Nioh 2 hasn’t been out very long, so the secrets hidden within the game are still being discovered. What players are beginning to realize is that this game is bursting at the seams with hidden content. Many players have possibly encountered some of these secrets but failed to recognize them – or didn’t know how to unlock them.
There are, of course, many more hidden secrets in this game than those listed here, but these are few of the secrets that are easy to access while also being fairly easy to miss for those players that focus primarily on the main missions.
Updated on July 15, 2021, by Jeff Drake: Nioh 2 is a game with so much hidden content that it's not surprising that many, many secrets have been discovered since this article was published. Honestly, there is so much hidden content in this game that it has some of the best replay value of any game in the 8th console generation. This update will include some of the more secretive content that has been discovered since then, as well as an entry or two detailing previously discovered secrets of which some players still might not be aware. This update will also include some of the more well hidden content in the game's DLC offerings.Â
15 Cleaning Your Blade
We’ll start off with simple gameplay mechanic that many players might not have found. In Nioh 2 the player is able to manually sheathe their weapon. However, if the blade is covered with the blood of your enemies the player can perform a “special” maneuver when performing this action. To do this the player must be standing perfectly still as they sheathe their weapon.
Before the sheathing action, the character will quickly swipe their weapon towards the ground, causing the blood to spray in a line across the ground. This only works after fighting human opponents – Yokai apparently don’t bleed. This is a cool little flourish that players will quickly find themselves performing whenever possible.
14 Post Game Activities
You've beaten the game, now you probably want to work on your character a little - get their level up, learn new skills, and work on your soul cores. The best way to do this is to target, and farm, specific areas, because not all bosses and areas are as fruitful as others. Nobody likes extensive farming and grinding in a video game. It's tedious, and at a certain point feels more like work than play.
If you want to farm soul cores, specifically mortal soul cores, your best bet is the mission titled "The Missing Gun". This mission has two mortal bosses that each have a chance of dropping a mortal soul core. For leveling up and raising proficiencies, one of the best missions to grind is "The Point Of No Return".
13 Hidden Items In The Map Screen
This is a secret that is easy to miss if players only focus on advancing the main story. Players can move the cursor around the map to find secret loot. If the cursor turns from blue to red this is an indicator of hidden loot being available at that location. The player only has to press the accept/activate button (X on PS4) to receive this loot.
This loot is usually just basic items such as (but not limited to) a small spirit stone, sacred water, or Ochocko cups. This can be done between missions, and is also accompanied by a small text window that gives some information about the area.
12 The Dual Sword Skill - Dragon Claw
During the mission titled “The Hollow Fortress” it is possible to find a hidden skill for the dual swords style. The skill can be found by defeating the boss of at the end of the mission – named Saito Yoshitatsu. This can be easy to miss since Yoshitatsu doesn’t always drop this skill after being defeated; so players might have to fight him several times.
The Dragon Claw skill is a powerful attack the player can perform on human enemies that are winded. This maneuver also greatly increases the anima of the player’s character. Yoshitatsu has access to this maneuver during the fight and will use it on the player occasionally.
11 Landing Safely – And With Style
Here is an option with the controls that isn’t listed in most of the controller maps. If the player’s character falls from a certain height it is possible to perform a roll upon landing. Many players have had their character die from a fall while playing Nioh 2; mainly due to the absurd amount of damage the character can take from a fall of only about ten feet.
If the player presses the accept/activate (X on PS4) button as their character lands from a fall it will cause them to perform a roll. This not only looks cool, but can save a character.
10 Lost Shotaro
There is a side-mission titled “Abduction” that can be completed easier (sort of) if the player knows how. This mission has the player investigating the cause of children going missing. After the second courtyard the player will find a benevolent grave for Lost Shotaro.
Requesting assistance at the grave summons a computer controlled companion named Lost Shotaro. He is unarmed, so his contribution to the fight isn’t significant. However, if the player can keep Lost Shotaro alive through the mission the final boss will thank the player for keeping him safe; after which both fade away and the mission is completed.
9 Sword Skill: Reverse Impact
You haven't gotten any of the Nioh 2 DLC content yet? That might change after you read this, because the third DLC offering, The First Samurai, has a very powerful hidden skill for swords called Reverse Impact. This attack is a quick stab followed by a powerful upward swing. This is a very fast skill that does a ton of damage - Reverse Impact is arguably the best sword skill in the game.
This skill is dropped by the boss Fujiwara no Chikata during the "A Spirit's Return" mission. The random number generator in this game is very unforgiving for some items and skills - in other words, be prepared to spend a long time farming this boss before he drops this skill.
