Best Strategies for Reflections & Gauntlets of Strength: Tips for Boss Challenges

When FromSoftware rolled out the free update that added Reflections of Strength and Gauntlets of Strength, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice gained a true endgame: focused rematches and ruthless, no-death boss marathons. These modes formalize what veterans already loved—mastery through repetition—while handing newcomers a structured path to improve. The update is official and permanent, bringing rematches, boss gauntlets, and more to every copy of the game.

Below, you’ll find a practical, news-style guide that distills proven tactics for both modes. We’ll cover essentials like posture and deflection, the Mikiri Counter, smart prosthetic loadouts, endurance planning for no-death runs, and adjustments for “Inner” boss variants—all grounded in documented mechanics and community-tested approaches.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
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Preparation Checklist: Build Skills Before You Build Loadouts

1. Posture & Deflect Fundamentals

Sekiro is a posture duel first, health race second. Neutralize strings with crisp blocks, then perfect deflects to spike enemy posture. The more aggressive and accurate your deflections, the faster you earn Deathblows.

2. Perilous Cues: Mikiri, Jump, or Get Grabbed

Learn the red danger prompts by type:

• T → Mikiri Counter (step in and stomp the weapon).
• Sweep → Jump and punish with aerial kicks.
• Grab → Dodge or shield using suitable tools.
  The Mikiri Counter in particular is a posture nuke against thrust-heavy bosses.

3. Prosthetic Loadouts That Travel Well

You’ll swap specifics per fight, but these tools have broad utility:

• Umbrella variants for elemental barrages and awkward strings.
• Loaded Spear for low-cost interrupts and pulls.
• Shuriken for aerial harass and finishing chip.
  Choose upgrades you can fuel consistently; Spirit Emblems are a strategic resource in gauntlets.

Reflections of Strength: Practice Like a Pro

Use Reflections as a laboratory:

• Drill one boss until you consistently maintain posture pressure without panic rolls.
• Record runs and study your own patterns (Remnants helped normalize self-review for many players).
• Create “flash cards” in your head: two to three high-value punishes per boss (e.g., after this perilous sweep → jump kick, then pressure).

The Fextralife compendium lists bosses and practical notes; treating it like a playbook speeds up learning. (Anchor text backlink in-article to a reference entry.)

Gauntlets of Strength: Endurance Tactics for No-Death Runs

1. Manage Resources Like a Speedrunner

• Gourds: Plan your sips. Some early bosses can be cleared no-heal with posture-first aggression; save charges for later spikes.
• Spirit Emblems: Budget per fight; avoid spam that wins one encounter but starves you mid-gauntlet.
• Sugars & Buffs: Save big boosts (e.g., damage sugars) for damage-sponge phases or your personal wall.

2. Keep Momentum—but Reset Your Mind

Between victories, take a breath at the menu screen: visualize the first 10 seconds of the next fight. Many wipes happen in the opener due to mental carryover.

3. Sample Opening Game Plan

• Genichiro-type openers: meet aggression with aggression—deflect, Mikiri, jump-sweep cycle, then ride posture.
• Beast-type openers: sidestep chaos with spacing and quick punishes; resist the urge to block everything.

Community notes often emphasize practicing bosses solo first (Reflections) before committing to gauntlets—smart advice that preserves stamina and confidence.

Advanced Techniques That Turn the Tide

1. Lightning Reversal

In late-game and “Inner” encounters, lightning shows up. The flow: jump → get hit mid-air → press attack to send it back. Drill the timing; it’s a major swing tool.

3. Posture vs. Vitality: Choose the Win Condition

• Fast, aggressive bosses: posture wins are common—stay in their face.
• Big health pools or evasive patterns: whittle vitality to slow their posture regen, then clinch with deflect strings.

4. Umbrella & Spear: The Quiet MVPs

• Umbrella variants blunt otherwise awkward sequences and projectiles.
• Loaded Spear offers low-cost, reliable interrupts to steal tempo.
  Use sparingly to maintain Emblems for the full run.

Inner Variants (e.g., Inner Genichiro): What Changes & How to Adapt

“Inner” bosses modify movesets, pacing, and sometimes lightning interactions, demanding sharper reads and cleaner defense. Against Inner Genichiro, commit to never ceding initiative: stand your ground, trade deflects, Mikiri his thrusts, and be ready for lightning sequences. Practice consistently in Reflections until his opener feels scripted in your hands.

Quick Mistakes to Avoid

• Backing away by habit. You surrender posture pressure and invite mix-ups.
• Over-spending Emblems early. A flashy win now can doom the next two fights.
• Healing at obvious moments. Many bosses hard-punish telegraphed gourds—heal after deflect strings or forced recovery windows.
• Chasing vitality KOs on posture-friendly bosses. Take the faster route.
• Conclusion

Reflections and Gauntlets transform Sekiro into a mastery arena. Build fundamentals around posture and deflects, drill high-value punishes in Reflections, and carry a lean prosthetic toolkit into Gauntlets with a strict resource plan. Combine that with mental resets and advanced tech like lightning reversal, and those “impossible” marathons become a matter of reps and di

For quick reference material, the Gauntlets of Strength guide on Fextralife pairs well with this article as you plan routes and practice sessions. (Anchor text backlink in-article.)

FAQs

How do I access these modes?
Sit at a Sculptor’s Idol. Choose Reflections of Strength for practice rematches; pick a Gauntlet of Strength for the boss rush challenge.

Do bosses scale with my NG+ or time of day?
Player reports indicate gauntlet versions are tuned slightly differently than reflection versions, but they don’t scale with NG+ or day/night cycles. (Community observation; not an official mechanic.)

Where can I read the official feature list again?
See the official Game of the Year free update notes and the Activision Support explainer for a clear feature rundown.