To clear Westpoint House solo in Dokkodo, enter at nightfall and pick the guards off one floor at a time from the left corner using the R+B speed-grip finisher, then beat Aka-Oni at the end by parrying his four telegraphed special attacks in the right direction — all while racing a hidden time limit.
Soloing Westpoint House in Dokkodo is absolutely doable, but it asks for patience more than reflexes. The whole run is one long crowd-control problem — two floors packed with guards — that ends in the Aka-Oni boss fight. The twist is that the boss is the easy part; the real grind is thinning out every NPC between you and him without getting swarmed, and doing it before a hidden timer runs out.
What this solo Westpoint House run covers
This walks through a complete solo clear of Westpoint House, floor by floor, finishing with the Aka-Oni fight at the end. If you can bring friends, do it — co-op speeds the whole thing up massively and a group can simply gang up on the boss. Solo is slower and more deliberate, but it works.
Aka-Oni himself is one of the more forgiving bosses in the game once you know his swings, so most of the difficulty is in getting to him with time to spare. This guide assumes you’ve already finished the “Marked for the Public” quest that unlocks the house — if you haven’t, that’s a separate prerequisite you’ll need to clear first. There are other ways players approach this run; the route below is one method that reliably works.
These things to set up before the run
First, player count. Doing this with multiple people doesn’t just go faster — with a group ganging up on Aka-Oni, you barely need to learn his moveset at all (that’s the read on co-op, not a documented mechanic). Going solo means you’ll have to actually parry his specials, which is why the boss section below matters.
How to clear Westpoint House floor by floor in Dokkodo
STEP 1/9
Enter at nightfall and hug the left corner
Wait until nightfall to enter Westpoint House, then go straight into the left corner of the first floor.
STEP 2/9
Pick off the first two guards
Stay tight to the corner and take the guard closest to you first, so the second one walks away and you can grip him peacefully.
STEP 3/9
Bait the next pair into a 2v1
Hit the second guard once and back into the corner so the enemies across the room aren’t pulled, then finish both off.
STEP 4/9
Take the 3v1 from the corner
Knock down the nearest enemies first — the ones further away tend to walk off, letting you grip without being interrupted.
STEP 5/9
Reset to the corner for the next wave
Finish the last guard and return to the left corner so the two stronger brutes stay in the next room while you handle the two regular guards.
STEP 6/9
Speed grip downed guards with R+B
Press R and B together over each fallen enemy so you finish the animation without taking a hit.
STEP 7/9
Pull and isolate the brutes last
Dragon one brute out of the next room and deal with him, then repeat for the second to clear the first floor.
STEP 8/9
Head up the stairs to the second floor
You can’t pick these off one by one — going up the stairs swarms you no matter what.
STEP 9/9
Bait the grouped guards into hitting each other
Let the clustered guards damage each other, then speed grip them one at a time; this is the slowest, most time-pressured part of a solo run, so move as fast as the clock allows.
Always hit the enemy closest to you first. On the first floor it makes the farther guards walk away, freeing you to speed grip the downed one with R + B uninterrupted.
Video help
Beating Aka-Oni: every special attack and the parry for it
| Aka-Oni special attack | How it telegraphs | How to parry it |
|---|---|---|
| Right-slash dash | Winds his arm back with a red flash on the blade as he dashes in | Right parry, just before he reaches you |
| Five-hit combo | Strings swings together in a right-left-right-left-left sequence | Parry right, left, right, left, left — speed up the last two lefts |
| Triple left swing | These consecutive left swings | Parry left three times, pausing slightly between each |
| Forward quick-draw dash | Closes the gap with forward quick-draw slashes | Upward parry as it reaches you |
His first special is a right-slash dash: he winds his arm back with a red flash on the blade and rushes you. Meet it with a right parry just before he reaches you. The second is a five-hit combo that runs right, left, right, left, left — parry in that exact order. If the last swing keeps catching you, the final two left attacks seem to come out a touch faster than the rest, so expect to speed those last two parries up (that read on the timing comes from a single showcase run, so treat it as a guideline rather than a hard rule).
His third special is a triple left swing: parry left three times, leaving a slight pause between each deflection rather than mashing. His fourth and last is a forward quick-draw dash — the same kind of quick-draw slashes Sekiro players will recognize from Genichiro — which you stop with an upward parry as it arrives from his dash. Outside of these four, his ordinary attacks won’t trouble you much.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do Westpoint House and Aka-Oni with friends?
Yes, and it’s much easier that way. Bringing multiple players speeds up clearing both floors and lets you gang up on Aka-Oni — to the point that you reportedly wouldn’t even really need to know his moveset, since you’re overwhelming him together. Solo is still possible, it just demands the careful corner pulls and parries above.
Is there really a time limit, and how long do you have?
There is a time limit that starts once you begin the run, but the exact duration isn’t known — no confirmed number exists for how many minutes or seconds you get. Just assume you’re racing the clock the whole way and keep your pace up, especially on the second floor.
What is speed grip and why do I need it?
Speed grip is finishing off a downed enemy using the default katana special move, done by pressing R and B together over a body. You need it because there are too many NPCs to grip peacefully — a normal grip leaves you open and you’ll get hit during the animation, whereas the speed grip lets you finish them without taking damage.
How do I get to Westpoint House?
You unlock access by completing the “Marked for the Public” quest, which is part of the Aka-Oni storyline. If you haven’t finished that quest yet, do it first — this guide picks up assuming the house is already open to you.
Is Aka-Oni a hard boss?
Not especially — he’s considered one of the easiest bosses in the game, with a moveset that’s simple to defend against once you know his four specials. The hard part of this whole challenge is surviving the two floors of guards to reach him with time left on the clock.
