement. This lets you manually adjust your aim against evasive or highly mobile enemies that dodge your initial toss.
The mid-flight steering allows relentless mid-ranged attacking, applying devastating damage alongside suppressive pressure. Very few opponents can simply ignore or deflect this tool with such pinpoint accuracy and tracking at your command.
And against foes with slow or delayed attacks, you can safely interrupt their animations by striking them with Lazulite Shuriken mid-swing. The massive posture damage forces them on the defensive rather than finishing their own cut.
For just 1 emblem, the extreme power and tactical flexibility offered by Lazulite Shuriken proves overwhelmingly valuable. It‘s by far the most cost-efficient combat upgrade in the entire game.
Pros:
- Very high damage
- Low spirit emblem cost
- Manual tracking abilities
- Interrupts enemy attacks
Cons:
- Damage decreases at range
- Cannot parry or deflect
When To Use:
- Fighting evasive/agile enemies
- Suppressing gunners & casters
- Filling combat gaps from afar
- Interrupting slow perilous attacks
#4: Mountain Echo
Spirit Emblem Cost: 3
Damage Type: None (Sound Decoy)
For shinobi who pride themselves on stealth dominance and battlefield control, Mountain Echo is the definitive tool of choice. This upgrade empowers the Finger Whistle prosthetic by allowing players to set delayed sound decoy triggers from afar.
After charging up for a few seconds, releasing the prosthetic button creates an invisible sonic trap at that location which only activates moments later. Any enemies which enter the trap radius get lured toward the decoy whistle.
This delayed activation gives you ample time to maneuver into tactical position unseen. You can then ambush distracted foes, single out stronger ones, or draw them into pre-placed hazards using this distraction mechanic.
The psychological impact shouldn‘t be underestimated either – hearing a shinobi tool activate from thin air with no visible source profoundly affects most regular enemies. You can essentially plant bait anywhere you wish that enemies cannot resist investigating, eliminating their capability to ignore you.
Such powerful battlefield manipulation enables tackling encounters completely on your own terms. Combined with silence, sabotage, and subterfuge, no other tool offers greater mastery.
Pros:
- Plants decoy sound triggers
- Distracts & manipulates enemies
- Enables easy stealth kills
- Devastating tactical synergy
Cons:
- No direct damage
- Long prep time
- Costly spirit emblem use
When To Use:
- Isolating stronger enemies
- Drawing enemies into traps
- Establishing distraction routes
- Forcing aggression on your terms
#5: Long Spark
Spirit Emblem Cost: 2
Damage Type: Stun Explosions
The deafening roar of multiple giant firecrackers popping simultaneously is enough to frighten man and beast alike. That auditory barrage defines Long Spark – the final essential upgrade greasing the gears of aggression, defense, and survival alike.
An extended flurry of stunning miniature explosions radiates outward from activation, afflicting nearby enemies with a brief but critical stun status. While the stun itself only lasts 1-2 seconds, that tiny window presents game-changing opportunity.
You can freely revive allies, drink gourd charges, or activate longer abilities like the Loaded Spear without fear of interference. Alternatively, you can sprint away to disengage entirely and make an escape. It also leaves afflicted enemies wide open for a crushing follow-up attack.
This flexible crowd control utility combines vitally with close-quarters tools like the Flame Vent by disabling enemies long enough for the longer animations to connect. Few foes withstand the burning carnage left in Long Spark‘s wake when combined intelligently with other prosthetics.
And remarkably, its stun duration against beast-type enemies lasts over twice as long compared to humanoids. This allows punishing exploitation of nearly the entire savage bestiary without exception. They‘ll come to greatly fear the fiery roar of Long Spark.
Pros:
- Stuns groups of enemies
- Beast enemies suffer longer stun
- Opens enemies to follow-up attacks
- Covers escape, healing, revives
Cons:
- Very short stun duration
- Costs 2 spirit emblems
When To Use:
- Crowd control against groups
- Escaping combat if overwhelmed
- Setting up prosthetic combos
- Fighting beast-type enemies
Conclusion
And there you have it – my personal top 5 prosthetic upgrades for prevailing against anything the world of Sekiro throws at you. While other tools certainly have situational value, none achieve the elite balance of efficiency and power boasted by those described here.
Prioritizing these essential upgrades first when resources allow will grant unrivaled versatility across almost all combat scenarios. Their strategic synergy enables both aggressive offense and cunning defense against all enemy types.
The Great Feather Mist Raven provides unmatched repositioning and retaliation potential. Golden Vortex revolutionizes the farming game with unconditional loot magnetism. Lazulite Shuriken offers 1-emblem pinpoint punishment. Mountain Echo lays unseen bait no foe can ignore. And Long Spark stuns all in fiery deafening spectacle.
Equipped properly, these prosthetic enhancers eliminate weaknesses, empower preferences, and enhance strengths for all styles of shinobi. They open gateways to tactics beyond baseline capability. I sincerely hope my insights here help budding ninja maximize their potential.
Now get out there and unleash Shinobi Prosthetic Power! The world awaits.
