Nioh 2 The First Samurai review: The grind don’t stop

The final DLC has landed for Nioh 2, bringing the story to a subpar end, but with a substantial amount of endgame to look forward to, including a revamped Abyss mode.

If there’s anything Team Ninja can take credit for is making a really fun and difficult game that is increasingly difficult with an immersive gameplay loop that doesn’t get stale too quickly. The storytelling, however in the Nioh franchise, is mostly forgettable. This goes for the first and second games. I’ll give them props for trying to tell a story where your character is at the forefront of the narrative despite ever uttering a single word. Everything ties back to your character, and your relationships develop with the many people and demons you cross paths with, whether for the better or worse.

With Nioh 2’s base-game story ending, it was open-ended enough to go into the past or future. However, the narrative took Hiddy (you, the protagonist) back in time more and more for each release. This is all in search for the secrets of the Sohayamaru, that glowing sword with the power to fully quell demons. What the First Samurai DLC does is just that: you finally figure that much out with a decent twist.

What I looked forward to more were the new gear, weapons, skills, new level cap, bosses, difficulty, and endgame content. This is where I’ll be spending the bulk of my time in the future of this game. Unfortunately and unlike the past two expansions, The First Samurai does not come with a new weapon class like DLC 1 did with the splitstaff and DLC 2 with the fist weapons. What is here though, is obviously the new and concluding story to Nioh 2, new bosses and locales, another crossover battle (going to avoid spoiling that), the final difficulty— Dream of the Nioh, and of course, the Underworld (previously named the Abyss).

The Underworld is unlocked if you have Dream of the Nioh unlocked, and rightfully so. Unless your gear is up to snuff, I suggest clearing some DotN missions to get used to new enemy combinations and the new Curse of the Nioh buff that some enemies and most bosses have. You’ll know these curses are bestowed onto enemies because they’ll be outlined with a highly saturated pink, green, or purple aura. You’ll also know because they hit way harder, recover health constantly, and will most likely be the enemies you have to kill to get rid of a dark realm.

The Underworld, of course, is where the endgame truly begins. The rarity and plus values from dropped gear will be higher than anything that missions on the map will give you. Unlike the first Nioh, this game’s underworld mode’s progression is much more streamlined. Instead of going to four different predetermined areas to give you some kind of advantage in the Crucible and being such a drag, this new Underworld throws you in one sizable locale, rewarding players for clearing and exploring.

There will be four kodamas to find in each locale. In order to enter the Crucible, or the boss room, you’ll only need to find at least one per locale. The more you find, the more advantages you’ll have per fight. Each kodama also comes with a predetermined boon given to the player. For example, one increases your damage, another decreases your damage taken. Upon taking down a boss at the Crucible, you can opt to traverse further or leave the mission. Progress is saved at your highest cleared floor, so this whole thing does not have to be done in one go.

The game can be a bit grindy and make some past gear obsolete because of level cap increases and inevitable power creep. There are new sets to look out for in the forms of graces, but the actual unique sets like the Red Demon or Iga Jonin sets have new “plus” sets to them too. Note that they are only obtainable in Dream of the Nioh missions and the Underworld.

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An example is if you complete an entire Flying Kato DotN set (Master of Illusion +), the additional bonus is that you’ll get the Empowered Ninjutsu ability. This makes unique gear sets be on part with Ethereal and Divine grace sets and their respective bonuses. However, with these new graces and plus sets diluting the loot pool, you’re bound to get something you need, especially with a lucky drop ability on one of your accessories. These things drop like candy, so don’t feel discouraged if you don’t get a piece of a set within the first hour or so.

Nioh 2 Darkness in the Capital review: The grind continues. light. Related Story

Nioh 2’s final DLC brings many needed quality of life changes and adds a good amount of content to look forward to post-story completion. Check more on the patch notes here, and if you either haven’t gotten the game yet or are awaiting the collections or remastered editions, it’ll definitely be worth it.