Sekiro: You're gonna die more than Twice - Newbie Tips!

I know I'm late to the party with Sekiro, but as someone who is not really good I thought I'd put up some tips (PC) as to how to muddle through.

Tip #1 - turn off sticky keys.
You'll be pressing shift a lot.

Tip #2 - always go for backstabs if you can.
Especially on bosses and mini-bosses!

Tip #3 - scout quietly and slowly.
Rooftops are particularly useful. Once detected see tip #4 below.

Tip #4 - from what I've seen you run faster than anything else in the game.
Use this to your advantage, especially outside boss fights. You can dart past enemies for loot, to reach the next shrine or simply create opportunities for one on one fights (especially in urban spaces). Remember this in the burning village flashback.

Tip #5 - hold down block to regain posture.
They mention this in the training but it's easy to forget, especially once you get into the habit of tapping block to deflect!

Tip #6 - expect to grind a little.
Especially to not "lose" your progress to death. Making your in game character stronger always helps. Some good spots are from the Underbridge Valley going backwards (provided you dealt with the general there) all the way to the mom and son.

A better spot later on is the Poison Pool shrine. Grapple and stealth towards the two nearest gunners and backstab the one staring at the lake first, then the one seated (attack attack attack till he dies). Return to the shrine and rest. Rinse and repeat. Very monotonous though. Remember to use mibu balloons while doing this as they persist through shrine resting (though not travel or much else).

If that's too boring you can also slaughter the reviving Mibu villagers when you get there (they do stop after awhile) but later on there's a purple ninja near the Upper Castle Dojo who is another boring but useful grind.

Tip #7 - don't carry gold.
You lose half when you die, so invest it in items (coin pouches are best but really anything useful will do) before doing something dangerous - like boss fights! Same goes for EXP, but the only way to save that is to grind till you fill the bar.

Tip #8 - when in doubt, go LEFT.
Seems to work for me, but remember to explore the other way once you hit a roadblock.

Tip #9 - use the homeward idol
It saves time.