Sekiro boss guide: Armored Warrior

Sekiro’s Armored Warrior boss fight isn’t like any of the others you’ve faced so far. Your job isn’t to wear him down and get a Deathblow — his armor makes stabbing him impossible. Instead, your goal is to kick him off the bridge where the fight takes place.

Without a plan or an understanding of the odd rules of this fight, facing the Armored Warrior can be infuriating. Our guide will walk you through how to beat him and save you that frustration.

How to find the Armored Warrior boss fight

Getting from the Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo > Shugendo Sculptor’s Idol to the Armored Warrior boss fight is a bit of a hike, but if you know where you’re going, you can do it in less than 30 seconds fight, like we do in the video below. (And it’ll save you on burning any items or drinking from your Healing Gourd.)

1. From the Idol, head forward to the ramp. Jump out and grapple across to the branch ahead of you. When you hit it (or just before), grapple again to the ledge above and ahead of you.
2. Jump up onto the ascending ramp, then look for a branch to grapple to. Grapple up, then jump back down to the ramp. If you’re lucky, you might jump past the enemy waiting there. If you don’t, make sure you cancel the lock-on, jump over him, and continue up.
3. Shortly past that enemy, you’ll run out of ramp. Jump to the ledge on your right and climb up. Jump up to the ledge next to you, then jump again to the next ledge. Head through the gap in the stones until you can grapple up to the branch above you.
4. Before you land, you can hit another grapple point above you on your left. Grab that one, and you’ll land on the cliff near the bridge where you’ll have your fight.

The best items and moves for the Armored Warrior

Since your fight against the Armored Warrior doesn’t work like other fights, the tools you usually use won’t work. There’s no secret weapon for this fight. Instead, you should focus on your options that deal a lot of Posture Damage. You can deal plenty with just your sword and some careful dodging, but some extra oomph is always useful.

You’ve probably seen the eavesdropping hint about the guy in armor. You may have also found Gyoubu’s Broken Horn and turned it into the Loaded Spear — and its description implies it’s the perfect weapon for this fight. The spear works fine in this fight, but it’s not a magic bullet — you’re not going to strip off his armor. The main benefit of the Loaded Spear Prosthetic Tool is the range it offers.

Of your other Prosthetic Tools, the Loaded Axe is your best bet. It becomes even more useful if you add on the Fang and Blade Prosthetic Art skill. That skill lets you follow your axe attack with a powerful sword attack afterwards.

The Ichimonji Ashina Combat Art, comes in handy here, too. Not only does it deal a respectable amount of Posture Damage, but it also recovers some of your own.

Armored Warrior boss fight

General strategies

This fight works so differently from what you probably expect that the first obstacle to overcome is your own instinct. Your goal here is to break his Posture when he’s close to the edge of the bridge. To do that, you’re going to have to stay alive.

Luckily, the armor that makes him impervious to blades also makes him fairly slow. He’s very strong, though, so when he does hit you, you’ll feel it. Your task is to block what you can, and do you best to dodge everything else. Any time you get the chance — especially when you’re behind him — deal some damage.

Armored Warrior’s attacks

The best way to avoid the Armored Warrior’s attacks is to know what’s coming. Here’s how to identify his attacks, and how you should respond to them.

Perilous Attack 1: Thrust

The Armored Warrior only has one Perilous Attack. It’s a big and far-reaching thrust of his sword. While you might be able to counter this with a well-timed Mikiri Counter, we don’t recommend it. You have plenty of time to dodge during his windup, so get around to his side or behind him, let him make the attack and get in a couple swings. We wouldn’t recommend more than two though, as you can see in the video above.

Flurry

Occasionally, the Armored Warrior will get fed up and unleash a series of rapid attacks. You’ll see him hold is sword in one hand and squat down a little while he screams. He’ll follow that with four giant, overhand swings. He’ll even take a few big steps toward you before he starts.

Block when you see it coming, but focus on dodging around behind him. He’ll try to seek you out as he’s swinging, but you’ll have plenty of room to stay out of reach. Keep attacking until he lands his final chop.

Normal attacks

Just about everything else the Armored Warrior does is a relatively slow (but wildly damaging) swing of his sword. Blocking and Deflecting work, but your Posture won’t hold out for long. Luckily, dodging usually works to move you out of the way (and you can even avoid a lot just by circling him). Focus on Dodge Counterattacks and dealing damage from behind him.

Wolf’s attacks

There’s nothing fast about this fight. You’re chipping away slowly at the Armored Warrior’s Posture, but you’re never going to touch his Vitality. Your only goal is to break his Posture — and there’s no quick or easy way to do that.

Since the Armored Warrior’s attacks are so devastating, it’s better to play this fight safely and focus on dealing Dodge Counterattack damage rather than pressing the attack. As you get comfortable with his moves and his habits, mix in a Combat Art like Ichimonji or a Loaded Axe attack when you’ve got an opening and his back is turned.

Like we said above, the Loaded Spear Prosthetic Tool works fine in this fight, but it’s not the secret to winning. Use it like you would the Loaded Axe or your Combat Arts — wait until you’re clear of his sword and he’s pausing, then stab away.

Armored Warrior Deathblow

You can end this fight with the first Deathblow, but you’ll have to put in a little work. As you see his Posture gauge getting full, move the fight close to one of the walls — preferably one of the walls he’s smashed. Keep blocking, dodging, and picking at his Posture.

Break his Posture and deal your Deathblow when he’s near the edge, and he’ll fall into the bottomless valley below.

If he’s too far from the edge, he’ll recover completely and you’ll have to start again. Just keep at it with the tactics above and try to reposition him for next time.

Armored Warrior drops, items, and rewards

Defeat the Armored Warrior, and you’ll receive a Prayer Bead and learn the Breath of Nature: Shadow latent skill (though you’ll still have to spend Skill Points to unlock it). Across the bridge and through the fog wall, you’ll find some Scrap Magnetite and the Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo > Temple Grounds Sculptor’s Idol.