25 Essential Stealth Tactics - Tips & Tricks for the Unseen Ninja (Sekiro Advanced Stealth Guide)

25 Essential Stealth Tactics for Sekiro!

1. Prosthetic Tool Stealth
Tools can be used for stealth, Whistle and Firecrackers can be used as distractions, Mist can be used to teleport to your target (needs contact med). Umbrella and Divine Abduction can be used to kill and are completely silent vs the sword, ideal for where a sword kill would get you caught. They can also get multi kills too. Disadvantage is that not all enemies will be one-shot, only weaker mobs.

2. Combat Arts From Stealth
Combat arts can also be used while hidden. Some moves are silent to enemies, some can alert foes. Again some of the combat arts might not do enough damage to one-shot certain enemies.

3. Ceramics Corner Lure
Peak towards the edge of corners to do takedowns. Ceramics, Finger Whistle or the Wolf Lure can be used to pull the enemy towards you.

4. Ceramics Ledge lure
While hanging from a ledge you can throw ceramics and lure enemies towards you. Hanging from ledges can often be a good way to evade enemies and it can hide you better than expected.

5. Using ceramics to distract
The range of it's sound is very small indeed so you need to throw close to your target. You can use the monocular to aim long distance, but Firecrackers are often a better alternative as it has much bigger range.

6. Sword Lure
Hitting a wall with your sword will often be enough to turn an enemy around allowing you to sneak by or take them out. Has short range much like the ceramics.

7. Firecracker Lure
Best distraction tool until you get the Finger Whistle. Has much bigger range for it's sound and is so loud enemies will run towards it. You can choose who to distract by making sure the target you want to pull is just on the edge of the sound while nearby enemies are out of range.

8. Using Wolf as a lure
Either making a kill close enough so nearby enemies can hear the attack or showing them yourself just slightly so they build up the yellow awareness and leave their post to investigate. Grappling (or using Gachiin's Sugar) can be a good way to evade and flank once they start to search for you. I've used this trick to get past many parts that seemed impossible to stealth at 1st.

9. Dog Kill Distraction
Dogs, Lizards and the enemies that act as alarms can all be one shot with the Shurikens. Doing this near enemies will attract their attention allowing you to take them out easily.

10. Finger Whistle
A later unlock, but one of the best stealth tools. High Spirit Emblem cost. The main advantage of the whistle is that it can be used to attract only the target you have locked onto, if you use it unlocked it will attract everyone within it's huge range.

11. Delayed Whistle
Holding the button down will produce a delayed whistle. Can also be used both locked on and locked off to attract either a single target or a whole group.

12. Directional Whistle
With the Projected Force skill you can fire the sound in a certain directional by attacking right after hitting the tool button. This will create a route that enemies will follow for ambushes or to push enemies away from you.
*Whistle will also enrage animals, making them attack each other or their owners.

13. Distracted = Much Less Aware
Seems obvious, but many aren't aware that it will allow you do stealth kills with the sword without alerting close enemies.
Most ranged enemies won't leave their posts to investigate.

14. Environmental Distractions
Breaking stuff is another way to lure enemies.

15. Cutting Corners
Simple way to get around enemies faster.

16. Disable the Alarms
Shurikens will one-shot these enemies.

17. Sliding to Backstab
Another way to speed things up and make stealth feel more dynamic.

18. Other Deathblows
Crawling enemies, like lizards or centipedes don't need stealth for a deathblow and you can just jump on them while they are fully aware.

19. Revenge
Waiting a bit after being killed so you can stealth deathblow your killer.

20. Gachiin's Sugar/Spiritfall
Basically a cloaking device that can be used for difficult parts and even some bosses.

21. Lock-On to locate Enemies
If you aren't sure where enemies are lock-on can be used to locate them.

22. Puppeteer Ninjutsu
You can use this to get an enemy to fight on your side either as a distraction or to take out enemies.

23. Ledge Drop Takedown
This is an obvious one, but it has advantages over just jumping or walking off edges for a deathblow as it's makes you hidden like being in tall grass or crouched where the other two options don't and can get you seen easier. It can often be a faster too.

24. Tanto for Extra Spirit Emblems
Lots of good stealth items require Spirit Emblems to use, the Tanto can help alleviate this cost. You get it from beating the Shichimen Warrior in the dungeon area.

25. Smokebomb Ninjutsu
This can be used after a deathblow to get back into stealth for another deathblow, combine with the Tanto to take out bigger groups. Can also be used on lizards!