7 Best Character Builds In Nioh 2 (2024)

Say you love a good Soulslike, and you've heard great things about Team Ninja's Nioh 2. Say that you've booted up the game, quickly realized that its difficulty and depth are no joke, and you've gotten slaughtered more than a few times. What's a gamer to do? You could give up... just kidding, you would never do that.

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Fortunately, though Nioh 2 is definitely a hardcore experience full of overlapping systems, you can still come out on top - you just need to learn to take advantage of all of your options. The game provides a surprising level of flexibility in its gear and stat systems, which allows you to create a character that suits your play style. Here are just a few of the best builds for the different weapon types in the game.

7 Dual Swords - Agile Water Swordsman

7 Best Character Builds In Nioh 2 (1)

For a solid early-game build, try using dual swords as your weapon and focusing on your Skill, Heart, and Dexterity stats. This build lends itself to an agile, defensive play style - you'll jump in quickly to attack enemies, then dodge away to avoid their blows.

Raising your Heart stat will allow you to expand your Ki energy, which governs your actions. With more Ki, you can attack and dodge more consistently. This build gets its name from the Water Sword skill, which when equipped allows you to attack enemies multiple times in quick succession - perfect for this speed-focused build.

6 Kusarigama - Endgame Hero

On the other hand, if you're looking for a powerful build to tackle Nioh 2's wealth of endgame content, you can use the kusarigama as your weapon and focus on your Dexterity, Magic, and Stamina stats. This build offers flexibility in terms of equipping different buffs and weapon abilities, and allows you to balance both up-close melee prowess and powerful ranged attacks.

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One particular thing to focus on in this build is reducing your projectile damage through equipping skills and specific weapon sets; this will allow you to keep your distance from enemies without opening yourself up their ranged attacks.

5 Switchglaive - Omnyo Mage

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For players who want to focus on buffs and debuffs in order to outfox their foes, the Omnyo Mage build with the switchglaive weapon is a good option. You'll really want to focus on your Magic stat for this build, which will allow you access to the full suite of offensive and defensive magic.

In addition, you'll want to equip the Omnyo Mage armor set, as well as any accessory that focuses on Omnyo magic. Finally, you'll need to equip as many elemental damage boosts as possible in order to get the full effect out of the build.

4 Spear - OP Tank

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This is a build that will allow you to tank tons of damage. Equip the spear as your main weapon, and as your main stats invest in Constitution - which will boost your damage output, as spears' efficacy is directly tied to this stat, Magic, and Heart.

You'll also want to equip the Tornado skill, which sends out a shockwave and then allows you to follow up with some quick attacks for extra damage. Finally, you'll want to add life increases and elemental resistances onto your armor, which will help you to power through any damage you receive.

3 Dual Swords - Master Swordsman

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If you're looking for a dual sword build to carry you through the endgame, this is a great option. It gets its name from the Master Swordsman heavy armor set, which is challenging to get in both New Game and New Game+ but which provides a great deal of stat boosts. You'll want to equip this set, and you'll also want to use skills that allow you to recover more quickly and withstand more damage over time.

Finally, you'll need to equip skills on your accessories that allow you to deal more damage to enemies who are inflicted with paralysis - this gives you an extra option in dealing with foes.

2 Fists - Dragon Ninja

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Menu description of the Falcon Claws in Nioh 2

Of course, rather than focusing on buffs or status effects, sometimes you just want a build that will output ridiculous amounts of damage. In that case, a build just using your fists is the way to go. This particular build requires that you invest heavily in the Strength stat, and equip the Hayabusha armor set, which will boost your life and attack power.

RELATED: The Best Fists In Nioh 2

You'll also need to equip the Limitless skill, which allows you to use all of your Ki energy to score one huge, powerful attack. This can output thousands on thousands of damage, so this is the build to use if you like seeing big numbers.

