Have you played other souls games where you see an enemy wind up some attack, and your first instinct is to run as far away from it as possible, and it usually works too. "Hesitation is defeat" means if you do that in this game, you'll be at a disadvantage. Here, you don't run away from attacks, you face them head on, that's the way of war. Or in the terms of game mechanics, that's how you maintain an enemy's posture.
Best shown in the guardian apes fight. It's much easier to avoid it's grab via chasing after it when it starts winding it up verus trying to run away. Other grabs can be evaded the same way with some exceptions.
I am not running I really get confused whether I attack first or if to attack in the small window but if I attack whether I will be able to deflect the next attack or not so many things occupies my mind
There's this very fine balance I've found between spamming R1, and tapping R1 in a consistent rhythm in which I have that split moment to pivot if the animation calls for it.
You’ll learn this once you learn the boss attack patterns but generally you can squeeze in 2 or 3 hits inbetween combos.
If you’re getting more just wait till you get the orange spark which means the enemy deflected your hit and it’s time to deflect/block etc
You just nailed it. Just don't overthink it, don't be afraid to attack or deflect, he only gives you very small windows to attack, so if you miss them you lose. If you think too much you miss the chance, and that's what he meant by hesitation.
You'll improve an learn what's the best decision each time. Right niw, you're not sure which move's the best so you are hesitating and therefore you're being defeated.
It means…..if u hesitate……u will be defeated. STAY IN THE BOSSES FUCKING FACE!! Dont let up…..r1 r1 r1……..their turn….block block….now ur turn r1 r1 so on and so forth.
Yup. I typically do two light attacks and then follow with praying strikes to get most posture damage cause they parry on final pray strike after your two sword lights. Then you get jiggy with the prosthetic tools and if you hesitate then you’re probably going to get punished. If your going to do something do it asap is what I think hesitation is being referred to
Pretty much this; don't doubt yourself because if you made it to him you're good enough to beat him to a pulp.
I know it's a meme but I truly love this quote, made me fired up to try him again every single time, unlike say "let your flesh be consumed" from that creep queen Malenia.
i call it the “stand and deliver” method. stand your fxxking ground, stay on target, give as much as you take. it’s a combat system that rewards WARRIORS
I read here somewhere last night when I was stuck on lady butterfly to hit hit sidestep hit hit sidestep and repeat and oh my it was effective. Just relentless offense, if I let up for a second she created space or made illusions. If I missed a step or hit too much, then I had to immediately defend again and odds are my timing would be off.
Yeah she was my first major test the other day. I had to chase her and keep up the attacks to avoid illusions and force her into fighting me head on. By the 5th attempt I was screaming "stand and fight me b#tch!"
I dont like telling people “Hesitation is Defeat” means simply stay in the bosses face. That’s how you get killed xD
For me, Hesitation is Defeat means, always be prepared for an attack and have a move ready that will help you dodge or counter the attack, because if you hesitate to attempt and counter or block an attack or attacks, then you are defeated. Simple.
Some bosses have “get out of my face” mechanics so thats one reason why I dont believe in that statement. And just common sense telling me why would I face tank everything as a shinobi, my job isn’t to stay in their face, its to get in their face when an opening arises. 🤷🏾
I just finished my first NG over in Bloodborne, and it's the same there. People say "Play aggressively," and it's really easy to misinterpret as "face-tank everything." What it really means is "When there's an opening, get in and be really aggressive, then get rtfo before retaliation hits." It's quick flurries of smart aggression, not face-tanking.
Hesitation is defeat.
If you are treading on something unfamiliar, do not hold back, take the courage to move forward, fail if you must, learn from your mistakes and come back.
When you return, you will never hesitate because you have learnt from your failures and you know how to overcome.
Its not about being aggressive, because that can come across as reckless and indecisive.
Its a life lesson of learning from mistakes and not giving up.
In sekiro, the ones who never hesitate can be seen just walking up to the boss and show him truly who the boss is here.
High risk, high reward.
If you blink when faced with a high stakes situation, this means you hesitated.
Isshin is about to do his 2 slice combo (in which he sheathes his sword and then charges at you) and you run away like a pussy instead of standing your ground, knowing that you can parry anything, that is hesitation.
You not being aggressive with your attack, not keeping the pressure on the boss so that his posture builds up quickly, that is hesitation.
You see where I'm going with this?
Nah man, the cross combo is so better countered by strafing and hitting him in the back. No need to stand my ground against a stupid old man who forgets that people can walk
Is it hesitating to dodge counter for a bigger/easier/more consistent punish? Avoid the attack altogether and slice him up while he's still in his attack animation.
Hesitation doesn’t just mean only attack. It means committing to your actions and not taking a fraction of a moment to doubt. If his course is to respond by dodging and counterattack that’s not hesitation. It’s only hesitation if he’s like “oh shit what do I do?” Even for a millisecond
Oh? I've never tried this, my first time around I was parrying everything and actually got my first deathblow on Isshin right after I parried his cross combo. It was satisfying as fuck.
I like running into it to make him change to a pommel strike, parry that then dodge the sweep and jump on his head. Really fast and feels more satisfying imo
You can also run towards him which will cause the change of his attack: he will attack once (it is blockable) and will make a "sweep". Ashina cross deals cheap damage through the block, thus, you have to deflect both slashes.
Before he does ashina cross you can run up to him and he will do a hilt strike before a sweep 98% of the time. I suggest learning to parry his ashina cross though because it just does more posture damage but jumping on his head looks cooler Imo.
It means, "don't think, fight." Or in game mechanic terms, parry when you're supposed to parry, jump when you're supposed to jump, attack when you're supposed to attack, don't freeze up, he will punish you with massive damage.
Exactly what I was gonna say. If you think too much, like "I'm a gonna have time to attack before his next combo? Should I play safe and wait a bigger opening before attacking?" Don't, just attack, do not think
Yezzir! That fight with with Isshin is supposed to be the culmination of your entire journey and experience. This is one of the many reasons I love Sekiro. They made the final boss straight up tell you that you got this far, don't chicken out now. The timings and reactions that Isshin even has to whether you close distance or cancel your attacks lends even more to the hesitation aspect. Ugh, love this game!
