From Software's Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is one of the great gaming masterpieces of this generation, and remains a must-play for anyone looking for a great action game. The game's aesthetics and storytelling are matched only by its intense and engaging combat, leaving behind the stodgy and defensive playstyle of From's previous titles in favor of a more active approach to sword-based combat. That combat has also haunted the game, though, serving as the reason many still have yet to complete (or even begin) Sekiro. The intense difficulty of Sekiro's combat serves as a large barrier to entry and a significant part of the overall discussion surrounding the game.
But what if there were a way to tune the difficulty to make the game more accessible? Or uncap the game's locked 60 FPS? Or take down the Ashina clan, not as the one-armed wolf Sekiro but as a large frog with a sword? Thanks to the huge community of modders dedicated to altering the Sekiro experience, all of this and much more can be achieved. Here are a few of the best mods available for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and how to install them.
How to Install Mods for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
First, it should be noted that mods in Sekiro are only available for the Steam version of the game, so players with any other version will be out of luck. To begin installing mods for Sekiro, the first step will be to install the Sekiro Mod Engine here. From this page, players should refer to the mod developer's instructions for installation to set up the engine properly. It involves some tinkering in the game files for Sekiro, so at the risk of causing any damage to their game, players should also back up their unmodified files beforehand. Once the mod engine is installed, players can search the vast library of available mods at Nexus Mods to tailor their Sekiro experience to their liking.
A Few of the Best Mods for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
Almost all mods for Sekiro focus on one of three changes: quality of life improvements, gameplay tweaks, or cosmetic changes. Many of these mods manage to maintain the game's core strengths while allowing players the opportunity to tune their playthrough to suit their needs. The following are some of the highest quality mods for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice available to players right now.
Sekiro FPS Unlock and More: This is one of the few mods available to players that could almost be considered an objective improvement to the base game. Sekiro is a visually stunning game, but players experiencing the game on PC will want to push the game's visual fidelity as far as it will go. This mod allows for an uncapped framerate limit, custom resolutions, borderless windowed mode, and much more. Given that this mod improves visual quality and does not alter the gameplay experience in any way, it's one of the rare mods that even players brand new to the game should install, as it will only improve their experience.
Sekiro Online: The ability to play cooperatively online is a feature present in previous titles from From Software that many players love. It's how a large portion of the playerbase can experience the games with friends, engage in PVP, and even help tamp down these games' difficulty. Sekiro, however, does not have any sort of online features natively. Aside from the Remnant feature coming in an update to the game in late October 2020, players who wish to directly play online with others will need to rely on mods. "Sekiro Online" is the definitive mod for this experience, and allows players to join each other's games to help take down Sekiro's toughest enemies.
Sekiro The Easy: Anybody following the discussions surrounding Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will be well aware of the "easy mode" debate that has raged on since the game's release a full year-and-a-half ago. The contention surrounding the game's difficulty goes hand-in-hand with the game's legacy at this point, so it only fits that a mod exists to help settle the score once and for all. Sekiro The Easy makes some significant gameplay changes that make the game less punishing overall, while still maintaining the integrity of the game's spectacular combat. Giving players a stat boost and removing the penalty for dying after using a few of the game's single-use items are just a few ways this mod seeks to make the game more accessible for all players.
Costume Pack Mod: As previously mentioned, many of the mods available for Sekiro are focused on cosmetic changes. Sekiro is unique in From Software's "Soulsborne" catalog in that it has offered players no options for customizing their character's appearance prior to the upcoming October update, where they will add unlockable alternate costumes to the game. The ability to customize the look of one's character is a huge draw for many fans of these games, so in the interim of FromSoft adding it themselves, modders have been sating players' desire to customize their looks. There's a massive library of alternate cosmetic mods available for Sekiro, so players can find the perfect look to suit their tastes for the one-armed wolf (including the oni mask and Genji mods shown above).
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice remains a masterpiece in the action game genre. It continues to have new life breathed into it thanks to the growing library of mods available improving and altering the gameplay experience. With the game's first major update being released in a few weeks introducing boss rush, unlockable costumes, and phantoms from other players being visible in-game, From Software has clearly heard their community's requests loud and clear. These three new features have existed in mods in some way for months now, and to see them officially implemented in the game should give Sekiro players some hope for the future.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.