The Sekiro Bell is a mysterious landmark in a game packed to the rafters with oddities and curios that (probably) want to stab you in the face. But this one doesn’t do much harm, despite the ominous warnings. If you’re wondering whether you should ring the bell in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, then we’ve laid out all of your options, as well as helping those who’ve done the deed and want to turn off Sinister Burden too.
Sekiro Bell location
The Sekiro Bell is located at the head of Mt. Kongo in the Senpou Temple region of the game. To get there, you need to go through the Abandoned Dungeons and battle your way through the Senpou Temple Grounds.
Should I ring the bell in Sekiro?
If you want to die even more than usual and, in effect, get to the Sekiro New Game Plus (in terms of difficulty anyway) early then, sure. That’s because ringing the bell places the Sinister Burn curse on the One-Armed Wolf, which not only increases the difficulty of all enemies, whom can now hit harder and take more damage, but the loot also improves, with more Sen raining down and the chances of better items drops raising exponentially.
However, as you’ll soon see, you can always dip your toes in the water if you want to as it can be reversed at any time. Essentially, ringing the bell in Sekiro is a risk-free move.
How to turn off Sinister Burden
Easy! While you might be a little spooked by the Sinister Burn notification when it first arrives, all you need to do to turn off Sinister Burden is head in to your Inventory and use the Bell Demon item. That’ll revert the difficulty back to “normal.”
Should I use the Bell Demon item?
If you want to keep the harder difficulty then, by all means, keep the Bell Demon at arm’s length. If you fancy less of a challenge, you can use it and be safe in the knowledge that you’re always free to get another Bell Demon by ringing the bell in Sepou Temple whenever you wish.
Sekiro Soulslikes
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Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and the Best of the Soulslikes
It's always exciting to see a new genre emerge. You get that original hit game, the follow-ups and the attempts by other developers to recapture the magic. With the release of Sekiro, let's look back at the landscape of Souslikes so far. -
Demon's Souls
The original that kicked it all off (unless you count King's Field), Demon's Souls went under the radar on the PlayStation 3. Originally, gamers didn't know what to make of it, but anyone who stuck with it got an amazing experience that was unlike anything on the market. -
Dark Souls
By the time a new generation rolled around, From Software had moved from demons to darkness. The Dark Souls trilogy cemented the genre tropes, proving to achieve the popularity that their previous title had only hinted at. Far more than a cult success, these games proved to be influential even outside the genre. -
Bloodborne
Once things started taking off, original Demon's Souls publisher Sony had to get back in the action. Teaming with From, the result was Bloodborne. Taking things was from medieval castles and including firearms for the first time, this was the first hint that this formula was flexible. -
Lords of the Fallen
Developed by Deck13 Interactive and CI Games, Lords of the Fallen takes things in a more Norse direction. Using hammers and axes, you must fight towering gods and demons. After this game's success, the two developers split, with CI working on an upcoming sequel to this Viking Soulslike. -
Nioh
Team Ninja tried their hands at Souslikes with Nioh, a game where you control an Irish Samurai and fight yokai. The game was announced back in 2004 as Oni and changed hands multiple times before release. Originally another PlayStation 4 exclusive for the genre, the game has since come to PC with all its DLC bundled in. -
The Surge
Deck13 took what they learned from Lords of the Fallen and took the Soulslike genre into the future. The Surge has you stomping around in a mech suit fighting uncontrollable robots. Once you destroy an enemy, you can scrap their parts and convert them into weapons for you to use. A sequel is currently set to release in 2o19. -
Ashen
Developed by A44, Ashen puts players into a world without light. Each character is a muted faceless person, adding to the downtrodden vibe of the entire experience. While combat is inspired by Dark Souls, the game also features open-world exploration and novel passive multiplayer encounters. -
Immortal: Unchained
Going even more Norse than Lords of the Fallen, Immortal: Unchained finds you battling the monsters of Ragnarok. Instead of swords and spears, your character uses a mix of technologically advanced firearms to take down each and every mysterious foe. More fast-paced than other soulslikes, you'll need to duck and weave to stay alive. -
Death's Gambit
Pitched as a merger of Souslike and Castlevania, Death's Gambit is also one of the first games to take these concepts into the second dimension. You can choose from seven playable classes as you seek immortality in this labyrinth of death. -
Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption
What if you didn't have to explore a Soulslike? What if you just fought a collection of out of control boss monsters? Then, you'd have Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption. In this game, you start at your strongest and level down as you progress, adding to the challenge.
