Crucible Arts are weapon skills that players can use in Nioh 3, but unlike regular skills that can be unlocked using Samurai and Ninja Points, Crucible Arts can only be obtained by finding and using Crucible Weapons. These work similarly to normal armaments, except they come with an exclusive Crucible Art that you'll only be able to perform while using them. At least, that's the case until you actually unlock the Crucible Arts themselves. Here are a few things you can do to unlock these powerful skills as quickly as possible in Nioh 3.

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How to Get Crucible Skills in Nioh 3

Nioh 3 Crafting Twin Snakes Helmet at Forge

As mentioned, Crucible weapon arts are only available on Crucible Weapons. These typically drop from yokai you defeat inside Crucible realms. You'll know if something is a Crucible weapon if there's a flaming skull icon next to their name card in the inventory screen. If you inspect them, you'll also see that they have a Crucible Art at the bottom of their info card.

So far, fighting inside Crucible realms is the best way to get Crucible weapons in Nioh 3. These areas are often encountered at the end of certain milestones along the main questline, such as the Crucible Manifested quest where players fight Jakotsu-Baba inside the Hamamatsu Castle Town. Crucibles will crumble after you destroy their core, and if you want to farm them again, go to a Shrine and replay their respective missions via the Battle Scroll menu.

How to Unlock Crucible Arts Fast in Nioh 3

Nioh 3 Ippon Datara Hamamatsu Castle Town
Nioh 3 Ippon Datara Hamamatsu Castle Town
Image via TheBestWarGames; Source: Koei Tecmo

So far, we've found that replaying missions is the best way to max a weapon's Familiarity and unlock their Crucible Arts quickly. The aforementioned Crucible Manifested quest in Hamamatsu Castle is especially good for the early stages of the game. The map in this quest is fairly straightforward, and it's densely packed with enemies that can take a beating.

However, as a general rule of thumb, the best place to farm for Familiarity is the highest-level Battle Scroll mission you have access to. Not only will you get Familiarity, but you'll also get gear and decent amounts of Amrita. If you just finished Crucible Manifested early in the game, the next best place you can try to farm in is the Haunting Caves in Maisaka, which is part of the Demon of the Haunting Caves Battle Scroll.

Also, you can use Whetstones to get 150 Familiarity instantly. These are a little rare, though you have a chance to get some if you sell gear at a Shrine.

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Nioh 3 Tag Page Cover Art
Nioh 3
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Action
RPG
Soulslike
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Systems
PlayStation-1 PC-1
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Released
February 6, 2026
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
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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
Prequel(s)
Nioh, Nioh 2
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
Genre(s)
Action, RPG, Soulslike
Platform(s)
PlayStation 5, PC
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty