Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - 14 Helpful Gameplay Secrets You Didn't Know

14. Hold Left/Right On The D-Pad To Automatically Select Your First Item

A carryover from Dark Souls 3 and Dark Souls Remastered, you can get around some of the awkwardness of an inventory mapped to the d-pad by assigning specific items to your first slot.

I like to keep the Healing Gourd handy, but whatever you have in this first of four slots, will be instantly selected if you hold left or right on the d-pad in-game, rather than cycling through everything during combat .

This is unbelievably helpful in encounters where specific items are needed to dispel attack states or ward off spectral enemies. Either equip the designated one-off item in your first slot, or keep your Gourd as an Estus Flask stand-in.