The Guardian Ape is one of the toughest bosses in all of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. With fast, brutal attacks this giant primate can decimate your health bar in a matter of seconds. It doesn’t help that this boss has two phases and considerable melee range. Because of this, fighting the monkey straight on can be downright dangerous. Thankfully, there are a few ways to cheese the Guardian Ape and make this fight way easier.
Guardian Ape Phase One
One thing to remember for both phases is not to dodge but outright sprint around the arena. Unlike other bosses, the Guardian Ape’s watering hole is massive which allows you to freely run in a big circle, kiting this beast. It’s the best way to stay out of his attack range when he rushes and you can dodge his projectiles.
When the battle begins, equip the firecrackers and let the Guardian Ape give chase. He has a number of attacks, but you are looking for the one where he ends up on his back, slamming his fits on either side. It should look like he’s throwing a temper tantrum.
Once you see him go onto his back, turn around and start attacking his head. You should be able to get a few good slashes in before the monkey stands up. As soon as the ape recovers, throw a firecracker, dash behind him to avoid his follow up, and hit him a few more times. Now turn your ass around and run like the hell!
Most of the time the ape will try to use his Perilous attack – which is a grab – after you use firecrackers so don’t hang around too long. Your entire strategy is to wait for this attack, get a few slashes in, use the firecrackers, hit him once more, and bail. It’s not exactly honorable, but you can easily beat his first phase.
Additionally, when he throws his poo at you, make sure to jump right before it hits. Sometimes the ape can still hit you if you’re sprinting, but we found he never struck us when we jumped right before it hit.
Guardian Ape Phase Two
Don’t let this terrifying new look fool you, this phase is even easier than the last one. Just like before, start sprinting around the arena, letting the headless Guardian Ape chase you. Despite having a sword, you can still keep out his range and easily outrun all of his moves.
He has a lot of moves, but the one you are waiting for is when he swipes his sword four times in a row. On the fourth, the ape will have a brief opening where you can run in, hit him twice, and dash out. When you’re running, when you see this attack, count the number of slashes and as soon as the boss starts the fourth, turn around and rush to him. You should get there right as the animation finishes, letting you hit him twice.
Do not overstay your welcome because he will almost always follow up with an AoE (Area of Effect) attack that deals Terror damage. Now repeat this process over and over again until the Guardian Ape falls. If you do want to speed this up a bit, his air attack is also punishable, just make sure to only hit him a few times before running away.
By keeping the Guardian Ape constantly behind you and only going in after his four slash attack you should almost never get hit. Your shinobi is just fast enough to outrun all his moves, plus you can stay locked onto him when you sprint. Just be careful not to run into a wall or corner, the ape will certainly kill you if you get trapped.
See Also
- How to Kill the Great Colored Carp in Sekiro
- How to Beat O’Rin of the Water in Sekiro
- How to Beat the Folding Screen Monkeys in Sekiro