Nioh Beginner's Guide

Nioh is a brutal action-RPG that demands you understand its systems in order to overcome its challenges. But with so many mechanics at play, it can be overwhelming. That's why we've gathered 14 tips to help you become a master samurai. Be sure to check back often as we update this feature with even more tips. Click ahead to find detailed instructions on how to play Nioh better.

Nioh is an action game developed by Team Ninja, who also developed the Ninja Gaiden series. The studio recently detailed the enhancements Nioh will receive for PlayStation 4 Pro. You can see GameSpot's roundup of every game that sees improvements from the PS4 Pro here. In addition, the studio revealed that Nioh will have a multiplayer mode, but not at launch.

And for more Nioh check out our feature on how the game is a return to form for Team Ninja, as well as our feature on its evolution from JRPG to action game. Nioh is set to launch on February 7.

Make sure to keep a close eye on your Ki (stamina) gauge during battle. Avoid recklessly swinging your weapon at opponents as it'll quickly drain your Ki and put you in an immobile state. This is indicated by a red gauge and, while in this state, you're vulnerable to enemy attacks. If this occurs, mash the dodge button to ensure you get out of the way of danger as soon as possible.

Unlike the Souls games, you can see how much Ki an enemy has when you lock onto them. When an opponent completely drains their Ki, they'll either lack the energy to move or attack more erratically. Take advantage of this opportunity, as enemies are more susceptible to being staggered when you hurt them in this state. When an enemy is staggered, you have a better chance of landing a powerful Grapple or Final Blow as well.

It's also possible to inflict direct damage to an opponent's Ki using special skills that are acquired via the Learn Skills menu. Each weapon type has a particular technique that can inflict Ki damage. For example, the sword has a Kick skill, which allows you to chain a kick at the end of a combo to drain an opponent's Ki. Prioritize unlocking these skills as they can be vital in overcoming tough encounters.

One of the most important mechanics in Nioh is the Ki Pulse, a combat maneuver that allows you to restore some of the Ki you've expended from attacking. To execute it, press R1 when light gathers around you after an attack. The better you time the Ki Pulse, the more Ki you'll gain back.

Ki Pulse is also a necessity in purifying Yokai Realms, which are enemy attacks that reduce your Ki regeneration rate within a certain area; a perfect Ki Pulse can instantly remove a Yokai Realm from the field. To execute a perfect Ki Pulse, time your button press to when the light is just about to fade around you; you'll know you've executed it when a swirling light forms as you raise your weapon. The benefits of Ki Pulse may not seem like much at first, but using it effectively can make all the difference in battle.

Many foes, particularly skilled human samurai, telegraph their fighting styles through their stances. Moreover, less experienced enemies like villagers attack with ungraceful lunges, making them open to attack. Reading your opponent also includes exploiting their limited stamina. In addition, it's always good practice to get close enough to an enemy to bait out an attack from them, allowing you to rush them as they close off their attack animation.

It's important to take advantage of the various weapon stances, as each adds useful attack variations to the weapons in your arsenal. There are three stances in total: High, Mid, and Low. High stance offers large attack damage and defense against enemies, but at heavy expense to speed and Ki; Mid stance offers medium attack speed and damage with some cost to your Ki; and Low stance allows you to attack quickly, albeit weakly, with little expense to your Ki.

Familiarize yourself with the feel of each stance and how they impact your weapons of choice. Some stances prove more useful than others during certain encounters. For example, utilizing a sword's High stance allows you to slash vertically, which is ideal against enemies that stay low to the ground. A careful and calculated understanding of weapon stances is key to surviving the most difficult battles.

As you defeat enemies, raid corpses, and open treasure boxes, you'll start to accumulate a plethora of equipment. While most of the stuff you get are often duplicates of what you currently (own albeit with slight variations), it's essential that you take time to check on what you've found in order to equip the most optimal versions of weapons and armor in your inventory.

Each piece of armor you find has its own distinct Special Effects that grant you a variety of bonuses such as damage reduction, Amrita bonuses, and increased dash endurance. However, in order to access them, you need to meet that armor's statistical parameters, which are listed at the bottom of its description in the equipment screen. For example, the foot piece of the Warlord Armor requires your Stamina to be at seven and your Strength at six. Be mindful of parameters whenever you equip armor, as not meeting them makes a piece of armor only half as useful as it could be.

