The samurai advances day by day: today he becomes more skilled than yesterday, tomorrow more skilled than today. The training never ends.
Nioh 2 will soon arrive on your TV screens and to help you in this new adventure we want to give you a series of useful tips to face samurai and Yokai once again.
This new title serves as a prequel to the epic adventure undertaken by the British William Adams in the 2016 game. Nioh 2 takes place in the 1500s, 100 years before the story told in the sequel, during the Sengoku period and will see us play a protagonist (created by you) who shares his human nature with the Yokai curse.
In any case, this video game is built on the basis of the previous title, which means that the same basic dynamics will be present, such as armor weight, Ki, and so on. Within this short guide, you will find advice both dedicated to combat and related to the new features of the game.
1. They say Japan was born of a sword
Nioh 2 will offer you from the beginning a wide array of weapons, from powerful two-handed axes to the timeless katana, discover your style and choose accordingly.
Hatchets allow you to quickly hit your enemies, and by pressing triangle you can even throw them. They are not particularly strong weapons, but their quick attacks will surely be useful to those players who prefer to “fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee“.
The handle change offers you three different attack styles based on your position. Keeping your blade pointed down will allow you to attack as if you were holding a light dagger in your hands. If you keep the blade in an intermediate position, you can use it as a spear, and take advantage of the range to hit from medium distance (perfect strategy for the Yokai).
Finally, by opting for a high guard, you will use your sword as a lethal scythe, spinning and slashing your enemies with incredible force.
We advise you to balance your approach to battle, so choose fast weapons and blades with high damage. This approach is recommended for both budding and veteran players.
2. Take Courage! And beware of Ki!
If you have consumed the first chapter and tried the demos, you will surely have noticed that Nioh 2 has a different handling than yours Ki (the stamina to be clear). In fact, the various adjustments made have changed the recovery.
The statistic makes its debut in Nioh 2 Courage, which impacts the speed with which you recover Ki. You'll need to upgrade these stats right away if you want to have a minimal chance of survival.
3. Embrace your inner Yokai
One of the most interesting novelties of this game lies precisely in the fact that the protagonist is half human and half Yokaithis aspect will give you a considerable advantage in battle.
During the first moments of the game, you will be presented with a particular mechanic that takes advantage of your demonic nature, by pressing R2 and Circle in fact you will activate a powerful counter-move. It is an attack that activates your yokai form and teleports you behind the enemy, leaving behind you a ghost, which in the event of a hit by the opponent, will unleash great damage on the same.
Timing in this case is everything, that's why before resorting to this powerful counter move you will have to carefully observe your enemy.. When a red flash surrounds the latter you will know that it is the perfect time to strike.
Continuing on the way of the Yokai, remember that once the Amrita gauge is filled, you can enable your transformation into a demon. Press Triangle and Circle to transform yourself completely, once in this state you will be almost invulnerable, a particularly effective remedy against the most difficult enemies.
4. Shrines will help you find Inner Peace ...
During your wanderings you will find a fair multitude of Shrines, which will offer you the opportunity to take your breath away. Pray at these places to recover health, arrange game items and use them as checkpoint in case of death. Just a little warning, as in any self-respecting souls, by praying at the Shrines, your enemies will also come back to life.
In these places you can use the amrita harvest to level and get blessings from the cute ones Kodama frogs, hidden within each level.
Remember that Shrines will appear as green dots on your map, in any case you will find that you are close to one of them when you hear the high-pitched singing of the Kodamas.
5. Call your allies from beyond
The world of Nioh 2 is full of fallen warrior spirits, shown in red in the Insaguinate Tombs and in blue in the Benevolent Tombs. By activating a Bloody Burial you will awaken a warrior to face him in a 1 on 1 fight, as seen in the previous chapter, in order to gain powerful items and equipment, but it will not be a walk in the park.
The addition of this title lies in the Benevolent Tombs, which will allow you to summon the ghost of a player to your aid, which will follow you in the fights as an NPC until the end of the mission.
Council: The item Righteous Jasper is a new consumable, which will provide you with the ability to create a benevolent burial wherever you are. It can also be used by other players to summon your character as a support.
6. Don't choose the Bird Guardian Spirit
At the start of the game, you will be given the option to choose your Guardian Spirit, who will decide your demonic form. You can choose anyone, but we recommend that you do not take the bird Ame-no-Mitori, as it will make you use a feral demonic form, unlockable by beating the monkey Masaru (first boss of the game).
However, it must be admitted that the Ame-no-Mitori spirit has its charm. In fact, it offers you special effects that improve Ki recovery speed and running speed. In the beginning however it would be advisable to use the Makami wolf or the Kagewani shark.
7. Steal skills from your enemies
I Nuclei of the Soul are new game items, and are released by the most powerful Yokai. Once harmonized at the Kodama shrines, these Cores will give you the ability to use the best moves of the Yokai you stole it from. The first one you get will allow you to jump into the air and throw a blade at enemies, resulting in massive damage that can turn the tide of battle.
Assigned to R2 + Triangle or Square, you can equip two of these skills along with yours Burst Counter.
Council: Your ability to use Yokai moves is tied to Soul bar, a new purple bar located below the Ki bar. This can be filled by defeating enemies and absorbing more Soul Cores.
8. Learn the Running Water Ki Pulse move as early as possible
Make sure you unlock the skill asap Running Water Ki Pulse, from the Samurai zone of your skill tree. This alternative technique allows you to make a perfect block instead of using the traditional method by pressing R1.
This peculiar skill has 3 different skills, each of them dedicated by a specific way of holding the weapon, tSo set aside at least six skill points to unlock them.
If you have trouble burning traditional Ki Pulse, this skill offers you a perfect alternative, also facilitating the execution time. Logically, by fully understanding both your fighting style will improve.
Bonus: Darkness is your friend
Since the adventure that awaits you in Nioh 2 will be anything but easy, we want to give you another tip and it concerns the Dark Realm.
You will be teleported to these places only when a particularly powerful Yokai decides to send you there. Once you arrive, you will notice that your Ki will regenerate with difficulty and that your demonic power will increase dramatically..
Explore the Dark Realm, you will find several chests to open and a fair amount of unusable Sanctuaries, the latter aspect will make everything more dangerous. To escape from these places, you will have to find the Yokai who brought you there and defeat him, by doing so you will unlock chests and shrines.
Remember that you are half demonic, so use the Dark Realm to test your Yokai skills.
We hope this little guide has been useful to you, let us know in the comments or on our Facebook page if you have purchased Nioh 2 and can't wait to play it.
