Early in Nioh 3, it becomes apparent that there are a variety of martial arts and ninjutsu skills to choose from, all unlocked through the use of Samurai and Ninja Points. However, some are worth exploring first.
The multitude of skill trees in the “Martial Arts/Ninjutsu Study” menu can easily confuse newcomers. While you’re deciding on your Nioh 3 build, this guide will cover five key skills to prioritize.
Groundfire
Even if you prefer the samurai style over the ninja, ninja tools are a great addition to your arsenal. They allow you to set traps or throw projectiles from a distance, guaranteeing a hit without risking damage . Earthfire is especially effective when timed correctly.
Against large bosses, using the full stock (four) is a great way to deal extra damage , as they almost always step on what are essentially mines.
Samby (Caltrops)
Like other ninja tools in Nioh 3, sembi are great for dealing damage from a distance. But they’re also useful against regular enemies and bosses.
When fighting multiple yokai, the senbi’s ability to slow enemies and deal damage makes them excellent crowd control .
When fighting a fast boss, Senbi give you the speed advantage you need to land an extra hit, get to a safe distance, or use the seconds of slow to heal or buff.
Cicada Shell
In a game like Nioh 3 , where one unexpected powerful blow from an enemy can derail an entire boss fight attempt, Cicada Shell is a physical art among Ninja-style skills that can give you a much-needed boost of survivability.
When the skill is active, an enemy attack that would otherwise be successful will automatically turn into a dodge (you will turn into a puff of smoke) and instantly move you behind the enemy.
This means that if you fail to dodge, block, or parry in time, you gain an extra layer of defense, which also puts you in a prime position to land a few backstabs . In the most chaotic boss battles, when you’re low on health and out of potions, this skill has saved us more than once.
High stand
The different stances are at the core of Nioh 3’s Samurai Style gameplay , but if you’re looking to make your build more damage-focused, High Stance should be your first choice.
Compared to the Middle Stance you start with and which offers a more balanced attack to defense ratio, High Stance increases your overall offensive power and allows you to perform more attacks before your Ki supply is depleted.
Of course, this makes you more vulnerable, as you’re open to enemy strikes if your timing is off. However, if you master the game’s key mechanics— understanding enemy attack patterns for parries, dodges, burst breaks, and blocks —then High Stance is undoubtedly the ideal choice for dealing maximum damage.
Reflection
As the parry skill of Nioh 3’s martial arts , learning and mastering Reflection becomes increasingly important as the game progresses.
By using it just as an enemy attack is about to hit you, you will not only deflect the blow, as the name suggests, but also restore your Ki and increase your Ninjutsu and Martial Arts gauges .
Especially in boss battles, where a powerful blow or Ki depletion can ruin your momentum, progression will be significantly more challenging without the Reflect skill in your Nioh 3 arsenal . While this means mastering the various attack patterns of bosses and powerful enemies to time your moves correctly, the advantage gained is worth it.
Focus skills on one weapon per style
This advice is more open-ended and depends on your preferred build and playstyle in Nioh 3. However, in general, it’s important to invest points in weapons specific to the samurai or ninja, but initially focus on just one weapon for each style rather than spreading them across several.
The thing is, each weapon has its own skill tree, and you can make one incredibly powerful by investing more Samurai or Ninja points into your favorite variant , rather than leveling up several at once.
For example, the axe has the skill “Mad Spinner II”, which makes the basic skill “Mad Spinner” much more powerful by increasing the rotation speed.
Another great example is the Victory Charge skill, which increases the effectiveness of axe combat by allowing you to perform a Ki Pulse when ramming an enemy.
Later, of course, it will be useful to have a variety of weapons for specific enemy types. However, in the first hours of play, your Nioh 3 build will be much more effective early on if you first acquire skills for one weapon in each style . This will allow you to perform more powerful moves and combos in combat from the very beginning.