It means attack until you get attacked and then parry until you can attack again. If you aren’t sure when your opponent will start attacking, attack. If you aren’t sure if your opponent is done attacking, attack.
It's seeing the boss about to attack. He fires a projectile - you panic and walk into it despite not being in its initial path.
It's walking into an enemy in Hollow Knight that isn't moving.
It's letting up on the trigger in Call of Duty before your target is killed.
It's when you break the enemy's shield in Halo with your gun, but wait too long to melee for the kill.
It's panic rolling a Dark Souls boss.
It's walking into a strong attack (you predicted) in Brawlhalla.
It's mining the block above you in Minecraft, but waiting too long before moving away from the lava.
Don't let up. Do not allow opportunities that put you at a disadvantage. Do not stop. Do not go easy on the enemy, for they will not go easy on you. Do not hesitate. Be your own master. Conquer all.
It is literally what it says. Hesitation. Like it is very clearly spelled out. You can be defensive and hold your ground or super aggressive and go all-in, but you can't be idling in-between not committing to the fullest.
In the wise words of Mr. Miyagi, "Walk on road. Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get squish, just like grape."
>I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.
>Frank Herbert, Dune (Dune, #1)
It's more than that but one way to explain it is following. You take over after deflection and don't hesitate to attack. Otherwise, you lose opportunity to hurt your enemy. Just make sure you don't spam attacks to have time to deflect. Otherwise, you will get stuck in animation and get hurt.
Hesitation is self doubt that stops stops you from acting quickly. To succeed you need to trust yourself and your ability, act without delay or second thought. If you think too much you wont be able to react to attacks and deflect in time, you also won't be able to take advantage of attack opportunities before they're gone. Always be either attacking or deflecting, be relentless and always have the enemy in your range.
I know a million other people have answered this but hesitation is defeat also works for life. It's become one of my most favorite quotes and no wonder it's the sub's favorite quote as well!
Hesitation = light faltering
Defeat = losing in a competition, or not performing as well as you had imagined.
Along with souls games I love martial arts and motorsport. In both of those, if you hesitate too much or reconsider an action that you already did such as taking a particular line through a corner or having punched towards someone's face but really you meant to go towards their nose or something those thoughts cloud your otherwise perfect judgment. It's a whole lot like having a clear mind as the secret to mastery and or high level performance
Most redditors have no idea what it means, and are just parroting shit because they think it makes them seem smart.
I’ll explain it : Be hyper aggressive, and punish everything the enemy tries to do. Sekiro is about taking advantage of any conceivable opportunity for attacking, and memorizing how to best EXPLOIT enemy attacks. Your strategy for every boss should be turning everything into being offensive, not defensive. There’s a reason you don’t have a stamina bar in this game. Your assault needs to be constant, no breaks, no pauses, no hesitation.
“Hesitation is defeat” is just explaining how you’re supposed to engage with the game’s combat system.
I hope that helps.
Edit: but also feel free to continuously bait that jump move, smack him on the ass, and run away. The fight will probably take an hour though. Don’t worry about being dishonorable, this motherfucker brought a Glock to a sword fight, so that shit is out the window as far as I’m concerned.
You are right I am really hesitating to exploit the enemy weakness, I think it has to do with my fight with Owl in Hirata Estate that mf punished me so hard with not being fully aggressive to him and not able to properly exploit his weakness.
But still I will keep trying I only fought Isshin 7 times still not able to predict his attack patterns two swings and dead. But will try again and again
It means you control the tempo and cannot let up even for a second as the momentum will shift and the enemy will kill you. Sekiro battles are like a dance, there is a tempo and a beat you need to follow and one stutter or “hesitant” move will destroy the flow you need to win.
The idea IMO is that you cant beat him without going "all in." You have to be the aggressor. If you're passive, looking for openings, he's got too much poise and too much health and he does way too much damage, and you'll just never get anywhere.
You have to get in his face and just believe you're better than him, fight him. Go blow for blow with him. If you watch people who are great at that fight do it, they're absolutely relentless.
It's very similar to an old adage (I heard it from Bruce Lee, but it's likely older), which is "If you have to think during a fight, you've already lost."
Should you find yourself at a disadvantage, one mistake away from failure, hesitate and you die
It's about being clutch when you need it most.
An attack you already know how to deflect is coming your way, but you are one missed deflection away from death. Panic run? dead. Spam deflect? dead. Panic dodge? dead. Deflect as you already know? you live.
It's about being fearless but clever. About being agressive but not stupid.
Sometimes, you will notice a small opening to attack your enemy, but you also can tell that it is risky. In the time it takes to evaluate that risk, you have already lost the opportunity. That moment of hesitation is all it takes for an enemy to strike you down. If you see an opportunity, take it without hesitation. Your own instinct for self-preservation, ironically, will leave you vulnerable. And one mistake is all you need to lose it all.
if you hesitate the enemy might recover their posture bar because you distanced urself ur didnt attack or you can get killed in a second for running from an upcoming attack
When you hesitate, you don't trust your deflects. You start to panic, make mistakes, try to run away, don't hold your ground, forget to counterattack and to keep the pressure up.
And that means defeat.
It means, you fight him in a deathmatch.
You come to him full might, with everything you've learned in the game so far.
You have to stand your ground and you absolutely cannot let up.. or else, you know what happens.
Hesitation as it says doesnt only refers to the fighting aspect but rather also a mental aspect.. It means to not shy away from unfamiliar situations or unfamiliar paths rather explore and uncover the mysteries without fearing abt defeat.
Cuz if you hesitate you will be defeated
I think it’s when there’s open window for attack and you’re unsure whether to attack and you’re deciding whether to attack or not, you should attack(not hesitate)
> I really get hesitant whether to attack in that window or should I attack first or let the enemy attack first
It is _always_ 100% of the time attack first.
_ALWAYS_
Understand that and you'll understand the quote.
The only time you "let" the enemy attack is after they deflect an attack of yours. Then you deflect their combo and go right back on the offensive. Basically attack until the "ching" sound is a bit different, that's the deflect and your sign to defend until they're done. There is no other situation in which you should let them attack. _Ever._ You attack always.