1 Bow & Katana - Agile Archery

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Finally, if you're looking for a more defensive build, this bow-and-katana combination will be right up your alley. You'll want to invest in your Heart, Skill, and Constitution stats - Heart and Skill will build up your strength for the weapons, while Constitution will allow you to wear light armor, which will help you to dodge enemies quickly.

Next, equip the Haccho Nenbutsu katana for its bonuses, particularly its ability to reduce Ki energy consumption for melee attacks. Finally, you'll need bonuses that will boost your speed with the bow - this build asks you to switch between melee and projectile attacks, so you'll need to be able to move fast when drawing your ranged weapon.

NEXT: Nioh 2: Everything You Need To Know About Character Creation Codes

7 Best Character Builds In Nioh 2 (2024)

FAQs

What is the strongest build in Nioh 2? ›

One suggested build relies on corruption, whereas the other tries to make players as durable as possible.
  • 7 Corrupted Blade Savant. Use Corruption, Confusion To Overwhelm Enemies. ...
  • 6 Ultimate Boulder. Ki Drain For Maximum Damage. ...
  • 5 Tamer Of Souls. ...
  • 4 Shinobi Of The East. ...
  • 3 Twin Venom Sticks. ...
  • 2 Night Rain Iai. ...
  • 1 Onslaught Of Grace.
Mar 7, 2024

What is the strongest spirit in Nioh 2? ›

With Tengen Kujaku, you are outputting an absurd amount of melee damage and can pair that with its Elemental Weapon that lasts longer than most others. The Tengen Kujaju punches well above its weight and allows you to dive into the action, making it the best Guardian Spirit in Nioh 2.

What is the best spirit to start with Nioh 2? ›

The bird spirit Ame-no-Mitori is the best spirit to pick if you want to attack with lightning speed in Nioh 2.

What is the most damaging weapon in Nioh 2? ›

What Is The Best Weapon For A High Damage Playstyle In Nioh 2? If you're looking to deal massive amounts of damage in a short period of time then you would do well to consider the axe as your primary murder implement.

What is the best stat to upgrade in Nioh 2? ›

Nioh 2 Best Build – The stats
  • Constitution 25.
  • Courage 10.
  • Dexterity 5.
  • Heart 30.
  • Magic 15.
  • Skill 99.
  • Stamina 5.
  • Strength 10.
Jan 15, 2021

What is the strongest fist in Nioh 2? ›

1 Raging Fire Clawed Fists

The 88 break damage stands as the highest among the fist sets in all of Nioh 2, strong enough to make up for their relatively mediocre block rate of 67. Plus, these fists come with the added effect of Imbue Fire, inflicting fire damage in addition to whatever you can do via melee.

Does luck matter in Nioh 2? ›

Luck doesn't affect if something drops, but it definitely affects the rarity of what drops. Since smithing texts and weapon skill drops are some of the rarest things you can find, luck helps.

What is the best mode for Nioh 2? ›

The difference with the PS5 standard mode though is that while 4K mode has better resolution overall, the PS5 standard mode makes up for it with rock solid 60fps and higher visual settings in other parts like draw distance and shadows. Long story short, the PS5 mode is really the way to go when playing this game.

What is the easiest weapon to master in Nioh 2? ›

The Spear is a great weapon for a beginner in the game, allowing them to keep their distance while dealing reliable damage. It's not too hard to get used to and the mechanics are basic. Nobody should be struggling with the old point and stab.

What is the best heavy set in Nioh 2? ›

Of all of the heavy armor sets in the game, the Tatenashi set is one of the best. It requires a stamina of 12 and a strength of 11 to be used and protects against both physical and fire damage. The set bonus is titled The God of War Looks Down, and it mostly helps reduce the damage inflicted on the player.

What is the weapon max in Nioh 2? ›

cap is 60 and will be able to unlock all the skills for all the weapon. for odachi, after unlocking all the skills, the melee mastery can hit level 11 giving you a +22. not all weapon can reach the same melee mastery level, some can go higher than that like switchglaive can hit level 18 giving a +36 in melee attack.

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