Martial Arts and Ninjutsu are powerful mechanics that players can take advantage of to become stronger in Nioh 3. It's possible to access them by spending Samurai and Ninja Points in the skill tree of each combat style. In order to have the best build, you need to collect Samurai and Ninja Locks in Nioh 3 to learn the required skills.

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How To Get Samurai And Ninja Locks In Nioh 3

complete myth to get locks in nioh 3 Image via The Best War Games; Source: Koei Tecmo

Players can obtain Samurai and Ninja Locks through many methods in Nioh 3. One of them is by completing Missions and Myths, which are quests you can trigger while exploring the map.

search bodies to get locks in nioh 3 Image via The Best War Games; Source: Koei Tecmo

Another way is to loot bodies, as some of them hold one of the two locks, especially if the body is located near a formidable enemy, as it will more likely contain valuable loot.

The cute and friendly yokai, which are Scampuss and Chijiko, may also drop Samurai or Ninja Locks after successfully approaching them and petting the demons. In short, you need to follow the Scrampuss until it stops running away, and the Chijiko must be shot down to be petted.

There are many more methods to get the locks, like opening certain chests or increasing the Exploration Level. Therefore, players can easily collect some Samurai and Ninja Locks while exploring the map and completing quests.

How To Use Samurai And Ninja Locks In Nioh 3

use locks to get points and unlock martial art or ninjutsu in nioh 3 Image via The Best War Games; Source: Koei Tecmo

The Samurai and Ninja Locks are transformed into Samurai and Ninja Points, respectively. These points are used to unlock new Martial Arts for Samurai and Ninjutsu for Ninja, or simply some Common Arts for both combat styles. Additionally, players can learn new weapon attacks as each weapon has its own tree in the Martial Arts/Ninjutsu menu.

equip them in the martial arts ninjutsu setting in nioh 3 Image via The Best War Games; Source: Koei Tecmo

Upon unlocking some skills, make sure to enter the Customize Martial Arts/Ninjutsu menu to manage the commands to equip the newly learned skills. It's possible to customize the settings of both combat styles and the desired weapons.

Some Martial Arts and Ninjutsu are locked behind certain quests. These missions are usually triggered in the Eternal Rift after speaking with your old masters. You can find them by interacting with the Shrine and opening the Battle Scroll. The required quests are called The Way of the Warrior and The Way of the Ninja.

unlock skills by finding handbook in nioh 3 Image via The Best War Games; Source: Koei Tecmo

Other Martial Arts and Ninjutsu are unlocked by finding the correct Handbook. These books are usually located in hidden areas and can be looted from a body or found in a chest.

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Nioh 3 Tag Page Cover Art
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Action
RPG
Soulslike
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Systems
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Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
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Released
February 6, 2026
ESRB
Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
Developer(s)
Koei Tecmo
Publisher(s)
Koei Tecmo
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Nioh 3 1
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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Genre(s)
Action, RPG, Soulslike