How to Upgrade & Reach Max Vitality & Posture in Sekiro
You’re not a true Shinobi until you’ve reached your maximums. Here’s how to upgrade and reach max vitality and posture, and obtain the Peak Physical Strength trophy and achievement in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.
If you’ve put some time into Sekiro already, then you likely know how you can upgrade your vitality and posture. If that’s the case, and if you’re just here to find out how to reach max vitality and posture (and obtain the Peak Physical Strength trophy or achievement in doing so), then skip ahead to our breakdown of every Prayer Bead location in Sekiro.
For those who just read that and have no idea what a Prayer Bead is, you’ll want to stick around for this.
How to Upgrade Vitality & Posture
Vitality, which is Sekiro’s health, is upgraded by gathering Prayer Beads. Once you have four of them, you can go to a Sculptor Idol and select the Enhance Physical attributes option to upgrade your vitality. These are the light blue idols that allow you to rest, travel and more.
Prayer Beads are usually found as an item to receive after defeating a mini-boss, as an item in the game world or as an item you can purchase from a mob vendor.
As far as posture goes, each time you upgrade your vitality, you’re also upgrading your posture.
How to Reach Max Vitality & Posture in Sekiro
To reach max vitality and max posture, you need to find all 40 Prayer Beads within the game. This will allow you to upgrade your vitality and posture to their max values. Below is the location of every Prayer Bead in Sekiro.
All Prayer Bead Locations
1. Ashina Outskirts — General Naomori Kawarada
Head to the Outskirts Wall — Gate Path Sculptor Idol and proceed forward to the first courtyard on your path. Here, you’ll find mini-boss General Naomori Kawarada. Defeat him and he’ll drop a Prayer Bead.
2. Ashina Outskirts — Chained Ogre
Proceed forward from the first Prayer Bead until you reach the Stairway Sculptor Idol. Kill the first two guys below and then fight and defeat the Chained Ogre mini-boss. This boss will drop a Prayer Bead.
3. Ashina Outskirts — General Tenzen Yamauchi
After defeating the Chained Ogre, grapple up and in the courtyard below, there will be a general waiting for a fight. Defeat General Tenzen Yamauchi and he’ll drop a Prayer Bead.
4. Ashina Outskirts — Ashina Castle Gate
As you make your way through the Ashina Outskirts, you’ll reach the largest courtyard you’ve encountered so far. Upon entering this courtyard, you’ll be rushed by boss Gyoubu Oniwa. Defeat him.
Then, head to up the stairs nearby and enter the room where an NPC is standing with his back faced to you. Grapple up to the second floor of this building and then grapple up to the highest possible beams.
Double jump from here and do your best to land in the attic. Here, you should spot a glowing chest and within is a Prayer Bead.
5. Ashina Outskirts — Blazing Bull
After defeating Gyoubu Oniwa, continue forward taking out any enemies along the way. Eventually, you’ll reach another courtyard with three enemies in it.
Take out the first enemy stealthily. Move toward the other two and when you do, a giant bull should bust through the wall. Defeat this bull, mini-boss Blazing Bull, and it’ll drop a Prayer Bead.
6. Hirata Estate — Shinobi Hunter
From the Estate Path Sculptor Idol, head to the nearby stairs. Ahead will be a man in white. This is a Shinobi Hunter. Defeat him to obtain a Prayer Bead.
7. Hirata Estate — Juzou the Drunkard
As you proceed forward through the Hirata Estate, you’ll eventually reach a large mini-boss named Juzou the Drunkard. Defeat this mini-boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
8. Hirata Estate — Audience Chamber
From the Hirata Audience Chamber Sculptor Idol, turn around and head to the front door. Don’t exit the building.
Now, turn around and look for two guards patrolling. Take them out and look for a wall near them with a banner on it. Lean on this wall to open a secret room.
In this room is a chest with a Prayer Bead.
9. Ashina Castle — General Kuranosuke Matsumoto
From the Ashina Castle idol, head up the stairs straight ahead. Here, you’ll face four rifle-carrying soldiers and General Kuranosuke Matsumoto. Defeat the general to obtain a Prayer Bead.
10. Ashina Castle — Seven Achina Spears
From the Ashina Reservoir Sculptor Idol, turn left and hop over the building. Grapple to the tree and then up the building. Kill the woman below.
Sneak through the grass and go under the building. Kill the riflemen in front of you and proceed forward. Kill the soldier at the ledge and then follow forward until you reach the building on the cliff.
Climb up into it and leave out the front stealthily. Sneak up on the mini-boss Seven Achina Spears, Shikibu Toshikatsu Yamauchi, fight him and defeat him. Upon defeating him, you’ll be given a Prayer Bead.
11. Ashina Castle — Lone Shadow Longswordsman
From the Ashina Reservoir Sculptor Idol, turn left and hop over the building. Grapple to the tree and then up the building. Kill the woman below.
