Nioh 3 is a very demanding game that doesn't just ask you to fight: it asks you to study. With the introduction of jump mechanics, open-field exploration, and the brand-new dual combat styles, the learning curve is steeper than ever.
Welcome to the Dojo, where you will find 5 essential tips to begin your journey through time to become the Shogun. Keep these in mind at all times, persevere, and you will soon realize the brilliance of one of the best combat systems in action RPGs.
Table of contents
Try Every Weapon
Nioh 3 brings back every weapon from Nioh 2, but with a twist. The arsenal is now split between Samurai Style and Ninja Style exclusives. However, don't let the exclusive tag fool you: many of the Ninja Style weapons feel like variants of Samurai weapons, sporting a mix of Martial Arts that appeared in previous entries in the series, with new ones.
- Samurai Style Arsenal: Sword, Dual Swords, Axe, Spear, Odachi, Switchglaive, Cestus.
- Ninja Style Arsenal: Ninja Sword, Dual Ninja Swords, Talons, Kusarigama, Tonfa, Splitstaff, Dual Hatchets.
While the "vanilla" Sword and Ninja Sword are perfectly viable, you are doing yourself a disservice if you don't experiment. In my time with the game, I found myself enjoying weapons I previously ignored in Nioh 2, such as the Dual Swords, Kusarigama and Dual Hatchets. No weapon choice will make the game too hard, so find what clicks and start investing in Martial Arts to truly unlock their potential.
Tip: Want to practice a new weapon without the risk of defeat? Head to the Dojo via the Training Ground Battle Scroll option in the Shrine menu. Here, you can train against multiple human and Yokai enemies.
Unlock Stances and Deflect Early
To avoid overwhelming players, Nioh 3 introduces mechanics gradually, perhaps a little too slowly. For the Samurai Style, the flow of combat is entirely centered on switching between Low, Mid, and High stances, which is something you cannot take advantage of as only Mid stance is available from the beginning of the game.
As such, the first few enemies of the Warring States starting map feel more challenging than they should. Use your first Samurai skill points to unlock High and Low stances for 1 Samurai skill point each in the Samurai skill tree as soon as you can.
Furthermore, you should also learn Deflect as soon as possible.. By pressing the Block button (L1/LB) just before an attack connects, you will deflect an enemy attack, stagger them briefly and build your Arts Proficiency gauge. This increases the power of your Martial Arts and Heavy Attacks.
If the complexity of the Samurai stances feels like too much at the start, don't be afraid to lean on the Ninja Style. It deals less raw damage but offers a simplified basic moveset and superior agility that works against almost every enemy type while you learn the ropes.
Master Ki Pulse
The Ki Pulse remains the most important mechanic in the franchise. Exclusive to the Samurai Style, pressing R1/RB after an attack restores a portion of your spent Ki (stamina).
Watch the light particles surrounding Takechiyo, as they indicate the perfect window. While a Perfect Ki Pulse (timed to the last possible second) is the goal, don't stress about perfection early on. Just get used to the "hit-and-pulse" rhythm that defines the Nioh series combat.
As you get more used to Ki Pulsing, you will be able to take advantage of the Flux ability (1 Samurai skill point in the Samurai Skill tree). This ability allows you to restore even more Ki by switching stances during a Ki Pulse. It takes a lot of practice, but eventually, it becomes muscle memory, further cementing the signature series' stance dancing loop.
Switch Gear Often
The loot system in Nioh 3 can be overwhelming, but here is a secret Nioh series veterans know: on your first playthrough, builds don't matter. Don't spend hours agonizing over passive skills. Simply equip the highest-level gear you find and keep moving.
The only metric that truly matters is Agility, determined by your Current Encumbrance Ratio:
- A Rating (Under 30%): Fastest Ki recovery and longest dodge distance.
- B Rating (30% - 70%): The perfect balance between defense and Ki speed recovery.
- C Rating (70%-100%): High defense, but mediocre Ki speed recovery.
- Over-Encumbered: Avoid this at all costs. Ki Recovery Speed is terrible, putting you at a great disadvantage.
Know When to Guard, Know When to Dodge
If you are a Soulslike lover, but never played any Nioh game, you may be baffled to find your dodge in Samurai Style to not be as effective as it is in, for example, Bloodborne or Elden Ring. This is actually one of the quirks of the Nioh experience: guarding attacks is so good that it should always be your main defensive option.
In Nioh 3, however, the introduction of Ninja style made dodging a valuable defensive option, more than in its predecessors, with an increased distance and the ability to dodge quickly after attacking with Mist, the Ninja style equivalent of Ki Pulse (but without Ki restoration!).
At the start of the game, mastering the nuances of both styles can be a challenge. Guarding, however, is a solid defensive option for both styles, so use the protection granted by this technique to learn how enemies attack, and so when you can use the Ninja style's superior agility to dodge when required.
Bonus Tip: Explore, But Know When to Stop
This tip is more about improving your enjoyment of the game, rather than learning how to play.
The new open-field maps in Nioh 3 make exploration highly rewarding. In these maps, you'll find Skills, Skill Points, and unlock the Yang options for your Soul Cores by clearing the Lesser Crucibles combat challenges, allowing you to summon defeated Yokai to unleash their special attacks. Exploring also unlocks Battle Scrolls, which grant access to "compact" Nioh-style sub-missions and formidable elite enemies.
However, don't overdo it. If you clear every single icon before moving the story forward, you risk out-leveling the content and stripping away the challenge.
Play naturally and follow what interests you rather than chasing every waymarker. Remember that in a Team NINJA game, the first playthrough is essentially the tutorial, so you’ll have plenty of time to explore every inch of the map once the real game begins in the higher difficulty unlocked after completing the game for the first time.
This concludes the first entry in our Enter the Dojo series, where we dissect the Nioh 3 mechanics to achieve mastery. For more help, visit our Nioh 3: Complete Walkthrough and Guides Hub.
Guide based on a full playthrough conducted in the Steam 1.01 version. Screenshots captured from the same version.
About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.
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