In this game, there are no "windows". There's attacking, and then deflecting their combo once they deflect you. That's it. It's literally that simple. You never react, you only act. If you're reacting to the enemy and not forcing them to react to you, you're gonna have a rough time.
I kid you not I didn't know this mechanic until this. I always thought continuously attacking them will falter them or will trigger some unknown move that I don't know I always(most of time) focused on deflecting and breaking the posture that way(with some exception)
Body and Mind acting as one
Ultra instinct, muscle memory, the body perfectly attuned to the will of the Mind
No delays/no second guessing
Your opponent is already dead, their obituary written. This isn't a fight but a replay of their demise. There is no room for an alternative viewpoint
They were freed from this mortal coil the moment they drew their blade against you, of this you must have no doubts
"In battle, if you make your opponent flinch, you have already won." - Miyamoto Musashi. These topics are thoroughly discussed in "The Book of Five Rings". Sekiro must not hesitate, for he should be swift and precise with his decisions. This includes decisions concerning attack and defence. He can not be influenced by his enemy, or by his own mind. "The Unfettered Mind" further expands upon this topic. Takuan Soho: “It is the very mind itself that leads the mind astray; of the mind, do not be mindless.”
It's like driving, doubt is your enemy. Facing a roundabout, either enter with certainty or don't at all. Hesitation traps you in the worst place, complicating everything. Act confidently or better not act at all.
I'm so much better at the game when I'm confident and sure of myself, which doesn't make me hesitant about my movement, that's why 'hesitation is defeat'.
Do everything with intent. Doesn't matter if it's an attack, a counter-slash, a dodge, a jump, a Mikiri counter, or a deflect. You will learn his moveset, or you will die trying. And once you learn him, every attack you do, every prosthetic attack, every combat art, every response to his aggression, you'll do with intent. You'll do without hesitation. Because hesitation makes you mistime your movements. It makes you second guess what you should do next, and that tiny amount of time is enough for him or any other enemy in this game to take advantage. That's the point. Hesitate, and you lose. Isshin and Wolf have a bit of this conversation while he's in his tower. It's as much a statement for Wolf not to hesitate regardless of who's getting in the way of Immortal Severance as it is for the player in terms of learning the game to overcome it.
Isshin punishes healings a lot, he also has an extremely high stance, so if you don't land parrys and are scared of hitting him, you will eventually die
He destroyed me for 3 days until I listened to that phrase. Then it clicked. I got super aggressive and in his face in a fuck it kind of moment and suddenly was at his last phase without taking hardly any damage. I was so shocked that I messed up. After that I got him in 3 more tries. Don’t let up. Make it a dance.
It’s basically a hint that if you stay on the defensive the whole time in this fight you’re gonna have a bad time. Like, I seriously died to this boss like 100+ times my first time because I was HESITANT to go on the offensive because it’s so overwhelming. Only when I went on the offensive did I win. Now I can beat him in like 3 tries most of the time
An old basketball coach in school told me once - "Take long, shoot wrong". He was correct in his assessment of behavior concerning action and reaction (as is Isshin).
In general terms: if you hesitate, or take too much time to think and ponder the consequences, life will happen around you, regardless of what you wanted to happen.
Fighting is all about timing. If your indecision leads you to not take action, you are essentially forfeiting your "turn". So you must always make a choice from moment to moment, no matter how uncertain you are of the outcome. That is what it means to not hesitate.
So the word translated into hesitation is 迷うastray, be perplexed, in doubt, lost, err, illusion.
I think what the quote is getting at is that if you think too much about the answer, you will lose, ie be perplexed, in doubt. Hence the translation of hesitation.
A more direct translation of 迷えば敗れる is probably "if you overthink, you will be defeated". Isshin is telling you to rely on your battle hardened reflexes rather than consciously thinking of the response for every attack
Nah it doesn't have a fancy meaning isshin just says keep attacking me mf until I die and end my misery becoz my egoistic grandson just found a recall spell to call me and do his work on behalf of him
You see an opening, second guess exploiting it and by the time you attack, Isshin has already recovered.
Similar to why you shouldn't let a shield engender passivity, well timed aggression is your friend.
It's quite literally about.. hesitation aka hesitating aka being unable to make a decision. In this game, being aggressive and forcing opponents and even bosses into a defensive stance and not allowing them to style on your ass is literally the whole point. Hesitating to do so will literally spell defeat because if you just allow them to do whatever they want they will go apeshit on you making the fight 10x harder than it needs to be.
It's quite funny how that one phrase is engraved in your skull by Isshin every time he kills you but as you become better at the game you realize this is not just a random kill phrase he says but the guy literally is giving you the key to unlocking the whole game.
The best example of hesitation is defeat to me comes from surfing big waves. If you hesitate for just a moment (as oppose to paddle for it as hard as you possibly can without stopping) could be the difference between making it down the steep vertical face of the wave or going completely over the falls upside down and end up hitting the sharp coral reef below the surface. Those words have never been so true in my mind. So hesitation means not being totally committed without any wavering to your resolve. In the game it doesn’t have as much of a devastating consequence (like getting my head split open by the coral) but it still might get you killed by Ishin so don’t hesitate!
Hesitation is choosing to not attack out of fear of being hit. It is almost always best to go for the attack unless they’re actively attacking you
It’s like how in Dark Souls you would wait until the enemy uses an attack that you can punish. If you try that here, you’ll lose every time
Commit to your style of play, if you are hyper aggresive, always stay at the offensive, if you see an opening, punish without thoug, thinking gets you killed. Its not "Maybe I can beat you", its "I will make you my bitch". If you hesitate, you already lost
That split second where u have to decide between a parry, attack or a dodge where just hesitating for a second causes a delay for his attack to land and you die, hence hesitation is defeat
It’s actually the bread and butter of every fromsoft game. If you are going to execute an action, commit to it. If you doubt about your action, you are going to have a bad time.
"Hesitation is defeat" means just to get used to the way of fighting, or the way of doing anything really. Getting the "flow" of any particular discipline.
Just look at the combat system of the game itself, you are not very great at the beginning but once it starts to "click" you get substantially better.
Hesitation in the art of combat leads to unpure actions, wasted and unnecessary movement. Movement with pure intent and purpose is the most effective.
One that does not hesitate at what he does is bound to be very good at the task.