Head left and grapple over the gap. Skip the entrance to the abandoned dungeon in front of you and head to the dead end. Look down and you should spot Lone Shadow Longswordsman.
If you’ve already talked to him once, you can drop down onto him and launch a sneak attack to remove one of his two vitality bars. If you haven’t talked to him before, you must go down there and initiate a conversation.
That conversation will end with him attempting to kill you. Defeat him and you’ll get a Prayer Bead.
12. Ashina Castle — Abandoned Dungeon Entrance
Travel to the Abandoned Dungeon Entrance Sculptor Idol. Nearby is a mob vendor. Talk to him and in his inventory, for the price of 1400 money, you can purchase a Prayer Bead.
13. Ashina Castle — Antechamber
In the Upper Tower of Ashina Castle, there is an Antechamber Sculptor Idol. Travel to this and he’d into the next room and kill the patrolling samurai.
Proceed forward to the room where two samurai are patrolling. Take them out. Then, on the right, you should spot two samurai sitting. Take them out and look for a wall with a banner between two samurai armor statues.
Lean against this wall and it will spin around to a hidden room. There’s a chest in here and in that chest is a Prayer Bead.
14. Ashina Castle — Ashina Elite
Travel to the Ashina Castle Sculptor Idol. Head right and grapple up to the nearby roof. Follow the smoke signals on the roof to enter the tallest building that’s standing in the middle of this area.
Inside the tower are two samurai. Take them out and head to the room on the right of the top floor. Kill the samurai through here and look up for a hole through the ceiling.
Grapple through this whole and follow the path from here to reach the Ashina Dojo. Here, you must fight the mini-boss, Ashina Alite — Jinsuke Saze. Defeat this mini-boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
15. Senpou Temple — Armed Warrior
After reaching the second Sculptor Idol in this area, known as Shugendo Sculptor Idol, you’ll come across a bridge with someone guarding it. The person guarding the bridge is mini-boss Armed Warrior. Defeat them and they’ll drop a Prayer Bead.
16. Senpou Temple — Long-arm Centipede Sen’un
Once you reach the third Sculptor Idol in the Senpou Temple, known as the Temple Grounds Sculptor Idol, follow the path forward and take out the enemy wolves and monks.
Grapple up the roofs and drop off the right side of the temple roofs to land on a lower temple roof. Through this building’s roof, you can drop down into a chamber where you’ll find the mini-boss Long-arm Centipede Sen’un. Defeat this mini-boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
17. Senpou Temple — Temple Grounds
You cannot obtain this Prayer Bead on your first visit to the Temple Grounds area of Senpou Temple. That’s because you need the Dive ability (which you get after defeating the Corrupted Monk boss) to get this Prayer Bead.
Once you have it, return to the Temple Grounds and proceed forward to the main pond. Jump into this pond, dive down using the Dive ability you’ve obtained and on the floor of the pond is a Prayer Bead.
18. Sunken Valley — Under-Shrine Valley
From the Under-Shrine Valley Sculptor Idol in the Sunken Valley area of the game, turn around and head up the nearby hill. Grapple to the nearby tree and take out the two rifle-carrying soldiers ahead.
Climb up the wall near them and hug the ledge. Continue forward until you reach the other side and in the snow, you should spot a Prayer Bead.
19. Sunken Valley — Snake Eyes Shirafuji
From the Sunken Valley Sculptor Idol, drop down the nearby cliff and grab onto the trees. Here, you’ll find mini-boss Snake Eyes Shirafuji. Defeat this boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
20. Sunken Valley — Long-arm Centipede Giraffe
From the Gun Fort Sculptor Idol, head into the next room to encounter the mini-boss, Long-arm Centipede Giraffe. Defeat this mini-boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
21. Sunken Valley — Gun Fort
After defeating the above mini-boss, drop down the hole in the room where the boss fight happened. Head through the underground section and leave out the left side.
From here, grapple above to the left. Then, grapple to the right. You should see a dark cave.
Enter this cave and stick to the right until you hit a dead end. On the ground is a Prayer Bead.
22. Ashina Depths — Snake Eyes Shirahagi
From the Ashina Depths Sculptor Idol, proceed forward to the poison pool area. You’ll encounter the mini-boss Snake Eyes Shirahagi here. Defeat this mini-boss to earn a Prayer Bead.
23. Ashina Depths — Poison Pools
After you defeat Snake Eyes Shirahagi, head into the tunnel behind it. Look up and grapple to the left side. This will put you on top of a Buddha statue’s head where a Prayer Bead sits.
24. Ashina Depths — Tokujiro the Glutton
When you enter the Hidden Forest after the Poison Pools, you’ll encounter the mini-boss Tokujiro the Glutton. He’s on the main path after a quick grapple out of the foggy area onto a tree on the left. Defeat him to get a Prayer Bead.