8 Nurikabe
Scattered around the world in Nioh 2 are Yokai that have disguised themselves as walls – they are called Nurikabe. These can be easy to miss since they blend in to the scenery and will not initiate an interaction. The best way to find them is to look for sections of walls that seem to have two black eyes spots. To get these Nurikabe to move the player must perform the correct type of gesture.
The player only has two chances to perform the correct gesture, otherwise the Nurikabe will attack. Behind these living walls are secret areas – which often have loot. These secret areas also frequently contain the focus of the next entry: hot springs.
7 Whistle While You Work
Chest mimics can be a pain to deal with in Nioh 2. There are few things more frustrating than clearing an area of enemies, only to die when trying to open a mimic chest. There is an easy way to distinguish these chest mimics from normal chests. A normal chest has two golden horizontal lines on the left and right sides of the front. A mimic has three golden lines.
So now that you can identify these irksome creatures you might be asking if there is a way to safely open them. Yes, yes there is, and it's actually quite easy if you know how. Try this next time you encounter one of these mimics - whistle. If you whistle while standing in front of a mimic chest it will cause the spirit inside to appear. This will prevent it from doing your character damage. After this, you must mimic the gestures of the mimic (as usual).
6 Hot Springs
Hot Springs in Nioh 2 are secret areas that can be a life-saver for players who are struggling with a particular enemy or area. As stated above, these are frequently hidden behind Nurikabe. Hot springs heal the player when they are used. They also provide a temporary regenerative effect.
Though they can normally be used only once per session, it is possible to “recharge” a hot spring by praying at a shrine – however, this also respawns enemies in the area. If a player manages to visit all 27 hot spring locations they will earn the Spa Lover trophy.
5 Stray Cats
In Nioh 2 there are small, pokémon-ish cat-like creatures named Scrampusses with which you can interact. Apart from being adorable, petting a Scrampuss will cause it to accompany the player for a few minutes and fight with him/her.
Many players might not have known that petting thirty Scrampusses unlocks a side-mission titled “Stray Cats” – the mission “The High-Spirited Demon” must also have been completed. During this mission the player must rescue three Scrampusses and defeat an Onryoki. For completing this mission the player is rewarded the Play Dead gesture, a Ninja Lock, as well as some other lesser loot.
4 Claws
This isn't a secret so much within the game as it is a secret about the game. It doesn't take playing this game long to discover the developers favored certain types of weapons. The amount of attention given to swords, for example, is a sore spot among many players. Spears are another weapons that seem to have been favored by the developers.
With so many great swords and sword skills available it is no surprise the plurality of players use swords - and there's nothing wrong with that. Claws seem underrepresented, causing many players to not bother with them. The claw weapons used by a character with a lot of ki and a high strength, though, are almost broken. The speed and finesse, coupled with the high damage potential, make claws the ultimate boss killers once you get the hang of using them. They're also great weapons for parrying.
3 Interacting With Purple Kodama
Players will occasionally encounter the small, impish purple kodamas during their journey, also called sudama. These are different than the standard green kodamas in more ways than just color. When approaching one the player is informed that it seems to want something, and performing gestures doesn’t seem to have any effect. Instead, the player needs to drop an item on the ground near a purple kodama.
They typically will give the player something in return of about the same value – making this a great way of getting rid of a powerful piece of gear that the player doesn’t wish to use. Certain purple kadamas want something smelly. Answering this request with a dung ball will be reward the player with some rare items.
2 Sudama Farming
Everyone who's played Nioh 2 has encountered the sudama. These are small purple spirits with which you can interact. If you give them what they desire they will reward you with an item. You can also trade items with them. Normally, they give you a random item, but for players that are playing through Nioh 2 a second time with a character, the sudama act differently. A lot of players might have missed this because they stopped trading with them long ago.
After beating the game, sudama will trade an item for another of the same type - so if you trade a helmet it will give you a helmet. This is extremely useful when trying to complete a set. Now you are guaranteed to get an item of the same type.
1 The Hatchet Skill - Deadly Spiral
There are many hidden skills to be found in Nioh 2, but one of the more useful is the Deadly Spiral skill for hatchets. This skill can be found by defeating the boss, Shibata Katsuie, at the end of the “Ruin Draws Near” mission. Shibata does not always drop this skill when defeated; so players might need to defeat him multiple times before they get lucky.
This skill allows the player to spin in a circle with their hatchets – causing significant damage to surrounding enemies. Shibata will use this maneuver on the player. Watching bosses closely during a fight is a great way to look for new skills. Many times if a boss uses a unique maneuver on the player it is possible to obtain this maneuver from them.