You're stuck on Owl. Or maybe Isshin is currently putting you through a blender for the fiftieth time. We've all been there. You look at your health bar and realize it’s just not long enough to survive that one mistake. To fix that, you need to find all prayer beads Sekiro has hidden across its brutal, vertical world. There are 40 in total. Every four you find grants you a Prayer Necklace, boosting your posture and vitality.
If you miss even one, you’re playing at a disadvantage. But honestly, some of these are tucked away in places that feel downright mean. From submerged chests in freezing lakes to bosses that only appear if you make specific narrative choices, tracking them all down is a legitimate test of your patience.
The Early Game Scavenge
Ashina Outskirts is where it starts. You’ll get your first taste of the grind here. General Naomori Kawarada drops one. He’s the first real "skill check" mini-boss you encounter. Shortly after, the Chained Ogre—everyone’s favorite nightmare—guards another. Don't forget the one tucked away in the attic where you meet the "Tengu" of Ashina after fighting Gyoubu Oniwa. You have to grapple up into the rafters. Most people just run past it because they're so relieved to have beaten the horse guy.
Hirata Estate is another early-game goldmine, but it’s tricky. Shinobi Hunter Enshin of Misen has one. Then there’s Juzou the Drunkard. He’s a wall for many players. If you’re struggling, talk to the NPC in the reeds nearby; he’ll help you distract the mobs. Hidden behind a revolving wall in the Audience Chamber is a chest. You’ve got to hug the wall with the picture on it. It’s a classic FromSoftware trope.
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Here is where it gets complicated. You can’t get all prayer beads Sekiro offers in a single "standard" playthrough if you don't pursue the Purification Ending. This is the biggest pitfall for completionists.
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To get the last few beads, you need to return to a second version of the Hirata Estate. This requires a specific set of eavesdropping actions involving Emma and Kuro at Ashina Castle. If you just rush to the end, you lose access to two specific mini-bosses: another version of Juzou and the Lone Shadow Masanari Nagaoka. If you've already defeated the Divine Dragon, you might be locked out. It’s harsh. That’s Sekiro.
The Mid-Game Gauntlet: Castle and Beyond
Ashina Castle is the hub of the world, and it is absolutely packed with beads. There’s a Lone Shadow Longsworder in the well where you started the game. There’s a General at the top of the stairs. There’s an Elite in the Dojo.
But have you checked the water?
Once you get the Mibu Breathing Technique from the Corrupted Monk in Mibu Village, the game changes. You can dive. Go back to the moat at Ashina Castle. There’s a bead down there. Go to the Temple Grounds in Senpou Temple and dive into the pond with the two treasure carp. There’s another. Most players forget to backtrack once they gain the ability to breathe underwater, missing out on massive health upgrades.
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The Sunken Valley Stress
Sunken Valley is a nightmare of snipers and poison. Snake Eyes Shirafuji drops one. Then there’s the Long-arm Centipede Giraffe. Terrible name, easy fight if you can deflect. But the real "hidden" one is after the Giraffe. You have to crouch under the floorboards and follow a series of caverns. It leads to a dark area filled with those creepy crawling enemies. It's easy to lose your way in the dark, but the bead is at the end of that tunnel.
Mibu Village and the Hidden Floorboards
Mibu Village feels like a fever dream. O'Rin of the Water is here. She’s fast, she’s ghostly, and she’s carrying a bead. You don't have to fight her, but if you want the necklace, you have to win.
Check the house with all the villagers surrounding it. You can't enter through the front, but there is a shinobi floorboard shortcut nearby. Flip under the house, come up inside, and talk to the NPC. Outside, in the lake nearby, there’s another chest at the bottom. Again, the diving mechanic is your best friend.
The End Game: Fountainhead Palace
Fountainhead Palace is beautiful and deadly. The Sakura-viewing Bull—a variant of the Blazing Bull from earlier—is wandering around the back of the palace. It’s an optional fight, but it’s necessary for the set.
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Then there’s the Great Colored Carp’s neighborhood. Deep in the Great Sakura lake, near where the headless enemies lurk, there’s a chest. It's terrifying to swim down there with those spirits chasing you, but you need that bead.
The Ones You Likely Missed
Honestly, the most common ones people miss aren't bosses. They're the ones sitting in shops.
- The Memorial Mob near the Abandoned Dungeon entrance sells one.
- The merchant in the Ashina Outskirts (near the stairway) sells another.
- Check the offering box near Hanbei the Undying at the Dilapidated Temple. If you missed a bead from a boss that is no longer accessible because the world state changed (like when the Ministry invades), it sometimes appears there. But don't count on it.
Actionable Steps for Completion
To ensure you actually find all 40, you need a systematic approach. Don't just wander.
- Get the Mibu Breathing Technique ASAP. You can’t complete the set without diving. This should be your priority after reaching Ashina Castle.
- Follow the Purification questline. Before you fight the Divine Dragon, make sure you have the Father’s Bell Charm. If you kill the Dragon first, the questline breaks.
- Revisit the Moats. Go to Ashina Castle, Senpou Temple, and Mibu Village specifically to dive.
- Check the Merchants. Spend your Sen. Don't carry thousands of gold pieces into a boss fight only to lose them. Buy the beads as soon as they become available.
- Kill every mini-boss. If it has two red dots over its health bar and a name, it’s likely carrying a bead. Do not skip the "Seven Ashina Spears" or the "Lone Shadows." They are harder than some main bosses, but they are the gatekeepers of your vitality.
Maxing out your health doesn't make Sekiro easy. You'll still die if you don't learn to parry. But it gives you the one thing every shinobi needs: the ability to survive that one mistake and stay in the fight long enough to deliver the final Shinobi Execution.
Check your inventory now. Count your necklaces. If you have fewer than ten, you still have work to do in the shadows. Go back to the Dilapidated Temple, check the offering box, and start retracing your steps through the Sunken Valley.