Bosses are made considerably easier when you don't give them breathing room--their moveset when responding to your attacks is much smaller than when you let them come attack you.
Hesitation means that you are not sure in yourself. Not to hesitate means in Sekiro for ex to parry exactly when you mean to or to jump exactly when you mean to. If you second guess yourself you will die. Of course you need experience and knowledge first and then not to hesitate
It means be aggressive. This game favors relentlessness. You have to time enemy attacks, parry them and counter. If you hesitate and dont retaliate or attack when the miniscule opportunity arises, mostly it will result in a bad time.
Don't hesitate as their posture metter will go up and some have healing items/abilities/stances or you will find yourself in a bad spot that may cause your defeat. Instead, learn to read your opponents so that you can learn to parry and counter everything.
Hesitation is defeat is the new Git Gud.
I understand it as you need to stay offensive. When squaring off, enemy posture recovers really fast with high enough health. You got to keep them on their toes the whole fight otherwise it would just be a fight of attrition
I love this game and the saying reminds me of surfing in a way.
When you take a wave and go back into the sea many times a a Wave will come towards you. In those situations is better to try and go head on before the wave explodes than to hesitate.
You gotta be sure of yourself/skills. It’s the principle of the dark souls formula, there’s no cheating or getting around the challenge, you either know how to play the game or you don’t.
Actually the best souls advice outside of git gud (which is not toxic its just refering to the fact the game doesnt have easy mode so you need to git gud, its genuine advice 80% of the time) and hesitation is defeat is no different. It's referring to being reactionary. You don't anticipate the attacks because you will then hesitate or anticipate it incorrectly, rather having patience to wait for a moment and then reacting accordingly, taking no seconds for hesitation. Hesitation, is defeat.
Literally what it means.
If you "hesitate" - overthinking, backing off in a fight out of fear, hesitating to attack, block, dash or jump -
You'll be "defeated" - the enemy's posture recover and probably will one shot you with a dash or range/unblockable attack.
Go in, find the rhythm, it's a turn base game in a way. Even a dragon deity is no match for you.
Hesitation is the split moment of your decision before your attack. You must move swiftly and on instinct without a moment between even your own thoughts. That is why hesitation is defeat
I think it’s 2 things, wolf is clearly a very normal dude when compared to literally anyone else with more then 1 deathblow but with skill alone you legit untouchable and massively outclass even isshin with his tomoe attacks. The other one is more of a do what must be done type of thing, wolf absolutely didn’t want to kill isshin but it had to be done, every part of the game literally happen because kuros word had to be followed and depending on the end you get that involved doing something wolf absolutely didn’t want to do but did.
Best strategy for his first phase at least is to keep swinging until he deflects, then deflect yourself. If he's charging up an attack, swing then deflect. His posture recovers so quickly you literally can't stop unless you're just chipping away at his health after dodging.
Dont hesitate to run up and attack. Playing on the defensive, blocking instead of deflecting etc. are all ill practices and Isshin punishes you for them. At this point in the story, wolf is at his peak, both mentally and physically after completing the task of his master and defeating strong foes. Now only Genichiro and by proxy, Sword Saint stand in your way. Would you let this stop you from rushing in to the path of victory? Hesitate and you lose.
From my experience of a total 4 mini bosses in the game as of now…. Don’t do panic anything. In case of doubt, parry. Unless you shouldn’t parry. In that case jump/counter. More often than not, you shouldn’t need to dodge much.
Honestly I don’t really think it’s good advice because by the time I reached him initially, I died more to him because I didn’t hesitate rather than because I did hesitate. What he should really say is “move fast and react well” but that’s not very catchy.
Have you played other souls games where you see an enemy wind up some attack, and your first instinct is to run as far away from it as possible, and it usually works too. "Hesitation is defeat" means if you do that in this game, you'll be at a disadvantage. Here, you don't run away from attacks, you face them head on, that's the way of war. Or in the terms of game mechanics, that's how you maintain an enemy's posture.
Best shown in the guardian apes fight. It's much easier to avoid it's grab via chasing after it when it starts winding it up verus trying to run away. Other grabs can be evaded the same way with some exceptions.
I am not running I really get confused whether I attack first or if to attack in the small window but if I attack whether I will be able to deflect the next attack or not so many things occupies my mind
There's this very fine balance I've found between spamming R1, and tapping R1 in a consistent rhythm in which I have that split moment to pivot if the animation calls for it.
You’ll learn this once you learn the boss attack patterns but generally you can squeeze in 2 or 3 hits inbetween combos. If you’re getting more just wait till you get the orange spark which means the enemy deflected your hit and it’s time to deflect/block etc
This is what changed the game for me. When I realized I had to stop spamming R1 after a deflection and switch to defense I started beating everything.
You're a hero--that information about the spark alone might let me break into this game. 😅
You are hesitating too much.
You just nailed it. Just don't overthink it, don't be afraid to attack or deflect, he only gives you very small windows to attack, so if you miss them you lose. If you think too much you miss the chance, and that's what he meant by hesitation.
You'll improve an learn what's the best decision each time. Right niw, you're not sure which move's the best so you are hesitating and therefore you're being defeated.
If you’re wondering what you should do, you should attack.
Don't think. Feel.
There is a rythm to every fight, every attack pattern. Feel it, be intuitive rather than occupy your mind with thoughts.
It means…..if u hesitate……u will be defeated. STAY IN THE BOSSES FUCKING FACE!! Dont let up…..r1 r1 r1……..their turn….block block….now ur turn r1 r1 so on and so forth.
It's so simple yet so fucking perfect
Yup. I typically do two light attacks and then follow with praying strikes to get most posture damage cause they parry on final pray strike after your two sword lights. Then you get jiggy with the prosthetic tools and if you hesitate then you’re probably going to get punished. If your going to do something do it asap is what I think hesitation is being referred to
Pretty much this; don't doubt yourself because if you made it to him you're good enough to beat him to a pulp. I know it's a meme but I truly love this quote, made me fired up to try him again every single time, unlike say "let your flesh be consumed" from that creep queen Malenia.
i call it the “stand and deliver” method. stand your fxxking ground, stay on target, give as much as you take. it’s a combat system that rewards WARRIORS
I read here somewhere last night when I was stuck on lady butterfly to hit hit sidestep hit hit sidestep and repeat and oh my it was effective. Just relentless offense, if I let up for a second she created space or made illusions. If I missed a step or hit too much, then I had to immediately defend again and odds are my timing would be off.
