Purification | Sekiro Shadows Die Twice endings Sekiro guide, walkthrough

Last update: 11 April 2019

This page in our guide to Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice contains the description of Purification, one of the four endings available in the game. This ending is a little bit more difficult to unlock. Read this page to learn how to unlock it, what are the related actions, and which bosses you have to defeat.

• List of actions required for Purification ending
• Reaching the final bosses
• Final boss 1: Genichiro, Way of Tomoe
• Final boss 2: Isshin, the Sword Saint
• Choosing Purification ending after reaching Kuro

List of actions required for Purification ending

Encounter with Great Shinobi - Owl

You can start preparations for this ending after you reach the game's finale - after collecting all items for Kuro. Go back to Ashina Castle. The building is under attack. You need to go through the rooms again. Reach the castle's rooftop - the same place where you fought with Genichiro Ashina.

This time, Wolf will meet his foster father - Great Shinobi - Owl. Speak with him and then choose the second dialog option - Stay loyal to Kuro.

Boss fight: Great Shinobi - Owl

This decision will trigger a fight with Great Shinobi - Owl. The complete strategy for this fight is in the Bosses chapter. Below you can find the most important information about this duel:

1. The boss has two red dots meaning you need to perform two Deathblows on him.
2. Focus on dodging Owl's regular and poisoning attacks.
3. Owl can throw shuriken at you and he can perform a leap combined with an attack. Dodge to the side and use this opportunity to attack the boss. We recommend using the Mortal Draw skill.
4. Once the second phase starts, the boss will start using smoke bombs. Move away from the smoke (reduces visibility) and look for the boss.

Great Shinobi - Owl will drop Aromatic Branch.

Unlock access to the Fountainhead Palace

You need to unlock the final location - Fountainhead Palace. All the steps necessary for unlocking this location are described on How to enter the Fountainhead Palace? page. Below you can find the most important steps:

1. Meet with Kuro and Emma.
2. Tell Kuro you have four quest items - Aromatic Branch, Lotus of the Palace (found in Sunken Valley), Shelter Stone (Ashina Depths), and the Mortal Blade (Senpou Temple).
3. Speak to Emma again and interact with the incense.
4. Go back to Ashina Depths and enter the Wedding Cave.
5. Find the tent and pray inside it. Wolf will be transported to the Fountainhead Palace by a giant.

Boss fight: True Corrupted Monk

True Corrupted Monk stays in the first area of the Fountainhead Palace. The complete strategy for this fight can be found in the Bosses chapter. Below you can find the most important information about this duel:

1. Two out of the three red dots can be destroyed by jumping down on the Monk from the trees and performing a stealth Deathblow. However, these attacks must be done at the right moment - not too early, not too late.
2. The last part is a typical fight. Avoid the Monk's blade and her poisonous clouds.
3. The easiest way to make the boss vulnerable to your attacks is to use Shinobi Firecracker. Use this item to get a chance to attack her a few times.

Go through the Fountainhead Palace

The detailed walkthrough for the Fountainhead Palace is in the Walkthrough section. You don't have to perform any special actions here to unlock the ending. If you want to, you can avoid all regular enemies and focus only on reaching Sculptor's Idols found in this location.

The only mini-boss you have to kill Okami Leader Shizu. You will find her right after going past the Great Sakura Sculptor's Idol. You can kill her fast by using the grappling hook on the hook points and then attacking her with regular attacks. With Shizue dead, you are now able to swim in the large water body in the Fountainhead Palace. Swim through the underwater tunnel. Remember to avoid Great Colored Carp's attacks.

Reach Palace Grounds Sculptor's Idol and stop exploring the Fountainhead Palace for a moment. This is very important because you have to complete a few actions first before you face the Divine Dragon.

Eavesdrop Kuro in his room

Go back to Kuro's Chamber in Ashina Castle. Speak to Kuro a few times. Keep doing that until the dialog lines start to repeat - this means that you have heard all the dialog lines.

Go behind the incense, the one in front of Kuro. Stand in the place presented in the picture above and press the button to eavesdrop on Kuro.

Speak to Emma at the castle's rooftop

You don't have to speak to Kuro. Instead, go back to the Sculptor's Idol and rest. Go up the stairs (keep moving towards the rooftop where you faced Great Shinobi - Owl). Speak with Emma. Choose the first dialog option - tell her that you want to keep Kuro alive.

Emma needs some time to come up with a plan. Go back to the Sculptor's Idol and rest. Speak to Emma again. She gives you Tomoe's Note. Wolf will also learn about the Purification ritual.

Meet with Emma near the Old Grave

Travel to Old Grave Sculptor's Idol in Ashina Castle. If you don't have it activated yet, go behind the castle. Meet Emma in that location.

Eavesdrop on Emma in the Dilapidated Temple

Travel to Dilapidated Temple Sculptor's Idol. Go behind the building and meet with the Sculptor. Find the spot where you can eavesdrop on Emma and the Sculptor.

Move to the new version of Hirata Estate

Speak to Emma and select the option in which you will ask her about what you overheard - the second dialog option. You also have to force her to tell the secret - the first dialog option.

Emma will give you Father's Bell Charm. Approach the Buddha's statue in the same room and pray. Wolf travels to a new version of Hirata Estate from a new timeline.

Boss fight: Lone Shadow Masanaga the Spear-Bearer

You don't have to go through the entire Hirata Estate again, only through its last part. You have to kill a total of three bosses. The first one is Lone Shadow Masanaga the Spear-Bearer - you will face him right after you reach the building in flames. The full description of that fight is in the Bosses chapter.

