The Guardian Ape is the boss which stands between you and the flower to bring to Kuro to complete the Fountainhead Incense. This boss is one of the most challenging in the game if you try to fight it straight up, but if you follow this guide you can beat it safely in a couple of tries. This guide will explain what you need to do to beat the Guardian Ape in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
How to beat the Guardian Ape in Sekiro
The Guardian Ape is a multi-stage boss fight where both phases of the fight can be quite difficult if you don’t keep your distance from the primate. The ape has devastating melee attacks, poison gas, and he throws his poop at you (which will poison you as well). Get too close and the character can grab you as well, so there’s plenty to look out for in fighting the Guardian Ape.
The firecracker tool works wonders here. It will stun the Guardian Ape, allowing you to get multiple hits in before moving away. If you want to beat this boss on the first or second try, follow these instructions or watch the video below to see how we beat him on our second try.
Guardian Ape Boss Fight Phase One
In the first stage you want to use all of your firecrackers. Each time you have an opportunity to drop them, drop them and get as many quick shots as you can in. But while you’re looking for those openings, you want to keep your distance from the boss. Always be mindful of where he is, and where you are in relationship to the walls of the boss arena. Try to stay circling the area, by using the sprinting move to stay out of reach. In the moments where he gets exhausted, run in and get one or two shots. You will need to slowly whittle him down. Towards the end of phase one, the Guardian Ape will begin belly flopping. So long as you can avoid getting hit by this move, it’s a great opportunity to spam attacks on him after he lands.
Guardian Ape Boss Fight Phase Two
In Phase Two of this fight, the Guardian Ape has a much larger range where he can hit you. Once again, you’re just going to want to keep your distance until he falls on the ground and does a sweeping one arm slice. Avoid the slice and then sneak in for one or two hits. Repeat this about 20 times and you will beat the boss with very little pattern recognition or needing to retry the fight. Check out the video below to see us use this method.
