Sekiro Guardian Ape boss guide: How to defeat the leaping, rolling primate
When you come up against the Sekiro Guardian Ape boss, follow our guide to help you defeat it
It's possible to fight the Sekiro Guardian Ape boss twice, depending on your path through Sekiro's winding areas. The first fight has two phases and takes place in the Bodhisattva Valley, while the second just involves fighting two Guardian Apes once. Yay. If you're game for the challenge then here's some help and tips for taking down the Sekiro Guardian Ape boss.
How to kill the Sekiro Guardian Ape boss
The first phase has him doing all sorts of unpleasant things including farting and literally throwing poo at you. Both of these attacks are poisonous and should be avoided. Otherwise, this fight is largely about being very much in the Ape’s face for the first part of the fight. Doing so means he is less likely to try and stink bomb you. You can also cheese his first phase by simply running around and waiting for him to flail about on the ground before stabbing him twice in the head.
Once you have taken a health bar the real fight begins. In this phase, the biggest issue is the terror damage that comes from the screaming attack. If you see the head taking a deep breath in you are going to want to run far away. Other than this this stage is a little more conventional than the first.
You can parry most of the sword attacks despite the strange timing but the one to really watch for is when he raises the sword above his head. Deflect this well and the beast will stumble and make for a great chance to attack its stump. If you have an upgraded spear you can use the pull attack to deal a huge chunk of posture and vitality damage.
The second fight occurs in the Poison Pools area and is the same as the second phase from the first fight but twice. Also, once you have taken out the first health bar, the Ape’s mate will arrive. The second ape fights in the same way as the first form of the Guardian Ape. You can take her out using Firecrackers and liberal use of your sword. Just keep an eye on both and you’re golden.
Sekiro Blazing Bull boss | Sekiro Chained Ogre boss | Sekiro Lady Butterfly boss guide | Sekiro Genichiro Ashina boss | Sekiro Headless boss | Sekiro Juzou the Drunkard boss | Sekiro Guardian Ape boss | Sekiro Folding Screen Monkey boss | Sekiro Gyoubu Oniwa boss | Sekiro Lone Shadow Longswordsman boss | Sekiro Isshin Ashina boss | Sekiro Armored Warrior boss | Sekiro Isshin the Sword Saint boss | Sekiro Ashina Elite boss | Sekiro Corrupted Monk boss | Sekiro Genichiro Way of Tomoe boss | Sekiro Great Shiobi Owl boss | Sekiro Seven Ashina Spears boss | Sekiro True Corrupted Monk boss | Sekiro Emma the Gentle Blade boss | Sekiro Demon of Hatred boss | Sekiro Divine Dragon boss
Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Jason Coles is a freelance writer and editor, covering gaming, tech, and fitness. Jason has written guides for GamesRadar+ and PC Gamer, reviews for Play magazine, and a host of other content for the likes of Eurogamer, Dicebreaker, and PCGamesN. Jason also served as the editor of The Indie Game Website and is passionate about helping new writers break into the industry with his Word Count Mentoring initiative.
Pathfinder: The Dragon's Demand devs say Baldur's Gate 3-style level caps help make games shorter, because not everybody has "time for 100-hour RPGs"
Cyberpunk 2077's surprise car customization update was co-developed by the Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake devs, lets you lower your wanted level on the fly GTA-style