Nioh Complete Edition: Beginner-to-Endgame Guide

This guide covers Nioh: Complete Edition on PC: the combat systems that actually matter (Ki, stances, Ki Pulse), stats and build archetypes, the full mission route through the base game and all three DLCs, boss advice, and how the New Game+ difficulty ladder works.

Researched September 2026 — current as of PC Update 1.24.8 (September 2022, Epic Online Services / crossplay support). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Ki is everything. Ki is your stamina bar. Attacking, dodging and blocking all spend it; if you run out you are stunned and open to a grapple. Manage Ki before you manage health.
• Learn Ki Pulse on day one. After a combo, a blue glow appears around William. Press the Ki Pulse button (R1 on a controller by default) as it flashes to instantly recover most of the Ki you just spent. It also clears yokai miasma pools on the floor.
• Use all three stances. High stance hits hardest but is slow and Ki-hungry, Low stance is quick with cheap dodges and better guard, Mid stance is the balanced default with the best blocking. Swap stances mid-combo (R1 + a face button) instead of committing to one.
• Amrita is your XP. Spend it at shrines to level up. Dying drops it at your grave; get back there without dying again or it is gone.
• Guardian Spirits and Living Weapon. Your chosen Guardian Spirit fills a gauge as you fight. Activate Living Weapon for a short window of invulnerability-style burst damage; save it for boss phases or emergencies, not trash mobs.
• Loot is disposable. Nioh drops piles of gear. Wear the highest-level pieces with useful effects, then sell, offer at shrines (for Amrita and Kodama bonuses), or dismantle the rest at the blacksmith. Do not hoard.
• Shrines respawn enemies. Resting refills health and elixirs but brings enemies back. Plan your route between shortcuts.
• Onmyo Magic and Ninjutsu are not optional-feeling extras. Elemental talismans (fire, water, lightning, wind, earth) and throwables like shuriken and poison kunai trivialize many bosses. Spend at least a few points early.
• Side missions are the real XP. Sub missions and Twilight missions reward gear, weapons and levels. If a main mission feels like a wall, do the side content in the region first.
• Co-op exists and is not cheating. Ochoko Cups summon a visitor into your mission; Benevolent Graves let you summon AI copies of other players. Use them if you are stuck.

Core Combat: How Nioh Actually Plays

Ki, Ki Pulse and Flux

Every attack costs Ki. When you finish attacking, the Ki you spent shows as a recoverable chunk. A well-timed Ki Pulse recovers it; a perfect Ki Pulse (timing at the flash) recovers more, and stance-switching Ki Pulse ("Flux", unlocked in the Samurai skill tree) lets you change stance at the same moment. The core rhythm of the game is attack, Ki Pulse, attack.

Enemies have Ki too. Humans who run out stagger and can be grappled for heavy damage. Yokai have a visible Ki bar: deplete it and they collapse to the ground or reel, and you can finish them with a big hit. Many yokai also create miasma (the dark pools on the floor) that slows your Ki regeneration; Ki Pulse cleanses it.

Stances

Stance | Strengths | Weaknesses | Use it for

High | Highest damage per hit, best Ki damage | Slow, expensive, weak guard | Punishing openings, staggered enemies

Mid | Balanced, best blocking | Nothing stands out | Learning a new enemy, parrying humans

Low | Fast combos, cheap dodges | Low damage per hit | Aggressive dodge play, fast enemies

Blocking, Dodging and Grapples

• Guarding costs Ki per hit. Heavy blows break your guard if you are low. Weapons and armor affect how much Ki a block costs.
• Dodging is the safer default against yokai. Light armor makes dodges quicker and cheaper.
• When a human enemy is out of Ki, a grapple (finisher) appears. Downed yokai can also be struck with a heavy follow-up.

Weapon Types

The Complete Edition includes all ten weapon categories:

Weapon | Feel

Sword (katana) | Best all-rounder; strong parries and flexible combos

Dual Swords | Very fast, economical on Ki, good guard

Spear | Long reach, crowd control, great for beginners

Axe (and hammers) | Huge hits, heavy Ki drain on enemies

Kusarigama | Mid-range sickle-and-chain, huge combos

Odachi | Big two-handed blade, added in Dragon of the North

Tonfa | Fast, combo-heavy martial weapon, added in Defiant Honor

Bow | Silent headshots, pulling enemies one at a time

Rifle | High single-shot damage, great for headshots

Hand Cannon | Massive damage on slow targets, very limited ammo

Weapon familiarity increases as you use a specific weapon, raising its stats. Each weapon family also has its own skill tree, bought with Samurai skill points (earned by leveling Body, Heart, Stamina, Strength and Skill).

Stats and What They Do

Per the Fextralife stat page, each stat raises core attributes and feeds different weapon trees. Check the scaling letters on a weapon's stat screen for exact numbers, since individual weapons vary.