While it might not seem apparent at first, there's actually an Equipment Weight mechanic in the game. Each piece of armor has its own weight value which, when equipped, contributes to your overall Equipment Weight percentage. Note how the font color changes from green to yellow at the top right of the Equipment screen when you exceed a certain weight. The higher the percentage is, the more Ki your attacks and dodges will consume; your movement speed is also affected.

Understand your playstyle to manage your Equipment Weight accordingly. If you value mobility, staying at a lighter weight is ideal, but if you prefer slow, powerful weaponry, stick to a heavier weight. It's important that you never let your Equipment Weight exceed 100% as your attacks and evasive maneuvers will consume nearly half your Ki per action.

Sell items you don't need at the shrine to receive Amrita via the Make Offering option. It could provide you the extra amount of resources you need to level up. This is particularly handy when you've run out of Amrita Stones.

Nioh has an internal achievement system called Titles, which allows you to earn additional stat bonuses. There are two achievement lists in total: Agyo and Ungyo. Each offers different challenges that demand you fulfill distinct conditions. For example, the Swordsman Adept Title requires you to defeat 100 human enemies with a sword. The more you diversify the types of attacks you use, including non-weapon attacks like throwing bombs, the more likely you'll earn a new Title.

Upon earning a Title you'll receive Reputation Points. Once you've accumulated enough, you'll gain a Prestige Point which you can use to acquire a stat bonus in the Prestige Summary screen.

When you explore an area, keep an eye out for Kodama, which are small, green yokai that wear soup cups as hats. If you encounter a Kodama, approach it and hold circle to send it back to a shrine. While Kodama seem like a meaningless collectible, they're actually incredibly useful. For every five you collect, you increase the max number of elixirs you can hold at a time.

In addition, the number you collect affects the percentages of the Kodama Blessings you receive at a Shrine. (For more on Kodama Blessings, check the next slide)

It’s a good rule of thumb to search every area thoroughly anyway. By clearing a section of its enemies, you’re getting valuable training that will be useful to all future encounters, not to mention increased levels.

Collecting Kodama gives you access to their blessings, which are passive buffs that you can purchase at a Shrine. Each blessing is associated with a specific type of Kodama; there are five types in total with five of each to find in a region. The more you collect of a specific type, the higher the percentage its respective blessing will be. The base Kodama Blessings you can get and their respective Kodama types are as follows:

• Oracle Blessing: Increases the amount of Amrita by 5% (Gold Hat)

• Swordsman Blessing: Increases weapon drop rate by 1% (Red Hat)

• Warrior Blessing: Increases armor drop rate by 1% (Black Hat)

• Healer Blessing: Increases elixir drop rate by 5% (Green Hat)

• Hunter Blessing: Increases drop rate of materials by 5% (Beige Hat)

It's important to note that whenever you reach a new region, the Kodama Blessing percentages reset. This is because each region has its own set of 25 Kodama to collect.

There are two special support abilities in the game: Ninjutsu and Onmyo-jutsu. Ninjutsu focuses on the use of throwable items and inflicting status ailments on enemies, while Onmyo-jutsu emphasizes imbuing your weapon with different elemental properties to take advantage of enemy weaknesses. Both are incredibly useful, and each offers you an array of options to supplement your offensive efforts.

Ninjutsu and Onmyo-jutsu abilities are unlocked by spending points via the Learn Skills menu in their respective tabs. Once you've acquired a Ninjutsu or Onmyo-jutsu skill, you can then assign one to an item shortcut by accessing the Ready Jutsu menu.

You can gain access to more advanced skills in an ability's tree by getting further into the game and statting more into the Dexterity (Ninjitsu) and and Magic (Onmyo-Jutsu). Doing either unlocks training sessions that allow you access to advanced skills upon completion.

One of Nioh’s early areas is covered in a poisonous gas, which is why it also features hand-cranked ventilators. Unfortunately, some of these ventilators deactivate after a minute. It’s a better use of your time to address the sources of this poison mist. What you need to look for are these mounds that look like giant black crumpets (see above) and destroy them. Even if each area is loaded with enemies who can distract you, you should have enough stamina that you can run around safely and find those mounds.