Nioh 3 combines aspects of both Soulslikes and Ninja Gaiden games to create a difficult but extremely rewarding experience. If you've never played a Nioh game before, then everything might probably feel weird or out-of-place, but once you understand what makes this series different from every other Soulslike game on the market, then things will start clicking into place. Here's a collection of tips you can use to help you better understand how Nioh 3 works, as well as some tricks for improving overall quality of life.
Nioh 3 Review
With its Ninja style, Style Shift system, and open-field design, Nioh 3 pushes movement and player freedom further than any entry before it.
Before You Start, Change These Settings First
Auto Pick-Up & Auto Dispose Loot
You're going to get bombarded with all sorts of loot while playing Nioh 3, and dealing with all of that manually can be annoying. Here are some settings you can change to make things more tolerable:
- Go to Systems→Basic Game Settings→Page 5, then turn Item Auto Pick-up on
- The final page of the Basic Game Settings menu has an Auto Dispose option. We only recommend turning this on once you become more familiar with how equipment works, though you can always auto-dispose of low-rarity items right from the start.
- When using Auto Dispose, you can either Offer items for Amrita, Sell them for Gold, or Disassemble them for crafting materials.
Separate Style Shift & Burst Break
By default, pressing the Burst Break button will also switch your current fighting style (Ninja/Samurai). If you find this annoying, go to System→Controls, then turn on the Style Shift & Burst Break Separation option.
Use Everything At Your Disposal
Attack First, Defend Later
The biggest thing that differentiates Nioh from Souls games is the combat pace. Enemies here take a lot of hits before they go down, and while the usual tactic of hit-then-dodge with basic attacks works, using it will only slow you down and make the game feel boring and sluggish.
Perhaps the best piece of advice we can give to maximize your enjoyment of Nioh 3 is to play it like it's a Ninja Gaiden or Devil May Cry game. Always take the initiative in a fight, and use your items and abilities to quickly (and stylishly) defeat your enemies.
Much of your damage will come from your unlocked abilities and Fighting Style passives (Samurai's Martial Arts and Ninja's Backstab). Nioh 3 is at its most fun when you're going absolutely wild with creative combos.
Focus on Mastering One Playstyle First
One Step at a Time, Takechiyo
There is an overwhelming number of viable playstyles in Nioh 3, and we're not just talking about the Samurai and Ninja styles. Each weapon type has its own set of moves and skills, and the differences between them are so incredibly nuanced that you'll likely end up only scratching the surface of how a weapon plays if you don't commit to learning it.
Pick your weapon and fighting style, and stick with it. You'll be surprised by just how deep the combat system is in Nioh 3.
Experiment with weapons and playstyles. If you're not satisfied with what you have, you can always respec for free at any Shrine.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
New to Nioh 3? Play Ninja First
Strike Hard, Strike Fast
Ninja Style is much easier and more forgiving than Samurai Style. Not only do you get significantly reduced Ki (Stamina) consumption while in this Style, but you also get access to a wide variety of Ninjutsu skills that provide tons of utility and damage.
Samurai Style is by no means inferior to Ninja Style, but it's a lot harder to master. Stance Swapping is one of the pillars of the Samurai playstyle, and it's much more complicated compared to the Ninja's straightforward fighting style.
Nioh 3 is completely playable even if you stick to just one fighting style. However, switching between Ninja and Samurai forms is still recommended, as one style has utilities that the other doesn't.
Auto-Equip Your Loot
For the Early Parts of the Game, At Least
By pressing R3 on your controller (4 on keyboard) while in the Equipment screen, you can auto-equip the best weapons and armor you have in your inventory. The game will even let you choose which Agility level (a.k.a. Weight class) you want to end up at.
We strongly recommend just auto-equipping stuff until you start getting really good gear later in the game. It will make gear management less of a chore, and you won't have to worry about constantly having to replace your gear every two minutes or so.
When picking a weapon from your inventory, you can Auto-Sort the list using R3. Make sure to sort your inventory according to item level so you don't miss out on potential upgrades.
The Cat Spirit Guardian is Lowkey OP
Nekomata My Beloved
Nekomata is one of the Spirit Guardians you'll get during the tutorial mission. You can only equip him for Ninja Style, and apart from giving Ninja-related stats, he'll let you use Thunderclaw Kick. This skill is great for three reasons:
- It deals respectable damage
- It builds up the Lightning status on your enemy
- It lets you interrupt enemies and disengage at the same time
What makes Thunderclaw Kick so good is Spirit Guardian skills do not consume Ki. If you ever get staggered, or if you run out of stamina, you can use Thunderclaw Kick to reset yourself.
Likewise, Guhin is excellent for Samurai players who want a big damage-dealing skill, but given its long animation, this Spirit Guardian's skill is best used during big windows of opportunity (such as when the enemy is out of Ki).
Random Assortment of Gameplay Tips
7 Bonus Tips for General Gameplay
- You can execute aerial assassinations just by double-jumping behind an enemy. This works even if you're outside the usual assassination range.
- Break yellow crystals on enemies if they have any. Doing so deals a big burst of damage to both their health and Ki. Use ranged weapons, Ninjutsu, or vertical strikes to reach them.
- Inflict elemental debuffs by hitting enemies with elemental damage. The Uncanny Ninjutsu skills are good for helping you build up status effects.
- Ninja Shurikens are great for interrupting enemy attacks. Use them regularly.
- Do not neglect Scampusses. Chasing them around might feel tedious, but they'll often lead you to hidden valuables (they'll give you some Hair Locks too, which you can use to unlock new skills).
- Summon Scampusses against human enemies. Once you get a Scampuss Soul Core, you can call two of these little furballs to help you fight. They can stunlock human enemies.
- Check your map constantly. Collectibles, chests, and points of interest will show up regularly, even if you missed them the first time.
Nioh 3
- Released
- February 6, 2026
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Publisher(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Franchise
- Nioh
- Number of Players
- 1-3 players (online)
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- February 6, 2026
- PS5 Release Date
- February 6, 2026
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PC
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
