Bell Demon | Sekiro Shadows Die Twice Wiki

Bell Demon
A demonic spirit sealed within the Iron Bell of Senpou Temple. Possesses those who ring the bell, strengthening enemies around them. The Bell Demon confers hardship, but perhaps also slightly better spoils. Using this item has no particular effect, aside from causing the demon to leave.

Bell Demon is a Quick Item in Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice. It is used to remove a state caused by ringing the Bell near Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo.

 Bell Demon Usage

• This item's presence in your inventory (along with an icon underneath your health bar) indicates that you are under the effects of the SINISTER BURDEN caused by ringing the bell at Senpou Temple, strengthening enemies around you while at the same time increasing the likelihood of enemies dropping rare items when killed.
• Using this item gets rid of the buff/debuff, indicated by the words BURDEN DISPELLED. 
• Testing indicates that the "strengthening" effect increases enemies' health and damage to that of the next New Game Plus cycle (similar to the effect of using a bonfire ascetic in Dark Souls 2). 

How to Find Bell Demon

• Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo: Ring the Demon Bell next to Bell Demon's Temple sculptor's idol.
• This area can be accessed early via a shinobi shortcut guarded by the Headless in Ashina Outskirts. The shrine is locked from the outside, so this cannot be used to skip most of the way up Mt. Kongo.
• The shrine can be entered in earnest by following the ledges with rats from the Senpou Temple, Mt. Kongo Shugendo idol. Instead of turning right at the top of the walkways and roping up to the Armored Warrior's bridge, instead keep going forward, grappling along the cliffs and climbing along ledges. The path ends at the Demon Bell temple.

Bell Demon Notes & Tips

• If dismissed, the Bell Demon can be regained by re-ringing the bell at the Senpou Temple. Unlike the game's other optional difficulty increase the Bell Demon curse can be toggled on and off throughout the game as necessary. 
• The Bell Demon and its associated "hard mode" debuff does NOT carry over into New Game Plus and must be reacquired upon starting a new playthrough.
• Dispelling the demon counts as a pious act of prayer to the Old Hag. Doing so near her is rewarded just the same as using Mibu balloons.

Lore

• The Demon Bell belongs to a longstanding tradition of FromSoftware games including paranormal bells, From the Bells of Awakening to Yorshka's Chime. Often, these instruments were used to communicate with other planes of existence, to summon the dead, or invoke miracles. The bell of Senpou Temple is a Bonshō bell. These bells are used during the Japanese Bon festival to summon spirits from the underworld, then send them back once the festival is over.