Nioh 2: The ten hardest bosses and tips to beat them

With all three expansions out now for Nioh 2, the number of formidable foes has definitely gone up. Here are some helpful tips to beat them.

Back in the very early state of Nioh 2, I released a list of the five bosses I thought posed the biggest threat to not just your protagonist, but your overall psyche as they can be potential roadblocks in your first playthrough. While I do believe some of those listed in that previous article are difficult in their own regard, this new list is to showcase those who become harder in subsequent playthroughs— starting namely from Dream of the Demon and onward.

The Dream of the Demon difficulty is a New Game Plus Plus (++ , third playthrough), and this is where some enemies and most bosses start to gain these permanent “curse” buffs. These buffs on enemies grant them increased ki damage, life steal, faster movement speed, reduced ki damage, and for humans, they’ll consume less ki when attacking. Basically, they’re stronger and faster, with decent vampiric ability. As the difficulties go higher— from Curse of the Demon then Curse of the Wise, and finally Curse of the Nioh, these buffs become stronger, with the Nioh buff being the toughest of the tough.

Some of these bosses are also much easier when they aren’t bestowed with these buffs, or when facing them in easier difficulties, so some of these may be somewhat surprising.

Itsumade

So the first one on the list isn’t a boss, but it might as well be. Itsumade is basically the dreadful field boss that can really screw you over if you don’t fight it in an isolated and spacious setting. You’ll likely run into this behemoth of an enemy in the Dawn of the Demon mission in the first main mission of DLC 3, The First Samurai.

You’ll most likely encounter this beast in a dark realm, and chances are you’ll have to kill it to dispel the area. Since you’re going to be fighting this yokai in the dark realm, you’re basically almost always going to be fighting him with a penalty to your ki. What I would suggest is that unless you’re in an enclosed arena like a picture scroll mission, is to lure Itsumade out of the zone just far enough so you won’t suffer that penalty. It’s a bit cowardly, but if you can have an advantage in the fight, then take it. I would also suggest to take out any supporting enemies that can easily distract you from his mostly lethal moveset.

If you see any sort of purple glow coming from this enemy, just run away to a safe distance. Those purple glows are usually his explosive corruption attacks that will inflict an instant corrupted status to your character if you somehow survived the explosion. Also, aim for the belly. The glowy bits on yokai are always the weak areas and they sustain major ki damage when those parts are broken. Try striking with hard hitting vertical attacks to ensure breaking that area. I also suggest having a decent purity weapon on hand to even the odds.