You can easily kill Masanaga by being clever. Kill all the regular enemies standing on the bridge leading to the burning estate. Then, lure the boss to this place. When Masanaga reaches the bridge, he should stop attacking you.

Boss fight: Juzou the Drunkard

Masanaga is dead - time to move to the main yard. Simply go through the destroyed part of the wall. Ignore or defeat the regular enemies standing on your way. You now have to face Juzou the Drunkard for the second time. The full description of that fight is in the Bosses chapter. Below you can find the most important information about this fight:

1. The best way to start this fight is to defeat all the regular enemies first.
2. Juzou is accompanied by a powerful masked enemy. Lure the masked opponent to the pond and then try to perform a stealth Deathblow when he is going back to Juzou.
3. You can sneak up on Juzou and deal the first Deathblow.
4. Deflect Juzou's regular attacks and jump over the unblockable ones. Avoid his poison. Attack the boss with, e.g. Mortal Draw when he is preparing to use poison.

Boss fight: Owl (Father)

Owl (Father) is in the hidden temple, the same one where you fought with Lady Butterfly. The full description of that fight is in the Bosses chapter. Below you can find the most important information about this fight:

1. His regular attacks can be deflected but this requires a lot of precision. Remember to dodge his attacks marked with the red symbol.
2. As for ranged attacks, Owl relies on shuriken. He can also throw them while he is making long jumps.
3. He has a unique attack - an unblockable thrust. Dodge by moving to the side.
4. When you get close to Owl, he can use firecrackers. Dodge them at the right moment to avoid getting stunned.
5. There are two ways of defeating the boss - taking down his posture (the harder way) or his health (the easier way). If you want to do the latter, use, e.g. Mortal Draw after the Owl misses an attack.
6. One of the biggest threats of the second phase is his red owl - dodge to the side to avoid it.
7. Owl's other new ability is teleportation. Start running after he disappears - he won't be able to surprise you.

Owl drops a key quest item - Aromatic Flower / Everblossom. This is the most important item for the Purification ending.

Going back to the Fountainhead Palace and boss fight: Divine Dragon

Go back to the Fountainhead Palace after you kill Owl in Hirata Estate and get Aromatic Flower. You can't do that after you kill the Divine Dragon. Travel to Palace Grounds Sculptor's Idol and then move to Sanctuary Sculptor's Idol. Pray in the sanctuary. The full description of that fight is in the Bosses chapter. Below you can find the most important information about this fight:

1. When the fight starts, focus on attacking Old Dragons of the Tree. Use every chance you get to use the grappling hook and pull yourself towards the tree. After that, jump down on any of the enemies and perform a Deathblow. This will cause a shockwave.
2. Once the fight with the boss starts, run to the left or the right to avoid shockwaves. You also have to jump over sweeps.
3. Use the grappling hook to move towards the "glowing" trees. When you get covered in thunders, turn towards the boss while you are mid-air and send a lightning bolt at the enemy (press the attack button).
4. When the last phase starts, focus on avoiding Divine Dragon's attacks. Wait for the opportunity to use the grappling hook on the tree that was hit with a lightning bolt. After a successful attack, run on the Dragon's weapon to finish the creature off.

One of the rewards for this fight is Divine Dragon's Tears.

Reaching the final bosses

After defeating the Divine Dragon, Wolf is teleported to Ashina Castle. Go to Kuro's Room and speak with Emma. She will give you the Secret Passage Key. Go through the window behind Emma. You don't have to fight with enemies and optional mini-bosses in Ashina Castle. Instead, focus on reaching Ashina Reservoir. Keep jumping down on the rooftops and use the grappling hook a few times. The smoke coming out from some rooftops will point you the direction.

When you are at the bottom, look for a side passage leading to Ashina Reservoir Sculptor's Idol. Turn left and use the grappling hook. You have to reach the area below the large bridge (the one you crossed to reach Abandoned Dungeon).

The picture above shows your destination. This is a new Sculptor's Idol called Near Secret Passage. Use the key you got from Emma to open the door. Follow the path to reach the glade where you will participate in the final two duels.

Final boss 1: Genichiro, Way of Tomoe

The first out of the two final bosses is Genichiro, Way of Tomoe. This fight is similar to the one you had with Genichiro Ashina at the top of Ashina Castle. The biggest difference is that the "new" Genichiro is using Black Mortal Blade. His attack deals a lot of damage and has a great reach. To avoid it, you can run around the boss and attack him from a side or from the back while he is using the Mortal Blade.

Run around one of the larger rocks to make this fight easier. The boss won't be able to shoot you with his bow. You can also use these rocks to hide from Genichiro's thrust. Attack him after he hits the rock. You only need to perform a single Deathblow on Genichiro. Try to lose as less health as possible and try to save the Quick Items. Once Genichiro is dead, the game will start another boss fight. Your next opponent is Isshin. You can't rest nor replenish your supplies.

Final boss 2: Isshin, the Sword Saint

The second final boss is Isshin, the Sword Saint. He has three red dots meaning that this fight has three phases. The first stage is the most difficult. Shadowrush is the best for this phase. Use it every time Isshin ends his combo. It is important to know where to jump backward after using this skill - if you don't do that, you will get hit by Isshin's sword. Watch out for his ranged attacks (shockwaves) and abilities that let him get quickly near Wolf.

As for the second and the third phase, the safest thing to do is to keep running to the side and wait for the boss to use his powerful attack combined with a jump. Run towards him and attack. After that, move away from Isshin and continue running around the glade. This is a time-consuming method but you won't have to risk a direct confrontation with Isshin.

Choosing Purification ending after reaching Kuro

Once both bosses are dead, approach Kuro. This is where you will choose the ending. Purification ending requires you to give Kuro Divine Dragon's Tears and Everblossom.