The world of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the latest title from Dark Souls  developer From Software, is a harsh and unforgiving sort of place, filled with enemies so dangerous that some, like the Great Serpent, have left players wondering if they can even be killed. While some may welcome the brutal challenge, others may want to take advantage of some key items that will make their journey slightly easier; specifically, the Gourd Seeds.

In Sekiro, players can drink from their Healing Gourd to replenish health, so as to give them a little extra time to take down a particularly tricky boss, but it does eventually run out. The Gourd Seeds increase the amount of times the gourd can be used, making them an ideal item to find for those still struggling with the combat and taking more hits than they'd like to. It's a big world and with only nine of them in the whole game, finding these seeds may be too much of a hassle, so we've compiled a list of their locations to help with tracking them down, especially the ones that are rather notoriously hard to find.

gourd seed guide
  1. The first seed can be found by killing General Naomori Kawarada near the Outskirts Wall - Gate Path Shrine.
  2. The second can be obtained right after defeating the Chained Ogre. Grapple up the broken wall behind where he was chained and turn left. The seed should be on the ground.
  3. The third is found when getting through the Abandoned Dungeon and first arriving at the Mt. Kongo area. Early on, there should be a room filled with praying monks in front of a cross-legged mummy. The seed is right in front of said mummy. But be careful, the mummy attacks by throwing up killer crickets and another big enemy is hiding behind the statue next to it.
  4. The fourth can be found once reaching Ashina Castle. Climb up the large staircase through the front gate and then grapple up onto the high walls on the side of the stairs. Players should now be able to scale the rooftops of the castle. Around the top left corner at the back of the main tower, there should be an open window to grapple through, leading to a treasure chest that contains the seed.
  5. To find the fifth one, head to the Battlefield where the Horse-rider General is/was. There's a large staircase on one side of the area. Climb up it to reach a tower and, on the right side of it, is a merchant who will sell the seed for 1000 Sen.
  6. The sixth seed is back in the Ashina Castle area. On the rooftops where the crow ninjas are, there is a thief who is hiding from some guards. Kill the ninjas and guards, and the thief will appear at the Dilapidated Temple, where he sells multiple items, including the seed.
  7. The seventh can only be found after meeting Lord Isshin, when the player is sent to the Sunken Valley. Upon first reaching the area through the Snake Shrine, there is the Under-Shrine Valley Idol. From this shrine, jump down the ledge and head right. There should be a Snake-Eyes rifle enemy. Grapple over, kill them, and then go through the tunnel behind them. On the other side, grapple up and across onto the two branches to the left, then jump and grab onto the ledge on the left. Up the ledge, walk through the tunnel and grapple up to the ledge above. Finally, jump and grab the ledge to the left and climb up, and the seed will be on the floor.
  8. The eighth one can only be obtained after clearing the Hidden Forest of mist. Once this is down, Mibu Village can be reached and from the Mibu Village Shrine is a river can must be followed upstream, which leads to a path patrolled by a group of villagers. Deal with them first and then continue following the path, which leads to a fenced area with another group of enemies. The seed can be found at the base of a large tree, along with some other items.
  9. The final seed can only be found at the Fountainhead Palace near the end of the game but is, fortunately, rather simple to get. Start from the Castle Grounds Sculptor's Idol and then head into the building. Turn right, keep moving forward and a treasure chest with the seed inside should be there.

Even with these additional health upgrades, don't go thinking that the bosses will become a cakewalk, as many of them are ruthless and require different strategies. Fortunately, we here at TheBestWarGames have written up several guides for some of the more difficult ones, including Great Shinobi Owl.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice  is available right now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Source: VG247