However, there are many cut items and pieces of dialogue that could have further expanded upon the experience players got. Most of these features were likely removed to save time or to keep the game’s story more focused, but there is some content cut from the final version of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice that has some pretty major story implications.
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The Unused Dragonrot Pellet
Fans of Sekiro are well aware of the disease that plagues the land after using the dragon’s blood, known as Dragonrot. This disease slowly begins infecting NPCs throughout the land as the player takes advantage of the resurrection powers granted to them by Kuro. The disease itself does not have a tremendous effect on the game, but it can eventually block certain questlines if left unchecked.
Luckily, players can cure the Dragonrot with the use of the Dragon’s Blood Droplet item, which can either be found around the world or purchased through certain merchants. With the key item in hand, players can speak with Emma, who is able to create the cure and teach Wolf how to distribute it to all of those infected with the ailment via the game’s Sculptor’s Idols. But the Dragon’s Blood Droplet was not the original method used to cure the Dragonrot.
The original cure was called the Dragonrot Pellet, an item created by Emma that required the use of some of Wolf’s resurrection powers. Since this item never made it into the full game, it is unclear how exactly it affected Wolf’s powers, but the fans who discovered the Dragonrot Pellets did also uncover some dialogue options.
Unlike the Dragon’s Blood Droplet, which could be used at any Sculptor’s Idol to cure all the NPCs infected with the disease, pellets required Wolf to speak to each character individually. This is a more arduous task and is likely why the final game changed how the cure worked, but speaking to NPCs did create unique dialogue. While most NPCs thank Wolf for administering the cure, the most notable interaction is with Doujun, who is skeptical of the pellet’s origin before eventually accepting the cure and praising Emma for her medical prowess. Though the final version of the cure for Dragonrot is more time-efficient, it would have been interesting to see individual reactions to the cure.
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Anayama the Peddler and Kotaro
Another piece of cut content that deals with the Dragonrot is Wolf’s interactions with Anayama the Peddler, and later his companion Kotaro. Players will recognize Anayama as the thief who is originally met in the Ashina Outskirts, but then moves to Ashina Castle to act as a merchant and information broker. If players follow Anayama and Kotaro’s questline, they will eventually be sold a Promissory Note for one sen before Anayama dies. However, cut content slightly altered Wolf’s interactions with Anayama.
If Anayama and Kotaro were infected with Dragonrot, players could administer the cure via Dragon Rot Pellets, which would open up new dialogue. The curious part of this interaction is that Anayama would refuse to just take the pellet, so the game had Wolf sell it to him for one sen. After the pair is struck down by the forces invading Ashina Castle, Anayama offers to sell his Promissory Note to Wolf for one sen, effectively returning the money the merchant took from Wolf in exchange for saving his life. Though this interaction has little to do with the main story, the original version seems more sentimental than the final version. Yet it was likely cut alongside the unused Dragonrot Pellets.
The Dragon’s Eye
Fans of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice will have noticed Wolf’s interesting appearance, most notable the right side of his head which has a white coloring over his eye and hair. Though Emma does make a comment about Wolf’s appearance, she only claims it is a byproduct of using the Dragon’s Heritage. However, there is cut dialogue with Emma that dives deeper into the possible meaning of Wolf’s discolored face.
Within this cut conversation, Emma refers to Wolf’s white eye as the Dragon’s Eye, and describes it as the side effect of using the Dragon’s Heritage that causes the user’s blood becoming stagnant. Players should note that the Dragonrot is also described as the stagnation of blood in the people who are near the user of the Dragon’s Heritage, so the Dragon’s Eye seems to be a similar disease.
A unique characteristic about the Dragon’s Eye is that it affects the right side of Wolf’s face and causes his skin to turn a white/grey color. Toward the end of the game, players encounter the Divine Dragon, who is the same color as Wolf’s eye - further implying that the disease is based on the Dragon’s Heritage. However, there are even more connections to be drawn between Wolf and the Divine Dragon, as players may notice the dragon is missing its left arm and its right eye seems wounded.
It is unclear whether the similarities between Wolf and the Divine Dragon have any real implications aside from coincidence and speculation, but FromSoftware titles are known for subtle features that allow players to create their own assumptions about the world. Of all the cut content from Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, the Dragon’s Eye is the most interesting and possibly the most story-driven, so it is unfortunate that Wolf’s unique characteristics were never fully divulged in the final game.
Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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