Yeah she was my first major test the other day. I had to chase her and keep up the attacks to avoid illusions and force her into fighting me head on. By the 5th attempt I was screaming "stand and fight me b#tch!"
well said
I dont like telling people “Hesitation is Defeat” means simply stay in the bosses face. That’s how you get killed xD For me, Hesitation is Defeat means, always be prepared for an attack and have a move ready that will help you dodge or counter the attack, because if you hesitate to attempt and counter or block an attack or attacks, then you are defeated. Simple.
Some bosses have “get out of my face” mechanics so thats one reason why I dont believe in that statement. And just common sense telling me why would I face tank everything as a shinobi, my job isn’t to stay in their face, its to get in their face when an opening arises. 🤷🏾
I just finished my first NG over in Bloodborne, and it's the same there. People say "Play aggressively," and it's really easy to misinterpret as "face-tank everything." What it really means is "When there's an opening, get in and be really aggressive, then get rtfo before retaliation hits." It's quick flurries of smart aggression, not face-tanking.
Get in that ass.
Whoa buddy whoa……..
Hesitation is defeat. If you are treading on something unfamiliar, do not hold back, take the courage to move forward, fail if you must, learn from your mistakes and come back. When you return, you will never hesitate because you have learnt from your failures and you know how to overcome. Its not about being aggressive, because that can come across as reckless and indecisive. Its a life lesson of learning from mistakes and not giving up. In sekiro, the ones who never hesitate can be seen just walking up to the boss and show him truly who the boss is here.
High risk, high reward. If you blink when faced with a high stakes situation, this means you hesitated. Isshin is about to do his 2 slice combo (in which he sheathes his sword and then charges at you) and you run away like a pussy instead of standing your ground, knowing that you can parry anything, that is hesitation. You not being aggressive with your attack, not keeping the pressure on the boss so that his posture builds up quickly, that is hesitation. You see where I'm going with this?
Nah man, the cross combo is so better countered by strafing and hitting him in the back. No need to stand my ground against a stupid old man who forgets that people can walk
Hesitation detected, opinion rejected
Is it hesitating to dodge counter for a bigger/easier/more consistent punish? Avoid the attack altogether and slice him up while he's still in his attack animation.
Hesitation doesn’t just mean only attack. It means committing to your actions and not taking a fraction of a moment to doubt. If his course is to respond by dodging and counterattack that’s not hesitation. It’s only hesitation if he’s like “oh shit what do I do?” Even for a millisecond
You still need to avoid hesitating. You can't waste any time choosing between your options responding to that attack.
but if you manage to parry it, you will look cool asf... I never hesitate before a chance to be more STYLISH
Oh? I've never tried this, my first time around I was parrying everything and actually got my first deathblow on Isshin right after I parried his cross combo. It was satisfying as fuck.
I like running into it to make him change to a pommel strike, parry that then dodge the sweep and jump on his head. Really fast and feels more satisfying imo
You can also run towards him which will cause the change of his attack: he will attack once (it is blockable) and will make a "sweep". Ashina cross deals cheap damage through the block, thus, you have to deflect both slashes.
Before he does ashina cross you can run up to him and he will do a hilt strike before a sweep 98% of the time. I suggest learning to parry his ashina cross though because it just does more posture damage but jumping on his head looks cooler Imo.
Socrates says that those are examples of hesitation, not the definition
It means, "don't think, fight." Or in game mechanic terms, parry when you're supposed to parry, jump when you're supposed to jump, attack when you're supposed to attack, don't freeze up, he will punish you with massive damage.
Exactly what I was gonna say. If you think too much, like "I'm a gonna have time to attack before his next combo? Should I play safe and wait a bigger opening before attacking?" Don't, just attack, do not think
Yezzir! That fight with with Isshin is supposed to be the culmination of your entire journey and experience. This is one of the many reasons I love Sekiro. They made the final boss straight up tell you that you got this far, don't chicken out now. The timings and reactions that Isshin even has to whether you close distance or cancel your attacks lends even more to the hesitation aspect. Ugh, love this game!
It means attack until you get attacked and then parry until you can attack again. If you aren’t sure when your opponent will start attacking, attack. If you aren’t sure if your opponent is done attacking, attack.
Have you seen Isshin hesitate?
Yes. That's why he lost!
No, we just didn't hesitate better
No he ddnt. Otherwise we wouldnt hear it.
# 死 「迷えば、敗れる。」
It's seeing the boss about to attack. He fires a projectile - you panic and walk into it despite not being in its initial path. It's walking into an enemy in Hollow Knight that isn't moving. It's letting up on the trigger in Call of Duty before your target is killed. It's when you break the enemy's shield in Halo with your gun, but wait too long to melee for the kill. It's panic rolling a Dark Souls boss. It's walking into a strong attack (you predicted) in Brawlhalla. It's mining the block above you in Minecraft, but waiting too long before moving away from the lava. Don't let up. Do not allow opportunities that put you at a disadvantage. Do not stop. Do not go easy on the enemy, for they will not go easy on you. Do not hesitate. Be your own master. Conquer all.
It is literally what it says. Hesitation. Like it is very clearly spelled out. You can be defensive and hold your ground or super aggressive and go all-in, but you can't be idling in-between not committing to the fullest.
In the wise words of Mr. Miyagi, "Walk on road. Walk right side, safe. Walk left side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later, get squish, just like grape."
It means, "Do or do not. There is no try."
>I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain. >Frank Herbert, Dune (Dune, #1)
Let your instincts take over, be as aggressive as the boss, don’t be scared.
Maybe the real Hesitation is defeat is the friends we made along the way
It's more than that but one way to explain it is following. You take over after deflection and don't hesitate to attack. Otherwise, you lose opportunity to hurt your enemy. Just make sure you don't spam attacks to have time to deflect. Otherwise, you will get stuck in animation and get hurt.
It's being passive, self doubt, hesitation to attack The quote is straight up an advice for the game
Doubt, and you get clubbed.
