YouTuber Lance McDonald has been digging deep into the code of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. Why, you ask? Well, that’s because McDonald is a treasure hunter of sorts. He has made a living uncovering hidden gems in games like Dark Souls: namely, code that was once meant for the game but got buried before release. Recently, he has set his sights on Sekiro, and he’s already harvested some rather tasty bits.
If you’ve played Sekiro, you’ve probably died at least once. Alright, to be fair, you have probably died several times. If you have, then you should already know of the phenomenon called dragonrot, a mysterious malady plaguing the denizens of Sekiro‘s world. The more you die, the deeper dragonrot manifests in the citizens, robbing you of Unseen Aid, which helps lessen the impact of each death and resurrection. McDonald has discovered that there was once a different way to handle the dragonrot epidemic by digging into the game’s code.
He discovered a useful item, called Dragonrot Pellets. As the game stands, to cure dragonrot you must use an item called a Recovery Charm. The charms are hard to come by, requiring either a hefty amount of sen (in-game currency) or an infected sample of blood from someone afflicted by the disease. However, before the charm, you had these pellets and you were required to cure each person one by one. I can see why the change was made. There are quite a few people infected, and having to stop playing in order to cure each of them would have become tedious.
Stay A While And Listen
Losing the pellets, however, did create another issue. By curing each person, you were rewarded with a different piece of dialogue. Curing them with the charm means they are relieved by some unknown force. Meanwhile, this previous, more personal method allowed you to actually talk with the patient. McDonald discovered lost dialogue options, some of which come from Dogen, a doctor and inventor. He reveals more about his apprentice Emma, apparently.
At the moment, that’s all McDonald has discovered. However, there are surely more interesting secrets to unearth. After all, McDonald is the one who discovered cut bosses from games like Bloodborne. Perhaps he may find out why the Guardian Ape won’t stay dead despite all my best efforts. Yes, that would be stellar.