Stat | Main effect | Associated with

Body | Life, poison and paralysis resistance | General survivability

Heart | Maximum Ki | Swords, Bows, Samurai skill points

Stamina | Life and equipment load | Hand Cannons, heavy armor

Strength | Ki Pulse, some equip load | Heavy and medium armor

Skill | Ki Pulse, a little ninjutsu power | Light armor; secondary scaling on several weapons

Dexterity | Ninjutsu power and capacity | Ninja skill tree

Magic | Onmyo power and capacity, yokai resistance | Onmyo skill tree

Spirit | Guardian Spirit power, Living Weapon gauge rate | Guardian Spirit builds

Rule of thumb for a first playthrough: put early points into your weapon's stat plus Heart (Ki) and Body/Stamina (Life), then add Magic once you want elemental talismans and paralysis/debuff talismans.

Build Archetypes

Build | Core weapon | Priority stats | Why it works

Onmyo Swordsman | Sword | Heart, Magic, Spirit | Elemental talismans plus the most flexible weapon; forgiving early game

Spear Controller | Spear | Body, Heart | Reach keeps you safe; sweeping attacks handle groups

Axe Tank | Axe plus Hand Cannon | Stamina, Strength | Heavy armor, huge Ki damage, cannon for bosses

Dual Sword Ninja | Dual Swords | Dexterity, Skill | Fast chains, shuriken and poison kunai for bursts

Kusarigama Skirmisher | Kusarigama | Skill, Dexterity | Extreme combo range, strong Ki Pulse flow

Living Weapon Spirit | Any | Spirit, Heart | Near-permanent Living Weapon uptime at high Spirit

Onmyo and Ninjutsu Picks Worth Taking Early

• Elemental talismans: pick the element a boss is weak to and apply it to your weapon. Fire is valuable against many yokai; also try water and lightning.
• Sloth talisman: slows an enemy's movement and attacks; one of the strongest boss tools in the game.
• Paralysis: makes human bosses and many yokai easy to punish.
• Shuriken and poison kunai (Ninjutsu): free chip damage and status build-up.
• Elixir and consumable pouches: raise your carry limits.

Progression: Mission Route

Missions unlock region by region on the world map. Each region has main missions, sub missions, and Twilight missions (harder remixes with better drops). Recommended levels climb from single digits in Kyushu to 140+ in Omi, and the DLCs start around 170 and go past 240.

Base Game

Region | Main missions (in order) | Main bosses

Prologue (Tower of London) | The Man with the Guardian Spirit | Derrick the Executioner

Kyushu | Isle of Demons; Deep in the Shadows; The Spirit Stone Slumbers | Onryoki; Hino-Enma; Nue and Tachibana Muneshige

Chugoku | The Silver Mine Writhes; The Ocean Roars Again | Great Centipede; Umi-Bozu

Kinki | Spider Nest Castle; Falling Snow; The Demon of Mount Hiei | Joro-gumo; Yuki-Onna; Nue and White Tiger

Tokai | The Iga Escape; Memories of Death-Lilies; The Weight of the World; The Defiled Castle | Giant Toad; Ogress; Honda Tadakatsu and Okatsu

Sekigahara | Immortal Flame; Sekigahara; The Source of Evil | Saika Magoichi; Otani Yoshitsugu and Shima Sakon; Gasha-Dokuro

Omi | A Defiled Holy Mountain; The Samurai from Sawayama; The Demon King Revealed; The Queen's Eyes | Ishida Mitsunari; Obsidian Samurai; the boss rush ending with Oda Nobunaga, Edward Kelley and Yamata-no-Orochi; Hundred Eyes

DLC Chapters

DLC | Region | Main missions | Key bosses

Dragon of the North | Tohoku | Yokai Country; The One-Eyed Dragon's Castle; Spirit Stone Huntress | Date Shigezane; Katakura Shigenaga and Date Masamune; Maria

Defiant Honor | Siege of Osaka (Winter) | The Siege of Osaka; Scion of Virtue | Sarutobi Sasuke; Sanada Yukimura

Bloodshed's End | Siege of Osaka (Summer) | The Sanada's Resolve; Resentment Unleashed; The Last Samurai | Sanada Yukimura and Sasuke; Onmoraki; Toyotomi Hideyori and the Nine-Tailed Fox

The DLC missions are tuned for post-game characters. Finish the main story first. Bloodshed's End also brings the Janomecho and Nine Tails guardian spirits and expands the Abyss endgame mode.

Boss Tips

• Derrick the Executioner (prologue): a slow tutorial duel in the Tower of London. Use it to practice Ki Pulse and dodging.
• Onryoki (first Japan boss): he hits hard but telegraphs slowly. Stay close on his flank, attack in short bursts, Ki Pulse, and back off when he winds up. Kill him in Mid stance to learn blocking timing.
• Hino-Enma: she flies out of reach and drains Ki with her gaze and miasma. Keep your Ki topped up, punish her when she lands, and use ranged weapons or ninjutsu while she hovers.
• Nue: big lightning cat. Bring an element it resists poorly and hang near its sides, never its face.
• Umi-Bozu: fought on a ship deck; watch the whole arena and use the space rather than hugging him.
• Yuki-Onna: ice attacks. A fire talisman on your weapon helps a lot, and the Sloth talisman makes her far easier.
• Human bosses (Tachibana Muneshige, Honda Tadakatsu, Sanada Yukimura, and so on): treat them like a duel. Guard, watch their Ki bar, and punish when they run out. Paralysis and Sloth talismans work on most of them.
• General: read the boss's weakness in the in-game description or wiki, pre-apply the matching talisman, and pop Living Weapon when the boss enters a dangerous later phase.

