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Having two styles in Nioh 3 might feel a bit overwhelming or strange to some, but don’t worry, the classic Nioh experience is still there as part of the Samurai style. Those who prefer a more hands-on approach or are still getting used to being a nimble ninja might want to embrace their Samurai part and start slicing and dicing some Yokai across time. If that’s the case, here’s a list of some of the best Samurai skills and passives for Nioh 3.
Best Samurai Weapon Skills in Nioh 3
Contrary to our Ninja guide, where we talked about Ninjutsu, the actual Samurai skill tree doesn’t have so many aside from the stances, which, if you haven’t, you need to unlock ASAP. For Samurai, we’ll list a few of the weapon skills we think are useful for the game’s first zone.
1. Sword Low Stance Skills
Out of all weapons, the Sword has some of the best Samurai skills in Nioh 3, especially in the low stance tree. Instead of just recommending one, we recommend unlocking Night Rain, Swift Step, and Swift Step Heavy. The first one performs a barrage of sword hits, and it just becomes more powerful with Arts Proficiency. However, the big-hitter here is Swift Step Heavy, which performs a bunch of quick slices after positioning yourself behind the enemy. It requires a lot of practice, but if you manage to pull it off with Arts Proficiency, you’ll delete any foe in seconds.
2. Dual Swords Elemental Attacks
Here, we are talking about two specific skills: Raijin Lightning and God of Wind (Wind). In their basic forms, both skills are already powerful enough. However, if you manage to upgrade them, you’ll imbue both attacks with Lightning and Wind, which are great when fighting Yokai. You might have to do some exploring to get them, but once you do, they’ll be extremely useful in many situations.
3. Odachi’s Cuckoo’s Call (Fire)
Elemental attacks are extremely powerful in Nioh 3, and there’s one Samurai skill in the Odachi tree that proves it. Cuckoo’s Call works as a defensive and offensive ability at the same time. First, it lets you deflect and attack, and then counter with a powerful blow while in mid stance. However, the Fire variation also spawns a massive column of fire after the counterattack, making it extremely powerful against human enemies. The only downside is getting the combo right, which takes a lot of practice.
4. Cloud Crush
Here we have yet another Samurai skill that is useful against most small enemies in Nioh 3. You can find this one in the Low stance tree of the Axe weapon, and what it does is follow up with a blow after executing a quick attack. The kicker is that if you deplete an enemy’s ki, you’ll launch them far away from you, damaging them greatly, and also giving you some distance between you and your foe.
5. Blue Moon
We’ll wrap up this weapon skills list by mentioning another ability in the Sword tree. Blue Moon is one of the most difficult skills to trigger, especially due to its button combination and the actual ability requiring you to stand still, which rarely happens in a fight. However, this skill provides an attack bonus and even a follow-up combo if you manage to execute it correctly. This one is pretty great, especially when bosses transition to the Yokai realm or when another foe is far away from you.
Best Samurai Passives and Masteries
In the first area, you’ll likely get a lot of Samurai passives and many items to increase your capacity, making Samurai builds a lot more flexible during the early game. Here are three we believe are must-haves for the first zone and maybe even beyond.
1. Oppressive Strength
As you know, Arts Proficiency is extremely powerful, but the truth is that enemies can still interrupt you when you’re performing them. Oppressive Strength removes that weakness and prevents you from being staggered while in Arts Proficiency. You’ll still get damaged, but at least you’ll be able to land a powerful blow on an enemy before healing up.
2. Resolute Arts
This one and the abovementioned Samurai passive skill go like peanut butter and jelly. Resolute Arts greatly reduces the damage you receive while in Arts Proficiency. Pair that with Oppressive Strength, and you’ll be damaging enemies with ease and without receiving a lot of punishment while doing so.
3. Blade-breaking Deflect
This one is excellent against all enemies, and for players who’ve mastered parrying. When you deflect any blow, the enemy will get a debuff, decreasing their attack power. This is a must-have in almost every boss fight and even when facing enemies in open field areas. It costs six points, so you might have to switch some skills out to make room for this one, though.
The truth is that there are dozens more Samurai skills in Nioh 3, each tailored to different playstyles, so don’t think this is a definitive guide or a meta in any way. Still, these are the abilities that greatly helped us during the first area, and will likely continue to be useful as we travel into the many areas of the game.
