Nioh 3 Guide: Map, Styles, Gears, Guardian Spirits and Weapons Explained

Nioh 3 is a new game by Koei Tecmo, the creators of the Atelier and Dynasty Warriors games. As the third game in this well-revered souls-like series, the gameplay has evolved greatly. Instead of small levels where you play as a samurai, you now explore vast worlds across multiple time periods. You can switch freely between two different samurai and ninja styles.

If you have played the previous Nioh games or are a complete newcomer to the series, this Nioh 3 guide will help you understand the complex mechanics and get good at demolishing bosses.

Nioh 3 Guide for Beginners: 5 Things You Should Know To Make Your Life Easier

Nioh 3 is a complex game full of many different mechanics working simultaneously. Since we now have two combat styles, each with its own unique skills and equipment, learning the ins and outs of the revamped combat system will help you understand what makes it different from other souls-like games. Since its new open-world is filled to the brim with many objectives you must complete, you should know what to do first when starting the first act of the game or the Nioh 3 demo that's out on Steam and PS5.

1. Explore The Nioh 3 Map Thoroughly

Unlike the previous Nioh games, Nioh 3 embraces an open-world map rather than the smaller, linear levels, much like the shift from the linear level designs of Dark Souls 3 to the open world of Elden Ring. If you open the map, you will see many icons appearing near places you have visited. The developers have done a superb job of incentivising thorough exploration to uncover many hidden consumable items, chests, and optional bosses.

You will also see many map markers that highlight objectives and collectables. You must complete them to increase your map exploration level and level up faster. These objectives and collectables we will explain in this Nioh 3 guide are:

• Crucibles: These are challenge gauntlets where you will face multiple waves of enemy Yokai. You gain permanent buffs after defeating all the Yokai and destroying the crucible. These include increasing your Spirit Force meter and Guardian Spirit skill power.
• Crucible Wraiths: These are challenging mini-bosses you can defeat to gain Soul Cores, each containing a different special ability you can use. Defeating more wraiths increases the overall power of your equipped Soul Cores.
• Enemy Bases: Defeating all enemies at these bases provides better loot and increases the overall map exploration level.
• Scampuss: Following these cat-like creatures will lead you to hidden chests with higher-level gear.
• Kodama: Finding these green imp-like creatures gives you Kodama Merits. You can use these points to improve the overall efficacy of Elixir, your main source of heals.
• Jizo Statues: Finding these Jizo statues gives you Jizo Blessings you can use to improve your power inside Crucibles.
• Samurai and Ninja Locks: Many hidden chests and other stronger enemies roaming the open world give you Ninja and Samurai Locks you can use to unlock new skills.

2. Master Both Samurai and Ninja Styles

Nioh 3 improves upon the already excellent combat of the previous titles by letting you switch between the Samurai and Ninja styles on the fly with the press of a button. Both styles use different weapons, armour sets, and unique skills. Since stamina (known as Ki in this game) is essential for attacking, blocking, and dodging, managing it is a core skill you must learn through trial by fire.

The two distinct styles or classes we will explain in this Nioh 3 guide for beginners are:

• Samurai: The Nioh 3 Samurai style is slower, with its Ki Pulse ability letting you regenerate by pressing a button at the right time. This style revolves around switching between its three stances - high (slow but powerful attacks), low (quick but weak attacks), and medium (mix of both), depending on what type of enemy you are facing. Being a samurai means staying your ground and becoming a defensive powerhouse by blocking and parrying attacks. Good against slower foes with well-telegraphed attack patterns.
• Ninja: The new Nioh 3 Ninja style lets you forget about rhythmic Ki Pulses and instead focus on dishing out large flurries of attacksby getting behind enemies in a flash. This style also makes you more nimble; you dodge and move around quickly. You also get access to several Ninjutsu attacks that have regenerative ammo. Good against faster foes with more frenzied attack patterns that are better evaded by dodging.

While you can lean on one style and use it throughout your playthrough, this game emphasises style switching to take down different enemies. This is where the Burst Break mechanic comes in, where you can switch styles at the right moment to block stronger enemy attacks (indicated by a red glow).

As such, play around with each style to identify its strengths and weaknesses to get a better grasp of this game's combat flow. We recommend using the Samurai style to whittle down enemy defences and switching to the Ninja style to deplete their Ki and finish them off for good. Speaking of boosts and bonuses, check out our recent coverage on the Nioh 3 pre-order bonus online.

3. Sell Familiar Gear and Disassemble the Rest

One of the most useful tips we can give you in this Nioh 3 guide is how to sell your gear. You will always have an abundance of extra equipment, enemies and chests will always drop armour and gear of varying stats and levels. This forces you to get rid of unwanted gear in two ways:

• Sell them at shrines: Whenever you pray at shrines (the bonfires or save points in this game), you can use the Preparations option to sell unwanted gear. However, there is a unique Familiarity feature that allows you make a weapon stronger the more you use it in battle. We recommend selling highly familiar gear since you get a hefty amount of Amrita (this game's Souls or XP).
• Disassemble them at the blacksmith: If you have lots of unused gear with low familiarity, we recommend dismantling them at the blacksmith. You unlock her after you defeat Jakotsu Baba, the final boss of the first chapter of the game and the Nioh 3 demo. Disassembling gives you materials to upgrade other equipment you need for your build.

You can learn more about the Nioh 3 character codes on our official website.

4. Equip the Right Nioh 3 Guardian Spirits

Nioh 3 Guardian Spirits are returning companions from Nioh 1 that you can equip to access various active and passive magical abilities. Since they also provide stat boosts, you should carefully choose which one to equip depending on your build. They also have powerful Guardian Spirit skills to turn the tide in battles.

This is necessary since each Guardian Spirit is compatible with either the Samurai or Ninja style. You must know what boosts certain stats to ensure you use the right one for your build. For example, Nekomata (Ninja) increases your Ninjutsu damage and Ki recovery speed, while Shin Roku (Samurai) reduces damage from lightning and increases your damage dealt after purification.

Since each Guardian Spirit is unique, check their stat bonuses, passive effects, and Spirit Skills to see whether they are beneficial for your builds before equipping them. As such, check our other Nioh 3 guides to understand what each Guardian Spirit does and how to unlock them.

5. Choose the Right Weapons

The final tip in our Nioh 3 guide is also one of the most important ones on this list. By the end of the Nioh 3 tutorial, you choose your initial weapon. Both the samurai and ninja styles have different equippable weapon types, like:

• Samurai: Swords, Dual Swords, Odachis, Spears, Axes. Cestus (unlocked later), and Switchglaives (unlocked later)
• Ninja: Ninja Swords, Dual Ninja Swords, Kurisagamas, Tonfa, Hatchets, Talons (unlocked later), and Splitstaves (unlocked later)

While you are not bound to a weapon type throughout the game, mastering one for both classes will streamline your approach. It's also better to stick with one for each initially, since each weapon comes with its own unique skill trees and special skills. While you can respec in Nioh 3 whenever you want, sticking to only two weapon types will help you grasp their moveset before you begin experimenting with different builds.

That's all the tips we have for you in our Nioh 3 beginners guide. We hope these tips have helped you understand which fundamentals you must focus on early on as you head to brave the open field of various historical eras and face off against some of the deadliest foes. If you liked this Nioh 3 guide and are interested in other games coming out this month, check out our list of the best Xbox games releasing in February 2026.