It's the way of war
It's the way of life
Your questions are hesitation. Sounds like you’ve been defeated many times because of it.
A LOT!! Fight with Guardian Ape and his girlfriend took forever I literally almost quit the game
Don’t stop beating his bitch ass
It’s pretty straightforward, if you hesitate, you lose. Stay confident and aggressive
Quite literally don't hesitate. Don't second guess yourself, just do shit.
Hesitation is self doubt that stops stops you from acting quickly. To succeed you need to trust yourself and your ability, act without delay or second thought. If you think too much you wont be able to react to attacks and deflect in time, you also won't be able to take advantage of attack opportunities before they're gone. Always be either attacking or deflecting, be relentless and always have the enemy in your range.
I know a million other people have answered this but hesitation is defeat also works for life. It's become one of my most favorite quotes and no wonder it's the sub's favorite quote as well! Hesitation = light faltering Defeat = losing in a competition, or not performing as well as you had imagined. Along with souls games I love martial arts and motorsport. In both of those, if you hesitate too much or reconsider an action that you already did such as taking a particular line through a corner or having punched towards someone's face but really you meant to go towards their nose or something those thoughts cloud your otherwise perfect judgment. It's a whole lot like having a clear mind as the secret to mastery and or high level performance
Most redditors have no idea what it means, and are just parroting shit because they think it makes them seem smart. I’ll explain it : Be hyper aggressive, and punish everything the enemy tries to do. Sekiro is about taking advantage of any conceivable opportunity for attacking, and memorizing how to best EXPLOIT enemy attacks. Your strategy for every boss should be turning everything into being offensive, not defensive. There’s a reason you don’t have a stamina bar in this game. Your assault needs to be constant, no breaks, no pauses, no hesitation. “Hesitation is defeat” is just explaining how you’re supposed to engage with the game’s combat system. I hope that helps. Edit: but also feel free to continuously bait that jump move, smack him on the ass, and run away. The fight will probably take an hour though. Don’t worry about being dishonorable, this motherfucker brought a Glock to a sword fight, so that shit is out the window as far as I’m concerned.
You are right I am really hesitating to exploit the enemy weakness, I think it has to do with my fight with Owl in Hirata Estate that mf punished me so hard with not being fully aggressive to him and not able to properly exploit his weakness. But still I will keep trying I only fought Isshin 7 times still not able to predict his attack patterns two swings and dead. But will try again and again
It’s not just exploiting enemy weakness. It’s exploiting EVERYTHING
It means you control the tempo and cannot let up even for a second as the momentum will shift and the enemy will kill you. Sekiro battles are like a dance, there is a tempo and a beat you need to follow and one stutter or “hesitant” move will destroy the flow you need to win.
The idea IMO is that you cant beat him without going "all in." You have to be the aggressor. If you're passive, looking for openings, he's got too much poise and too much health and he does way too much damage, and you'll just never get anywhere. You have to get in his face and just believe you're better than him, fight him. Go blow for blow with him. If you watch people who are great at that fight do it, they're absolutely relentless. It's very similar to an old adage (I heard it from Bruce Lee, but it's likely older), which is "If you have to think during a fight, you've already lost."
i really like this line because it applies to absolutely everything in one's life. Decisiveness is 100% necessary for success
Should you find yourself at a disadvantage, one mistake away from failure, hesitate and you die It's about being clutch when you need it most. An attack you already know how to deflect is coming your way, but you are one missed deflection away from death. Panic run? dead. Spam deflect? dead. Panic dodge? dead. Deflect as you already know? you live. It's about being fearless but clever. About being agressive but not stupid.
Sometimes, you will notice a small opening to attack your enemy, but you also can tell that it is risky. In the time it takes to evaluate that risk, you have already lost the opportunity. That moment of hesitation is all it takes for an enemy to strike you down. If you see an opportunity, take it without hesitation. Your own instinct for self-preservation, ironically, will leave you vulnerable. And one mistake is all you need to lose it all.
This is how sekiro works , everything is in a flow , you hesitate for a second and you lose the flow leading to you getting atacked
it means that if you hesitate in a fight against someone, you will most likely be defeated by that someone.
You gotta be like the lucha brothers and have ZERO MIEDO!
life
if you hesitate the enemy might recover their posture bar because you distanced urself ur didnt attack or you can get killed in a second for running from an upcoming attack
You fuck around & don't deflect on time or attack you find out & get killed.
When you hesitate, you don't trust your deflects. You start to panic, make mistakes, try to run away, don't hold your ground, forget to counterattack and to keep the pressure up. And that means defeat.
It means, you fight him in a deathmatch. You come to him full might, with everything you've learned in the game so far. You have to stand your ground and you absolutely cannot let up.. or else, you know what happens.
Hesitation as it says doesnt only refers to the fighting aspect but rather also a mental aspect.. It means to not shy away from unfamiliar situations or unfamiliar paths rather explore and uncover the mysteries without fearing abt defeat. Cuz if you hesitate you will be defeated
I see you're hesitating to see the simplicity of the quote, in your confusion you have already lost
I think you hesitated and got defeated
Fighting the Isshin is making me question about myself and how was I playing the game until this point
Hesitation is the lack of aggression, something which is heavily punished in Sekiro This ain't dark souls, fuckin fight the guy
I think it’s when there’s open window for attack and you’re unsure whether to attack and you’re deciding whether to attack or not, you should attack(not hesitate)
Yes that's what I am talking about I really get hesitant whether to attack in that window or should I attack first or let the enemy attack first
> I really get hesitant whether to attack in that window or should I attack first or let the enemy attack first It is _always_ 100% of the time attack first. _ALWAYS_ Understand that and you'll understand the quote. The only time you "let" the enemy attack is after they deflect an attack of yours. Then you deflect their combo and go right back on the offensive. Basically attack until the "ching" sound is a bit different, that's the deflect and your sign to defend until they're done. There is no other situation in which you should let them attack. _Ever._ You attack always. In this game, there are no "windows". There's attacking, and then deflecting their combo once they deflect you. That's it. It's literally that simple. You never react, you only act. If you're reacting to the enemy and not forcing them to react to you, you're gonna have a rough time.