25. Ashina Depths — O’rin of the Water
Travel to the Watermill Sculptor Idol in the Ashina Depths. Up ahead, you’ll find a woman playing music. Walk past her and she’ll turn hostile and attempt to kill you. Defeat her to earn a Prayer Bead.
26. Ashina Depths — Watermill
From the Watermill Sculptor Idol, proceed forward until you reach a building with a group of enemies standing in front of it. Crouch under this building to sneak by and look for a nearby floor panel that can be entered.
Entering this floor panel will put you in a room with a Prayer Bead for you to collect.
27. Ashina Depths — Mibu Village
From the Watermill Sculptor Idol, proceed forward until you reach the Mibu Village. In this village there is a large lake that you need to dive into.
At the bottom of the lake is a chest with a Prayer Bead in it.
28. Fountainhead Palace — Sakura Bull
In order to get to the Fountainhead Palace, you must be attempting to get the Purification ending. You can read up on how to do that here.
After going through the Mibu Manor courtyard, exit the building complex, turn around and grapple to the roofs above. Traverse over these buildings to find the Sakura Bull mini-boss. Defeat this boss to get a Prayer Bead.
29. Fountainhead Palace — Okami Leader Shizu
From the Great Sakura Sculptor Idol, proceed forward where you’ll encounter the Okami Leader Shizu mini-boss. This boss is not skippable (story-purposes) so you can’t miss them. Defeat them to get a Prayer Bead.
30. Fountainhead Palace — Great Sakura
After defeating Okami Leader Shizu, jump into the nearby lake and dive down to the bottom. On the right side of the bottom of the lake, there is a chest. Open it to find a Prayer Bead inside.
The Following Prayer Beads Are to Be collected After Completing the Main Game in Sekiro
31 & 32. Ashina Depths — Undying Guardian Ape
In the large hall between the Poison Pool section of the Ashina Depths and the Hidden Forest Sculptor Idol, you can fight the headless Guardian Ape again.
Complete this boss fight, which will culminate with a second ape joining the fight against you, to obtain not one, but two Prayer Beads.
33. Ashina Castle — Lone Shadow Vilehand
You will encounter this boss in the same room you fought mini-boss Ashina Elite — Jinsuke Saze. The room you’re looking for is Kuro’s Room. Defeat the mini-boss Lone Shadow Vilehand to obtain a Prayer Bead.
34. Ashina Castle — Chained Ogre
From the Upper Tower — Antechamber Sculptor Idol, jump down from the floor you’re on to land inside the main room of this tower. Continue downward until you find a Chained Ogre mini-boss. Defeat this boss to get a Prayer Bead.
35. Ashina Castle — Lone Shadow Masanaga the Spear-Bearer
Travel to the Old Grave Sculptor Idol. Head forward to the Great Serpent Shrine Sculptor Idol. In the idol’s place is a new mini-boss known as Lone Shadow Masanaga the Spear-Bearer. Defeat this mini-boss to get a Prayer Bead.
36. Ashina Castle — Seven Spears Ashina, Shume Masaji Oniwa
After completing the story, travel to the Ashina Reservoir Sculptor Idol. The area should be up in flames and in the first courtyard should be a new mini-boss, Seven Spears Ashina — Shume Masaji Oniwa. Defeat this mini-boss to get a Prayer Bead.
37. Ashina Castle — Shigekichi of the Red Guard
After completing the story in Sekiro, travel to the Old Grave Sculptor Idol. Walk downstairs and walk across the bridge before you. This will take you to a courtyard.
In that courtyard is the mini-boss, Shigekichi of the Red Guard. Defeat this mini-boss to earn a Prayer Bead.
38. Ashina Castle — Ujinari Mizou
From the Ashina Dojo Sculptor Idol, walk downstairs, turn around and cut through the paper wall before you. Behind this paper wall is a secret passage that will take you right to mini-boss Ujinari Mizou. Defeat this mini-boss to obtain a Prayer Bead.
39. Sekiro Purification Ending Only — Hirata Estate — Lone Shadow Masanaga the Spear-Bearer
You’ve fought this boss before but if you have followed steps to get the Purification ending, you’ll be fighting this boss once more. He spawns where you got the key from the Owl when you first visited the Hirata Estate as a memory near the start of the game.
Defeat this mini-boss to earn a Prayer Bead.
40. Sekiro Purification Ending Only — Hirata Estate — Juzou the Drunkard
You’ve fought this boss before but if you have followed steps to get the Purification ending, you’ll be fighting this boss once more. He spawns in the same place you first fought him, in the courtyard right before the Hirata Audience Chamber Sculptor Idol.
Defeat this boss again to obtain the final Prayer Bead.
That’s everything you need to know about upgrading and reaching max vitality and posture, which will, in turn, get you the Peak Physical Strength trophy and achievement.
For more information about Sekiro, be sure to check out our Sekiro Guide Wiki. There, you’ll find tips, tricks, walkthroughs and more to help you complete every aspect of the game.
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