Nioh 3 might be a more action-heavy Soulslike game, but it still has the difficulty you would expect from the genre. Understanding the intricacies of the available combat styles is necessary to navigate this unforgiving journey.
Whereas the other games in this franchise revolved around a multifaceted combat system, Nioh 3 has freshened things up by introducing a new combat style for players to discover. Here’s what you need to know to master both.
How to play Samurai Style in Nioh 3
Samurai Style functions similarly to combat previous entries in the series. While it’s fundamentally defined by being a stance-based system that utilizes Ki Pulses to stay in the action, Nioh 3 adds more with the new Arts Gauge and a universal Deflect mechanic.
Your adventure begins with only being able to use the Mid Stance when fighting in Samurai Style. Both High and Low Stances need to be unlocked using skill points, after which every Samurai weapon will gain access to all three.
Knowing the best time to switch between them will help in the grueling fights to come. High Stance is all about powerful strikes that use up a lot of Ki, Low Stance emphasizes weaker and less Ki-consuming attacks along with easier evasion techniques, and Mid Stance is meant to be the balance of both.
Keep in mind that every weapon has unlockable stance-exclusive skills that further differentiate how it feels. Every weapon also has benefits with each stance, so make sure to get your bearings with your preferred weapon’s movesets.
Equally important to master are the other Samurai Style mechanics. Ki Pulses are a returning function that can be performed after an attack to recover some of your Ki.
Activate these right after a combo to maintain your offense. We recommend aiming for a perfect Ki Pulse to recover a far greater amount of Ki. This can be achieved by waiting just a moment after an attack and activating a Ki Pulse as the blue lights coalesce around you.
Something new and exclusive to the Samurai Style in Nioh 3 is the Arts Gauge. Attacking, guarding, and deflecting will fill up this circular gauge, after which you can activate Arts Proficiency with either a Strong Attack or a Martial Art.
Arts Proficiency briefly reduces Ki consumption and increases damage for these attacks. It also allows Martial Arts to be chained together for more stylish and damaging combos.
The final highlight is the unlockable Deflect skill. This acts as the major defensive aspect of the Samurai Style. Not only does it build up your Arts and Ninjutsu Gauges, but it also recovers Ki.
How to play Ninja Style in Nioh 3
Brand new to Nioh 3 is the Ninja Style. In contrast to the more grounded multi-stance Samurai style, Ninja Style shines with a plethora of movement options and ranged attacks. Switching to Ninja Style also provides you with a separate set of equipment and weapons to use.
The most notable change is the Ninjutsu Gauges. In place of the Samurai Style’s three stances, Ninja Style features three Ninjutsu Gauges that are replenished by attacking enemies.
These are primarily composed of long-range attacks and traps. The advantage these have over the usables in your Shortcuts is that attacking will recharge their number of uses.
You’ll unlock more of these with skill points or by finding them in the world. They can be changed out whenever you want, so feel free to experiment. Whether you want to apply status effects on enemies or just need more ranged attack options, Ninjutsu Gauges provide a lot of variety for the Ninja Style.
Another big change is Ki Pulses being replaced by the Mist technique. While this is also activated after attacking, Mist lets you dodge in any direction without spending Ki.
It’s perfect for avoiding an enemy’s charging attack or to reappear behind them. A shadowy afterimage will also be briefly left behind as a decoy. Even though this sounds purely defensive, the recovery is quick enough that you can immediately return to attacking.
Since attacking enemies from behind in Ninja Style inflicts more damage, proper repositioning with Mist can be a great way to increase your damage. We’ve found great success in using it to extend combos.
Accompanying Mist is the unlockable Evade skill. This is the true defensive technique for the Ninja Style, featuring noticeably more invulnerability frames.
The biggest drawback is that Evade uses up your Ki. However, timing an Evade right before an enemy attack will recover Ki and also build up your Arts and Ninjutsu Gauges.
Ninja Style can be further enhanced with amazing movement options locked away in the general Ninja Style skill tree. We suggest prioritizing Footstool Jump and Midair Dodge.
Footstool Jump lets you jump off of enemies, allowing you to stay in the air for much longer and avoid most horizontal attacks. Midair Dodge adds a single-use dodge to activate while airborne. On top of making combat feel safer in the air, it’s invaluable with some platforming segments.
If you really want to, you can stick to playing only one of these combat styles. The game has more than enough mechanics and upgrades to keep someone satisfied playing either.
Between the variety of enemies and a wide range of gear to loot for both styles, you'll likely have an easier time using both. We promise that the extra time spent learning the different styles and navigating the menus is a worthy investment.
Nioh 3 is available now on PS5 and PC.
