FromSoftware games tend to have multiple possible endings, and Sekiro is no different. The hardest ending to get in Sekiro is the Return ending. This ending is arguably the “good” ending, and it requires the completion of numerous additional steps that you aren’t really told about.
Unlike previous FromSoftware quests, you aren’t blocked from completing the Return ending questline until very late in the game, so don’t worry if you’re already halfway through a playthrough, you’ll still be able to do this. You only get locked out of the Return ending after completing the Fountainhead Palace section of the game.
10 Holy Chapter: Infested
To begin the questline proper, you need the Holy Chapter: Infested item. Once you’ve learned how to dive — after defeating the Corrupted Monk — dive into the pond near the Temple Grounds Idol and find it at the bottom.
9 Give It To The Divine Child
Once you’ve killed those evil Folding Screen Monkeys — check out the speedrun strategies to beat them if you’re having trouble — you’ll be able to get an audience with the Divine Child at the Inner Sanctum Idol. Talk to her and give her the Chapter. This can be done later, but you may as well do it now just to get it out of the way and prevent any bugs or issues further on.
8 Ask Her For Rice
To officially start the quest for the Return ending, ask the Divine Child for some rice. You can gift it to an old woman — affectionately named Old Hag in the wikis — who was praying at the Ashina Castle bridge earlier in exchange for some lore, or you can eat it yourself.
Either way, once it’s out of your inventory return to the Divine Child to ask for more. You have to exit the area completely for this to work, you can’t just rest at the Idol there. Keep doing this until the she falls asleep and starts to get sick.
7 Feed The Children
To make the Divine Child feel better, feed her a persimmon. You can buy one from a Memorial Mob merchant after the Shugendo Sculptor’s Idol. After giving her the fruit, ask for more rice to receive the Rice for Kuro item. He should be at the top of Ashina Castle, where you defeated Genichiro, so return there, offer it to him, and then rest at the Idol. Kuro will return the favor and gift you Sweet Rice Balls. You have to eat one to progress - eat one near him for some bonus dialogue.
6 Return To The Illusory Hall
Return to the Divine Child at the Inner Sanctum Idol and talk to her. If you haven’t given her the Infested Chapter by now, you have to in order to progress. Rest, and she should move to the Illusory Hall where you fought the Monkeys. You can get there through a magical portal that opens in the water, opposite the Inner Sanctum. Talk to her — she’ll be at the big tree in the middle — and she’ll tell you to find a High Senpou Priest.
5 Holy Chapter: Dragon’s Return
You need to go and find the skeleton of a dead monk. Go to the Main Hall Idol at Senpou Temple and go out of the side entrance and into a cave. Go spelunking and deep in the cave you’ll find a dead monk in blue robes with an item on their corpse. You can only find the item if the previous steps have been completed. Now, rest, and return to the Inner Sanctum Idol. Give the Divine Child the Holy Chapter: Dragon’s Return and she will request two serpentine fruits.
4 Kill A Great Serpent
You remember those huge serpents that come out of absolutely nowhere and try to eat you? Well, you have to kill one of them. You’ll need the Puppeteer Ninjutsu equipped — you get it once you’ve defeated the Folding Screen Monkeys.
Go to Senpou Temple and proceed until you see an enemy below you in a large hat. Use the Puppeteer Ninjutsu on them and they’ll raise the kite for you. Proceed up the hill, then go through the temple towards the big tree where the old woman is. You can grapple to the kite and swing across the valley in order to get to the Sunken Valley Cavern Idol. Look below and you’ll see a Great Serpent coiled around some rocks. Drop down onto it and perform a finishing blow to get the Fresh Serpent Viscera.
3 Sneak Past A Great Serpent
You’ll need to have gone to the Gun Fort and had a Great Serpent destroy a bridge on the way there for this next step to work. Go to the Bodhisattva Valley Idol and descend into the toxic swamp below. Find the Toxic Memorial Mob and look for the cavern behind him. Within this cave is a second Great Serpent. Use the Puppeteer Ninjutsu on a poor, cowering monkey that seems to have accidentally found its way into the serpent’s nest to distract it and zip across a large gap and into a dilapidated shrine that houses the Dried Serpent Viscera.
2 Give The Divine Child The Serpent Fruit
You can do those last two steps in either order. Once you have both the Fresh and Dried Serpent Viscera, return to the Divine Child. Rest to reset the area, then eavesdrop on her to hear her consuming the Viscera quite… viscerally. Next, proceed through the story, making sure you stay loyal to Kuro at an important moment and prepare for a hard fight — if you side with Owl you will not be able to do the Return ending. Once you’ve received the Fountainhead Incense from Kuro you can return to the Divine Child. Talk to her to receive Frozen Tears. You must complete this quest before finishing the Fountainhead Palace, so make sure you don’t proceed too far in that area.
1 Complete The Game
Once you have the Frozen Tears, complete the Fountainhead palace and progress through the main story. The final boss is incredibly tough, so make sure you get all the Prayer Beads, gourd seeds, and fight all the optional bosses so that your health, posture, and attack are all as high as they can be. If you’re still not winning, it could be for one of these reasons. Once you’ve defeated the final boss you’ll be given a choice of which items to give Kuro. Give him the Frozen Tears and the Divine Dragon’s Tears and well done, you’ve got the Return ending. Don’t worry if you miss this on your first playthrough as you can try for it again in new game plus. All the endings are interesting, so try getting them all. Once you’re done with Sekiro, why not try some more tough games?
