Sekiro Blazing Bull Boss Guide: Tips To Defeat The Stampeding Beast

Many Sekiro players struggle with the Blazing Bull’s unconventional attack patterns compared to humanoid enemies encountered earlier. This beast represents a significant departure from the sword-based combat you’ve mastered, requiring adaptation of core mechanics to overcome its unique challenges.

During your initial hours in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the Blazing Bull presents a distinct combat puzzle. While previous Ashina clan warriors utilized traditional weaponry like katanas, shields, and spears, this monstrous creature relies on brute force and flaming horns. However, your established combat fundamentals remain critically important despite the enemy type difference.

Successfully parrying the bull’s charging attacks remains possible, and systematically breaking its Posture meter still enables deathblow opportunities. The primary adjustments involve managing the creature’s exceptional speed while creating consistent damage windows to reduce its Vitality, accelerating your path to victory. Additionally, a specific prosthetic tool acquisition that many overlook can dramatically simplify this encounter.

This comprehensive guide provides everything necessary to conquer the Blazing Bull efficiently. We also offer extensive Sekiro resources to enhance your mastery of From Software’s challenging title, including essential early-game prosthetic locations and strategies for acquiring additional Snapseeds against spectral opponents like Lady Butterfly.

The Blazing Bull delivers devastating impact damage but suffers from poor maneuverability and limited turning capability due to its massive size. Avoid retreating backward or sidestepping laterally; instead, advance aggressively beneath its elevated horns. Maintaining sprint mode by holding the dodge button facilitates rapid flanking maneuvers around the creature’s sides.

Optimal positioning involves maintaining proximity to the bull’s rear legs—specifically adjacent to but not directly behind the hindquarters. From this tactical position, you can unleash continuous sword strikes while the beast struggles to reorient itself for counter-attacks. Maintain constant mobility while staying within zones that limit the bull’s effective attack range.

Common Positioning Mistakes: Many players instinctively create distance, which actually enables the bull’s most dangerous charging attacks. Staying excessively close to the rear risks trampling damage, while perfect flank positioning creates sustained safe attack windows. Advanced players should practice circling patterns that maintain optimal distance while maximizing attack opportunities.

Despite the Blazing Bull’s intimidating appearance as a massive flaming creature, Sekiro’s core parrying mechanics remain fundamentally effective. Blocking remains essential for survival when evasion seems impossible. Successful parries steadily accumulate Posture damage identical to human opponents, creating positional advantages and counter-attack opportunities.

The fire element presents the greatest hazard, as even successfully blocked attacks can inflict burn damage and advance the Burning status meter. Dousing Powder provides crucial protection if you ignite. While avoiding attacks remains preferable, adopting a defensive stance when uncertain proves consistently reliable.

Fire Management Protocol: Monitor your burn buildup carefully—once the status activates, you’ll take continuous damage. Have Dousing Powder readily accessible in your quick items. Perfect parries completely negate fire damage, making timing practice exceptionally valuable.

The Blazing Bull possesses exceptionally high Vitality, resulting in rapid Posture regeneration even during intensive parrying sequences. Inflicting consistent health damage becomes necessary to reach execution threshold, with relentless aggression proving most effective.

As previously emphasized, maintaining close proximity to the hindquarters creates optimal conditions where the bull struggles to target you effectively, spending most engagement time repositioning. Landing multiple sword strikes from this vantage point reduces health substantially, which correspondingly slows Posture recovery. Eventually, sustained assault generates sufficient Posture damage through combined health reduction and direct attacks to achieve the deathblow.

Execution Timing Optimization: The bull becomes vulnerable to execution once its Posture meter reaches maximum, indicated by a red dot appearing above its health bar. Time your final assault carefully—over-aggression during low health can result in unnecessary deaths.

The Shinobi Firecracker prosthetic ranks among the game’s most valuable tools, yet many players overlook its acquisition. These firecrackers temporarily stun enemies, demonstrating exceptional effectiveness against animal opponents. Against the Blazing Bull, they transform the encounter difficulty significantly.

Deploying Firecrackers causes the bull to rear upward, creating extended vulnerability windows for multiple attack sequences. Proper timing allows 4-6 free hits per usage, dramatically accelerating the fight.

Firecrackers cannot be found as world loot—they must be purchased from Memorial Mob merchants available at two locations before encountering the bull. The first merchant resides in Ashina Outskirts’ Gate Path area. After encountering the old woman who provides the bell, proceed forward and locate a grapple point leftward just before passing beneath a wooden gate. Ascend vertically leftward to reach a stone tower summit where the merchant sells the Firecracker attachment for 500 sen.

If you missed that opportunity, a second merchant appears immediately after defeating Gyoubu the Demon. Teleport to the Ashina Castle Gate Sculptor’s Idol, return to your initial drop-in point, and ascend the staircase toward a building. Circumnavigate the structure’s right side to find another Memorial Mob vendor offering the Firecrackers.

Advanced Firecracker Techniques: Deploy firecrackers as the bull begins its charge animation for maximum effect. Follow immediately with 3-4 attacks, then reposition. Conserve emblems for 4-5 uses throughout the encounter. Combine with vitality damage for fastest possible execution.

No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Sekiro Blazing Bull Boss Guide: Tips To Defeat The Stampeding Beast Master the Blazing Bull encounter with advanced positioning, parrying tactics, and essential Shinobi tools