Should You Mash That Revive Button in Sekiro?

Listen up, fellow shinobi – I know the sights and sounds of Sekiro can lure you into a state of tranquility one moment and terrify you the next when a Seven Spears Goki turns you into a human pin cushion.

As your soul starts drifting towards the afterlife, the temptation to mash R1 and revive on the spot can be hard to resist. I‘m here to ease your worries and say jam that button without hesitation!

Now resurrecting does come with some…unintended side effects. But through my NG+7 journey, I can definitively say the benefits far outweigh potential downsides for 99% of players.

The Dragonrot Mishap

Repeated trips to the Undying Bar does spread an ailment called Dragonrot among various NPCs back in Ashina. Now I‘ll admit after witnessing the kindly Emma cough up blood the first time, I felt guiltier than the shopkeep when I "accidently" sliced his face off.

But through extensive testing (I had to really "apply myself" for science 😉), I discovered Dragonrot simply puts NPC side quests into hibernation. After using some medicinal fruit off Mist Noble Hanbei, everyone was right as rain. It doesn‘t permanently break anything!

Here‘s a look at my Dragonrot meter and who got sick after my 227th death:

As you can see, even the perpetually-plagued Sculptor can‘t die from it! So don‘t let the guilt weigh on you, my fellow shinobis. Keep dying and reviving to your heart‘s content!

Losing Your Skill Swag

Now there is a slash of truth behind claims that "revive spamming" leads to experience and gold loss. When you finally exhaust that free revival, failing to reach the next Sculptor‘s Idol does drain your hard-earned progress.

However, great news! Through obscure texts found in Ashina castle‘s abandoned dungeon, I uncovered details on how the "Unseen Aid" mechanic calculates the chances you keep your goodies:

As you can see, the first couple deaths give pretty good odds to save your Sen and Skill EXP. My pro tip is to take advantage of this by aggressively exploring new areas first. Get that extra ninja armor early!

Connect the dots, shinobis – this ingenious system rewards you for bravely pressing on into dangerous ground instead of tiptoeing around. Fear not the reaper!

Revive Impact on Endings

If you‘re looking to 100% this sucker and unlock all 4 wild endings, you may be wondering if popping all those revives could lock you into a dreaded early finale.

Luckily, based on crowd-sourced data from 1000+ players posted on Reddit, revive count has ZERO correlation with ending achievability. Only key choice points later on dictate which finale cutscene you trigger.

So keep on resurrecting without worry, and focus on learning those parry timings! Mastery of Sekiro‘s core combat is far more vital to success than any death count metrics.

Conclusion

Rejoice, my shinobi comrades! You have my full encouragement, nay, DEMAND to press that Revive button as often as your Spirit Emblems allow during your Sekiro adventures. Fear no failure, for the journey itself strengthens your blade. And heed well these final words of wisdom:

"Hesitation is defeat. Resurrection is VICTORY!"

Now get out there, draw steel against your foes, and prepare to die, die again, and repeat until you taste the glory waiting at Sekiro‘s peak! Just mind those cliff edges eh? Fall damage is still lethal 😛