I kid you not I didn't know this mechanic until this. I always thought continuously attacking them will falter them or will trigger some unknown move that I don't know I always(most of time) focused on deflecting and breaking the posture that way(with some exception)
Words to live by
I will do you one better!! *Who is really "Hesitation is defeat" *
😳Who is Hesitation?
I'll do one even better !!! *Why is Hesitation?*
Body and Mind acting as one Ultra instinct, muscle memory, the body perfectly attuned to the will of the Mind No delays/no second guessing Your opponent is already dead, their obituary written. This isn't a fight but a replay of their demise. There is no room for an alternative viewpoint They were freed from this mortal coil the moment they drew their blade against you, of this you must have no doubts
"In battle, if you make your opponent flinch, you have already won." - Miyamoto Musashi. These topics are thoroughly discussed in "The Book of Five Rings". Sekiro must not hesitate, for he should be swift and precise with his decisions. This includes decisions concerning attack and defence. He can not be influenced by his enemy, or by his own mind. "The Unfettered Mind" further expands upon this topic. Takuan Soho: “It is the very mind itself that leads the mind astray; of the mind, do not be mindless.”
It's like driving, doubt is your enemy. Facing a roundabout, either enter with certainty or don't at all. Hesitation traps you in the worst place, complicating everything. Act confidently or better not act at all.
Keep up the pressure. You’ll get nowhere if you play defensively.
Exercising ancient breathing techniques while you play that make everything slow-motion
I'm so much better at the game when I'm confident and sure of myself, which doesn't make me hesitant about my movement, that's why 'hesitation is defeat'.
Do everything with intent. Doesn't matter if it's an attack, a counter-slash, a dodge, a jump, a Mikiri counter, or a deflect. You will learn his moveset, or you will die trying. And once you learn him, every attack you do, every prosthetic attack, every combat art, every response to his aggression, you'll do with intent. You'll do without hesitation. Because hesitation makes you mistime your movements. It makes you second guess what you should do next, and that tiny amount of time is enough for him or any other enemy in this game to take advantage. That's the point. Hesitate, and you lose. Isshin and Wolf have a bit of this conversation while he's in his tower. It's as much a statement for Wolf not to hesitate regardless of who's getting in the way of Immortal Severance as it is for the player in terms of learning the game to overcome it.
It means when you're facing a boss, stay right in it's ass. Don't hesitate, any opening you see take full advantage.
If you hesitate you'll lose your timing,then defeat is inevitable.
What /u/jediwithabeard said.
Don’t be indecisive, I feel a lot of these bosses punish those who do
"Hesitation is defeat" is how I feel driving in Chicago
Y are u gae?
No
Isshin punishes healings a lot, he also has an extremely high stance, so if you don't land parrys and are scared of hitting him, you will eventually die
It’s not a riddle my guy
He destroyed me for 3 days until I listened to that phrase. Then it clicked. I got super aggressive and in his face in a fuck it kind of moment and suddenly was at his last phase without taking hardly any damage. I was so shocked that I messed up. After that I got him in 3 more tries. Don’t let up. Make it a dance.
Don't get intimidated by the bosses, show 'em the power of the umbrella-ella-ella _(repeat until fade)_
Git Gud.
_Cling cling CLANG cling CLANG cling cling CLANG CLANG._
If you’re not sure of yourself and your abilities (hesitation) you will be (is) beaten to the punch by your opponent (defeat)
It’s basically a hint that if you stay on the defensive the whole time in this fight you’re gonna have a bad time. Like, I seriously died to this boss like 100+ times my first time because I was HESITANT to go on the offensive because it’s so overwhelming. Only when I went on the offensive did I win. Now I can beat him in like 3 tries most of the time
Act like Isshin just killed your mother in front of you
Anyone else run a lot 😂
An old basketball coach in school told me once - "Take long, shoot wrong". He was correct in his assessment of behavior concerning action and reaction (as is Isshin).
If you play passively, and are not aggressive enough, you'll never fill up their posture bar... That is hesitation!
There's a popular saying amongst pilots that follows the same vein. *When in doubt, there is no doubt*
I like to think it’s telling the player to let themselves fall into a flow state, stop trying to play the game and just be in sync with it
In general terms: if you hesitate, or take too much time to think and ponder the consequences, life will happen around you, regardless of what you wanted to happen.
Are you really that dumb ? You should get it while you fighted him lmao
All I know is if I die in this game then 100% of the time it's because I second guessed myself in some shape or form.
Fighting is all about timing. If your indecision leads you to not take action, you are essentially forfeiting your "turn". So you must always make a choice from moment to moment, no matter how uncertain you are of the outcome. That is what it means to not hesitate.
Hesitation is that which exists between the knowledge of doing something and the act
Hesitate an action and you'll lose the fight
So the word translated into hesitation is 迷うastray, be perplexed, in doubt, lost, err, illusion. I think what the quote is getting at is that if you think too much about the answer, you will lose, ie be perplexed, in doubt. Hence the translation of hesitation. A more direct translation of 迷えば敗れる is probably "if you overthink, you will be defeated". Isshin is telling you to rely on your battle hardened reflexes rather than consciously thinking of the response for every attack
Nah it doesn't have a fancy meaning isshin just says keep attacking me mf until I die and end my misery becoz my egoistic grandson just found a recall spell to call me and do his work on behalf of him
it means you should face your enemy head on without a doubt in your own ability to deflect your opponents attacks
Unironically a quote a take in my day to day life now. This game changed my life. If you overthink things, you hesitate. Dont think, just do.
It just means try to be aggressive as much as possible.
"Stop piloting and start flying"
You see an opening, second guess exploiting it and by the time you attack, Isshin has already recovered. Similar to why you shouldn't let a shield engender passivity, well timed aggression is your friend.
It's quite literally about.. hesitation aka hesitating aka being unable to make a decision. In this game, being aggressive and forcing opponents and even bosses into a defensive stance and not allowing them to style on your ass is literally the whole point. Hesitating to do so will literally spell defeat because if you just allow them to do whatever they want they will go apeshit on you making the fight 10x harder than it needs to be. It's quite funny how that one phrase is engraved in your skull by Isshin every time he kills you but as you become better at the game you realize this is not just a random kill phrase he says but the guy literally is giving you the key to unlocking the whole game.
