Sekiro was a breath of fresh air for those of us who love FromSoftware’s storytelling and game design, but have grown a bit weary of the Dark Souls sequels.
This new IP sets itself apart from DS with a 100% single-player experience set in a grimdark version of Japan during the Warring States period.
And if there’s one thing Sekiro lacks, it’s the replayability of Dark Souls – mainly because you don’t create your character or have that many branching paths on your adventure.
Mods are a great way to change things and inject some variety into your Sekiro playthroughs.
So if you’re interested in modding the game, let’s take a look at some of the best options worth installing.
The lack of vanilla support for DualShock controllers in modern games is a never-ending story of Sony gamepad owners being treated as second-class citizens.
Luckily for us, modders like Ahmz55 are always there to help.
This small QoL mod will make it so tutorials and menus all show PS4 button prompts, rather than those of Microsoft gamepads.
It’s easy to memorize the Xbox’s button layout, but why should we be forced to?
The whole premise behind challenging FromSoftware titles like Dark Souls and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is that you have to “git gud” if you hope to make it further into the game.
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
If you’re only here for the lore and the flashy ninja arts, Sekiro The Easy by Ttwin531 is a fantastic way to take in the sights rather than fearing for your life.
Once installed, Sekiro will become several times stronger and more durable than before.
He’ll also get near-unlimited stamina, and even fall damage will be a thing of the past.
Sekiro draws a lot of inspiration from classic ninja sagas like Tenchu.
And there’s no better way to honor this gaming ancestry than playing through Sekiro as the iconic Rikimaru.
Rikimaru has been in every Tenchu game, so it’s only fair he’d make his way to this sort of spiritual successor. This skin is high-quality, and also among the most period-appropriate you can find online.
Creator Vergilfox offers us several versions with variations to Rikimaru’s mask, coat, and scarf.
One of the first mods ever released for Sekiro was the FPS unlock – which creator Uberhalit has developed into a convenient suite of tweaks any Sekiro modder should have installed.
Other than removing Sekiro’s framerate limit, it makes custom resolutions like 21:9 possible.
It also adds borderless windowed mode, which is always helpful.
Some of the other tweaks and cheats included with this mod are disabling camera auto-adjust, increasing Spirit Emblem capacity on prosthetic upgrades, disabling death penalties, and even making your character twice as fast.
I recently started playing through the 2020 remake of Final Fantasy VII, and my love for the protagonist Cloud is burning as bright as ever.
This mod by creator VictorGopher lets me keep being Cloud’s fanboy even while playing Sekiro, by replacing the Wolf with everyone’s favorite brooding RPG protagonist.
The model – and his Buster Sword – look gorgeous here.
Although you’ll have to do some mental gymnastics to justify his presence in this setting if you care at all about immersion.
This dazzling violet outfit is a bit out-of-character considering Sekiro’s inherent humility. After all, purple has always been associated with royalty and grandeur.
It’s something more fit for a warlord or someone of that stature.
Still, he rocks it wonderfully.
Did I mention you also get a shiny purple Kusabimaru?
If you’re tired of looking like you’re living off expired coupons, this mod by Eyedeability is the way to go.
Those of us who’ve played NieR: Automata know the adorable 6O, an operator supporting 2B from the comfort of the Bunker up in space.
Well this unique mod by Shintheweapon replaces Emma, the Gentle Blade – a master of the Ashina Arts you fight in Ashina Castle – for either 6O or the long-haired 21O, who plays the role of Operator for 2B’s companion 9S.
The model used for the replacement is beautiful, and it features some glowing golden accents that make this boss a bit more menacing.
There’s nothing quite as off-putting as replacing your character with a hot anime lady just to hear the rough grunts of an old and grizzled shinobi whenever you take damage.
This Voice Replacement by SLeND3rMaN23 will make it so your character cries out in a feminine voice upon being hit by an enemy.
You have plenty of voices to choose from, covering some of the most popular skin replacements like 2B from Soulcalibur VI, Ayane and Kasumi from DoA, and Ayame from Tenchu, among others.
Shinobi were renowned during the Sengoku period due to their mastery of deception and disguise – and Sekiro should be no exception.
This Costume Pack by ZullieTheWitch will give the Wolf a wealth of new options to hide his identity. You can dress up like a samurai, pretend you’re an insane peasant with a basket on their head, and even wear a monkey costume if you so desire.
My favorite by far has to be the Tengu mask.
Not only is it bad-ass, but it reminds me of Tanjiro’s mentor in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba.
Creator ChristianBliss was incredibly hyped for CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 – so much so that he made a themed costume replacement to bring the Wolf up to speed with dystopian fashion trends.
It’s far from immersive.
But these neon colors on a black backdrop look incredible – as does the new cybernetic Kusabimaru.
With this costume, you’ll kinda feel like you’re playing Beat Saber.
It’s just a shame Cyberpunk 2077’s terrible launch betrayed the creator’s hype. But at least we got this incredible skin.
I mean, look at those neon dragons on Sekiro’s katana’s sheath!
Creator Eyedeability offers us his ideal take on the Wolf and his trusty sword Kusabimaru.
This red and black re-texture of Sekiro’s shinobi garb makes him look like a character from Code Vein. There’s also a shiny golden kanji on his scarf that gives him a bit of a mythical air.
Overall, this is the perfect costume replacement for any edgelord who unironically enjoyed the Shadow the Hedgehog (2005).
I love mods that give me a plethora of options in a single download.
After all, I’m a busy man (kinda), and I’d rather spend my time playing!
The Ultimate Character Collection by Eyedeability brings you over 40 skin options from several popular franchises such as Yakuza, Naruto, Bleach, and even Nioh.
Playing through the game as Geralt from The Witcher is a true privilege.
You’ll also find some iconic characters from other FromSoftware games and utterly random stuff like Hisako from Killer Instinct.
Just as you can replace your enemies with characters from NieR: Automata, so can you replace your main character for the dangerous beauty that is 2B.
Despite not wielding her signature Virtuous Contract floating blades, 2B is just as deadly with Kusabimaru.
You can choose whether to play as the default 2B, or change her color scheme. She can have either black or white hair, and the same goes for the dress.
Mod creator VictorGopher also made sure to include Kaine’s outfit for the fiends out there.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