Missables and Collectibles

Very little is permanently missable because every mission can be replayed, but some things are easy to overlook:

• Kodama: small green spirits hidden in each mission. Finding them unlocks shrine blessings (for example better item drops, more Amrita, more elixirs). They carry across all missions, so completing a region's set is worth it.
• Hot springs: hidden in some missions, they grant temporary buffs.
• Sudama: mischievous yokai that swap items with you.
• Hidden bosses and sub missions only appear after certain main missions; check the map after each main clear.
• Steam-exclusive Dharmachakra Kabuto: claim it from the Boons option at a shrine.
• Achievements: some tie into collecting every Kodama, all weapon types, and finishing Way of the Strong.

Economy, Forge and Gear

• Blacksmith: buy, forge, reforge (re-roll special effects), soul match (raise an item's level by fusing a higher one into it) and use Familiarity to keep a favorite weapon up to date.
• Soul Match is how you keep a favorite weapon relevant for the whole game; it costs gold, so sell gear regularly.
• Offer at shrines: excess gear converts to Amrita and fills Kodama offerings.
• Set bonuses: many armor sets grant powerful bonuses when you wear several pieces. Mixing two partial sets is often better than one full set.

New Game+ and the Difficulty Ladder

Difficulty | Unlocks after | What changes

Way of the Samurai | Start | Base game

Way of the Strong | Finishing the main story | Divine gear, the Abyss, secondary Guardian Spirit

Way of the Demon | Way of the Strong | Harder enemies, better gear

Way of the Wise | Way of the Demon | Ethereal gear

Way of the Nioh | Way of the Wise | Top difficulty; stats can be raised further

You can switch between difficulties freely from the map menu once they are unlocked, so there is no penalty for going back to farm.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Spamming heavy attacks in High stance until you run out of Ki. Always leave enough Ki for a dodge.
• Never using Ki Pulse. It is the single biggest skill jump in the game.
• Hoarding gear. Your inventory fills fast and you lose out on Amrita and gold.
• Ignoring magic and ninjutsu. Sloth and elemental talismans are massive force multipliers.
• Rushing the DLC before the base game ending. It is balanced for a finished character.
• Healing in the middle of a boss combo. Only drink elixirs after dodging clear.
• Staying in heavy armor you cannot move in. Check your equip load; over a certain point dodges become sluggish.

Advanced Tips

• Flux: switching stance as you Ki Pulse chains combos without dead time. Practice it in the Dojo missions.
• Yokai Realm: late-game areas and certain enemies spread a Yokai Realm that suppresses Ki recovery. Ki Pulse inside it clears it; ending it quickly is often the main goal.
• Twilight missions have the best early drop tables and rotate. Check them every time you visit the map.
• Dojo missions (samurai, ninja and onmyo training trials) teach specific skills and unlock rewards; they are worth doing early.
• Secondary Guardian Spirit from NG+ adds passive stat bonuses; pick one that covers a weakness.
• Crossplay: since update 1.24.1 you can enable crossplay with the Epic Games Store version from System Menu, Online Settings. Enabling it means you only match with other crossplay players, and it needs an Epic Games account.

FAQ

Is Nioh: Complete Edition still getting updates? The last PC update was 1.24.8 in September 2022, which added Epic Online Services support. Treat the game as finished; the balance is stable.

Can I play the DLC right away? The DLC regions unlock through the map once you progress through the main game, and missions start around level 170. Finish the main story first.

Is Nioh harder than Dark Souls? Most players find it harder early because enemies are aggressive and Ki management is unforgiving. It gets much easier once Ki Pulse and talismans click.

What is the best beginner weapon? The Spear (reach and crowd control) or the Sword (flexibility and parry). Both are strong for the whole game.

Do I need Nioh 2 knowledge? No. Nioh 2 is a separate prequel. Nioh 1 has no Yokai Shift or Soul Cores; its equivalents are Guardian Spirits and Living Weapon.

Can I play co-op with friends? Yes. Use an Ochoko Cup at a shrine to summon, or visit someone else's mission. Crossplay with the Epic version needs to be toggled on by both players.

How do I claim the Steam-exclusive helmet? Select Boons at any shrine to claim the Dharmachakra Kabuto.

Sources

• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — Walkthrough
• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — Stats
• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — Builds
• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — Bloodshed's End
• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — New Game Plus
• Nioh Wiki (Fextralife) — Dual Swords
• Nioh — Wikipedia
• Nioh: Complete Edition — Steam news (Update 1.24.8, 1.24.1 crossplay)