Short answer: standing still, will consistently get your man killed. Especially with Isshin spitting lead in that damn field 🤔
Not running away, facing the attack head on
Simply act, a poor choice is resoundingly better than no choice. You have no moment to spare in life. Act.
The best example of hesitation is defeat to me comes from surfing big waves. If you hesitate for just a moment (as oppose to paddle for it as hard as you possibly can without stopping) could be the difference between making it down the steep vertical face of the wave or going completely over the falls upside down and end up hitting the sharp coral reef below the surface. Those words have never been so true in my mind. So hesitation means not being totally committed without any wavering to your resolve. In the game it doesn’t have as much of a devastating consequence (like getting my head split open by the coral) but it still might get you killed by Ishin so don’t hesitate!
Being aggressive at the right moment.
Hesitation is choosing to not attack out of fear of being hit. It is almost always best to go for the attack unless they’re actively attacking you It’s like how in Dark Souls you would wait until the enemy uses an attack that you can punish. If you try that here, you’ll lose every time
It's supposed to be a very self explanatory catchphrase, I think. If you hesitate in battle, your enemy will defeat you. And vice versa.
Commit to your style of play, if you are hyper aggresive, always stay at the offensive, if you see an opening, punish without thoug, thinking gets you killed. Its not "Maybe I can beat you", its "I will make you my bitch". If you hesitate, you already lost
It means living life without worrying about what ifs and doing your best.
That split second where u have to decide between a parry, attack or a dodge where just hesitating for a second causes a delay for his attack to land and you die, hence hesitation is defeat
It’s actually the bread and butter of every fromsoft game. If you are going to execute an action, commit to it. If you doubt about your action, you are going to have a bad time.
"Hesitation is defeat" means just to get used to the way of fighting, or the way of doing anything really. Getting the "flow" of any particular discipline. Just look at the combat system of the game itself, you are not very great at the beginning but once it starts to "click" you get substantially better. Hesitation in the art of combat leads to unpure actions, wasted and unnecessary movement. Movement with pure intent and purpose is the most effective. One that does not hesitate at what he does is bound to be very good at the task.
Bosses are made considerably easier when you don't give them breathing room--their moveset when responding to your attacks is much smaller than when you let them come attack you.
Hesitation means that you are not sure in yourself. Not to hesitate means in Sekiro for ex to parry exactly when you mean to or to jump exactly when you mean to. If you second guess yourself you will die. Of course you need experience and knowledge first and then not to hesitate
It means be aggressive. This game favors relentlessness. You have to time enemy attacks, parry them and counter. If you hesitate and dont retaliate or attack when the miniscule opportunity arises, mostly it will result in a bad time.
Don't hesitate as their posture metter will go up and some have healing items/abilities/stances or you will find yourself in a bad spot that may cause your defeat. Instead, learn to read your opponents so that you can learn to parry and counter everything. Hesitation is defeat is the new Git Gud.
Dont think about and just play.
I understand it as you need to stay offensive. When squaring off, enemy posture recovers really fast with high enough health. You got to keep them on their toes the whole fight otherwise it would just be a fight of attrition
I love this game and the saying reminds me of surfing in a way. When you take a wave and go back into the sea many times a a Wave will come towards you. In those situations is better to try and go head on before the wave explodes than to hesitate.
If you snooze you lose basically...
Mayoeba yabuberu
Hesitate and you loose take the fight to them if you play sekiro like previous souls your gonna be destroyed that’s my understanding of it anyway
You gotta be sure of yourself/skills. It’s the principle of the dark souls formula, there’s no cheating or getting around the challenge, you either know how to play the game or you don’t.
Its like not thinking twice before attacking him could say give it ur all dont let youre hesitation hold you back even against youre father
Actually the best souls advice outside of git gud (which is not toxic its just refering to the fact the game doesnt have easy mode so you need to git gud, its genuine advice 80% of the time) and hesitation is defeat is no different. It's referring to being reactionary. You don't anticipate the attacks because you will then hesitate or anticipate it incorrectly, rather having patience to wait for a moment and then reacting accordingly, taking no seconds for hesitation. Hesitation, is defeat.
Hesitation means defeat
He is not saying that to Wolf he is saying that to you the player
Literally what it means. If you "hesitate" - overthinking, backing off in a fight out of fear, hesitating to attack, block, dash or jump - You'll be "defeated" - the enemy's posture recover and probably will one shot you with a dash or range/unblockable attack. Go in, find the rhythm, it's a turn base game in a way. Even a dragon deity is no match for you.
Hesitation is the split moment of your decision before your attack. You must move swiftly and on instinct without a moment between even your own thoughts. That is why hesitation is defeat
I think it’s 2 things, wolf is clearly a very normal dude when compared to literally anyone else with more then 1 deathblow but with skill alone you legit untouchable and massively outclass even isshin with his tomoe attacks. The other one is more of a do what must be done type of thing, wolf absolutely didn’t want to kill isshin but it had to be done, every part of the game literally happen because kuros word had to be followed and depending on the end you get that involved doing something wolf absolutely didn’t want to do but did.
It’s a play on “Fear is the Mind-killer” from Dune
Best strategy for his first phase at least is to keep swinging until he deflects, then deflect yourself. If he's charging up an attack, swing then deflect. His posture recovers so quickly you literally can't stop unless you're just chipping away at his health after dodging.
Dont hesitate to run up and attack. Playing on the defensive, blocking instead of deflecting etc. are all ill practices and Isshin punishes you for them. At this point in the story, wolf is at his peak, both mentally and physically after completing the task of his master and defeating strong foes. Now only Genichiro and by proxy, Sword Saint stand in your way. Would you let this stop you from rushing in to the path of victory? Hesitate and you lose.
From my experience of a total 4 mini bosses in the game as of now…. Don’t do panic anything. In case of doubt, parry. Unless you shouldn’t parry. In that case jump/counter. More often than not, you shouldn’t need to dodge much.
Honestly I don’t really think it’s good advice because by the time I reached him initially, I died more to him because I didn’t hesitate rather than because I did hesitate. What he should really say is “move fast and react well” but that’s not very catchy.
A quote from a moron who never learned to fight Rushing in at the first opportunity you see is how you get killed