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While it’s not explicitly stated, most of the major and minor storylines ofSekiro: Shadows Die Twiceare about family. One of the best examples of that is the sidequest of Blackhat Badger, a reformed Interior Ministry rat who finds himself sneaking around Ashina Castle.
At first, it seems like Blackhat Badger is set to be one of the many creepy, quirky merchants inSekiro: Shadows Die Twice.As time goes on and players advance through his questline, that changes. Blackhat Badger pans out to be one of the most sympathetic characters in the game, albeit while still having a dark past.
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The trouble is that as a rat, he’s often difficult to find. Here’s how to start and finish Blackhat Badger’s quest inSekiroand what rewards it offers.
Where to Find Blackhat Badger
Blackhat Badger can be found in Ashina Castle, hidden in a building near the Old Grave Sculptor’s Idol. To find him, simply look down the ledge directly behind the Sculptor’s Idol to see a building with partly destroyed rooftop. Jump down and go inside through the opening to find a rat wearing a black hat.
Though one might expect him to be hostile, he’s instead a very important merchant. Blackhat Badger sells two very important items; theIron Fortress Prosthetic Tooland the Anti-Air Deathblow Text. These items are invaluable for taking out two ofSekiro’s toughest optional bosses.
The Iron Fortress is important for countering some of theDemon of Hatred’s most brutal techniques. Meanwhile, the Anti-Air Deathblow technique helps players make quick work ofthe Shichimen Warrior mini-boss. Even if players don’t care about seeing through optional questlines, Blackhat Badger is important to visit just for buying these two items.
Blackhat Badger Locations
Once players buy the Iron Fortress and Anti-Air Deathblow Text items from Blackhat Badger, his questline begins. He heads from Ashina Castle to the Senpou Temple. In order to move things forward, Wolf needs use the Puppeteer Ninjutsu on a rat guarding a shinobi kite overlooking the village. This is also part of a separate questline that allows players tounlock one ofSekiro’s special endings.
Using the Puppeteer Ninjutsu results in the rat giving the kite more slack, allowing Wolf to grapple off it from a different location. After grappling off it, progress forward through this new area until reaching the Sunken Valley Cavern Sculptor’s Idol. Blackhat Badger can be found nearby.
After talking with him, he returns to his original location in Ashina Castle. Players don’t need to do anything until progressing deeper into the game.
Blackhat Badger Sidequest Rewards
Players receive the Mibu Pilgrimage Balloon, a unique item that can only be acquired once per new game cycle.The item is given by Blackhat Badger after the Interior Ministry invasion of Ashina Castle, which starts after beating the Divine Dragon. He is found on the ground beneath his original location.
The item is a consumable quick item that combines the effects of a Mibu Balloon of Spirit, Mibu Balloon of Soul, Mibu Possession Balloon, and Mibu Balloon of Wealth. This raises the money, experience, resurrective charge yields, and drop rate of enemies for a short time.
This isn’t a particularly huge reward but does give players a bit of a boost. If players miss out it’s not something to make a new save about, but it is a nice bonus as players can now look forward to farming Interior Ministry samurais.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twiceis available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
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